The Blue Earth: The Gods of Sol

by Steven Taveras

 “Nothing lives forever, in heaven as it is on Earth. Even the stars grow old, decay, and die. They die and they are born. There was once a time before the Sun and Earth existed, a time before there was day or night, long, long before there was anyone to record the beginning for those who might come after. Nevertheless, imagine you were a witness to that time.”

 

-Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan from Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1: The Beginning of Time

The Lord of the Lands of the Dark, Keeper of the Great Eternal Darkness, Malovo, has existed over the spirits of Elysia from the moment of existence. Many argue that he is the oldest and most powerful of the gods, although no one knows for certain except the gods themselves, the great ones, the old ones. Malovo had only one desire left in his reign as Keeper of the Darkness: he sought an heir. One he could leave everything to after he goes into the great slumber of the ancient deities.

Malovo went in search of a wife, one that would stand out beyond all the others. He could not simply seek some lesser creature from the depths of his own kingdom; he desired more. An empress that would capture his heart and could stand above the darkness. Malovo wanted variety in the line of his people and knew where to go to find it. He found himself traveling towards the realm of the light in search of the one creature that had ever truly caught his eye: Luzavene, the daughter of Lavaos, the ruler of the House of Fire.

Luzavene was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The fire and light that surrounded her revealed his face from the darkness that served as his only bodily form, a creature of brilliance that brought out the luminosity of even the great lord of darkness. Immediately, they fell in love, but Lord Lavaos did not so easily give her over.

There was, of course, as is always the case with gods, much quarrelling amongst the kingdoms. Nevertheless, in the end, Malovo’s words were so convincing that he managed to somehow win over their minds, if not their hearts. He said that this would forever bind the houses in a pact of peace. No longer would they fight at the borders of their worlds for supremacy. They could travel back and forth through the physical plains into each other’s worlds without fear of offense to anyone. This he would grant all the ruling families of the realm of light if they would hand over Luzavene to be his bride.

The ruling families thought long and hard. Their desire to learn more of the lore of the realm of darkness, coupled with Luzavene’s willingness to go with Malovo, made the decision for them a bit less difficult.

They came to the conclusion that it would be to the benefit of all of the spirits of Elysia for the coupling to take place. It would be a new beginning, a golden age of peace and prosperity. It was not long before Malovo and his new bride went along to begin their own family in Elysia.

Luzavene was immediately loved amongst the people of darkness. Her beauty was unmatched in all of the dark universe. Her hair was a tangle of red and yellow flames, and her skin had a gold radiance that emanated love and healing upon the faces of anyone who stood before her.

She had a charm and warmth that captured the hearts of all of the gods of the lands of darkness. Luzavene's words could soothe the coldest reaches of his kingdom and melted his heart. Malovo and his wife made the perfect pair, a contrast of power and love tempered into perfect harmony. It was not long before their first child was born.

Her name was Minga Malovo, a striking young goddess with golden brown locks and eyes that were as piercing as a needle's tip. She always wore a cool and composed countenance. She looked upon others with little regard as substantial, almost as if they were not even there. She would always say.

She was loved because she was the first offspring of the united houses. She was always well-mannered and even-tempered. But the people of darkness, though cold they may be, have never felt a force as hers quite so close. There was something the people almost feared about her. Perhaps her lack of real emotion. No one understood why at the time, but her stares were cold and troubled, a pressing force upon one’s mind. She had very little love for others, yet she was quite personable. But people's minds became muddled near her. Even the other gods could feel it.

Minga’s favorite hobbies were always the more solitary activities. Playing the Elemental notes always seemed to calm the images in her mind. She would sit and lightly pluck the sounds of her mind from the air. Then, as each finger lightly touched a different harmonic chord in the sphere of light, the sound of the elements would always come out in perfect synchronicity with each other. The sounds would always ring through her ears, and peace and tranquility would sound all around. For you see, her mind was a playground for the colliding forces of the light and the darkness. Visions of fire and brimstone, destruction and plagues danced in her mind. This was the only peace she was able to offer her mind.

She would often sit alone and stare off into the darkness, and since the darkness was anything you wanted it to be, it could be as beautiful as a phoenix bird appearing from nothing to the most feared demons in the land. This time, as she searched the darkness for entertainment, she saw beautiful small blinking orbs in the distance. She had never seen them before and realized that she had not seen them because she was looking into the darkness of her heart. The blinking lights she saw in the distance gave her hope there was a goodness within her that could overcome the visions of the future that she had always seen ahead.

Whenever she thought of the future, she would always think of her mother. Minga only needed to think of her dear mother, and her image would form before her very eyes. She would look at her mother and thought how beautiful she was. She was the light of the fire, and her flames purified as well as consumed all. She was a perfect quintessential flame in the darkness, pure and true, and her father, vast as an ocean, was the darkness. Minga was neither in between the two worlds, just as the physical plains were the thin boundary that separated the realms of the light and the darkness, so too was she in the center, an entity complete in her duality, separate and isolated in her individuality.

Was she the light? Was she the darkness? Why did the other children stay away from her? She had always asked herself these questions, but she knew the answer: she was different, and there was a void within her. A void that would only get deeper and more profound as time passed, and they knew it. They were all afraid. She was afraid as well.

Luzavene, the queen of the realm of darkness, soon had a second child, whom she named Malovick. A boy of such spirit it was felt throughout all the realms of light and darkness, a birth of great measure, the son of darkness.

“A son,” said Malovo as he looked upon the face of his newborn child with pride, the newborn child’s glowing light shining on all the people's faces. Malovick's locks of gold glinted with every movement of his hands. He was the darling of Elysia, a true prince amongst the children of all the gods. Of all the children of the houses of power, Malovick was perhaps considered the most beautiful. Minga, looking upon the splendor of her new sibling, did something that no one had ever seen her do: she smiled.

“This is my precious brother Malovick. I am so very happy this day. His light...his light is unmatched in all of Elysia.” And all that had gathered knew that what she said was true.

CHAPTER 2 The Houses of Power

In the House of Darkness, there were three realms each with a community of gods. At times, the houses of power quarreled, but for the most part, the gods were content amongst each other. They all had their personalities and traits. In the land of darkness, there were three main realms. The first was the House of Sound; for in the darkness, it is sound that first catches the attention of the senses. The second was the House of Touch; in the darkness, one's sense of touch is necessary to flesh out the world that exists around them. Lastly, there was the House of Thought when one only has sound and the touch of stillness surrounded by total obscurity, thought is the only companion one has. All the realms were housed beneath the House of Malovo, encompassed by the vast eternal darkness.

The House of Sound belonged to the ancient Lord Hum and his wife and daughter Blaire and Suena. The house of sound was created when Malovo first stepped upon the grounds of Darkness; a giant sound resounded that resided in his kingdom. Hum was a powerful deity that had also woken when the first sounds reverberated through the land. He gave voice to the spirits within the darkness. As more and more spirits answered the call of the lord of sound, his realm began to take shape, and upon his faithful followers, he granted the gift of influence. Blaire was Hum’s chosen queen, and her words could charm any spirit to do her bidding. When their daughter Suena was born, the sounds gained color as brilliant as anything in the house of the light. All creatures who could hear and see her song were mesmerized and at her mercy.

The second house was Touch. Touch was ruled by the goddess Forma, whose grace and majesty were matched by few in the ruling houses. She came to consciousness when the lord of darkness moved through his land and came to a halt as he used his fingers to feel out a great spirit that he encountered in front of him. From his touch came about the needles of light that slowly formed the spiritual body of the great goddess.

“Are you my promised one?” asked the goddess to the immense lord of darkness as she began to feel out his body and, in doing so, gave the lord of darkness the very shape he now still holds.

“No, I am not your promised one,” he coolly replied. As she heard his reply, she began to slowly huddle her shape back into a fetal position, beckoning sleep to envelope her once again in its peaceful grasp. The lord of darkness stopped her and asked her to not go back to her slumber, to wake from her sleep and give shape to the world of the conscious mind, that she would have a great part in the world of the living gods. This all sounded sweet to Forma, so she decided to do as he asked, and since then she has ruled the house of touch alone, bearing no offspring. She has blessed her faithful followers with the gifts of alchemy, a magical ability to transmutate one thing to another, even one’s own self. Forma till this day awaits her promised one at the heart of the House of Touch.

The final house in the realm of darkness was the House of Thought, ruled by a triumvirate of powers Adei, Spiroin, and Oryeth. Although they were three separate spirit entities, they often functioned as one conscious collective known as Templacon, a singular powerful god that could cleave the soul and mind of any creature, god or mortal alike. The triumvirate came to being as Malovo looked upon the distance and saw the land beyond the darkness known as the light. His mind was spinning and spinning with ideas and thoughts on what this far-off land could be. In his frustration from a lack of understanding, he pounded the darkness with his brow three times, each time summoning a puff of grey smoke that materialized as the Triumvirate spirits that were soon to form the house of thought.

They each explained to him a piece of the great mystery of light and gave the lord of darkness a clarity and understanding about this strange land that would one day play such an integral role in the processes of all living creatures in every level of existence.

The realm of thought is a place more dreamlike than physical in the realm of darkness. The spirits of the realm are known mind-benders and can communicate beyond the boundaries of normal godlike communication. Adei and Oryeth were the only two of the triumvirate to produce offspring.

