The Solar Sanctum
"Father, Lord Erebus has arrived," one of Helios's sons whispered, his voice trembling like a flickering flame.
"He is... agitated."
"Grant him entry," Helios replied.
He stood at the center of the sanctum, a towering figure of gold. His essence radiated the steady, nurturing warmth of a thousand midsummer suns, casting no shadows, until his brother entered.
Erebus stepped into the chamber, a jagged tear of midnight in a world of light. Where he walked, the glow of the room seemed to die. "You have returned from the High Throne," Erebus began, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "From the Celestial Sphere."
"I have," Helios said, turning to meet his brother's dark gaze.
"And? What were the instructions?" Erebus demanded.
His aura flared, eating into the golden light. "When is my audience? Why are you the only one permitted to leave these dimensions to stand before the Creator? Why am I bound to this lower architecture while you walk the heights?"
Helios sighed, a sound like wind through wheat. "Erebus, I am not the gatekeeper nor father, I did not write the laws of our existence.
The Creator set the boundaries of the Sphere. The reasoning was not shared with me."
"Lies!" Erebus's voice cracked like thunder. "Since our first spark, you have been the chosen one. You receive the words, the favor, the proximity. I am a pillar of the universe just as you are, yet I am treated as a shadow to be hidden. I deserve to stand where you stand!"
"That is a distortion," Helios said, stepping forward. "The Creator holds no favorites. Your role is"
"Quiet!" Erebus snapped, the air around him turning cold enough to crack universes.
"I am finished with your measured peace."
Then, the universe halted.
The spinning stars froze in their tracks. The winds died mid-breath. Across all Twelve Dimensions, motion ceased; every heart, every planet, and every atom fell into a terrifying, absolute silence.
A rift of pure, colorless light tore through the ceiling of the sanctum. A Great Angel descended, regal and terrifying. Six magnificent wings unfurled from the messenger's back, stretching so wide they swallowed the horizon, covering the walls and the sky in a curtain of blinding white feathers.
The Angel did not speak of its own will. It was a vessel for a power far greater.
"Erebus," the Angel spoke, the sound echoing like the movement of dimensions. "The Voice has observed your discord. You are blinded by a poison of your own making. Your brother's light does not diminish your own. You have a purpose unique to your design. Do not compare your existence to his."
Erebus looked up into the vast span of the six wings, his fists clenched. "Then why is the Sphere closed to me? If we are equal in the eyes of the Source, why is the gate locked?"
"The reason is not for you to weigh," the Angel replied, its gaze as cold as the void. "The decree is final. You are both loved with an equal intent, and nothing shall alter that truth."
Erebus let out a bitter, jagged laugh. He turned his eyes to Helios, and for the first time, they held nothing but hatred. "If I cannot be equal through love, I will be superior through conquest."
"A duel, Helios! Here and now, The loser shall be stripped of divinity and banished to the realms of mortal men. The winner shall claim dominion over all Twelve Dimensions."
Helios recoiled, his light flickering in shock. "I seek no throne, brother. This is madness."
The Angel opened its six wings even wider, filling the entirety of the gods' perception with white fire. "The Voice has spoken: If Erebus demands a trial of strength, it shall be granted. You will meet to decide your fates within the Celestial Sphere, for your emanation have been granted access to the sphere."
The Angel vanished into a needle-point of light. Instantly, the Twelve Dimensions lurched back into motion.
The Eighth Dimension: Planet Elyria
On the surface of Elyria, a world of singing crystals and violet seas, Aurora found Aion. The lingering chill of the dimensions halt still made her spirit shiver.
"The Messenger came," she whispered, her light dimming with worry. "My father and Erebus... they have been summoned to the Sphere. They are going to fight."
Aion stood by a pool of liquid starlight, his expression unreadable. "I felt the dimensions stop. I knew the peace was ending."
"Do you not feel the weight of it?" Aurora asked, moving to his side.
"I am aware," Aion replied, his gaze fixed on the stars that had only just begun to move again.
"Regardless of the outcome, I have no interest in the hierarchy. I am content here, maintaining the life-cycles I have established."
"You spend too much of eternity observing your variables," Aurora noted, her light intertwining with his in a gentle dance.
Aion turned to her, his essence warming. "As I observe the tapestry of existence, I find fulfillment. Yet your configuration is singular. Your presence draws my focus away from all things . Each time I witness your kindness, I am pulled toward you."
Aion reached out and took her hand,a bridge of pure energy. As they moved together toward the shimmering boundary of their realm,
"JUST AS I EXPECTED! HAHAHA!"
The space around ELYRIA glowed.