Chapter 1: Their Glory, Our Ruin
Three hundred years ago, under a sky drenched in crimson twilight, something unimaginable happened.
The sun and the moon—celestial opposites since the beginning of time—collided.
No one knew why. No one saw it coming.
All they remembered... was light.
And then came fire.
The sky shattered. The heavens screamed. And then the stars began to fall—massive meteors burning through the atmosphere like divine punishment.
Ninety percent of humanity was erased in mere hours.
The survivors whispered only one thing:
> "This is the curse of the devils."
---
Two days later.
Among the shattered remnants of a once-proud civilization, a quiet village named Velmora stood barely breathing. The air was heavy with ash, the silence broken only by distant sobs and the crackling of fire.
In this silence, two majestic beings descended from the sky. Neither male nor female in form, but radiating divinity and cosmic grace.
They approached a couple—Vermont, a quiet leader of Velmora, and his wife, Salindri, a healer and voice of reason among the chaos.
Vermont stepped forward. His voice, tired yet unshaken.
"Who are you? Are you the ones who unleashed this curse?"
The taller of the two divine figures stepped forward.
> "I am Solari, the Sun God. This is Noctira, the Moon Goddess. And yes... we caused the collision."
"What?!" Vermont's eyes widened.
> "The explosion was no accident. It was the only way we could free ourselves from the eternal bond we were trapped in for millennia."
Salindri's voice was calm, but sharp. "Then why come to us now?"
Noctira's silver eyes met hers. "Because balance must be restored. The world cannot survive without the Sun and Moon aligned. We can no longer do it. But you... can."
Solari continued, "Accept our divine essence. Become the new Sun and Moon. Guide the rebirth of this world. In exchange, you must carry the burden of sacrifice."
Vermont glanced at his wife. "Salindri... what should we do?"
She looked out at the ruins of Velmora. The children. The crying. The ash.
"Only ten percent of us remain. We have no choice but to rebuild. If we must become gods to protect them... so be it."
Vermont turned to Solari. "We agree. But after we become gods, we stay here. Among them. We will not float in the skies."
Solari nodded. "Then kneel. Let the process begin."
---
The ground trembled as Solari summoned a great flame around himself, his body beginning to disintegrate into pure sunlight.
The flames surrounded Vermont.
Pain. Fire. Light.
When it ended, a radiant sun sigil burned above Vermont's head. His hair shimmered gold. His eyes gleamed like daylight.
"Am I... truly the Sun God now?" he whispered.
Noctira stepped forward, her form turning to ice and pale mist. Her powers streamed into Salindri like a frozen wind.
Salindri screamed, her body crystallizing—until the sigil of the Moon glowed above her.
And then, silence.
Solari and Noctira were gone.
Their forms scattered into ash and snow, finally free.
Vermont and Salindri stood hand-in-hand, gods among men.
---
Months passed.
The sky mended. The new Sun and Moon took their places once more.
People began smiling again.
But that peace came at a price.
---
One night.
Three children knelt in a circle, trembling.
Salindri raised her hand. Frost. Silence.
She turned them into ice.
Vermont stepped forward.
Fire. Ash. Nothing remained.
Nearby, Men of Vermont watched in horror, faces pale, eyes full of disgust.
"Why... children?" one whispered.
Vermont's voice was cold.
"The balance must be maintained. Every six months, the Sun grows too hot, the Moon too close. We must burn offerings... or everything will fall apart again."
They nodded. Too afraid to speak.
The next morning, a mother was found hanging from a tree. Her child had vanished in the night.
Whispers spread:
> "The demons return every six months."
No one dared say the truth aloud.
Vermont and Salindri had created the lie themselves.
---
The mother's older son arrived too late.
A bundle of firewood spilled from his back as he screamed, tears blinding him.
"Mother... no! What have you done?! Please... I need you... Don't leave me!"
Vermont watched from the shadows.
Unmoved.
---
Present Day.
The world had returned to peace.
Or so it seemed.
In a small city park, two brothers laughed as they ran.
"That was fun!" Cairo, the elder, grinned. "I haven't played like that in years."
Tatsuo, younger but wiser in the eyes, smiled. "Ever since we became orphans... you've always kept me smiling, big bro."
Cairo's face tensed. His grin faded.
"Don't remind me of that night."
Tatsuo blinked.
The screen darkened.
The sky above, glowing slightly red.
Their Glory, Our Ruin.