In the House of the Light, ruled by Agodo who presides over all the beings that flourish in the light, there were also three realms with their own charms. There was the house of Air; whose unseen power moves all and is the breath of all of life where the family members were as intangible as ghosts. Then there was the second family, the House of Water, with the hands of a healer, these creatures of elegance and grace could smooth even the roughest of diamonds into a beautifully cut masterpiece with their mastery of the element of water. Then there was the House of Fire, whose intensity could forge the sharpest blade or warm the coldest hearts. Each has a hand in uniting the power that binds together the house of the light ruled by the power of Agodo, the great father.

The House of Air belonged to the graces of Senzeno. The house of Air was created when Agodo first opened his eyes; the gust of energy that moved forward from his powerful stare showed him a spirit’s form.

“To you,” said Agodo, “ I give the gift of life that you may breathe it into the spirits of the world.” From then on, Senzeno has kept the eternal winds flowing throughout the land, granting his followers stealth and intangibility. Suria was chosen by Senzeno for her bravery amongst his people in defending Elysia during the War of the gods. She was soon crowned queen, and she commanded great loyalty and love from her people. She brought upon her people comfort and enjoyment. The people of the house of air were often revered as great healers and spirit channelers of the spiritual plane; they were even often granted the gift of telekinesis for their reverence of Senzeno’s prides and joys, his three sons Gale, Eyeres, and Breeze, who have been known for pettiness and vanity but manage to prove themselves as fearless warriors.

Then there was the House of Water governed by S’uia, who was born of a tear in Agodo’s eye when Agodo laid eyes upon the beauty that was his land. A tear of joy created one of the most powerful creatures in the universe of Elysia. Life began to sprout as rivers and oceans formed in the House of Light. S’uia created his love S’uiei from a moon on the distant outskirts of the physical plane. Her majesty and sway could soothe even the fiercest creatures. Together, the lords of the house of water only ever created a single child; a quiet young girl named Rivea, whose songs could enchant even the most powerful mind and could hone in and find a grain of sand in the seas of the universe. They granted their followers with great healing properties and command of the seas. They were singers and entertainers. His people were often regarded as the greatest healers, the bringers of good fortune, and the bases of civilization.

As Agodo walked with the air blowing past his face, the sound of the river playing in the background, he came upon a void in the light.

For centuries, things were well in the beautiful land of Elysia. All the houses of the ruling families co-existed peacefully and in harmony. As more children were born in the great pantheon of gods, gifts were bestowed upon the new generation of gods. The most prominent of these gifts was the power of creation.

Each child was allowed to create a single living being. It was mostly intended for amusement, but strict limitations were put in place. The new creations could never be as beautiful, intelligent, or as strong as the creator. To do so would be to break the sacred laws set by the great gods of old, punishable by banishment to the physical plains. A place no god would desire to spend eternity.

The physical plain lies between both the realm of light and darkness. It separates them where both crash against each other fighting for dominance. It is the god’s purgatory because the powers of the gods are halved, and in their weakened states, they are unable to use the full spectrum of their abilities and also impart semi-mortality. 

Death was now a possibility.

 CHAPTER 3 The Children of the Houses

As the centuries passed, Malovick and the other children of the great houses grew older. He was very popular amongst the other gods. He had a sweetness and innocence that put others at ease. It was already being said amongst the gods that he had the gift of the charmers of the house of sound yet it was something more; he knew it but didn’t quite know yet.

Minga was also a far changed goddess after the birth of Malovick. Since his birth, her dreams had eased, and the light of Malovick’s presence calmed the shadows that had plagued her unconscious for so long. She would smile and play with the other children. Still, she always felt that even this moment of silence would be short-lived. Impending doom seemed to be her nature. She had seen her destiny, and it was dark indeed, for her and for all of them.

Of all the houses, Malovick was probably closest to the children of the house of Fire. Sear and Din since they were his uncles and were considered the loose cannons of the Elysian children. They were the tricksters and were known for playing tricks on the children of the other houses, especially the children of the house of Light. “They always think they are better than everyone else,” said Sear and Din to Malovick. Of course, Malovick did not believe that. He knew the twins were hot-headed and believed everyone was against them.

The truth of the matter was that Malovick looked upon them in awe. They were serene and striking with their long dark hair. Agedra, the oldest of the children of the house of Light, was known throughout all Elysia as a quick, very strong athlete, second to none. He was so popular. His sister Agadra, the second in line, was known as one of the wisest of the gods even at such a young age. Finally, there was Agodra, the youngest of the children. He was not known for anything much but was considered one of the most striking beings of the land. His talent dealt with seeing the aesthetics of the things around him and magnifying them.

More than any of the children of the house of Light, Malovick seemed fixated on one of them in particular, Agodra, the youngest member of the House of Light. Malovick was strangely drawn to the solitary nature of this young god who was born at almost the same time as himself.

The House of Sound was equally fascinating to Malovick. Queen Blaire and Lord Hum’s daughter Suena, had a voice that could mesmerize even the most stoic of gods. Blaire, with her enchanting charm, often led the other children in songs that resonated through the halls of Elysia, while Suena's melodies could paint vivid pictures in the minds of her listeners. Malovick enjoyed their company, finding their musical talents both soothing and inspiring.

The House of Thought, ruled by the Triumvirate Adei, Spiroin, and Oryeth, had no children. They were Powers amongst themselves and willed themselves into being. When they combine their abilities they are a creature of incredible mental powers called Templacon. Malovick did not speak often with the Triumvirate. 

In the House of Water, S’uia and S’uiei’s daughter, Rivea, was a quiet and gentle spirit. Her ability to heal and bring life to the barren places of Elysia made her beloved by all. Malovick found peace in her presence, often spending time with her near the serene waters that flowed through their realm. Her songs, filled with the essence of life, were a stark contrast to the chaos that sometimes plagued his thoughts.

The House of Wind, governed by Senzeno and Suria, had three sons: Gale, Eyeres, and Breeze. Gale, the eldest, was a master of the winds, his control over the air unrivaled. Eyeres, the middle child, could blend into the air itself, becoming invisible at will. Breeze, the youngest, had a carefree spirit and could create gentle zephyrs that brought comfort to those around him. Malovick enjoyed their company, finding their abilities fascinating and their spirits uplifting.

As Malovick interacted with the children of the various houses, he felt a deep connection to them all. Each had their unique gifts and personalities, enriching the tapestry of life in Elysia. Yet, despite the bonds he formed, his heart remained drawn to Agodra, the solitary young god of the House of Light. In Agodra, he saw a reflection of his own struggles and a potential for a deep and enduring friendship.

 

CHAPTER 4 Darkness

Agodra was not necessarily anti-social; he just never really saw anything truly beautiful or different about any of the gods he had met. They all seemed so vain and shallow, common traits amongst the gods, but he also saw something else he did not like. Agodra could see envy in their eyes. At what, you ask? Who knows? Not he. He would just rather play by himself. He admired his sister and brother, of course. They were so popular and respected for their great talents. Never mind that they were the children of Agodo of the House of Light; they were something special in Elysia. He could see that there was so much love for them. Love—that is what Agodra wanted. He wanted them to love him.

Alas, he remained alone and quite content to be so. Still, every once in a while, he would catch Malovick, the son of Malovo of the House of Darkness, looking upon him and felt a rare beauty inside of him. He was too shy to ever say anything to him, but he always wanted to. Instead, he would just go his own way.

Agodra would walk and walk, and fly and dance and sing to the infinite sky, for the light was vast and all that he could see. Time was of no essence, and as he walked, he would see the grass grow in thin air beneath his feet. The flowers would sprout, and the birds would fly all around him. He could not wait for the day of creation when the gift of creation that was bestowed upon him by his father could finally be used. He knew the rules, of course, and wished to all of heaven that he could make a person just like himself to play with and talk to, someone just like him who would walk the infinite paths and never complain.

Agodra was always lonely. His sister and brother were always busy with the gods of the other houses. They were always involved in some sort of challenge of the minds or the body. He was at all times welcome to join and often did, but it was not the same as having his own playmates. The other children liked him well enough, and they did play together, but they were almost too childish. He felt he had no one that could stand on the same ground as him. Finally, he decided to cross over to the realms of darkness. His father had always warned him that there were things in the darkness that he would not understand, but he felt his mind beginning to open and yearned for the greater, more far-reaching boundaries.

His sister was, after all, great friends with Suena, the daughter of Hum, the King of the House of Sound in the realm of darkness. Why could he not travel back and forth between the Great Houses as Malovick did so often? That’s when it hit him—Malovick was the reason he was there, and he knew Malovick could be his good friend. He knew it.

The darkness was something Agodra had never experienced before. Not even in his sleep had he known such obscurity. It was disorientating, a feeling of intoxication filled him, a world as new and dangerous as the most profound exile to the physical plains.

“Hello,” said a voice from the wind. It spoke into his ear and giggled, then the sound disappeared into the darkness. He looked all around and saw no one. There was nothing as far as the eye could see. He began to worry. He had always been able to see the light, and now he could not see it anymore. For the first time in his life, he was afraid. Was this what the darkness was about—fear? He decided then and there that this was perhaps not the best decision, but he no longer knew how to get back. So he closed his eyes and began to pray that the light would take him away to the world that he knows and loves.

Someone then tapped his shoulder. Agodra opened his eyes, and to his astonishment, the complete darkness was no more. Instead, he was standing in a field of shimmering lights, like a field of black glass that stretched as far as the eye could see. He looked up, and beautiful colored lights swayed back and forth, beckoning him to stare upon them forever. Suddenly, he remembered the tap and turned around. Of all people in all the darkness that could possibly be standing behind him, it was exactly who inspired his little venture forth.

“Where did you come from?” Agodra asked Malovick, who was standing in front of him with an expression of awe and amazement stamped on his face. “The ground,” said Malovick, pointing to Agodra's feet. Agodra looked down only to find a dissipating field of golden grass, bright and beautiful as the brightest day in Elysia.

