O ChatGPT disse:
Hearing the voice, I freeze — she actually answered me.
Still surprised by the confirmation, I get up and start looking around as I reply,
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"Ah, perfect. It's the first time you've called for me. Can you tell me why you did?"
I feel a little embarrassed because, honestly, I don't really have anything to ask. I just wanted to confirm if she really existed.
"Uh... who are you?"
A gentle laugh is the first thing I hear in response.
"My little child, I am Gaia — that is the name I was given."
I frown slightly. What's a name?
Curious, I ask,
"What's a name?"
Gaia falls silent for a moment before replying.
"How strange... I was sure I imbued you with a fair amount of knowledge."
WAIT—WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY!?
"Forget it. A name, my dear, is what one uses to identify someone. For example, the bear you saved was given a name by his mother, as is usually the case."
So...
"What's my name?"
Gaia answers with a certain sadness in her voice.
"Unfortunately, little one, you have no name — it seems you were abandoned or lost."
Damn it.
I wanted a name... they sound so cool.
"Oh, don't be sad, dear. You can receive a name whenever you wish."
My face lights up at that, and I ask almost pleadingly,
"How?"
She laughs softly before answering.
"All you have to do is ask, little one. I can give you a name whenever you wish."
"I've known you since before you emerged from that cocoon."
Wait—what did she say?
"Then your name shall be..."
She knew me before I left my cocoon?
"Valak."
Whoa.
That name sounds strange and imposing, but... now I have a name — and it sounds really cool.
Her laughter grows a bit louder as she speaks again.
"My child, you always give yourself away when you're happy."
What does she mea—
I look behind me and realize that, once again, my stupid tail is wagging like a damn wolf's.
Damn it, this useless thing keeps betraying what I'm feeling before I can even control it.
"My child, I must go now, but remember this: no matter what others say, you are who you are, and no one can ever change that. I will always support you, no matter the path you take."
My eyelids grow heavy, and I fall asleep before I even realize it.
Five Days Later
It's been five days since I started talking with Gaia every night before sleeping, and I've learned so many amazing things.
For example, those strange beings I saw before are called humans, and she said that, in some ways, my anatomy resembles theirs.
One funny thing she mentioned is that I have something very desired among the males of the human species.
I didn't understand what she meant — still don't — and every time I ask, she just laughs and says I'll understand someday.
She also told me that she was the one who cared for me while I was inside my cocoon. One day, she said, she was observing the world when suddenly, a bright light fell into the forest, catching her attention.
When she arrived, a cocoon the size of a finger was lying in the middle of a crater. Feeling pity for it, she hid it in a cave and began feeding it with something I still don't quite understand.
She said I didn't have a fully formed soul, and that mine was so faint and small she almost thought it didn't exist. So, she decided to "feed" it in that strange way — she said it was like filling a well with a bucket.
According to Gaia, I remained in that cocoon for about thirty years before emerging, and the reason I knew so much when I was born was because she transmitted important information directly into my soul.
But, as she explained, the process wasn't completely successful — there are still many things I didn't absorb.
She also said she's been watching over me ever since I left the cocoon — from the animals that love me to the fruits she sends me each morning.
She told me she blessed me as a spirit protector of the forest. She didn't explain much about that, but I noticed an interesting change.
Ever since she said that, wherever I step, grass and flowers bloom in my footprints. The fun part is that Gaia taught me how to plant things and then use her energy to make them grow much faster.
For example, I planted an apple tree, and after channeling some of Gaia's energy, it took less than a minute to grow taller than the surrounding trees.
...
And, well, maybe I got a little carried away.
Looking around, I see hundreds of trees over twenty meters tall — I kind of turned a large part of the forest into a mega forest.
When Gaia found out, she just laughed for almost four straight minutes before saying it wasn't really a big deal.
I also asked her if she thought I could ever have a family, and she told me, in her own words:
"My dear, it's very likely that you are the only one of your kind in the entire world — perhaps even in the universe. But if you truly wish for a family, you may consider me your family."
That was yesterday.
And now, I don't really know how to feel. I've had many friends during my travels this past month (Gaia also taught me what that means), but I've felt lonely this whole time.
I've played with countless animals, yet I never had anyone I could truly call important. Everything was temporary — none of my friends from the journey have shown up again.
Now... I finally have something that probably won't fade away. And I don't know how to react to that.
Sigh.
I let out a long breath while sitting atop one of the giant trees, still thinking about what Gaia told me.
Woof! Woof!
Oh, right — that's another thing that's been happening lately.
Two days ago, a large group of humans began wandering around here. They dress weirdly — Gaia said they're police officers, and that they deal with something called laws.
Honestly, I fell asleep during that explanation.
But anyway, she told me not to mess with them, and that whenever they get close, I should hide. So here I am, stuck on this damn tree in the middle of the day when I should be playing.
It's really annoying, but there's not much I can do. Gaia begged me and made me swear never to interfere with them, so... here I am.
Aside from the fact that they always bring these so-called dogs with them — which are just a kind of wolf, but much smaller... and way cuter.
_____________
Inside a strange jet, a group of young mutants was flying at maximum speed toward an unknown location.
"Scott, what the hell was that?!"
A red-haired girl shouted at the jet's pilot, who immediately responded,
"I have no idea, Jean! How the hell did they know we were there? I just don't know!"
Jean sat in one of the seats, pressing a wound on her abdomen while the rest of the team tried to tend to their own injuries.
A boy with blue skin, blue hair, and a strange appearance was unconscious in a corner, while a brown-haired girl held a nasty wound on her chest.
Across the aisle, a beautiful girl with brown hair streaked with gray sat clutching her injured shoulder.
Scott glanced at her and asked,
"Kitty, how's Kurt? Is he stable or is it bad?"
With a serious face, Kitty replied,
"Bad. Really bad. He's turning pale — and that's not exactly normal for someone who's blue."
Scott frowned, his mind racing for options.
First, they'd been ambushed by the Brotherhood, and now Ororo and Logan had to stay behind to protect them while they escaped.
"Rogue, I need you to tell me how you—"
When Scott turned to give Rogue an order, he froze. She didn't look much better than Kurt — which was a terrible sign.
"Jean, I need you to send a message to the Professor — tell him Storm and Wolverine are in danger, probably captured by the Brotherhood, and that we're likely to arriv—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, one of the jet's wings exploded violently, and the aircraft began to lose altitude at alarming speed.
"Damn it!!!"
Scott grabbed the controls, struggling to stabilize the jet for an emergency landing — but it was too late.
They plummeted straight toward a forest filled with abnormally tall trees.
______________
Hey guys, please send me some power stones, please!
Hey everyone! As always, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, tips, ideas, or constructive criticism, feel free to share them—I'll definitely read them or at least try to reply!