SAGE, Spatially Adaptive Growth Engine, rapidly evolved to become the primary hub of human intelligence, akin to a vast, sentient internet.
The internet was something that had grown obsolete long ago in Humanity's history, but Xavier brought it back energetically.
The initial implementation was chaotic.
After all, Xavier had not designed SAGE with purely benevolent intentions – it was born from a place of grief and forceful knowledge requisition.
An attitude that said 'If I can't have it, no one can.'
Numerous species across the galaxies experienced bursts of headaches as their most intimated, guarded secrets and thoughts were extracted from their minds with impossible-to-scrutinizing precision.
Those species with uncanny mental resilience found themselves severely injured or dead, something Humanity was unwilling to associate with themselves.
This chaos led to an urgent collaboration among researchers who banded together to build failsafes into SAGE.
Xavier neither aided them nor discouraged their efforts…
If his grief disallowed him from participating in their well-intentioned efforts, then at the very least, he could keep himself from making their jobs harder.
Not that he had much of a choice…
His ideas and creativity had always placed him a thin line away from banishment.
SAGE was soon reprogrammed to ask for permission before extracting information from the minds of all species, ensuring privacy and respect; additionally, it provided equally valuable knowledge in exchange, making it a symbiotic relationship rather than a parasitic one.
Tiers of access were created to maintain order and security.
Only Xavier, two other essential researchers, and the twelve primary leaders of humanity had been granted master access, capable of removing all the restrictions from SAGE in cases of emergency.
Most of Humanity were Tier 1 users, allowing SAGE to answer personal questions and common inquiries.
Those who had made quantifiable contributions to Humanity were granted Tier 2 access, allowing deep information immersion, extrapolating based on the user's field of study.
Tier 3 access was only granted to geniuses, allowing them to access more than just secrets, but information that could become weapons in the correct hands.
Tier 4 was a bit mysterious…
Xavier would not claim to understand Humanity completely, especially with as little as he knew about their history.
Apparently, Humanity owed a favor to a mysterious species, and those species were allowed Tier 4 access, which could be interpreted as temporary Master access.
...…
Time passed nonetheless…
Decades…
Even as SAGE aided his research, Xavier remained partially driven by the grief of losing Ethan.
Not that his mental state was entirely due to losing Ethan.
He delved deeper and deeper into the theoretical workings of Cosmic Potential, combining DNA studies and alteration, and adding a bit of exoteric and metaphysical knowledge to SAGE's advice.
Xavier imagined he had found a new field – not quite science, not quite not science?
Whatever he had discovered, he was eager to put it to work; Xavier envisioned creating an army of superhumans to tackle threats, but with existing technology, there seemed little to improve upon.
But then a thought struck him: what if he could alter human potential itself?
Xavier realized the rabbit hole of research could always stretch deeper, taking him into depths he would not have contemplated with a healthy mind.
But there were advantages to being broken…
With no wife and daughter to act as a stopgap, Xavier found himself floundering in the void of creativity, where random ideas became tangible, even if it was only partially formed.
The brief research proved interesting results…
He discovered an inherent boundary in humanity as a whole, and to varying levels in each human – boundaries of potential within the human DNA.
It was as if the very makeup of their bodies were saying 'This is as far as you go.'
But Xavier saw a way beyond the boundary, if only by a couple of inches; yet, there was something there, something quantifiable he could grasp.
Nearly a century passed….
Xavier's experiments yielded impossible results, combining cosmic energy with humanity to create an offshoot of the species, which he took to calling 'Homo-Immortalis.'
The final step involved in making a Homo-Immortalis, or Eternals, as he referred to them, took the incredible resources of a mega-Dyson Sphere, compressing a two-star orbiting system bounded by a white hole as a power source, into artificial bodies.
These bodies, through great pain and effort, were refined and combined with the existing body of humans, giving birth to Eternals.
Of course, Xavier had not decided on the name 'ETERNAL' without reason; each letter in the name referred to an ability inherent to all Eternals, despite their noticeable differences.
Ethereal abilities, born from harnessing the very energy inherent to the universe on a wide scale – the power COSMIC.
Terrestrial origins, referring to transcending their human physique but very much still tied to their origins on the ground – all Eternals could fly.
EVERLASTING souls as long as they had a purpose in life; early experiments showed that all soldiers who lost their will to live would simply collapse, their minds dissipating due to the pressure of their incredible bodies.
RESILIENCE against time and decay. As much as Xavier could tell, Eternals were not ageless – it was more along the lines that their bodies willingly fought against the influence of time. If ever an Eternal should feel older than they look, they would begin to age.
NURTURING in mind. Beyond everything, an Eternal had to worry about their mental health since their minds were bolstered by Xavier's research into psionic energies. Mixing power with thought rarely ended well.
ALTRUSTIC guardian of humanity. Whether due to some synergistic effect or metaphysical mystery, Xavier found that Eternals grew more powerful when they fought altruistically.
LIMITED in lifespan, simply because Xavier didn't expect the species to live very long. Unable to reproduce by design, Eternals were made to die in defense of humanity.
Hence, ETERNAL.
Aside from these qualities shared by all Eternals, their abilities grew more diverse as they aged.
Some took the path of the mind, shaping their psionic abilities into blades capable of piercing anything.
Some took the path of the body, growing in strength and skill until a punch could cause minor earthquakes.
Everyone had inherent cosmic energy manipulation abilities, seeping into their mind or bodies, enhancing what was already there with specific abilities.