When Agodra opened his mind in prayer, his thoughts must have manifested themselves upon the terrain as a field of gold. As the darkness receded, Malovick was revealed from his hidden shadows. Malovick asked if that’s what the house of light looks like on the inside. Agodra answered yes, it’s the only light he has ever known. Malovick told him that he learned the first lesson in living in the realm of darkness. He told him that when you close your eyes, the darkness becomes whatever you want it to be. It could be a comforting blanket that lulls you in its safe embrace, or it could be the demon that haunts your very existence.

“Where are we?” asked Agodra. 

“We’re at the entrance to the Opal Cave; a place of judgment as old as my father is wide.” He explained to him as he moved them further away that it was a gate to one’s own energy, a mirror to the power of all that can either reward your purity or punish your sins. Whichever outweighs which? Agodra looked behind at the aurora sky in wonder. He had never seen anything like it.

Agodra and Malovick walked for what seemed like an eternity, speaking of the complexities of the hierarchy of the gods and their houses and their curiosity at the Physical Plains. It seemed that mentally they were equals and naturally got along, which is rare considering the complexities between the House of Light and the House of Darkness.

Suddenly, a chill wind crept up behind them and a voice spoke to Malovick in his ear. “Malovick…Malovick…father is calling for us.” Malovick turned to Agodra and told him that his sister was here looking for him. Agodra had heard of the enigmatic daughter of the lord of the darkness. Minga Malovo was known throughout the kingdoms as a creature of sadness and regret. They say she dreams the dreams of the physical plains, dreams of death and destruction that most gods have no right knowing about.

Minga materialized out of the darkness. Behind her, a long, seemingly endless gated path with black and red flowers adorning the gates came into focus. A wind that beckoned them to enter blew from behind Agodra, pushing him towards the gates. Minga looked from Malovick to Agodra and greeted the youngest son of the Lord of Light as an honor for the House of Darkness. Agodra bowed and cast a curious glance at Minga. She was truly beautiful.

Her eyes were piercing and fierce as the hottest, deepest pits of the House of Fire’s eternal gardens. But even as young as he was, Agodra could feel emptiness in her stare, an emptiness that drew him in and threatened to extinguish his light. There was more to this young goddess than he may ever know, more than he may ever want to find out.

“Father wishes us to speak of the coming ceremonies for your day of creation.” She grabbed him by the arm almost as if she were protecting him. She looked at Agodra, and he sensed something in her. She didn’t want them to be friends. He couldn’t understand why, but he knew that was what she was thinking. She then proceeded to lead him away, and as they were fading into the darkness, he heard Malovick cry out to him.

“Think about your home in the darkness, or you’ll never find your way back. Sing a song of the lands of light to keep the demons at bay if they lurk near.” And as they disappeared into the darkness, he could hear his fading voice echo, “Don’t let them whisper into your ear.”

It took Agodra not long to cross over to the lands of light again. He was mystified and bewildered but also excited and energized by his first experience in the land of darkness. A new world to explore with brand-new kingdoms and adventures. He began to think to himself how strange these new emotions were. He had never experienced them before. He never knew fear or the complexities of a mind as equal to his as Malovick’s was. Perhaps what he truly needed to complete himself was a taste of the darkness. Everything was always so bright and clean in his mind. He realized suddenly that he was limited in his experiences. If a god could feel iniquity in his heart, he believed that that was what it was. He wanted to see more. Perhaps soon he would go back to visit his good friend Malovick, the sooner the better.

 

CHAPTER 5 The Opal Cave

 

Malovick walked to his sister’s chambers in the great corridors of Malovo's vast domain. Minga resided high atop the Opal Schooner Mountains, staring off into the grey vastness above her. The winds were violent and thick in these icy mountains, blowing her hair in every direction. Malovick had never understood why his sister liked to be in a place so void of all beauty and pleasure. There was no lush, satiny darkness, no colorful sounds that filled the space with magic. It was cold and void of color, a place of deep meditation. Malovick supposed that was why she was always here; it took away her thoughts.

She turned around and looked at him as she lay upright on a grey cloud; she wore a slight smile at the sight of her only brother and beckoned him to come closer.

“What brings you here, my dearest brother?” she embraced him and laid his head on her soft bosom. He had rarely ever known her to be so affectionate; then again, he had rarely ever made the trip to see her on these cold glass mountains of grey. Malovick could only stare at her; she looked so peaceful, so void of thought.

“I want to know the things you see, sister. I want to know the future,” he said to her with a wide-eyed look on his face. He immediately saw the change in her mood. She went from kind and loving to despondent. She then turned her head and said not a word.

“You wish to know the things that I have seen, my brother? You wish to know death? Why?” She didn’t even look at him as she asked, only stared off into the stormy distance. Malovick was taken aback by the hurt in his sister’s voice.

“I did not mean to trouble you, sister. I simply wanted to know more than what goes on in the mundane lives of gods and mortals.” He reached to turn her head to see into her eyes, “You have a knowledge that is spoken of in mystery amongst the other gods. Ever since the day of your creation ceremony, no one has put the whispers to rest. They say you know of the future death of the gods.” She sat on her soft grey cloud and continued to stare, and finally, she spoke.

“Yes…well, I suppose if I ponder on anyone too long, I can see the strings of their powerful life chords.” Malovick always felt safe with his sister and mother. His father, on the other hand, was a different story. He existed on a different plane, far older and more vast, the same with the great lord of light Agodo himself. He, as well as the other children of the old gods, felt limited in comparison.

“I remember when you were born, Malovick. It was a day with so much light and happiness. I… I felt different from then on.” She looked at him, her features softening at the memory. “My day of creation was on the same day as Agadra's, did you know that?” he nodded his head, “She created the living organism on the physical planes known as Jupiter, the house of knowledge. So many of the gods and spirits that showed themselves on our landmark day were in awe of such a bright young goddess. Till this day, many of the gods visit her creation only to find one of the most vast libraries of information in the universe adorning its liquid grounds.” She then turned to look at the grey skies and breathed deeply.

“Our creations are not necessarily what we want to create, Malovick. Oftentimes they are reflections of the spirits in our hearts, as you and I are to our father and our mother...” She stopped, and he could see the light of memory shining bright in her eyes. “When it came to my turn to witness my being, the people were captivated by what could come about, and before I knew it, a materialized out of nowhere.” She stopped and looked down at him, “I was so happy to see that I had so much light in my soul, but that happiness was short-lived.” She turned around and stood up. Malovick could see this was not an easy story for her to tell.

“It turned very dark quickly, going from a flame of yellow and orange to a boiled-down red, and soon after, it sucked itself inward, and there was a hole where once stood a star.” He did not know what to think. A hole of darkness was his sister's gift to the physical plane. That must have been very awkward…and unique. “It consumed a small star near it into its cold, dark embrace until it was no more, a malicious predator on the face of the physical plane.” She looked down at him. He was intrigued and confused, but he wasn’t exactly sure what this said about his sister. “I am the part of the darkness that consumes you, that changes you and takes you over. What light was given to me by our precious mother is slowly being eaten away by the hole of darkness in my heart. Before long, I shall have no more light of my own to give me dreams, to give me hope.” Minga suddenly looked so weak and frail, like a black rose in a field of red. Was this the goddess of darkness people were so afraid of? Why, she was just a frightened girl who’s afraid of having no hopes and dreams.

“Although when you were born,” she began again, this time wearing a glimmer of a smile on her face, “I felt your light lend strength to mine. Your radiance glowed enough to give me the most beautiful vision. You, Malovick, are my light.” She said to him softly as she caressed his cherub-like cheeks. “If you were gone, I don’t know what I would do.” Malovick knew that what she said was true; she would be lost in the darkness if not for his light. And then he felt a great weight beginning to rest on his shoulders. What would happen to his sister if he were not around? What would happen to her if all her light disappeared?

“What of the future, sister?” asked Malovick, not wanting to press the issue any farther, “Can you see my future?”

“You are a curious one, aren’t you, Malovick? Truly, you should be off gallivanting around with the other kids. Futures are so inconsequential when one is too young to need to know.” She playfully said to him, but she could see the persistence in his eyes and knew he was not going away without an answer. “On the grand day of creation, the great God of the house of water Sui’A peered into the black hole. He said that he saw emptiness, a darkness as profound as the great void itself. Yet the longer he peered into the darkness, the clearer the picture came in my mind of the way things will turn out for him. Needless to say, he was not happy. I shared my visions of his creations with him. The vast seas of all the worlds that populated the physical planes will darken and dissipate. Pollution and stagnation shall be the name of his children. Poisons will run their course in the veins of his offerings. His power so strong would wane, and a vision of himself was shown to him through the darkness of my child, like a looking glass for a god. It showed him a vision of a weak self. The gods may not die, my brother, but an impotent end to their power is the thing many of them fear most of all. To have it all only to be taken away. To see your youth drained before your very eyes, to be forgotten, that’s what my black hole represents to them…a window, a glimpse into the fears of their hearts. Their vanities betrayed, their conceit now flaccid memories.”

“They whisper of me, Malovick, because I represent something they do not care for. I represent a possible end to their great rule. The only gods that I register nothing for are father and Agodo. They are forces beyond nature. They are not subject to the laws of spirits as we are. I have never looked for you, my gem, and I never will. You are my light, the only one I can truly count on to keep me sane. I do not wish to see that end.” Malovick was more intrigued than ever and craved to learn more. He didn’t want to ask her anything else. He would seek the knowledge elsewhere. What did his future hold? Who better to ask than the house of knowledge? He would ask Agadra. He was both frightened and excited at the unknown.

