Chapter One
1159 Words
The Great Hall of the Cosmos had never known silence.
For ten thousand years, its towering pillars, woven from starlight and celestial energy, had echoed with the endless music of the heavens.
But today, the music had stopped.
A silence heavier than the weight of a dying star settled over the Divine Council.
At the center of the hall stood the Empty Throne. It had been carved from a mysterious power beyond the understanding of even the gods, representing the Supreme Being who had left the universe to govern itself thousands of years ago. Surrounding it in a perfect semi-circle were the seats of the Eight Great Gods.
And standing alone at the center of the smooth, polished floor, stripped of her graceful dignity, was the Moon Goddess.
"Let the record of the heavens reflect this day," a powerful voice boomed, shattering the silence like cracking ice.
It was Sol, the Sun God, his armor forged like the heart of a supernova,casting blinding light across the chamber. He stood tall, his golden eyes burned, piercing daggers at the woman in the middle. The same woman he had coveted for a very long time, the same woman he has imagined as his queen and ruling the world together.
Now his love has turned into a dangerous, volatile resentment.
"Selene, Guardian of the Night, Keeper of Dreams, Mistress of Fate," Sol declared, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. "You stand before the Council not amongst us, but as a transgressor. You have breached the veil. You have defiled the sacred boundary between the eternal and the dust."
Selene did not flinch. Even without her shimmering silver aura, she stood with a quiet, devastating grace. She has always been one to act, without talking much and in this situation she knew that anything she says could affect her. Her long, midnight-blue hair fell in soft waves past her waist, and her eyes—usually a comforting, glowing silver—were dark and resolute. She wore a simple, flowing white gown, devoid of her usual celestial jewels.
"I have done nothing to harm the realms, Sol," Selene said, her voice as calm as the night breeze. "I have kept the balance. I have guided those who lost their way."
"Guided?"
A mocking laugh echoed through the hall.
It came from the God of Chaos, who lounged lazily on his obsidian throne, casually tossing a ball of dark, unstable energy between his fingers. He looked as though he was enjoying every moment of the trial.
"Is that what we're calling it now?" he said with a grin. "I call it a wonderful disaster. Please, Sol, don't let her sweet words ruin the best part."
Beside him, the Goddess of Life leaned forward. Her robes were woven from fresh vines and blooming flowers, yet sadness filled her gentle eyes.
"Sol," she pleaded softly, "show mercy. Selene has watched over the mortal realms since the beginning of time. She has always acted out of kindness."
"Kindness?" Sol sneered as he stepped down from his throne.
The sound of his golden boots echoed across the silent hall as he slowly approached Selene.
"She abandoned her duties. She disappeared from her place in the heavens. The tides became unstable. Dreams were left unguarded. And for what?"
He stopped a few steps away from her.
"A mortal."
His voice dripped with contempt.
"A creature whose life lasts no more than the blink of an eye compared to ours."
Soft whispers spread among the lesser celestial spirits gathered in the gallery.
High above them, the Star Goddess gripped her starlight quill so tightly that it nearly snapped in half.
Her bright eyes locked onto Selene, silently begging her.
Please... don't tell them.
Don't let them find out.
Beside her, the God of Time remained completely still.
His eyes stayed closed.
He did not need to open them.
Within his mind, he watched countless futures fall apart, one after another.
A quiet sigh escaped his lips.
He had warned her.
Again and again...
He had warned her.
"You accuse me of loving someone," Selene said. Her voice grew stronger, causing the pillars of the Great Hall to tremble slightly.
"Since when has love become a crime in the eyes of the Creator?"
"Loving a mortal is foolish," Sol replied coldly.
"But that is not your greatest crime."
He took another step.
"You did not simply look at him."
Another step.
"You did not simply love him."
His golden eyes burned with anger.
"You have stained your own divinity."
Slowly, Sol raised one glowing hand and pointed toward Selene's stomach.
"Look at her!"
His voice thundered through the Great Hall.
"Look at the Keeper of Fate... who has tied her own destiny to the dirt beneath our feet."
With a flick of his wrist, a wave of brilliant sunlight swept across the hall.
It was not meant to hurt her.
It was meant to reveal the truth.
The silver veil of moonlight surrounding Selene shattered into thousands of glowing fragments.
A loud gasp swept through the hall.
Beneath the soft fabric of her gown, a gentle golden-silver light began to shine.
It pulsed once.
Then again.
A heartbeat.
Small.
Gentle.
Alive.
The Sea God rose from his throne so quickly that his trident struck the floor with a loud clang.
"By the Endless Seas..."
His voice barely came out.
"She... is carrying a child."
The God of Death remained motionless.
Hidden beneath a cloak darker than the night itself, he said nothing.
Only his pale hands rested quietly on his throne.
Yet the temperature inside the Great Hall suddenly dropped.
A thin layer of frost spread across the glowing floor.
No one dared speak.
The silence became suffocating.
A goddess carrying a child had never happened before.
A goddess carrying the child of a mortal...
It was something no law of Heaven had ever allowed.
Sol stared at the faint glow beneath Selene's hand.
His face twisted with emotions he could no longer hide.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Heartbreak.
The goddess he had loved for thousands of years...
The goddess who had rejected him time and time again...
Had given herself...
And now a child...
To someone else.
His jaw tightened.
Whatever pain remained inside him disappeared behind the face of a judge.
"A child," he said quietly.
The two words echoed throughout the Great Hall.
He stepped closer until only a few feet separated them.
His golden eyes met hers.
"Who did this, Selene?"
His voice was calm now.
Far more dangerous than before.
"Tell this council."
Another step.
"Tell every god gathered here."
His gaze dropped briefly to the life growing within her before returning to her face.
"Who dared touch one of the Eight Great Gods?"
A heavy silence filled the hall.
Every god...
Every spirit...
Every pair of eyes...
Turned toward the fallen Moon Goddess.
Waiting.
Watching.
Holding their breath.
"Who," Sol asked one last time, "is the father?"
- Writer
