The underground city trembled.

Dust fell from the enormous ceiling as another explosion struck the surface.

Kaia stood beneath the ancient tree, staring at the glowing seed.

It was no larger than her hand.

Yet the entire city seemed to breathe with it.

Every time the seed pulsed, blue light traveled through the roots beneath the floor.

The strange creatures surrounding Kaia remained completely silent.

Elias raised his weapon.

“We need to get back to the station.”

The creature standing before them shook its head.

“Your station is already gone.”

Kaia turned sharply.

“What?”

The creature looked upward.

“The humans have sealed the entrance.”

Another explosion shook the city.

Kaia looked at Elias.

“Then we need another way out.”

“There is another way.”

The creature pointed toward the enormous tree.

“Through the Garden.”

Kaia stared at the tree.

“You’re saying we can escape through that?”

“No.”

The creature’s eyes moved toward the glowing seed.

“We can escape through what it remembers.”

Kaia didn’t understand.

But before she could ask another question, the entire city suddenly became bright.

The seed released a wave of blue light.

It passed through Kaia.

For a moment, she could not hear anything.

She could not feel her body.

Then she was somewhere else.

A blue ocean stretched endlessly beneath a golden sky.

There were no cities.

No spacecraft.

No machines.

Only enormous trees growing from islands scattered across the water.

Kaia stood barefoot on a beach.

A child was walking toward her.

The child looked human.

A little girl.

She was perhaps eight years old.

Her hair was silver.

Her eyes were bright blue.

Kaia recognized her.

She had seen her before.

In photographs.

In dreams.

In memories that weren’t hers.

The girl smiled.

“You came back.”

Kaia stepped backward.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Liora.”

“Where am I?”

“Home.”

Kaia looked around.

“This isn’t Mars.”

“No.”

“Earth?”

Liora nodded.

“But not your Earth.”

Kaia’s breathing became faster.

“What does that mean?”

Liora pointed toward the ocean.

A gigantic object rose from beneath the water.

It was a spacecraft.

Its design was unlike anything Kaia had ever seen.

Thousands of lights covered its surface.

Liora spoke quietly.

“Your ancestors came here before your history began.”

Kaia stared at the ship.

“Why?”

“They were looking for a new home.”

“Because Earth was dying?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

Liora looked sad.

“Because they had already destroyed their first home.”

Kaia felt a cold sensation.

“First home?”

Liora nodded.

“Mars.”

The vision suddenly changed.

The beautiful planet became red.

The oceans disappeared.

The forests burned.

Cities collapsed.

A massive war spread across the planet.

Human spacecraft attacked one another above the atmosphere.

Kaia watched in horror.

“What happened?”

Liora answered:

“Humans fought over the Garden.”

The vision changed again.

The ancient humans had discovered the seed.

They had learned that it could transform dead worlds.

They wanted to control it.

Some wanted to use it to heal planets.

Others wanted to use it as a weapon.

Eventually, war began.

The Garden responded.

It protected itself.

The seed released a wave of energy.

Every living organism on Mars was transformed.

Some survived underground.

Others disappeared.

Mars became the dead planet humanity later discovered.

Kaia whispered:

“So the Garden destroyed Mars?”

Liora shook her head.

“No.”

“Then who did?”

“Humans.”

The vision disappeared.

Kaia returned to the underground city.

She fell to her knees.

Elias caught her.

“Kaia!”

She looked at him.

“I saw Mars.”

“What?”

“The real Mars.”

Elias stared at her.

“What did you see?”

“Humans.”

He became silent.

The creature approached them.

“The Garden remembers everything.”

Kaia stood.

“Why does it need me?”

The creature looked toward the seed.

“Because it chose you.”

“Why?”

“Because you carry something the others do not.”

Kaia frowned.

“What?”

The creature touched her forehead.

A blue symbol appeared on her skin.

Kaia stepped back.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

The creature looked at the symbol.

“The Garden recognized you.”

Suddenly, the entire city became silent.

Every machine stopped.

Every creature turned toward the entrance.

Elias heard something.

“What is that?”

A distant mechanical sound echoed through the tunnels.

Footsteps.

Hundreds of them.

Then voices.

Human voices.

Elias raised his weapon.

“They’ve entered the city.”

Kaia looked toward the tunnel.

The Earth military had found another entrance.

A bright white light appeared in the distance.

Soldiers entered.

They wore black armored suits with golden markings.

At the front walked a tall man.

He removed his helmet.

Kaia recognized him immediately.

“Director Vale.”

Elias’s expression hardened.

“You know him?”

Kaia nodded.

“Everyone in the planetary research division knows him.”

Director Marcus Vale smiled.

“Dr. Renn.”

Kaia stepped forward.

“You knew about this.”

Vale looked around the ancient city.

“We’ve known for fifty years.”

“Then why send us here?”

“Because we needed someone to open the door.”

Kaia stared at him.

“You used us.”

“Of course.”

Elias raised his weapon.

Vale’s soldiers immediately aimed theirs.

“Lower your weapon, Commander.”

Elias didn’t move.