Suddenly, Minga grabbed his arm as he was starting to get up. She looked at him dismayed, with a look of concern on her face. “Seek no further knowledge of this, Malovick!” Malovick was caught off guard. It was almost as if she had read his mind, like one of the people of the house of thought.

“Promise me, Malovick, that you will leave this subject be, please!” Her grip was getting stronger, and it was beginning to feel uncomfortable. And when he looked up into her eyes, he realized that they were glassy and out of focus.

“Minga?” Malovick asked as if questioning her wits. “I…I promise,” he said it reluctantly but would keep his word nonetheless. She slowly let go at hearing his words and turned to look at the grey clouds forming in the distance. A storm, he thought. If the Opal Schooner Mountains were Minga's home, then the storm brewing up ahead were her thoughts, and they didn’t look pretty.

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As time passed, Agodra became more and more intrigued by the House of Darkness. He began to consult his sister Agadra on more frequent occasions since she was known as the goddess of knowledge. Her living creation was named Jupiter, a cosmic organism she created that stored her vast libraries of awareness, which were so precious to her.

“Awareness,” she said, “is the center of all knowledge because all things are perceived but never truly known. Only the illusion of knowledge makes one seem wise, when in fact the only true knowledge is that all is unknown, only perceived to be the truth.” Agodra was always wary of what he asked his sister. She had always tended to branch out into many different philosophical directions that did not necessarily interest him. While many of the angelic factions found her meanderings fascinating, sometimes to the point of adoration, he wished only to get to the point so that he could move on to his own affairs, namely learning the ins and outs of the Realm of Darkness.

Never again would he let fear enter his heart in such a fashion. He had never felt so small and insignificant in the endless abyss that was the Lands of Darkness. He decided then that the more knowledge he had of Malovo’s lands, the better equipped he would be when the time came for him to venture there on his own. He couldn’t pinpoint it, but when Minga looked into his eyes, he felt that his destiny was there, in her eyes, his story for better or worse, as if she could almost see the future. Gods were gods, but the future? One could plan and one could plot, string together the outcomes of the futures of all living things, but few ever knew the futures of the gods themselves. He began to see just why the other gods and angels were always whispering about the Daughter of Darkness.

As he moved through Elysia, lost in thought, he had not even realized that he was nearing the physical plains. He knew that his eldest brother Agedra was on one of Father’s rocks battling with the heirs to the House of Air, the triplets of the wind: Breeze, Eyeres, and Gale. They were a formidable force when near each other, but separately they were as nothing compared to his brother Agedra, who was the strongest of all with his fierce golden arms of power. No one could resist the power behind his golden grip. He decided that he would go to his brother and see the battle.

It didn’t take him long to find his brother. The physical plains were vast but largely lifeless, without much excitement to fill the stifling darkness, so any sound happening in the great cosmos was easy to pinpoint. He could hear the great crashing of weapons of power and energy filling the void with vibrations. Agodra felt a bit excited for the first time in a while. His brother never really bothered with him much because he was still so young. In his eyes, he was powerless and therefore not worth his attention.

As he neared Orionis, one of the most prominent rings of battle for the gods, the power could be felt all around, shaking the very foundations of time and space. Agodra could hear the fierce grunts and howls of his brother’s ferocious voice. The Triskelion triplets were fierce competitors and extremely agile. What they may lack in strength compared to Agedra, they certainly made up for in nimbleness, and for this, Agedra loved to fight against them. He would always tell Agodra, “What good is strength if speed could be your undoing by a weaker opponent?”

“Ah! Agodra, you have finally come to see real men fight. Come, we shall show you how the physical plains can harden one’s spirit and hone the skills of your abilities to be unstoppable,” he bellowed as he grabbed his younger brother from outside the meteor rings. “Triskelions, I have no doubt you all remember my youngest brother Agodra. I can hardly believe to find him so far away from the comforts of the light.” He said it with a bit of pride as well as some sarcasm. Agedra was fierce and strong but not very subtle with his words; his emotions and thoughts were clear for all to see.

“A pleasure to perform with the Lord of Light’s youngest creation,” said Breeze, a tall, slender, and handsome god with pale skin and even paler hair. His other brothers were much the same except that their height varied; it was one of the few ways to tell them apart. They were always so well-composed, almost to the point where they looked more like statues than actual living beings. “We were just in the middle of practicing individual defensive techniques, considering how weak we are once we are separated.” It was exactly as Agodra was thinking earlier.

Agodra began to think to himself that perhaps he should begin to look into proper battle training. Agedra started out earlier than he did. He knew he would never be as intelligent as his sister; perhaps maybe he could be as strong as his brother.

Breeze and Agedra stood facing each other at opposite ends of the ring. There was an intense tension in the air as Ged, which was Agodra’s short name for his older sibling, stood braced to collide headfirst with Breeze. Breeze, looking serene and calm in the distance, seemed almost not to even notice as Ged quickly made his way towards him with a powerful golden fist, known to be a deadly attack. But that was Breeze’s way of fighting, and as soon as Ged came into his field of energy, Breeze used Agedra’s own air pressure to halt him in his tracks and push him back numerous paces, forcing Ged to find another way to attack.

“A good maneuver, Breeze. Using the air around me to stop me was wise instead of trying to overpower my physical body. Did you see that, Agodra? One does not always need excessive strength to turn the battle around; a subtle use of one’s energy can be more effective than using all your strength to overpower a stronger opponent.”

“Well, let’s make it more obvious to the boy how physically inferior we are to you, Agedra,” said Gale. “I’m not so sure that I find it amusing to speak of the children of Senzeno, Lord of the House of Air, in such a manner.” Gale was a hotheaded god, the shortest and angriest of the three.

“You take offense too easily, Gale. It is no secret that Agedra is the strongest. He does us honor in helping us be better warriors,” said Eyeres, the most logical of the brothers.

“Why do you need to be warriors at all? We have not had war amongst the gods in almost an eternity,” said Agodra. As he turned to look at his brother, he could see the insult of his words on his face.

“You still do not understand what it means to be a warrior, Agodra. It is not a thing you practice because you must; it is in your blood, a thing one yearns for and even aches to feel: the excitement of battle. To stand upon the battlefield and feel your own mortality against a creature or opponent that feels the same, there is nothing greater than the glory of victory when you have come from the ashes bruised and broken yet immortalized in the minds of all who bore witness. You are still too young, I suppose.” He immediately turned from him and, without warning, used his mighty arm to pound the ground, sending a wave of power through the arena that knocked anything in its way to the void.

By instinct, Agodra covered his eyes, and somehow he began to radiate a field of golden light, and the force wave turned as nothing in his wake. The triplets had to join together and create a blue field of wind around them that protected them from Ged’s powerful blast. Agodra was still cowering with his arms raised, covering his face. Suddenly, he felt his brother’s strong hands rest delicately upon his shoulder. He uncovered his eyes and looked up only to see his older brother’s face alight with pride.

“It is within you as well, Agodra. Otherwise, you would have been blown away by my blast of light. You have the instinct of a warrior; it is just that you are still young and untrained. You have made me feel proud of you, my brother.” He knew every word his brother said was true, and it made his heart swell with a feeling of accomplishment.

After that, Agodra decided that perhaps it would be in his best interest to stay away from the arenas. He was not a fighter, although now he knew that if push came to shove, he would be able to at least deflect an attack from his own brother, at least.

Agodra closed his eyes and was going to return home, but when he opened them, he found that he was far from his intended destination. He was standing on a space rock and staring before him at the border to the Realms of Darkness. He could see the clear ripples of space twisting and turning before him, but he found that this time around the feeling was very different. He squinted to try to see beyond the threadbare sheet of silk into the other world, and to his surprise, he saw something.

“The lights!” he said, very excited. He could still remember it like it was only a second ago: the wavy colored lights of the aurora. How it beckoned him with its sway. He could only stare at it as if it was all that existed. Before he even realized it, he had already crossed over to the darkness, treading the cool, silky darkness towards the lights, all the while leaving a trail of golden dust flowing in his wake. It was a power that compelled him for no other reason than that he thought they were beautiful.

Agodra had seen the entire light spectrum in his home, yet none of them were as intoxicating as this. He could feel their powerful influence pulsing within his head and his blood. He could barely hear a voice in the back of his mind warning him against this place. Who was it? It was a girl’s voice, and yet the powerful compulsion to be beneath these illuminating fixtures in the Land of Darkness was drowning out the girl’s seemingly practical advice.

Never come to this place, she was saying almost in a mantra, yet it was muffled and distant like a dream. Suddenly, he heard another voice as he stared off into the light above him, his hair blown back by a dark wind that was more inviting than his entire land’s warm and soft light. Come to us, let us see you; this voice was so soft and beautiful. He was too young to be around his brother’s fights, too naive to join in on his sister’s conversations and meanderings; his sires were forever doing things to keep all the houses in order, but this voice, this voice welcomed him, wanted him to come to them.

We know, Agodra, we know… they knew that all he wanted was to be accepted, to be wanted, and have friends. He always felt so alone.

We know that your sister… they knew that his sister Agadra, or as he called her Gad, would always think him too young and not intellectual enough to be her academic equal. Who could compare to the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, certainly not her untalented younger brother?

We know that your brother… They knew that his brother Ged would never be content having a younger brother who was weak. He could see it in his eyes. How could he ever grow up to be as strong and powerful as the god of arms and strength?

