The Age of the Five Elder Gods continued.
To the young Earth, we were its guardians.
To the spirits and the first forms of life, we were their creators.
And to one another...
We were family.
Or so I believed.
Ever since that day beneath the World Tree, I had sensed something changing within Chthon.
His laughter had become rarer.
His smile no longer reached his eyes.
And though he still called me brother, I could feel a growing distance between us.
One day, I found him alone in the mountains beyond Eden.
Ancient runes covered the land around him.
Dark energy flowed through his hands.
"Chthon."
He immediately stopped.
"Aetherion."
"Brother, what is this?"
"Knowledge," he replied calmly.
"Dangerous knowledge," I answered.
Chthon sighed.
"Must everything unknown be forbidden?"
I stepped closer.
"There are things beyond our understanding."
"And there are things beyond your imagination," Chthon snapped.
The sudden anger in his voice stunned me.
For a moment, he looked shocked himself.
Then he lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
Without another word, he disappeared.
Yet I had seen it.
His shadow.
Those same eyes.
Watching.
Waiting.
Meanwhile, Set had begun spending more time with Chthon.
Unlike Oshtur and Gaea, who shared my concerns, Set remained loyal to our brother.
"You're worrying too much," Set said one day.
"Chthon is still our brother."
"He seeks knowledge. Is that a crime?"
"No," I answered.
"But I fear what is teaching him."
Set laughed.
"You always carry the burden of the world."
"Relax, elder brother."
"He'll come around."
But I noticed something.
Set himself had changed.
His creations had become more savage.
The once beautiful beasts of the oceans had grown violent.
His temper had worsened.
And little by little, he too began seeking the forbidden truths that Chthon had discovered.
It started with curiosity.
Then ambition.
Then pride.
And the whispers...
The whispers reached him as well.
Deep within the Abyss beyond existence, Oblivion smiled.
Two children.
Two pieces.
Two future servants.
Millions of years later, Oshtur approached me with worry in her eyes.
"Brother."
"I can no longer feel Chthon's light."
"And Set..."
"He is changing."
Gaea stood beside her.
"He avoids Eden."
"And when I look into his eyes..."
"He no longer feels like the brother we knew."
Pain filled my heart.
I had watched over them since their birth.
We had laughed together.
Built this world together.
Shared countless ages together.
And now...
I could feel them slipping away.
Then one day...
The sky turned crimson.
Darkness spread across the heavens.
Set returned to Eden.
But not alone.
Behind him stood Chthon.
And the brother I once knew...
Was gone.
His eyes burned with red light.
Dark runes covered his body.
The very ground trembled beneath his feet.
Gaea gasped.
Oshtur covered her mouth in horror.
"Chthon..."
But it was Set who stepped forward.
His golden eyes had become serpent-like.
His once joyful smile had vanished.
"Elder brother."
"You should rejoice."
"We have found the truth."
I stared at them in disbelief.
"Set..."
"You too?"
Set smiled sadly.
"I followed him."
"As I always have."
Chthon raised his gaze.
And for the first time in all our existence...
He looked upon me not with love.
But with pity.
"Aetherion."
"You cling to an imperfect creation."
"Oblivion has shown us the truth."
"Everything must return to nothing."
The heavens shook.
Gaea's hands trembled.
Oshtur's eyes filled with tears.
And my heart broke.
Not because enemies stood before me.
But because the brothers I loved...
Were standing against us.
And from the endless void beyond reality...
Oblivion itself watched.
Its ancient voice echoed through existence.
"The Age of Peace is over."
"Let the War of the Elder Gods begin."
To Be Continued...