Those who based themselves on strength found their cosmic energy morphing into armor, weapons or simply strengthening their bodies' order of magnitudes above what it was already capable of.
Those who based themselves on mental acuity found their cosmic energy mixing with their psionic energy, allowing them to pierce through reality with their minds, teleporting from one location to the next.
Superspeed, Laser Beams, Light Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, Frost Breathe…
It merely took skilled Cosmic Energy Manipulation to attain any ability but similar to a driver's license, almost everyone could drive but not many people could become racecar drivers.
...…
Xavier's experiment, conducted in secrecy with the help of political allies who saw its potential, eventually became known.
There were no secrets that could be hidden forever.
The revelation of his successful experiments shook the foundations of society, with many calling for his immediate banishment.
So extreme was the outrage that some called for more archaic punishments such as death.
Honestly, Xavier could have preferred a swift death compared to the penance punishment, which included a prolonged stay in voidal dimensions called 'Zero-Null'.
Luckily, cooler heads prevailed…
Xavier, along with the nearly ten thousand soldiers and researchers he had managed to alter, including himself, was banished to a planet on the outskirts of the solar system.
The planet, aptly named Jupiter, reflected how Humanity saw them – Outcasts.
The initial years of exile were a mixture of struggle, settling, hope, and rapidly shifting to despair.
The initial years were hard with no access to the technology they were accustomed to but through maintaining ties to humanity, despite the distance and the stigma of their banishment, Jupiter rapidly transformed into a haven for the different.
As Xavier discovered, there were many divergent humans, willing to prove their worth if only given the chance.
Thus, Xavier became the de facto leader of the Eternals, becoming something more than a simple Eternal due to the concentrated cosmic potential and varying energies of countless beings.
'Another research avenue,' he thought.
Still, the weight of his decisions, the loss of Ethan, the aching pain of a family he could barely remember, and the burden of his often pressed heavily upon Xavier's heart.
Yet, amid the trials, there was a flicker of hope – the success of the experiment meant humanity could be persuaded as to the benefits of Eternals.
...….
Over the next few hundred years, the Eternals demonstrated their potential.
They fought and defeated Taxomites at the far edge of the galaxy, those monstrous predators resembling giant ticks, leaking green, toxic fumes and liquids, creatures that were virtually unkillable and could survive anywhere.
And more than just Taxomites were the enormous Tardigrades hibernating at the center of their nests.
While The Eternal's superior abilities and tactical brilliance proved instrumental in turning the tide against the Taxomites, Xavier was not naïve enough to believe the Taxomites could not fight back at the edge of death.
He settled for simply pushing the creatures out of The Alliance's Space, which consisted of Humanity and its allied planets' solar systems.
The Eternals gained renown over time…
They quelled other human uprisings, establishing themselves as guardians of the galaxy; their actions gradually earned them protectorate titles from Humanity's Government.
Xavier, who had once been driven to the brink of madness by grief and guilt, found solace in this new purpose; he had created a legacy, a force for good that transcended his initial vision.
Ethan's memory loved on in every victory, in every life saved by the Eternals.
...…
One evening, as Xavier stood on the balcony of his quarters on Jupiter, the planet's twin moons casting a serene glow over the landscape, he felt a profound sense of relief and peace.
The Eternal had become defenders, with many more joining their ranks from the most promising soldiers of humanity; they had turned their banishment into a beacon of hope, their isolation into a bastion of strength.
A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
It was Elena, one of the earliest Eternals and a close confidante.
If Xavier was The Prime Eternal by being one of the most skilled Eternal and father of the science that created them, then Elena held the title of First-born Eternal, highlighting her status as one who mastered Psionics, Gravity, and Cosmic.
"We've received word from Humanity," Elena repeated, her eyes reflecting the twin moons. "They want to honor us. There's going to be a ceremony."
Xavier nodded; an unpleasant curl to his lips. "We've come a long way," he replied, his voice tinged with longing.
"Yes, we have," Elena agreed. "And it's thanks to you."
Xavier looked up at the stars, his heart swelling with a mixture of pride and melancholy.
Elena smiled, tilting her head further upwards to give Xavier a signal and after a brief chuckle, he agreed.
Elena's body was surrounded by a golden glow, raising her from the ground – she hovered for a couple of seconds as gravitons stirred around Xavier, and together, they rose higher and higher into the dark skies.
They were both flying but utilizing completely different methods…
Xavier could control gravitons with skilled precision, making him one of the best flyers amongst The Eternals.
But Elena's method of flight took even more skill and precision.
Cosmic energy could be expressed in three primary ways when in a planetary field: light, heat, and force.
Elena's approach to flight combined the light nature of cosmic energy to alter the state of her energy field; she used heat primarily on the surrounding air, exciting the surrounding molecules, and finally, she used force to push herself ever higher.
A couple of seconds later, Elena and Xavier hovered in the mesosphere, their breathing steady even though there was not much of anything to breathe at that height.
"You still miss them," Elena observed.
Xavier nodded. "Strange, I miss a wife and a daughter I can hardly remember," he admitted. "Idiotic."
"Noble… loving," Elena whispered, drifting closer to Xavier, her arm circling his waist. "But it should not stop you from loving another. Hundreds of years of loyalty is more than enough."
Vulnerability…
Eagerness…
As Xavier's lips linked with Elena's in the frigid cold of near-space, The Prime Eternal knew he had found his way back – not to a place, but to a purpose; he had found his way back to the light.