Aurora knew, they would accept him in their world of colors and peaceful tranquility. The pull was so powerful his head was spinning the closer he went to it. Eventually, he ended up at the threshold of the opal cave. The opal cave… He was trying to remember something, but everything seemed so muddled. The lights were so fresh and vivid, yet all the other details of that first moment when he came into the Realm of Darkness seemed so long ago; the long walk with Malovick and Minga’s piercing stare.

Never come to this place… he could still hear the girl’s voice in the distant memories of his mind. Suddenly, he could see Minga’s eyes burning a hole in his thoughts, and he screamed in confusion. He was becoming frightened and wanted to leave now, but in all the darkness, he became confused and ran through the shiny opal gates that led to the cave’s very heart.

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 Malovick found his last encounter with his sister strange and disconcerting. Why were they so different? They had the same mother and father, and yet he was not plagued with the same thoughts as his sister. In fact, as far as Malovick was concerned, there really was nothing remarkable about him except for his unique persona. He could not read the thoughts of others as Adei and Oryeth’s daughter Philosima could; he had seen her once reach straight into the mind of another. There was no putting anything past her. She was truth, and with the truth, she served them what justice she could for attempting to conceal anything from her. She could not see, and yet she saw all. He could not whisper into the ears of any spirit and bend them to his will as Suena, the daughter of Hum and Blaire of the House of Sound, could. Her uncompromising will could not be broken; her mind was indomitable. He could not change the darkness into flesh as Empress Forma’s subjects could in the House of Feel. He had even gone so far as to speak to the ancient one herself and asked her to imbue him with the powers of the House of Feel. She laughed and called him a willful, indulgent creature. She could see the part of the light within him that craved the need to be above all. She had said that he was still too young to know of the true powers that he possessed. The bitterness in her voice was apparent. She was old, a sleeping giant in the darkness that wished to stay hidden but, once disturbed, could not be put to rest by anyone but her promised one. She saw his youth, and it was only a reminder of her promised one who was yet to find her side. He felt ashamed to have asked her for such a favor.

So he continued on through the darkness and slid through the satin waves of power that enfolded him wherever in the darkness he was. It was like a comforting cool blanket that always let him know that he was at home. The light was too harsh and was always trying to pierce his soul; that’s how he knew he had one. But a strange thing occurred to him as he was slipping and sliding back toward the House of Darkness. He saw a singular glowing flower in the middle of the darkness. There were spirits huddled around it, whispering and in awe.

“Excuse me, spirits but what is that?” They all turned around and were then even more struck with awe as they saw it was their young prince speaking to them.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d see young Prince Malovick in front of my own eyes, and yet here you are!” said one of the spirits. She was an ugly old spirit indeed, and yet her broken teeth managed to give her smile a very warm feeling.

“Well, I was passing through and couldn’t help noticing the beautiful object of your attention,” he said. To them, he was the most eloquent speaker, and they were all stunned into silence in his presence. All but the first speaker, she was an old feisty one and looked as if she had dealt with enough high rollers to command speech in front of royalty.

“Why, isn’t it fascinating? We were just floating around minding our own business, and from afar, we saw the most brilliant creature.” She suddenly looked up at him and covered her mouth as if she had just killed someone, then she said, “Except that is for you, your highness. Ain’t no one more brilliant than you. Still, he was perfect… I… I ain’t never seen a creature like him, flowers grew from where he walked.” All the other spirits nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, it popped into his head, “Agodra!” All the spirits then began to mumble and seemed very confused.

“You mean to tell us that was the very own youngest son of the Holder of Light, Agodo? We just saw him skipping ‘round in the darkness?” They were stunned and nervous. Then one of the other spirits finally came out and spoke.

“Great Lord of Darkness, save us! The whisperers came around just a moment ago asking us if we had seen Agodo’s son, but we didn’t even know what the light truly looked like till now, dear prince. But if that was him, he’s missing, and all the houses are now in search of him.” He looked as if Malovick would strike him dead for even uttering a single word. He was still too young even to really know his place in the hierarchy of darkness.

“Agodo is missing, huh?” He looked at the flower and bent to pick it up. It floated perfectly in between his hands, surrounded by a halo of light, a flower as red as blood and as sweet as air. “I will find him with this!” he then proceeded to walk away from the small crowd, still struck by what had just happened to them, giving them very little mind. He was in a trance the longer he looked at the perfect vessel in his palms. He remembered how Agodo was able to create those fantastic mind fields with his very thoughts. The memory was still so fresh; it was only a short time ago that the youngest son of Light had even dared venture into the darkness. Malovick marveled at the small perfection in his hands. He could see the light reflecting off the velvety blackness that now seemed to ripple as thick as the ocean’s waves with every step he took, the flower’s light becoming stronger the closer he came to the footfalls of the ancient darkness that no one save the damned ever seemed to tread. To him, it was truly glorious. He remembered how the golden flower fields and the brilliant breeze passed through every strand of Agodra’s hair as he stood in prayer. Paradise was what he wanted to be a part of, and paradise is what one day he shall possess.

 

 CHAPTER 6 The Troubled Father 

The great houses of light, fire, air, and water were in an uproar at the sudden disappearance of the lord of light's son Agodra, who hadn’t been seen anywhere under the house of light for what seemed to the gods-like days. Agodo, the great lord of light himself, had searched all of the light and the physical plains to no avail; his son was missing.

“None of the ruling houses have seen the child, lord Agodo,” said Senzeno, the lord of the house of wind. “I have scanned all the heavens and the darkness, and there seems to be very little signs of your son Agodra.” He looked around at the other members of the great houses and could smell the fear on their bodies. The house of air always knew your every move, and its keepers' reach encompassed all of the great realms, for he commanded even the darkest winds throughout the realms.

“I have asked Templacon to search all the darkness for the child,” said Saphira of the house of fire. She never took any bit of information for granted. Her flames could destroy entire planets, so her struggle to always stay composed was an everlasting one. To her, knowledge was the greatest power; the more she possessed, the calmer she remained. “Templacon can search all life in the darkness for their thoughts; if they cannot find him, then I don’t know who in this plane could.”

“You seem overly concerned with the boy, Saphira. You act as if he were yours.” Lavaos, the great king of the fire, glared at his wife with a burning intensity the likes of which no one save the fire king himself could endure. 

“Can you all not see what is happening here?” Saphira said her flames scorching the air around her, “I am as certain as the fires of the gleaming eternity are mine to hold that they have the boy, hidden in the most profound depth of their darkness, where no light may ever pierce its hide.” Saphira was Lavaos's second wife; his first wife was Ember. During the great wars in the ancient times of the gods, she gave her life to save her one and only daughter, Luzavene, who now resides by Malovo's side as his bride. Lavaos’s enmity towards the House of Darkness runs deep, for now he must count himself in relation to the very house that had started the great wars to begin with.

“Who has the child, Lavaos? Who? Tell me because I would love to hear your answer.” Saphira glared at her husband with a burning anger at his insinuations. “Is it the house of darkness, as you always like to say? Or is it one of our very own plotting to gain power? Do the gods have no faith in the word anymore?”

“The word died for me a very long time ago when that damnable demon woman Milavich poisoned my family’s blood with her words so very long ago,” said Lavaos.

Milavich was Malovo's first wife. She was the nothing, the emptiness that filled all before all became substantial. Malovo desired more than anything to have Luzavene as his bride. Milavich used the two houses' lack of knowledge of each other against them, and for eons, war resided between the two houses. A great war that was stopped only after Milavich decided to leave the house of darkness and into go deep into the nothing. after she realized that Malovo would never accept her as his true bride.

“It is not so. He is still alive and somewhere, but he is lost,” said Rivea, the beautiful daughter of the house of water, under Sui’ei, her father. Her song was known to be mesmerizing, and when concentrated completely, it was considered quite a powerful homing beacon. If anyone could pierce the power of the darkness, it would have been Rivea's song.

“Then you have searched and felt his presence?” Agodo’s voice came from all around them as they sat in the crystalline chambers of the house of light. Agodo’s presence was always around them, but now he manifested himself in the great hall with the other gods. “I was going to ask the house of water's assistance in piercing the greatest depths of the darkness with the waves of your song, Rivea, but now that you have already tried it, there truly is only one other possible solution. I must travel to Malovo himself and find out once and for all.”

“Yes, it is true. I had tried before, even with the help of father and mother. I could only pick up a hint of him. He is in the darkness, yet at the same time, he is elsewhere beyond the darkness. It was distorted; I could not say anything for certain. I had not said anything before in hopes that the children of darkness would have brought us better news. As to my readings, if Templacon of the house of thought could not find him, then maybe I was wrong.” She then looked around her, and the other gods could say nothing more.

Lavaos stood from his seat, looked at Agodo, and said, “I do not think it is wise that you should go, lord. You are powerful, but the darkness has ways of squelching the light, as is now being proven by your very own son and as my own daughter has proven, with her lack of communication even her father.” The resentment emanated from his words. The simple fact that since Luzavene had left to be Malovo's bride, she had never again stepped foot in her old home, did not sit well with the great lord of fire at all.

Agodo raised his hand in appreciation, “Thank you for your concern, Lavaos, but this is something that I must do. The light cannot turn away from the darkness. We must delve into it full-force, lest we never learn from one another. I have never been one to run, and I will find my son.” His words rang among all the gods and their children. Before they could even say anything at all, he was gone in a blizzard of glorious light, disappearing as quickly as he had come.

Agadra stood from her high altar and spoke to all the other gods, “My father has chosen to walk into the darkness alone. I shall obey his wishes and not intervene in the matter. Yet I am overwhelmed with worry for my family. We shall all go to our homes and feed the flames of the elements so that our Father’s might will increase through our prayers in the darkness. It is the only safety I can offer him.”

