Gods at the Antipodes

Two meteors rained down from the leaden and stormy sky. The first was rapid, a black trail heading inland, almost as if the Underworld was calling it back. The second was the exact opposite: a lightning-fast agglomeration of electric streaks that weaved a luminescent thread.

The phenomenon lasted for a few seconds, while the rapid lines crossed over themselves to form a double helix, as if their dance generated life in its essence.

Contrary to what one might think, it was the light that chased the darkness frantically and not the other way around. The shadows did not want to swallow the light, it was the latter that reached it in an attempt to dissipate it.

Their trajectories were destined to converge on a remote and uninhabited area, far from prying eyes. The two meteors continued to travel, until they crashed into the ground violently and with a deafening crash.

The ensuing explosion was powerful, unleashing a wave of heat that incinerated everything in the vicinity. A deep crater formed at the impact site, surrounded by smoking debris and meteor fragments. The ground around the crater had been disturbed, showing signs of unprecedented destructive energy.

The air was filled with the thunderous sound of the explosion, a roar that echoed for miles. The shock wave that followed was tremendous, shaking the earth and shattering the few abandoned buildings scattered in the area.

For a moment, everything seemed suspended in the trice following the impact. A heavy and unreal silence enveloped the scene, interrupted only by the faint echoes of the sound of the explosion slowly dissolving in the air.

Finally, two figures emerged from the newly created blanket of smoke.

Cragar, the god of the dead, and Emion, the god of the skies.

The two masked deities, a few meters away, looked at each other for a second, before starting to attack one another.

Emion extended his fingers, from whose fingertips a brilliant electrical discharge was generated. Cragar was unfazed by the attack and dodged to the side, quickly creating a barrier from the ground below.

The god of the dead continued to advance towards his enemy, step by step. His was not a reckless and furious run, but a simple and slow walk. He managed to almost completely close the distance between them, but a second electrical discharge forced him to stop.

Cragar materialized a second barrier from the ground to protect himself, then extended his arms outward.

The electricity continued to reach the earthy surface, undermining its consistency, but the god of the dead was not worried. Closing his hands like a claw, he activated his powers.

"Stop hiding!" Cried the god of heaven.

The deity, however, was distracted by his emotions and did not see the two metal sheets, which had just emerged from the ground, flying in his direction.

The flow of electricity stopped and the sky god soared into the air, where he remained suspended to avoid other attacks.

A strong wind blew through the area, blowing Cragar's long, blood-red hair.

The god of the Underworld raised his head upwards and said calmly, "I said the boy had to be protected."

"Silence!" The king of the gods replied before moving.

A clap of thunder came from the clouds and fell upon the god of the dead. The earth was shaped by the discharge, but absorbed the blow. The dark deity was gone, but the sky god was aware that his blow had not landed. A second cloud of smoke generated by the thunder blocked the Emion's view who, in response, made a simple movement with his hands and manufactured a gust of wind.

The current intensified further and the sky god soared even higher, scanning the area for Cragar.

A lightning storm formed above him, ready to strike at the god of the dead. Cragar, however, was ready to respond. In an instant, the god reappeared from the darkness exactly in mid-air, behind his opponent. Cragar summoned a spiral of ghostly energy from the depths of the ground, which condensed in his hands into the form of a bone longsword. The king of the gods was hit and projected downwards until he reached the fragmented soil again.

"You cannot defeat me, Emion," Cragar said as he slowly descended to the ground. His voice was calm, almost apathetic, "Nothing can stop me from revealing the truth, not even you."

Frustrated and furious, Emion stood up once again, planting his feet on the shattered ground. His eyes shone with an intense light, but also with a hint of hatred. "You always wanted to protect the innocent, Cragar," the god replied in a haunted tone. "But you can't protect anyone if you can't even protect yourself. You are almost as powerful as me, but you cannot challenge our entire generation and hope to come out on top."

The god of the dead almost smiled. Life and death were inevitable cycles, he knew this very well. Likewise, the two deities would always be forced into battles caused by their differences in thought.

For a moment, the tension between the two seemed to dissolve, replaced by a meaningful silence.

"I can't protect everyone," Cragar admitted, "But no one touches my children."

"He is a threat!"

The god of the dead closed his eyes, "No, he's just a boy whose life you made hell."

The earth began to shake as strange cracks formed on its surface.

"It's your fault he ended up in his grip, you are the problem" concluded the god of the Underworld.

With a solemn gesture, Cragar lowered his hand toward the ground. A dark, sinister light flashed in his purple eyes as, from the depths of the earth, ancient skeletons began to slowly emerge, the faded bones glowing ghostly in the sunlight. One by one, the skeletons rose from their ancestral graves, forming an army that stood out against the sky. Their bones creaked as they moved, ready to obey their dark lord's command.

"If you think that I will submit to you because of your lineage, then you have not yet understood my point of view."

Cragar looked up at the sky, his blood-red hair ruffled by the wind blowing around him. With a wave of his hand, he indicated the direction in which to advance.

"I will kill you without any problems."

The skeletons, guided by the implacable will of the god of the dead, moved with determination, ready to serve their lord in his cause. The air around them was filled with shadows, while the darkness of their empty eyes seemed to peer into the world around them with an inhuman coldness.

Emion nodded and swallowed slowly, understanding the sincerity in his old friend's words. "I-I understand."

The storm subsided, the lightning dissolved and the wind calmed.

"The boy will remain in your custody, but you will assure me that he will be our ally and that you won't reveal our secret."

The two deities looked into each other's eyes again, no longer as enemies, but as fierce rivals.

"I swear, by Fate," replied the dark god.

Finally, they disappeared, leaving behind only silence as a mute testimony of their passage.