The Touch Part 1

Entering the tree, Optimus realized that the place was larger than it appeared, with a large cover of plants, vines and moss falling in all directions around what looked like a large throne made of wood and roots.

The place was quite beautiful with dense vegetation, but there was still a very noticeable darkness due to the lack of light, so small robotic fireflies illuminated the place in a subtle way, giving a feeling of calm and peace to the environment, as if it were a spiritual place for the practice of meditation.

Even with the little illumination provided by the fireflies, Optimus noticed that the throne was empty, but that didn't mean he was alone, especially with the feeling of being watched.

"-■-□-■-■ ■○□○□ ○○ ○■○■○■ - □○." Said a female voice like an echo, leaving the last Prime on guard, searching for the source of the voice.

Optimus did not understand what he had just heard from the female voice, but from the tone of her voice, he assumed she was asking him who he was. "My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, I am here to discuss a fair and mutual agreement about the crisis between the forest and the humans, a peace treaty! Without weapons or fangs, a truce for both sides." Optimus said, looking carefully in all directions for the source of the female voice he had heard.

"■○ □-□ ○□○■ ○□□ ○■○○□○ ○■■■ ■●●○ --- Why would I agree to such a deal when this species called humans is violent and has attacked my citizens?" The female voice said.

Optimus' eyes widened as he realized he could finally understand and interpret the female voice perfectly. He felt the power of the Leadership Matrix working to help him and was grateful for the help he was receiving. "The human species is a species that is still learning and does not know much about the universe, and your sudden appearance caused them to become frightened and aggressive.

"The moment I became conscious, my only wish was to protect this forest and let life flourish, but these barbarians called humans attacked me for no reason, endangering the prosperity of my territory." The female voice said even more irritated, making the ground tremble slightly with her emotions.

"If you have such a high regard for life, then why did you hurt humans? They are as much a part of this planet's ecological system as any other native species." Optimus snapped, unable to resist scolding the forest guardian.

"A native environment has its balance in its ecosystem, with each animal performing its function to make life flourish and coordinate the food chain from the lowest to the highest. A small animal, no matter how insignificant, whether it is the size of an insect or a large animal, all have the same importance in an ecosystem. There is no inequality, only balance and prosperity. However, if a small animal, even an insect, is removed from its natural habitat and transported to another ecosystem, it can become a plague and kill an entire population of species, resulting in the decimation of all flora and fauna." The female voice explained, leaving Optimus pensive and worried that the conversation might take an unwanted turn. "So tell me, Optimus Prime, what is the difference between humanity and a plague?"

"Do you intend to wipe out humanity?" Optimus tensed, clenching his fists reflexively as he heard those words.

"In the few hours I have been able to observe humanity, it has been more destructive than beneficial. Don't worry, I intend to make sure that no innocent animals on this planet are harmed, but I will arrange for the extermination of the human race like the plagues they are, so that this planet can flourish freely without the interference of a dominant civilization." The female voice continued, making it very clear how she saw humanity as a barbaric and savage species, with no chance of thriving in unity with nature.

"I can agree that humanity is a violent species, it is a new species and has much to learn, but I have seen good in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." Optimus explained, willing to sacrifice to defend what he believed in his Spark. "You have only seen the evil side of humanity, but you have not seen the strengths and the great good they can do, they are a species that values honor, respect and justice. Each human is unique from the other, thriving in different ways from one another. Although you and I are different from them, as are we, they are more than meets the eye."

There was silence for a few minutes as Optimus waited for the female voice to respond, she was genuinely impressed with how the last Prime saw the world.

"You have a way with words, I must admit." The female voice admitted with a small sigh. "You have a lot of faith in this species."

"If we see the world in only one direction, without looking around us, we are the truly blind and ignorant." Optimus said again, surprising the female consciousness of the forest. "I understand that you are not in a good mood with humanity, but they are afraid, that's all, if they understand that this is all just a misunderstanding, things can improve."

"Why should I trust your words?" The female voice asked, still suspicious.

"For I watched my planet die... My friends, my comrades, and a special person to me all suffered the consequences of my failure to stop a man I called my brother from taking the war to its final conclusion and making our planet uninhabitable." Optimus admitted with regret in his heart. "I lost myself in my dreams, wishing to return to that time to change my brother's fate, but... war was inevitable, it was just a matter of who would make the first move that would lead to the burning of Cybertron. If we get stuck in a cycle of anger, mistrust or betrayal, destiny leads to terrible consequences for our future, I lost my planet because of that mistake, you could end up doing the same with this one."

The female consciousness watched Optimus with some sympathy, understanding the enormous weight of the last Prime's burden. As the conversation progressed, she realized that Optimus shared the same ideal as she did, only in different aspects, which made her understand the last Prime's words even more.

"There can be no evil without good, and there can be no good without evil. An ironic twist of fate. The way you speak makes it seem as if you could have killed your brother and prevented the catastrophe of war, but you didn't because you still believed there was good in his heart." The female voice interpreted Optimus' speech, which surprised him this time because it was the first time anyone had understood perfectly why he had never killed the leader of the Decepticons when he had the chance.

"Megatron's ideal is not wrong, but ideals can be corrupted by the people who follow them." Optimus was momentarily lost in memories of the past. "Power, when coveted, can corrupt people, but when power is acquired out of need and not desire, gives us the strength to fight for our ideal without getting lost in the darkness." Optimus touched his hand to his chest for a moment, feeling the power of the Matrix of Leadership.

"Hope is not a curse, Optimus Prime, it is what makes us who we are." The female voice said in a calmer, more peaceful way. "I have hope in protecting the forest and its creatures, but I will not hesitate to use all my strength to protect what I hold dear."

Before Optimus could respond, a layer of living metal in a liquid state began to form in front of him, using the metal floor itself to build a body that slowly took on a humanoid form, surprising the Prime. The humanoid form slowly began to exceed 6 meters until it reached 12 meters in height, forming a feminine appearance with gold and silver features on her body with slight greenish details, revealing a very curvaceous figure. However, what was most impressive about her feminine form was the pair of imposing golden wings, which resembled three large metallic feathers for each wing, resembling fine metallic fabric upon close inspection.

Finally revealing herself to Optimus, the female figure walked to her throne and sat calmly, crossing her legs as if she were a queen or a goddess, and finally opened her eyes to reveal an orange color that glowed with grandeur.

"I haven't introduced myself to you yet, I don't have a definite name, but you can call me Gaea." Gaea smiled, letting her eyes shine impressively, but secretly gazed at the mass of pure energy that Optimus carried within him. "I'm curious about you, tell me your story about you and your brother. Tell me how you and your brother became what you are."