She looked at her side to her brother and again to all the other rulers; they all seemed in agreement. The lord of light cannot be denied, but with their prayers, he can yet still have protection even in the darkness. Lavaos and Saphira burned away into the air, returning to their home. Senzeno and Suria disappeared into the wind, and Sui’ei and Sui’a, along with Rivea, dissipated into a cloud. They would all do what they must, and may the lord of light be safe in the realm of darkness.

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         Agodra ran through the darkness, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The deeper he went, the more he realized he was lost beyond all recognition.

“Think, God! The light! Come to me, light, as you came to me before!” Agodra closed his eyes, and with all his might, he tried to conjure the light—a thing that should have been as simple as raising his hand seemed nearly impossible in this cold and suffocating darkness.

The fear he had promised never to allow back into his heart began to creep in as he realized the beautiful lights that had beckoned him forth were no longer there. Nothing was there—not even the silky shades of darkness that could be shaped as he was used to in this realm. It was a sea of void all around him, as far as he could see. It was a still darkness, a stillness he had never before seen. In his father’s kingdom, the great light always shone, moving and swirling about, beaming and pulsating with every flicker of the eye. Lens flares segued from image to image in a constant gleam of perfect clarity.

“Where am I? What is this place?” he screamed in hopes that someone would answer. Alas, the only answer he received was the echo of his voice bouncing around him. Echoes implied walls, walls surrounding him.

Agadra, the goddess of wisdom as they so often called her, always discussed the seeming and the unseen. Even in the great realms, there were laws and limitations. The physical plains are only but a barrier that fuses the light and darkness together. They are always trying to pull away from each other, for it is the nature of such strong extremes to desire to be everything. The physical plains are the push and pull of the universe; great forces colliding, creating an expanding and contracting force. You were no longer safe there. There were forces that could turn a god blue, suffocate him, choke him in the empty spaces that lurk around the corner, and suck your life away.

Just as tears began to well up in his eyes from thoughts about where he might be, he saw tiny sparkling glimmers along the floor. They almost seemed to be forming a path.

“Enter…enter…enter…” a sweet voice filled his head. He began to feel muddled, as if he were being put to bed by the sweet sounds of his mother’s voice. He looked around in confusion but also with a bit of joy at seeing something other than the absolute void. He began to walk along the glimmering path that looked like light reflecting off a river. The road ahead had many twists and turns, and the farther he tried to see in the distance, the less he could see the road.

“Concentrate on what’s beneath your feet, Agodra,” he reminded himself, not to get caught up in his fear. He had to stay focused on the here and now. Somewhere deep inside himself, he felt that if he drifted away from his present thoughts, he would drift along these empty roads for a long time yet to come. He could feel a wind pushing him deeper inside. He knew that the lights were guiding him to a place more sinister, but what other choice did he have? He obviously could not summon his own powers; perhaps he ought to play along and see where this game would take him.

He finally stepped onto the shimmering path and felt as if he were now floating, but not just floating—he felt almost as if he were being weighed against something. Agodra walked along the path, which seemed like a very long time. He was trying to recall all that was told to him about the house of darkness when he finally remembered something. It was something Minga Malovo had told him on his first excursion into the lands of the great eternal. She had warned him against coming to this place, saying it was a place of judgment.

Then why in the world did he not heed the warning? Agodra the good. The beautiful, the intelligent, the powerful. A strain of all his family combined, and yet he was unable to recall and heed the simple warnings of the daughter and son of darkness about matters of their own land. The more he thought about it, the more upset with himself he became but also very confused. It was a compulsion that made him temporarily mad at the sight of those alluring lights as they swayed in the air, calling to him.

“Agodra…” he could almost hear his name, “Agodra…” It was a distant sound, not even a whisper. He had been walking on the path for what seemed like an eternity, but he couldn’t be certain. Now he thinks the madness of the Opal heart is beginning to confound his senses. Everywhere he looked, it all seemed the same. The only thing that stood out was this shimmering path in front of him. Its sway was comforting, but its destination bore a dark foreboding on Agodra’s young mind.

The longer he treaded the dark terrain, the less and less he heard the ghostly whisper that had been haunting him from time to time. He would have followed the sound, but fear of losing even this road kept him going in the direction he was on. As suddenly as the road had appeared, it was gone in an instant, and his heart jumped with fear.

“Please!” he said to the nothingness around him. “I won’t wander off alone anymore. I just want to go home.” The more he pleaded to the darkness and the less he heard, the more frightened young Agodra became. “Malovo, lord of the great darkness, please, I beg you on the house of light. I will never again trespass on your lands, but please, I...I just want to go home. I don’t want to be alone anymore.” The earnestness in his voice was sincere and severe, his voice cracking at the thought of being trapped in this darkness forever.

“Was it not loneliness from which you were fleeing that led you to the void of my heart?” said a voice all around him, a voice so deep, so cold, and so old that upon hearing it, his body turned to frost. This was not the voice of the lord of darkness. It chilled him to his core and threatened to blow away the spark of light within him that let him shine as bright as a star.

“My loneliness?” he stood quietly as the darkness swirled violently around him, whipping his long black hair in all directions. “I’m not lonely; I have my family,” he yelled out into the swirling void.

“A family that never seems to have time for you,” the voice said. “Your sister is too caught up in her ever-expanding knowledge, as if she could truly know everything or anything for that matter.” Agodra felt hurt by the comment that hit so close to home; what creature was this that knew so much of his affairs? “Your brother only seems to care for the heat of battle. His strength may be impressive, but in the end, it is ultimately futile. Did you not seek the comfort of the darkness? To forget that you were alone? To create something out of nothing and dream a dream that you could touch and hold?” While all these things did ring true in his mind, they were not the reason he decided to go out into the darkness.

“Didn’t you feel good speaking with Malovick? He seemed to you to be an equal, did he not?” Agodra stood there listening to this deep and ancient voice speak to him, pondering these questions now posed to him. Suppose he did do it out of loneliness; really, to him, it was more out of boredom than anything else. The kingdom of light may be beautiful above anything, with its fields of green and gold and rivers that run so serenely throughout, but to have nothing to compare it to seemed to him a waste of his mind.

The children of the house of darkness were unknown to him. The children of the light all seemed so much older, like they had better things to do than pay him mind. But Malovick seemed almost as isolated as he. He wanted to know him and say to his family that he too has a friend, maybe even one they didn’t have—a friend that was his alone. Indeed, he sought Malovick’s company inadvertently, but there was nothing wrong with that.

“Maybe I was lonely,” he said simply. “I could have played with anyone else, but I wanted more.” He looked into the darkness and tried to make sense of it all, and the deeper he saw into it, the more clearly he could see a shiny opalescent sheen in the near distance. Before he knew it, he was looking at a black mirror as tall and glorious as anything in his father’s heaven. Its power was immense, and it emanated a force that threatened to shatter his very being to dust.

This was an experience that he would never forget—to stand face to face with the very essence of the opal heart. This was an adventure that no one but him had. If he ever made it out alive, he could say that he was the only being ever to enter its profound depths and live to tell the tale. Suddenly he realized that these were not his thoughts, not really. This darkness was affecting him, and the realization that he needed the light was growing ever stronger inside of him.

“You do not belong here, young one,” said a smooth voice in the darkness into his ear. The darkness began to take a form; he could see it in the opaline mirror. Soft hands began to embrace him almost as if they were trying to comfort him. The form of a woman began to appear all around him. Her eyes of glass stared at him with an almost hurt look upon her face. “You are innocent; you do not belong here, son of light.” She closed her arms around him. He felt a chill that was beyond this world, or the realms of light and darkness, beyond even his weakened state in the physical planes. This was the chill of loneliness, of abandonment. He could feel it emanating from her very being.

“Are you lonely as well?” he asked her, now only starting to realize the gravity of the situation he found himself in. There was no help coming, not from the houses of light or darkness. This was a creature that lived well beyond those realms. This truly was a place of banishment; you only ever went in but never came out.

“Am I lonely?” She laughed a laugh that made his very being quiver into a shadow of nothing. “This is a turn of events. Usually, the ones that are sent here only plead for their sorry existence, their sins outweighing any good they have ever committed.” Agodra looked at her through the mirror because when he saw around him, all he saw was emptiness.

“Sins?” Agodra asked her, not comprehending what exactly that was.

“You know nothing of sin, my child,” said the opalescent woman as she caressed his face with her cold, smooth hands. “I shall be very frank with you, Agodra. I have never met so clean a soul as yours. It is more than pure; it can purify as only fire can, without the sacrifice. Please, show me your light, Agodra.” She released him from her grasp, and the choking darkness that had swirled all around him seemed to slip away.

“I don’t know if I can. I had already tried before and couldn’t.”

“If anyone could, it would be you.” She looked at him with her cold, hard stare, a perfect statuesque woman of black stone. She was beautiful and mesmerizing. Her eyes beckoned him to try once again, and he felt his fear begin to melt away in her gaze. Yet the fear would not completely go away; it would never go away. Now, in front of this creature, helpless to do anything, the idea of such a creature beyond the darkness, beyond the light, frightened him the most.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“I will tell you... once I see the light.”

“Why do you need to see my light?”

“Because, my child, it is the only way out. Those that usually come this way are sent to me as punishment, but I am not the one who punishes them. I am beyond good and evil. I am the idea of justice that exists in the minds of the gods. If only the gods realized how minuscule even their lives are, how limited even their omnipotence is.”

