The heavens.
On the highest level in the City of Silver, a white palace made of pure light and starlight stood.
Inside the palace, in a vast, circular chamber, its ceiling a dome of living starlight, its walls lined with pillars of carved moonlight, a throne room.
A throne room where a goddess sat.
Her form was pure, untouchable, woven from light and grace. Her hair was a cascade of liquid gold, her eyes the color of a summer sky, her skin the shade of fresh cream. She wore a simple, white dress that seemed to be made of woven cloud, her feet bare, hovering just above the polished marble floor.
She was the goddess of this world. Uriel's puppet. The 'god' that the mortals worshipped.
Her name was Aurelia.
Her serene expression was gone, replaced by a mask of cold fury, her blue eyes burning with a light that could scorch the earth.
"A connection was... severed," she spoke, her voice a melody of chimes and fury, each word a shard of ice.
She waved a hand, and a golden tree manifested before her. Its branches were made of pure light, its leaves were glowing crystals, each one representing an anchor point, a connection to her divine power, to her holy statues on the mortal plane.
One of the leaves, a bright, shimmering crystal, was gone. Not just dimmed. Gone. Severed. Annihilated.
Her gaze fell upon the empty space where the leaf used to be, her expression darkening.
"Could it be the demon gods?" she made a guess. It was the only possible explanation, after all, only the demon gods were foolish enough to challenge Uriel's authority. "No... their power is different... this feels... darker."
She closed her eyes, her consciousness expanding, reaching out, searching for the source of the disturbance.
She found it.
A memory. A flicker of an image from the last moments of the connection.
A pair of crimson eyes.
Eyes that burned with a power that felt ancient, primal, arrogant, and utterly alien to her. Eyes that mocked her, that defied her, that dared her to intervene.
And a grin. A wicked, cruel, utterly confident grin.
Then, nothing.
The connection was broken.
She opened her eyes, her expression a storm of conflicting emotions. Fear. Anger. Confusion. And a dawning, terrifying realization.
"This power... It's not demonic," she whispered, her voice a mere breath. "It's... something else. Something... older."
She rose from her throne, her form shimmering, her light intensifying, the very air in the room crackling with her power.
"Send someone to investigate," she commanded, her voice ringing with authority. "I want to know who... or what... did this."
"AT ONCE MY GODDESS!" a chorus of voices echoed through the chamber as a dozen angels, their forms as pure and radiant as hers, appeared from thin air, their wings fluttering, their heads bowed in reverence.
Aurelia sat back down, her mind racing. The image of those crimson eyes was burned into her memory, a brand of defiance that she couldn't ignore.
'Who are you?' she thought, her fingers drumming on the armrest of her throne. 'And what do you want?'
"Sigh... I hope nothing major happens," she mumbled, a flicker of worry crossing her face. "I only have ten years left in this post."
Yes, a post.
This was all a job for her. A temporary assignment. A test from her 'mother' Uriel. If she did well, she would be rewarded, her divine rank would be raised, and her power would be increased.
And if she failed...
She didn't want to think about it.
Uriel was using this world as a training ground for subordinates, a way to 'level up,' a stepping stone to greater things. A place where they could learn how to manage a world, how to handle mortals, how to be a 'real' goddess.
Aurelia was determined to pass the test with flying colors.
But this... this was an unexpected variable. A wrench in her perfect plan. And she didn't like unexpected variables.
They always led to trouble.
Ding!
"Hmm?"
Aurelia's attention was drawn to a familiar system window only she could see. It was a notification, a message from the Nexus.
[In the name of Uriel, the Primordial Goddess of Light]
[Goddess Aurelia, report to the Celestia Prime immediately. The council is in session]
[Signed: Seraphim]
Aurelia's heart sank. The council was rarely in session. And when it was, it was always for something important. Something big.
"Tell the others I'll be gone for a few days," she said to the angels, her voice tight with controlled anxiety.
"AS YOU WISH, MY GODDESS."
She had to go. She had no choice. Disobeying a summons from Seraphim was a capital offense.
With a final, longing look at the empty space on the golden tree, she vanished, her form dissolving into a shower of golden light.
...
Within seconds, Aurelia found herself in the Celestia Prime.
A massive flying angelic fortress, a city of light that floated in the void between worlds. A place of immense power, a symbol of Uriel's dominion.
She teleported directly to the council chamber.
A vast, circular hall, its walls made of pure, star-forged crystal, its ceiling a dome of swirling galaxies. In the center, a long, crescent-shaped table, made of polished moonstone, where the high-ranking angels and goddesses of Uriel's pantheon sat.
And at the head of the table, on a throne of pure, solidified light, sat Seraphim.
She was a High Angel, one of the First. Her form was that of a tall, mature woman, her face severe but beautiful, her eyes the color of molten gold, eighteen wings of pure, white light spread out behind her, each one radiating an aura of absolute authority.
She was Uriel's second-in-command, her most trusted lieutenant. Her power was immense, her presence suffocating.
