Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"I... called you?" Lilla stammered, confused.

"Yes," the woman said softly, kneeling down so that her face was level with Lilla's. "You prayed, night after night, for something more, for hope, for light, and here I am."

Lilla stared at her, tears forming in her eyes. "Am I... dead?"

The woman laughed softly, shaking her head. "No, child. You are alive. More alive than you've ever been." She reached out, her glowing hand resting gently on Lilla's head.

"But you have a gift, little one. A gift that will bloom when the time is right. And when it does, you must use it to protect those you hold dear."

"I have a gift? What gift? I have nothing, you know? I'm just an orphan, the same as my brother. I have nothing like that." Lilla's innocent blue eyes stared up at the lady in white, confusion etched into her young face.

The lady in white chuckled softly, her voice like the chiming of distant bells. She reached out and placed her glowing hand on Lilla's cheek, caressing it gently.

"It's not a material thing, my dear. This gift is something the creations of Gaia have in many forms. But your kind... your kind doesn't yet understand how to use it." Her silvery-gray eyes locked onto Lilla's, as if peering into the very depths of her soul.

Lilla tilted her head, her childlike curiosity unshaken. "But if I don't know how to use it, then what's the point of having it?"

The lady in white let out another laugh, shaking her head with a smile that was equal parts maternal and mischievous. "Ah, the wisdom of a child. Always so direct. Let me explain it this way: Gaia, the great mother, has already given you two gifts, ones you'll understand in time. But as your aunt, I feel it's only fair that I offer you something of my own, don't you think?"

Lilla blinked, confused. "My… aunt? I don't have an aunt."

The lady's smile grew wider, though it now carried a playful, devilish edge. "Not in the way you think, child. Let's just say I'm a distant... relative." She stepped closer, her glowing white dress shimmering like a starry night sky.

"But there's a catch. You see, the rules say we cannot interfere with the creations of Gaia. We're supposed to maintain order in things. Yet, here I am, breaking several of those rules just by talking to you." She winked mischievously. "So what's a few more broken rules between family?"

The glowing woman's smile twisted into a sly grin as she raised a single finger, tapping it lightly against her chin. "How about this? In exchange for your soul, I'll give you another gift. Something special. Something… unique."

Lilla's eyes widened. She took a step back, clutching her small hands to her chest. "My soul? What's that? Can I really sell it to get a gift?" Her innocent gaze was so pure, so earnest, that the lady in white found herself flustered for a moment.

The radiant woman cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably under Lilla's unfiltered curiosity. "E-ehem. Yes, you can. And best of all, it's not something you'll even miss or feel like you've lost. So what do you say?"

Lilla tilted her head, her brow furrowing in deep thought. "Well, can I sell the gift you give me to get money?"

The lady in white blinked, caught off guard by the question. Then she laughed with a bright, musical sound that filled the glowing garden around them. "Hahaha! No, silly child. You can't sell it! It'll become a part of you." She reached out and ruffled Lilla's hair playfully.

Lilla frowned, her small hands balling into fists. "Then I don't want it." Her eyes burned with determination, surprising for someone so young. "What I need right now is money to feed my younger brother. If I can't sell it, then it's useless to me."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The lady in white froze, her mischievous grin replaced by an expression of surprise and admiration. After a moment, she chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Ah, you humans. Even in your darkest moments, you still find ways to surprise me."

She crouched down to Lilla's level, her glowing eyes meeting the child's unwavering gaze. "Listen to me, little one. While it's true you can't sell this gift, it can help you provide for your brother. With this power, earning money will be trivial. Your hardships won't last forever. I can promise you that."

Lilla thought about it for a moment, then nodded firmly. "If that's the case, then I'll do it!"

The lady in white smiled warmly, standing back up. "Well then, it's a deal." She placed a single glowing finger on Lilla's forehead, and a small, radiant spark emerged from within her, floating gently into the lady's hand.

The spark shimmered like a fragment of a star before being absorbed into the lady's body.