Agodra could not help but wonder where she came from. She sounded powerful in her conviction, angry, and he could even hear sadness. Surely even his sister Gad knew nothing of this creature that stood before him, an empty space in her library of knowledge waiting to be filled by none other than himself. Something was different about where he stood; something was not completely solid or real. The fabric of the darkness here was so thin. The matter that composed the light and the darkness that pushed and pulled each other was changing constantly. Even he himself did not feel real.

“Those lights, they called me from another world, didn’t they?” Agodra said, staring at her with an intensity that he never realized he had. He felt apprehensive at the thought that the light he had seen was a light from another world. She barely even paid him any mind; she stared off into the distance with her reflective black eyes, and a small smile cracked her face.

“They were your inner desires beckoning. If your heart is full of darkness, then so will your desires be as well. The energy from this plane will lend shape to your desires. Yet if all that you desire are dark and evil, wicked things, then the darkness of your own heart will inevitably destroy you.” She walked around him in circles with her beautiful opalescent figure.

“You must understand one thing, Agodra. I punish no one. It is their own filthy minds and desires that destroy them and invariably end their own existence.” She looked at him and saw the recognition of her words on his face. She knew that he was beginning to understand.

“No good souls have ever graced this powerful plane, this crux of time and space that I guard eternally. And it shall remain that way,” she said. As she did, her body melted into a pool of perfect, oily silk and withdrew into the great black mirror that stood before her. He stared off into it, and in the distance, he saw a boy about his age staring back at him.

“Hello there!” Agodra called to him. The boy turned around suddenly in the distance, and as he turned, he noticed from the corner of his eye another figure had also turned. This time, it was a young girl that he saw, also about his age. She looked upset, as if angry to be disturbed.

“Hello!” he said again and heard his echo in the distance. Then he began to creep closer and closer to the mirror. As he did so, he saw them simultaneously come closer as well, until all three of them were standing face to face. The boy and girl looked at each other and then back at Agodra.

He could hear her silky smooth voice urging him to touch the mirror’s intricately decorated pane. Agodra was amazed at how like him they were: the long dark hair and sharp, intelligent stare.

“Who are you?” they all asked in unison. The young girl covered her mouth and looked spooked, and the boy was staring at his hands as if they weren’t even his own. Agodra had always wanted friends just like himself: not mean-spirited like Din and Sear, the children of flame; not boring like Rivea, even though she was beautiful and deep, of the house of water; or too old like Breeze, Gale, and Eyeres, the children of wind.

Malovick, amongst them all, was the closest to himself he had ever met, and both belonged to great houses, the light and the dark. But even he seemed preoccupied with the mysteries around him. He hardly ever truly felt present, like a shadow in the darkness. But these children, they were so like him it was uncanny. He just couldn’t believe his eyes, and before he knew it, his emotions began to ache for a true friendship, true kin, true joy.

“No, Agodra,” said the Opaline woman. She had laid her hand on his shoulder. He looked at the pristine nails of her shiny black hand, then back towards the mirror. He could see her standing behind all of them.

“They are not like you, Agodra,” she said with such tenderness. She bent low to whisper in his ear and said, “They are you, Agodra.” As she said that, he realized that she had not just said it to him but to all three of them. He could see the fright and confusion on all their faces and knew that they were only mirroring him.

The young girl’s eyes began to well up with tears as she was overwhelmed by the events taking place. He knew she was confused and wanted to go back home. Her tear, that was filling up with all of her pent emotions, was large now and silver. He reached out to wipe her tear away, a perfect silver tear of light.

As he touched her cheek and wiped the tear away, the light that was impossible to summon before all of a sudden flowed between the three of them and flooded the vast darkness. Light encompassed everything around him. He ceased to be himself; he was everything around him. He could feel billions of new worlds and realities all around him. It was not the opaline force that was giving him all this cosmic input; it was also something inside of himself that was generating these thoughts, his untapped power of creation. The energies around him were feeding off of it and overwhelming his senses.

Despite all the chaos in his mind, the blinding white void all around him made him calm once more. The suffocating darkness all around him was so far off that he could barely see it. His heart, slowly calming its rhythm, now felt at ease with his surroundings. In his peace, he saw them so clearly now. The boy and girl were standing holding each other in the far distance. And still farther away, he saw her too: the opal woman, who in the light of his day now was something far more. She was beautiful, with a royal countenance matched only by his mother.

The look on her face was so very sad, a perfect mask chiseled in pearl, as if seeing the events of today were the beginnings of a tragic story indeed. He looked back at his others; the more he looked at them, the more he could see himself in their eyes. It frightened him, but as he saw their faces, he realized that they were more than frightened; they looked terrified.

“Tenchi? Sumitsu?” He was certain those were their names, and as he said them aloud, he saw the recognition in their eyes. His weary mind now sought the peace of sleep. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip away into the warm white oblivion, with dreams of other gods and other planets swimming through his mind.

Chapter 7 The Final Decision

 

Malovick stood at the entrance to the opal cave. He had followed the trail of the flowers light to this very spot, indeed if Agodra was anywhere he was here. He could almost hear the flowers energy singing at the thought of being so close to her creator. He dared not step into the cave, his mother and sister have always warned him of the Opals heart as an evil and malicious entity only fated to the foulest of souls or those poor souls that fall through the cracks of the darkness never to be seen again.

The light of the red rose was so warm and beautiful all he could do for a moment was stand there and enjoy its splendor. Malovick had known the light. He had traveled upon the realms of light many a time enjoying the benefit that came with being his mother’s son. He was the great nephew of Lavaos himself the ruler of the house of fire after all. Of course the few times he had tried to visit his uncle he was rebuffed and asked to leave by the great lord.

Malovick could never really understand why he was hated by Lavaos so much. He always thought that maybe it was something to do with the fact hat his mother Luzavene since the moment of the great marriage to his father Malovo had yet to step a foot in the realms of the light. His mother had always chalked it up to the simple misunderstandings of siblings but I knew that there was far more to the stories.

The great wars between the gods were legend and he knew the animosity that ran between the two great realms, the Physical plains being the great equalizer for the gods where no one was above the other. It also made his existence all the more stark in contrast. The mixing of the bloods was for so long a great sin and now here he stood; a perversion to all that the houses stood for in their quintessence.

Suddenly Malovick felt a great ripple through the darkness; he ripped his gaze away from the fiery light before him and looked up only to see the darkness being pierced by a light so pure he had to shield his eyes. He realized that he had dropped the flower and bent over to pick it up but the rays of light were becoming more and more.

“What’s happening?” he screamed and began to drift away to a safe enough distance so that he could watch and marvel at the beautiful show of light in the heart of darkness. He stood there admiring the beauty of this event.

 

He then saw the brilliant light as it seemed to eat away at the darkness. His eyes grew wide and large with the sight of such an odd thing happening in his own realm.  He wanted to be there. He was almost a little jealous that Agodra gets to experience something so profound and unique to what he was seeing right now.

This was of course an event of significant proportions, the opal heart the darkest reaches of the realm of darkness, a place many of the gods believed to be a nexus to another realm altogether was now the site of a supernova of light that seemed to be eating away at the thick darkness. A light so bright it was the brightest light he had ever seen. This light was far larger than his very own mother’s soft dancing lights and brighter even than the great pillars of light in Agodo’s great palace.

The satiny darkness beneath his feet was changing now growing more pale and grey. He could feel the energy waiting to burst out from beneath his feet.

“This isn’t right.” He said to himself, a little bit of Panic began to course through his body. Was this truly all Agodra’s power? How could such a young god have the strength to destabilize the fabric of the great darkness so adversely? If people were wondering where Agodra was they were not wondering anymore, this magnificence could probably be seen all through out the realm of darkness.

As those thoughts flickered through Malovick’s mind the spirits floating through the vast darkness began to gather behind him to witness this rare event, so rare in fact that a light this great has not entered the darkness since Agodo’s light Came into existence long ago. 

When Malovick was able to wrench his view away from the spectacle long enough he saw a sea of different colored spirits as far as the darkness was wide behind him. They stared at the magnificence before them, frightened and awed at the event.

Malovick decided that he wouldn’t stand there and just be witness, he ran towards the light as fast as he could, clutching the flower still in the ring of light. The spirits all looked upon their prince in amazement and concern. They would never try to stop him and yet they reacted as a parent would for a child that just ran across the road.

He was beyond them, a blur of heat rushed them as he zoomed away and flew head first towards the bright light. He felt exhilarated and frightened at the same time. All around him he could see a deep and vast light that almost overwhelmed him. There was no room for darkness, it was all filled with light. He felt so light and free it was amazing. He swam through the light now seeking a glimmer of Agodra but instead what he found was something he truly never imagined.

She was a figure as shiny and beautiful as he had ever seen.  She was older and stern in her countenance but he could see that she was beautiful. Like her face had never set eyes upon the light.

“Hello Malovick,” she looked at him with her beautiful dark eyes, her skin as iridescent and as sparkling as a black sea with glitter flowing and ebbing all throughout. Her hair was long and bright like amber silk flowing through the air in slow motion. “You are my second visitor today.”

He looked at her confused, he knew her somehow but couldn’t pinpoint the recognition. When he looked into her eyes he felt a sadness and longing that only a barren mother could look upon another's child with.

“Milava!” She is the great mother void that surrounds the darkness. She had faded in many of the god’s memories and rumored to live on the fringes of the darkness after she was shunned as wife by his father Malovo in lieu of his mother from the house of fire. 

She was the reason for the great war of the gods so long ago that cut the boundaries between the light and dark so sharply. If it wasn’t for his father the lines would still to this day be off limits.