Aurelia knelt, her head bowed, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Goddess Aurelia reporting as commanded," she said, her voice a trembling whisper.
Seraphim's gaze fell upon her, a flicker of something unreadable in her golden eyes. It wasn't warmth. It was... an assessment.
"Rise, child," she said, her voice a calm, melodic tone that held an undercurrent of steel. "We have much to discuss."
Aurelia rose to her feet, her hands clasped in front of her, her gaze fixed on the floor as she slowly made her way to her assigned seat, a simple, unadorned chair at the far end of the table.
She could feel the eyes of the others on her, a mix of pity, curiosity, and barely concealed scorn. They were her peers, but also her rivals. Each of them was a goddess in their own right, each of them vying for Uriel's favor, each of them a potential threat.
Soon, more and more gods started to appear. Males and females, some of them she knew, some of them she didn't. All of them were powerful, all of them were important.
But they all had one thing in common.
They were all Uriel's children. She created them using her divinity.
"We are all here," Seraphim announced, her voice echoing through the chamber. "Let us begin."
"As you all know," she continued, her gaze sweeping across the room, making eye contact with each of them in turn. "Our great goddess, the radiant Uriel, has been... observing a certain world of late. A world she intends to claim as her own."
A murmur went through the crowd. A world Uriel intended to claim. This was big news. A world of that scale would be a massive addition to her domain, a huge boost to her power.
"A world of immense potential," Seraphim continued, her voice hardening. "A world rich in resources, in faith, in souls. A world that will be the jewel in our mother's crown."
"But..." her tone shifted, a sudden, sharp edge to her voice. "There is a... complication."
She waved her hand, and an image appeared in the center of the table. A floating, three-dimensional map of a world. A world of vast continents, sprawling oceans, and a pulsating, chaotic core of power.
Earth.
"After the great battle sixteen years ago, the alliance of the gods managed to achieve a... Pyrrhic victory," she said, her lips curling in a slight, disdainful sneer. "They managed to descend on the planet for a short period, but they were forced to retreat."
'An alliance of gods was forced to retreat by someone?! What in the name of Mother is this nonsense?' Aurelia thought, her mind reeling from the information.
"But they didn't retreat empty-handed," Seraphim added, her gaze narrowing. "They managed to plant anchors on the planet. Small, hidden connection points, allowing them to maintain a... presence. A foothold."
"And now after 16 years of silence we have some... interesting news," she said, her lips curling into a slight, predatory smile. "Our great goddess Uriel, in her infinite wisdom, has managed to claim a massive portion of the world's power and the souls of its mortals for herself."
The room erupted in a wave of excited whispers. This was it. The prize. The reward.
"She established the Church of Light on that world and has been gathering faith and power from it at an accelerated rate," Seraphim continued, her voice cutting through the noise. "But she is not the only one. Other gods have also staked their claims. So our goddess has ordered me to send some of you to assist her in solidifying her dominion over the planet."
Aurelia's heart sank. She knew where this was going. And she, as a goddess in training, had no qualification for this mission.
"For now, I'll only take ten of you with me." She looked around, her golden eyes scanning the crowd. "However, if you performed well in your training and tasks, you might get a chance to join us."
'Phew...' Aurelia sighed in relief; she was worried for nothing. She had ten years left in her post as a goddess of a backwater world. Ten years to prove herself. Ten years to prepare.
"I'll send you the details later," Seraphim said, her gaze sweeping across the room one last time. "For now, you are dismissed."
'Aurelia, stay.'
Aurelia was about to leave, but she heard Seraphim's telepathic call. She froze on the spot. A cold dread washed over her as she watched the other gods and goddesses file out of the chamber, their whispers fading into silence.
Soon, she was alone with Seraphim.
Seraphim gestured towards a seat, and Aurelia slowly, carefully, made her way to it, her hands trembling slightly.
"Aurelia, our mother has high hopes for you," Seraphim said, her voice calm, almost gentle. "She sees great potential in you. But potential alone is not enough. You must prove yourself. You must show her that you are worthy of her trust. Of her power."
"I... I understand," Aurelia stammered, her gaze fixed on the polished moonstone table. "I will not fail her."
"I know you won't," Seraphim replied, her tone shifting, a new, colder edge to her voice. "She asked me to bring you with us to Earth."
"May I ask why?" Aurelia asked, her mind racing.
'I'm just a junior goddess... I can't be of any help.'
"I don't know," Seraphim said, a flicker of something... suspicion? in her golden eyes. "Our mother's ways are... mysterious. But she was very... insistent. She said it was... 'time for you to see the bigger picture.'"
Aurelia's blood ran cold. 'Time to see the bigger picture' was a phrase Uriel used when she was about to... test someone. To throw them into the deep end and see if they would sink or swim.
"Pack your things," Seraphim said, rising from her throne, her eighteen wings unfurling, casting a long, intimidating shadow. "We leave at dawn. And Aurelia..."
"Yes?" Aurelia looked up, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Don't disappoint her."