Eclipse of the EternalA Novel by rebeccaPrologue: The Fall of the Eternal Gods
In the age before mortals, the gods ruled the heavens, their power absolute. They were the architects of creation, each a master of their domain: Light, Fire, Storms, Shadows, and countless more. Their glory was unmatched, but with it came arrogance. The prophecy of the Eternal Eclipse foretold their downfall—a time when the gods would be stripped of their divinity and cast into the mortal plane, reborn as humans to learn the humility they had forsaken.
The gods dismissed the prophecy as mere folly. But the day came when the heavens cracked, and their celestial thrones crumbled. The Keeper of Shadows, Zaryth, who had long felt the sting of neglect and betrayal by his kin, fell hardest of all.
Stripped of his dominion, Zaryth's bitterness consumed him. His fractured soul twisted into something monstrous—a being of hatred and hunger, known henceforth as Malcarion. While the other gods accepted their mortal fates, Malcarion vowed vengeance. He would hunt his reincarnated kin, consume their fragments of divinity, and ascend as the one true god.
And thus began the age of chaos, where gods walked among mortals, unaware of their celestial past, while the shadows of Malcarion loomed ever closer.
Chapter 1: Awakening of Light
The bustling city of Valescar sat at the heart of the kingdom, its streets alive with merchants, scholars, and travelers from distant lands. Yet amidst the clamor, Kaelen, an unassuming youth with a talent for daydreaming, found his thoughts far from the mundane.
Every night, Kaelen dreamed of golden fields bathed in celestial light, of a towering figure wielding a blade of radiance against a tide of shadows. The dreams were vivid, almost too real, but their meaning eluded him.
"Kaelen!" a voice snapped him out of his reverie.
He turned to see his friend Lorin, a wiry boy with a knack for getting into trouble. "You'll be late again if you don't move," Lorin said, pointing toward the market square.
Kaelen sighed, picking up the pace. His day job as a courier wasn't glamorous, but it kept him busy enough to forget his strange dreams—until that afternoon.
The sky darkened suddenly, an unnatural shadow creeping over the city. The market erupted into chaos as monstrous creatures, their twisted forms wreathed in dark flames, burst through the gates.
"Fellspawn!" someone screamed.
Kaelen froze as one of the creatures lunged toward a group of children huddled behind a cart. He acted on instinct, rushing forward with nothing but a wooden staff in hand.
But something awakened within him. A surge of warmth filled his chest, and his hands ignited with a radiant golden light. The energy coalesced into a barrier that repelled the creature, shattering it into ash.
The market fell silent, all eyes on Kaelen.
"What... was that?" he whispered, staring at his glowing hands.
A figure stepped forward, a woman clad in leather armor, her fiery red hair glinting in the fading sunlight. She carried twin blades and an air of authority that silenced the murmurs of the crowd.
"You've awakened," she said, her voice steady. "The God of Light lives again."
Kaelen blinked, his heart racing. "God of Light? What are you talking about?"
"My name is Lyra," she said, offering her hand. "And if you want to survive, you'll come with me."
Chapter 2: The Flame Warden
Lyra explained that Kaelen was the reincarnation of Eryon, the God of Light and Balance. His radiant powers were a fragment of his former divinity, one of many scattered across the world.
Their journey led them to a quiet village where they sought refuge in a blacksmith's forge. There, they met Aeron, a burly man with a quick temper and an unparalleled skill in crafting weapons.
When the Fellspawn attacked again, Aeron's anger ignited something deep within him. His body was enveloped in flames, and he wielded a hammer with the strength of a divine warrior. Lyra recognized him immediately: he was the reincarnation of The Flame Warden, the God of Fire.
Reluctant to leave his forge, Aeron eventually agreed to join Kaelen and Lyra after learning of Malcarion's growing threat.
Chapter 3: Stormcaller's Wrath
In the port city of Mirehaven, the group faced their greatest challenge yet: a relentless storm that threatened to drown the city. The source was a corrupted fragment of divine power, and it drew the group to a reclusive scholar named Cynara.
Cynara, shy and reserved, initially denied her connection to the storm. But when the group was attacked by Fellspawn, her powers erupted, summoning lightning that cleaved the monsters in two. She was the reincarnation of the Stormcaller, the Goddess of Tempests.
Together, they confronted the storm and recovered an Essence Orb, a fragment of Cynara's past divine power.
Chapter 4: Shadows in the Abyss
In the ruins of an ancient temple, the group encountered Draven, a rogue mercenary plagued by dark visions. His connection to shadows made him an outcast, but Lyra sensed the truth: Draven was the reincarnation of The Abyss Guardian, a god tied to the same domain as Malcarion.
Draven joined the group, warning them of the cost of his powers. The shadows whispered to him, and their influence grew stronger with every step closer to Malcarion.
Chapter 5: Malcarion's Rise
As the group reclaimed more Essence Orbs, Malcarion's plans became clear. He sought to corrupt divine relics tied to each god's power, turning them into weapons of destruction.
Chapter 6: Trials of Unity
The gods began to remember their past lives, and with those memories came old rivalries and guilt. Kaelen struggled to keep the group together, especially as they confronted the truth of their betrayal of Zaryth.
Chapter 7: The Eclipse Nexus
At the Eclipse Nexus, the final confrontation unfolded. Malcarion, wielding corrupted relics, unleashed his monstrous form. The gods, partially ascended, fought with everything they had.
Chapter 8: Light and Shadows
In the final battle, Kaelen reached out to Malcarion, diving into his fractured soul. His compassion and forgiveness touched the remnants of Zaryth's humanity. In a moment of clarity, Malcarion sacrificed himself to destroy the corrupted relics and restore balance.
Epilogue: A New Dawn
The gods, fully ascended, chose to remain among mortals to guide and protect them. Kaelen vowed to ensure the mistakes of the past would never be repeated, setting out to forge a new era of unity and peace.