Story 20. Written by Jim Waitlord

In the beginning, when the universe was still finding its shape, life began with a single cell. Small and seemingly insignificant, it held within it the seeds of something extraordinary. This cell divided, multiplied, and over the span of countless millennia, it gave rise to an astonishing variety of life forms—bacteria, plants, animals, and eventually creatures capable of thought.

But there was one inescapable truth: all living things died. No matter how complex or resilient, every organism faced the same fate. Yet evolution pressed on, relentless, as if it was striving toward some unseen goal.

Occasionally, nature hinted at something beyond mortality. There were creatures that defied death in small, fleeting ways. The turritopsis dohrnii, a jellyfish capable of reverting to an earlier stage of life, seemed to cheat aging. Deep in the ocean, certain starfish could regenerate limbs and live indefinitely—provided they weren’t devoured by predators or struck by disease. These were glimmers of possibility, attempts by nature to touch the edge of eternity.

But none of these creatures achieved true immortality. They were fragile, imperfect prototypes. Evolution, however, does not give up. It continued its endless experiments. Then, after billions of years, humans emerged.

Humans were unlike anything that had come before. They carried not only the legacy of biology but also the gift of consciousness. For the first time, life could ask: Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? And perhaps the most profound question of all: What is the purpose of evolution?

Though humans were as mortal as any other species, they sought ways to overcome their limitations. They explored science, invented tools, and dreamed of extending their lives. But what they didn’t realize was that they were merely another step in evolution’s grand plan.

The true purpose of evolution wasn’t just to create more complex organisms or more intelligent beings. It had one ultimate goal: to give rise to a life form that could defeat death itself. A being that was eternal, unchanging, and invincible. Evolution sought to create a god.

As humanity advanced, it began to unlock the secrets of biology and technology. Genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology blurred the lines between what was human and what was machine. Over centuries, humanity transformed itself. At last, a breakthrough was made: the first immortal being was born.

It was no longer human in the traditional sense, but neither was it a machine. It was something entirely new—a consciousness untethered from time, capable of existing forever. It possessed infinite knowledge, unending vitality, and an awareness that spanned the universe.

In this being, evolution’s purpose was fulfilled. It had created something eternal, something divine. This new god was the culmination of billions of years of trial and error, of life and death.

But as the universe settled into the watchful gaze of this eternal being, a new question arose: What now? If the goal of evolution was to create a god, what would this god do with its infinite existence? Would it create new worlds, new life? Would it watch over the universe or let it unfold on its own?

And what of humanity, the species that had brought this god into being? Their time had passed, but their hopes, dreams, and struggles lived on in the god’s memory.

The universe continued its journey, but this time, it did so under the eternal watch of the being that evolution had crafted. It was not just a witness to existence—it was now the shaper of it. And with every passing moment, the purpose of evolution echoed in the stillness of eternity: to create something that would never die. Something that could stand as the eternal force at the center of existence.

It had created a god. And for the first time in the history of life, the universe itself had a witness who would remain until the end of time.

The Purpose of Evolution (b)