“You wish to see Agodra yes?” She looked at him with a sharp soft smile, but it felt dangerous. “He is well but unconscious. It is good that you have arrived. Malovo and Agodo will be waiting for you beyond these plains.” She could only stare at him as if her heart was breaking. I don’t even think she was aware of the emotions on her face.

“Why do you look so sad Milava?” he asked her and she seemed to have snapped out of her daze to realize he had asked her a question. She looked confused and touched her face and looked as if it were the first time she had ever touched it.

“I had almost forgotten that I am standing in the presence of the light. I had forgotten how magnificent and revealing it truly is. This child has more light than any I have ever come across, I daresay even Agodo’s light will be weak in comparison to his from this day forth.” She looked behind her and then back to him. The light that was so strong just a moment before was now slowly being eaten away by a spec of darkness in the far distance.

“The void is taking the light away child. You should find Agodra, he is lost.” She pointed to the darkness spreading behind her, “The flower you hold will lead you to him. He may not be himself Malovick and you don’t have much time.”

“What is happening here?” Malovick looked confused and for some odd reason he was getting a strange compulsion to talk with Milava, after all she is his fathers equal in almost every fashion and he was getting a strange feeling that this was a unique opportunity that would not arise for a long time if ever again.

“I understand your curiosity child but you must hurry or Agodra will be sucked into a world I will not be able to retrieve him from.” and with that said almost as if Malovick had read Milavas thoughts, he flew away into the light feeling out the radiant warmth of Agodra’s power in his palm. He knew he was getting closer because he could feel the warmth emanating from it like a small sun in his hands. Finally the heat was so great that he had to set it down. He looked at his hands and they were slightly singed.  When Malovick looked up from his hands he saw three figures in the distance.

They seemed close enough yet the longer he flew towards them the farther away it seemed he was getting. He didn’t understand.

Agodra was floating in nothingness as the other two children clutched at each other with a fearful look on their faces. They looked around in disbelief. They were so like Agodra he could hardly believe what he was looking at. 

They looked so frightened. Malovick could see the darkness starting to take over the light. Sooner than later he would have to flee the collapsing light quickly. He supposed he would have to take them with him if they were going to live through this. 

He extended his hand to them, and with the strength the flower was giving him, he was able to lift Agodra and enclose the two children in a protective bubble. He sent his consciousness flying through the white void, searching for a way out, using his connection to the darkness to guide him to a safe place, as the flower had done for him to bring him to Agodra. He could feel a place not too far; he sensed the comfort of his home in the distance. He stretched his sight to see a dot on the horizon, and while it gave him hope, he could feel his energy quickly fading and dared to look back, only to see the darkness of another land eating away at the boundaries of the white void, trying to ensnare them.

Panic began to sink in as he quickly realized that this act of heroism might potentially be his last. He could feel the children behind him, looking around panicked and confused. Malovick was extremely curious about them. He reached out with his mind and felt their energy; they were not from his world or any he had ever encountered, and yet here they were—real, complete, and powerful beings.

His strength was now only enough to keep the bubble around them from collapsing as the pressure of another dimension enveloped them. Malovick found himself unable to carry Agodra or continue moving forward.

“I’ve failed,” Malovick said to himself as he knelt and slumped down in the bubble. “We will never make it out of here.” But just as he said this, the two children behind him placed their hands on his shoulders, and the light that emanated from them was pure, strong, and familiar. They felt very much like Agodra.

He could sense their power coursing through him, and he saw a light behind his eyes so bright that nothing could compare. While still holding onto Malovick, the children placed their hands on Agodra, and a sphere of beautiful light formed around them, protecting them from the darkness and transporting them beyond the veil of deformed dimensions into his own familiar, comforting home. He felt wonderful, loved, clean, and happy.

Was this what it was like to live in the House of Light? The two children from the other worlds collapsed next to him. All three were splayed out in the floating darkness, and only Malovick remained conscious, but only barely. He grew more and more tired as the strength of the three faded into unconsciousness.

Malovick could see many creatures ahead of him, beings of light and darkness gathered like a sea of souls who had come to witness the greatest spectacle, one that he had personally lived through. At the head of that sea, he saw a sight he never thought he would witness: his father and the great lord of darkness, Malovo, and Agodo, the ruler of light, standing side by side. Agodo reached out his hand, and at his beckoning, his son was in his hands. Agodo looked at his boy with joy and smiled, but then his smile vanished, and his face became grim.

“Who are they?” asked the Lord of Light to Malovick, but Malovick's face showed his answer—he had no idea.

“They are your children, Agodo, summoned by your son's innocent wishes from another world beyond our own,” her silky voice moved through the darkness like a velvet drape over soft feminine curves. She showed herself, and the people in the crowd were stunned into silence. Malovo’s effigy grew, and his presence overpowered all else. “Milava?” he asked in stunned silence.

“Are you surprised to see me here, Malovo? Was the Opal Heart not the last refuge given to me as punishment for my sins, for my love for you?” Vile energy circled her words; bitterness emanated from a deep place. The souls of the masses became aware and started to disperse. Milava was an omen of danger to them, and they had no curiosity when it came to the anger of the gods.

“Those days have long since passed, Milava. I offered you comforts in my home and lands that were fit for your stature, all of which you rejected. But this is not what I expected of you. You have kept something far too powerful hidden from us.”

“I have kept nothing from you. I came here because after the war, I wanted to be crushed under the weight of damnation for letting everything get so out of control. The war, the death, the destruction! One word is all it took to set it off, and it went beyond me. You wouldn’t even look at me and then took another to your bed. The product of which is standing right beside me. I could never go back!” she said with such pain.

“But what I found here was something no one ever knew—a glimpse into another world, a vortex to a new life. I could not let it go. I could smell you on the other side, another you, someone that would love me like you never could.” Her black body began to shimmer and change colors as she gracefully glided towards the sleeping children. She took the small boy into her arms, held him against her bosom, and looked at Agodo, “You have no reason to hear my pleas or do me any favors, but please do not harm them, Agodo. They are innocent and have nowhere else to go.” She stroked the child’s hair. “They are Agodra, you know, born of you in another world, essentially his twins.” She looked up to meet Agodo's eyes and saw confusion on his face. “They cannot die without doing irreparable damage to your Agodra. They now exist on the same plane; they are linked forever. They are the most innocent creatures I have seen in so long.”

“Innocence?” said Agodo. “It is what you value, is it not, Milava? It is what you have searched for in the Opal Heart for so long, only to find sin and malice. Isn’t innocence what you gave up that started the worst events in our history?” He looked at the light radiating from her skin, and her features could now be seen clearly. She was now stone-faced and put the child down.

“That was unworthy of you, Agodo.” She stood up and began to walk back into the darkness.

“Milava!” Malovo called to her. “It has been so long. Would you not reconcile with us and come back with me? You have been secluded for too long in this nexus. I fear for you.” He said it with warmth and genuine concern in his voice—but it was not enough. Milava kept walking, her voice echoing and permeating the darkness.

“You are still the darkness I will hold most dear, Malovo, but I cannot tread those waters any longer, my love. And one more thing, Agodra, purge these events from the minds of the witnesses. These are dangerous powers at play, and if anyone finds out about them, they will seek the Nexus in the Opal Heart and the children. They could use them and twist their souls.”

“Soon Agodra’s power will surpass all the other gods because essentially there are now three of him on the same plane, and they will share these strengths. He will not know why if his mind is wiped. The balance will change unless you take action, Agodo, and you as well, Malovo. Keep these children secret; keep them safe.”

“I have seen more than either one of you could ever imagine here in the Opal Heart. I have glimpsed other worlds where more destruction than anything you have ever witnessed has already occurred and long since passed. I have seen the faces of gods that you do not know from places you could not imagine. My mind is still intact. But heed my warnings; I shall remain here to guard these doors so that no one may enter or come through. Until we meet again.” Her words dissipated into the darkness, and the great lords were left alone with their children.

“Father,” said Malovick, “I don’t want to forget, please. I need to remember this.” He pleaded with his father. Malovo only stood there, taking it all in. With a movement of his hand, Malovick fell asleep on the floor.

“Milava is right,” Malovo said, turning to Agodo. “The other gods will certainly look down upon this. They will see this as a way for your child to have an upper hand, and this will be frowned upon.” Agodo looked troubled. He held his young son in his arms, limp and peaceful; this was not his fault, yet people would seek him out and cause trouble for his young life.

“Perhaps you are right, Malovo. With the power of the Nexus, many would try to invade lands beyond our boundaries. We owe Milava a debt of gratitude for protecting such a place for so long.” Agodo looked at the children on the floor. “They will not understand that these children were not his doing. They will wish to punish him for breaking the laws of creation. Their memories must be wiped out; their powers must be bound. This event must remain between us.”

Malovo simply nodded in agreement, and with that, they combined their vast abilities in a vortex of light and darkness that swirled around the two young visitors sleeping in the comforting darkness. Using their powers of creation, they formed a small galaxy and placed the young sleeping gods, hidden in a universe they named Celestia, in a small cluster of planets around a sun its people named Sol.

Agodo and Malovo proceeded to go their separate ways, an unspoken agreement to never speak of this again. But secretly, Malovo never stopped thinking about Milava and the Nexus in the Opal Heart. He never stopped pondering how to send the twins back to their worlds.

Agodra never stopped thinking about those children. He never stopped keeping Agodra’s powers in check and always ensured that the balance between light and darkness remained equal to maintain balance in their universe.

Time passed, and the sleeping twins dreamed a world around them, forgetting themselves in their own world. Reborn again and again, but always longing for their home.