"And now, for my gift." The lady placed both her glowing hands over Lilla's eyes. A faint, ethereal light spread across the child's face as the woman spoke softly. "This will change you, child of Gaia. It is a part of me now, and through it, you'll see the world as I do."

When the light faded, Lilla blinked, opening her eyes. Her once-blue iris had transformed into a stunning shade of gray, shimmering like molten silver. But then panic set in.

"I-I can't see!" Lilla cried, stumbling backward. "Everything's gone! I'm blind!"

The lady in white stepped forward, her voice calm and soothing. "Fear not, child. You're not blind. Your eyes are no longer meant to see the world as it is; they are now attuned to something greater. You will see the creatures of higher planes, those who exist beyond the physical realm. This is my gift to you."

Lilla's breathing slowed, though tears still welled in her eyes. "But... why? What am I supposed to do with this?"

The lady smiled softly, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear. "You'll understand in time. And when you see my son again, be sure to tell him I said hello."

Lilla frozen, her small hands trembling. "Your son? But... how will I know who he is?"

The woman laughed gently as her form began to fade, her glowing body dissolving into the light around them. "What a silly question. You'll know the moment you see him. Or better yet, he's the one you've always prayed to."

With those final words, the lady in white vanished completely, leaving Lilla alone in the radiant garden.

When Lilla awoke the next day, her eyes were gray, just as they had been in the dream. But she couldn't see. She panicked, screaming for her brother, and when he heard her, he rushed to her side, dragging Professor Oscar with him, but no matter what the professor tried, her sight wouldn't return.

And yet, as the years passed, Lilla began to realize that she wasn't blind, at least, not in the way she had thought. Her new eyes saw what others couldn't. They revealed truths hidden beyond the physical world, glimpses of the divine and the monstrous alike.

Through trial, error, and perseverance, she learned to control the gift the lady in white had given her. She also came to understand the other two gifts Gaia had bestowed upon her, just as the lady had said.

These abilities, combined with her unwavering faith and determination, made her a beacon of hope for humanity.

In time, she became known as the Saintess of the Human Race, the one who carried the light of Gaia and stood as humanity's shield.

"Your promises mean nothing to me, Harlix," Lilla said with her voice calm but firm. "I've seen the light. And you... you're nothing but a shadow pretending to understand it."

The two massive white arms beside her began to shift, their shapes becoming more defined and more solid. The air around her hummed with energy, as if the entire battlefield had begun to bend to her will.

Harlix's grin wavered slightly, his curiosity tinged with something else, unease.

"Let me show you," Lilla said with her voice sharp as a blade, "the strength humanity doesn't need you to understand."

"Well then! Show me your capabilities!" Harlix shouted with his voice tinged with manic glee as he vanished in a flash of light, reappearing directly behind Lilla. His electrified fists crackled with deadly energy, aimed squarely at her back.

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But before he could strike, the two glowing white hands materialized beside her with blinding speed. They moved as though alive, their massive fingers clamping down on Harlix's arms with a crushing grip.

"W-what!?" Harlix's confidence faltered as he struggled against the ethereal hands that now hoisted him into the air like a ragdoll. He twisted and writhed, but the hands grip was unyielding.

For the first time in years, he felt powerless. "How... How did you know where I was going to appear?!"

Lilla turned her head slightly, her glowing gray eyes gazing in his direction. Her expression was calm, serene even, as though she had already anticipated every move he would make.

"This is fascinating!" Harlix exclaimed, his tone shifting back to his usual manic excitement despite his predicament. "Do you have clairvoyance? Precognition? Oh, you're the best specimen I've ever found! I want to dissect you already!" He laughed, his voice echoing across the battlefield like a madman on the verge of an epiphany.

But then something shifted.

Harlix tried to teleport again, but nothing happened. His body shimmered faintly for a moment, as though trying to blink out of existence, but he remained firmly in place, suspended by the glowing hands.