The reunion of our family was short-lived.
Though Chthon and Set had been freed from the chains that bound them, the scars left upon their souls remained.
Still, we were together once more.
And for a brief moment, I believed the nightmare had ended.
I was wrong.
Far beyond the stars...
Far beyond the multiverse...
Beyond even the concepts of time and space...
Something awakened.
The endless void itself trembled.
Galaxies that had yet to be born cried out.
And the ancient entities that had witnessed creation fell to their knees.
Oblivion had descended.
Not a fragment.
Not a whisper.
Not a shadow.
But Oblivion itself.
The embodiment of nothingness manifested before Earth.
Its form defied comprehension.
Infinite eyes.
Infinite darkness.
Infinite hatred.
Even reality cracked under its mere presence.
Gaea gripped my hand.
Oshtur stood ready.
Chthon and Set, though weakened, stepped forward beside us.
"Brother," Chthon said solemnly.
"This is our burden."
Set nodded.
"We started this."
"We shall end it."
For the first time since their corruption, I saw no darkness in their eyes.
Only regret.
And determination.
Thus, the Five Elder Gods stood together.
The heavens themselves witnessed our resolve.
I unleashed the power of creation.
Gaea called forth the essence of life.
Oshtur commanded primordial magic.
Chthon wielded the mysteries of knowledge.
Set summoned the power of oceans and beasts.
Together, our powers became one.
And the First War truly began.
The battle lasted for millions of years.
Stars were born and extinguished.
Dimensions collapsed and reformed.
Entire realities trembled from the clash between creation and nothingness.
Yet we endured.
Together.
As family.
At last, combining our strength, we forged the Chains of Genesis.
Golden chains blessed by life, magic, wisdom, and the primordial seas wrapped around Oblivion.
For the first time since the dawn of existence...
The Primordial Entity screamed.
"No!"
"This cannot be!"
With one final effort, the Five Elder Gods banished Oblivion beyond existence itself.
Into the Endless Abyss.
Into a prison where neither time nor reality could reach.
Victory.
At last...
Victory.
But as the light faded...
I noticed something.
Chthon and Set.
Their bodies trembled.
Dark cracks spread across their souls.
"No..." Oshtur whispered.
Gaea's eyes widened in horror.
The corruption had not vanished.
It had taken root too deeply.
Oblivion's final curse.
Chthon fell to his knees.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Brother..."
"I can feel him..."
Set clutched his chest.
"He's inside us..."
The darkness within them was growing stronger.
If left unchecked...
They would become gateways for Oblivion's return.
I refused to accept it.
"There must be another way!"
But Chthon smiled sadly.
"No."
"Elder brother..."
"We know."
Set lowered his head.
"Please."
"Save the world."
"No!" I shouted.
"You are my brothers!"
"I won't lose you!"
Gaea wept.
Oshtur embraced Set.
Yet Chthon stood and walked toward me.
Placing a hand on my shoulder, he smiled—the same smile he had worn in the Garden of Eden millions of years ago.
"Thank you."
"For loving us."
Set laughed softly.
"And thank you for always winning our contests."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I promised we would stay together."
"And we will," Chthon replied.
"Someday."
The two brothers joined hands.
Using the last of their free will, they opened a gateway leading to the Infinite Dimension—a realm outside all universes.
A place where even eternity had no meaning.
"Aetherion," Chthon said.
"When we return..."
"Either save us..."
"Or kill us."
Set smiled.
"Until then, elder brother."
"We'll be waiting."
And before I could stop them...
They stepped into the Infinite Dimension.
The gateway sealed.
Silence.
For the first time since the birth of Earth...
Our family was broken.
Gaea collapsed in tears.
Oshtur remained silent.
And I...
I simply stood beneath the World Tree.
Alone.
Unknown to us...
Within the Infinite Dimension...
Chthon and Set drifted endlessly.
And though their bodies slept...
Their souls slowly darkened.
Their eyes opened.
No longer filled with sorrow.
But with madness.
And from the endless void came the voice they had thought defeated.
Oblivion.
"Sleep, my children."
"In time..."
"You shall become my perfect vessels."
Far away, beneath the World Tree, I gazed toward the stars.
And for the first time since becoming a Primordial God...
I prayed.
Not for victory.
Not for power.
But for the day my brothers could finally come home.
To Be Continued...