The same thing happened somewhere else, the only difference being the location. Deep down in the earth, a different space formed here, its habitat being the goddess of darkness and death.
She received the same call as the other two gods, looking around the realm filled with translucent, floating souls and the two figures lying at her feet. A swirl of smoke enveloped her and dispersed immediately, leaving her no longer present.
A pitch-black, human-sized vulture, composed of black smoke, was seen flying rapidly toward the moon, its destination. The trails left behind by the creature seemed to draw a curtain across the sky; with its disappearance, the world descended into darkness.
Flying through the portal, I found myself on the moon's surface, realizing I was neither struggling to breathe nor turning into a block of ice. I transformed back into my humanoid form.
Floating on the moon's surface, I noticed that the other moon was a bit larger than the one I was currently on. Perhaps it was meant for the planet, while this one served as the abode of the goddess.
Looking at the planet different from the one in my memory, this one was much larger, like two Earths merged together, but it bore a similarity in appearance.
Two huge portals opened behind me, and with their appearance emerged two creatures with bizarre appearances, akin to my eagle form. Taking a sniff, one smelled like death and the other like the ocean.
It only took a moment before they both assumed their humanoid forms. Looking at the two beings who shared the same blood as mine yet had noticeably different features, I couldn't help but think about how strange this new life was starting to become.
Just as Ikenga was observing the two gods in front of him, they were doing the same to him, but before anyone could say anything, two presences—one hot and one cold—seemed to walk out of an invisible space as if they had been there all along.
The one with the cold presence said, "Since everyone is here, follow me," turning back and walking into the invisible space they came from. Without hesitation, we all followed her.
On the other side of the space appeared a garden with creatures in it. In the middle of the garden was a long table made of moonstones, and surrounding the table were five huge thrones.
Walking toward one of the thrones and taking a seat, I took time to look at everyone present, beginning with the one that gives off enormous amounts of heat.
The sun and sky god resembled a humanoid golden bird, the intense radiance emanating from his form concealing his face in a blinding light. His hair appeared as strands of fire, crackling and flickering with a mesmerizing glow. Each feather adorning his body carried the fiery essence within, as flames danced along their edges.
The other being was the goddess of darkness and death. The air around her carried an unmistakable scent of death, though it possessed an eerie allure that instilled a paradoxical sense of fear and tranquility. With each breath inhaled, one might unwittingly succumb to a deep slumber. Her appearance resembled that of a lich, bearing the skeletal countenance associated with the realms of death. A cloak of darkness enshrouded her ethereal form, lending an otherworldly and intangible quality to her being. Yet, amidst the enigmatic veil, her feet and hands emerged, pale and flawless, exuding an unearthly beauty that contrasted with the darkness surrounding her.
The next god was the one who smelled like the ocean, and faint sounds of waves could be heard when close to him. He was the god of sea and storms.
Taking the form of a humanoid shark, this deity bore a commanding presence. Water-like tentacles flowed gracefully behind his head, mirroring the undulating movements of the ocean's currents. His physique appeared almost elemental in nature, suggesting a fusion of raw power and a deep connection with the natural forces of the sea. Though his gait may exude a sense of untamed energy, it was his eyes that captured attention. Looking into his eyes reminded me of how calm and still the ocean is the deeper you go. Despite his unruly appearance, there lies a deep sense of wisdom and stillness within.
The last god was the one I had communicated with and was supposedly my twin. She was the goddess of the moon and motherhood. She was the most human-like of us all. Her long silver hair cascaded gracefully down to her feet, adding an ethereal touch to her countenance. Her skin possessed a shimmering quality, akin to the twinkling stars in the night sky, reflecting the cosmic essence she embodied.
Although she bore a human resemblance, her towering height set her apart. Like the rest of our divine kin, we all stood at an imposing 16 feet tall, a testament to our inherent grandeur. However, it is important to note that this towering stature represented our normal size, as we possessed the ability to assume even more colossal forms if the need arose.
After everyone sat down, there was a brief moment of silence before we exchanged names: the sun god, who was called "Crepuscular"; the death goddess, Keles; the sea god, Jaus; and the moon goddess, Mahu.
I glanced at the moon goddess, Mahu. She saw the doubt on my face and asked, "What?"
That made the others look toward us. I took a deep breath to compose my words.
"Since we were both born at the same time, why did you call for this meeting?" This had been bothering me since I received the call and worsened after I saw the other gods.
They all looked like they knew the reason for this meeting, and since my twin called it, she must know too. But how did she know if we were born at the same time? It was understandable for the other gods to know since they were older.
Was there a secret meeting I wasn't involved in? Seeing how confused I was, she gently shook her head and said, "I don't know the reason for the meeting either, but someone will resolve our doubts soon, right, Crepuscular?"
Hearing what she said, I looked toward the sun god, who nodded back at me before saying, "I asked her to call the meeting; I couldn't wait any longer for you to adapt, little brother."
"We have all been waiting for you and Mahu's birth," said Jaus.
(Crepuscular POV)
Seeing the confusion on our new siblings' faces, the thought that this meeting was a bit hasty crossed my mind, but I really couldn't bear waiting a few more years for them to get used to things.
Besides, Nana is asleep, and she wanted me to inform them about a few things and get them prepared enough before she wakes up.
I made a slight cough to get both of their attention. Jaus leaned back in his throne with his arms folded across his chest. Keles still had no expression on her face, but her body language showed she was paying attention to what I was about to say.
We three had already had this conversation, so there was no need for them to be overly attentive. Seeing that I already got the needed attention, I leaned more into my throne before starting the story.
Noticing the sun god leaning more into his throne, I paid closer attention to see what he had to say. Apparently, he was 200 years older than us and the firstborn of Nana. From the moment he was born, Nana's only instruction for him was not to interfere with the humans on the planet.
With nothing to do, he fell into a deep sleep that lasted for a while but was awakened when Keles was born, and with Keles's birth came a new instruction from Nana: to create new creatures on the planet.
This instruction was quite challenging for him because, even though he was a god, creating a new life form out of thin air was impossible at his level. Nana could have done that, but she was using all her energy to give birth to the remaining gods, so that responsibility now fell to them at the time.
With the birth of Jaus came another instruction from Nana: to divide the land amongst ourselves, which was one of the main reasons for this meeting.
According to Crepuscular, after Nana gave birth to me and Mahu, she fell into a deep sleep. It seems giving birth to two gods at once made Nana use up her energy.
Her last instruction before her slumber was that we could now interfere with humans but never mate with them. He explained that the reason Mahu called the meeting was because her realm was more suitable for us to gather than his; his realm was connected to the space around the sun, making it unbearably hot even for gods.