Vale looked at Kaia.

“You found the seed.”

Kaia stood in front of it.

“You can’t have it.”

Vale smiled.

“You don’t understand what you’re protecting.”

“I know enough.”

“No.”

His expression became serious.

“You know nothing.”

He activated a small device.

A holographic image appeared.

Earth.

The planet looked different.

The oceans were shrinking.

Massive storms covered entire continents.

Cities were surrounded by artificial walls.

Millions of people lived underground.

Kaia stared at the image.

“What happened?”

Vale answered:

“Earth is dying.”

Elias looked at him.

“We know.”

“No.”

Vale shook his head.

“You don’t.”

The image changed.

A massive red warning appeared.

EARTH LIFE SUPPORT: 7%

Kaia felt her chest tighten.

Vale continued.

“We have forty-three years.”

“Until what?”

“Until Earth becomes uninhabitable.”

Kaia looked at the seed.

“And you think this can save it.”

“I know it can.”

The creature stepped forward.

“No.”

Vale pointed his weapon at it.

“You don’t get to decide anymore.”

The creature smiled.

“You still believe the Garden is a machine.”

Vale’s face became cold.

“What is it, then?”

The creature answered:

“Life.”

Vale laughed.

“Everything can be controlled.”

The creature looked at Kaia.

“That is why humans always lose.”

Vale gave the order.

“Take the seed.”

The soldiers moved.

Kaia grabbed the glowing seed.

The moment her hand touched it, the city exploded with light.

Every soldier froze.

Every weapon stopped working.

The ground beneath them opened.

Roots burst through the floor.

They wrapped around the soldiers without hurting them.

Vale stumbled backward.

“What is happening?”

Kaia looked at the seed.

It was no longer glowing blue.

It had become white.

The symbol on her forehead grew brighter.

Then she heard a voice.

Not from the creatures.

Not from the Garden.

From inside herself.

CHOOSE.

Kaia closed her eyes.

Images appeared.

Earth.

Mars.

Millions of people.

Children.

Cities.

Forests.

Oceans.

Two dying worlds.

One seed.

One choice.

She opened her eyes.

“What happens if I give it to Earth?”

The creature answered:

“Earth will live.”

“And Mars?”

“Dies.”

Kaia looked at the red planet around her.

“And if I keep it here?”

“Earth dies.”

Kaia looked at Elias.

He understood immediately.

“Kaia…”

She shook her head.

“There has to be another way.”

The creature remained silent.

Vale stepped forward.

“There isn’t.”

Kaia looked at him.

“You knew this would happen.”

“Yes.”

“You knew someone would have to choose.”

“Yes.”

“Then why choose me?”

Vale’s expression changed.

“Because the Garden doesn’t listen to us.”

He looked at the symbol on her forehead.

“It listens to you.”

Kaia stared at the seed.

Then something unexpected happened.

A second pulse traveled through the city.

The ancient tree began to open.

Its enormous trunk split apart.

Inside was a chamber.

And inside that chamber was another object.

A small silver sphere.

Kaia walked toward it.

Elias followed.

“What is that?”

The creature whispered:

“The answer.”

Kaia touched the sphere.

A voice filled the city.

This time, it was not ancient.

It was human.

A woman’s voice.

Soft.

Calm.

And familiar.

“Kaia.”

She froze.

Elias looked at her.

“Who is that?”

Kaia’s face became pale.

She knew that voice.

It belonged to her mother.

Her mother had died when Kaia was six years old.

But the recording continued.

“If you’re hearing this, then the Garden has finally chosen someone.”

Kaia’s hands began trembling.

“Mom?”

The voice continued.

“Do not trust Earth.”

Vale suddenly looked frightened.

“Turn it off.”

Kaia stared at him.

“What did you just say?”

“Turn it off!”

For the first time, Director Vale looked afraid.

Kaia understood.

He knew the recording.

Her mother’s voice continued:

“The seed was never created to save Earth.”

The entire city became silent.

“It was created to save something else.”

Kaia whispered:

“What?”

The answer came.

“Humanity.”

The recording ended.

The silver sphere opened.

Inside was a map.

Not of Mars.

Not of Earth.

But of the entire galaxy.

One location began glowing.

Far beyond the known human colonies.

Far beyond the explored regions of space.

A planet appeared.

Green.

Blue.

Alive.

And beneath its name was a single word.

ORIGIN.

Kaia stared at it.

Elias whispered:

“That’s impossible.”

The creature looked toward the map.

“The Garden has shown you the way.”

Vale lowered his weapon.

For the first time, he looked terrified.

“Nobody is going there.”

Kaia turned toward him.

“Why?”

Vale looked at the glowing planet.

“Because that’s where the first humans came from.”

Silence filled the underground city.

Then the planet’s coordinates began transmitting automatically.

A signal traveled through space.

Earth received it.

Mars received it.

And something else received it too.

Something far beyond the Solar System.

Something that had been waiting for humanity to remember where it came from.

Kaia looked at the distant image.

And somewhere in the darkness between the stars…

a ship changed direction.

It began coming toward Mars.

To be continued…