Sins of the Father: Chapter 01

Darkness.

The room was consumed with a perpetually darkness. Darker than most underground caverns often should be. The room was sealed tightly shut with the utmost care that not even worms could reach its interior.

A blue flame burst into existence and immediately the whole room was illuminated. The various shadows frolicked around the large table placed in the center of the table as they leapt in fear of the blinding light.

"This is disgusting, I do not see why we have to meet in such a dank place," a female voice complained as its owner began to appear at one of the five seats around the table. Her glowing white hair flowed from her head and tumbled over her shoulders to form an elaborate dress that consumed her form and cascaded on the floor. "It's so dark and plain."

"Oh yes.....Woe unlucky Mire should be seated somewhere plain." Another voice mocked. The speaker was a man with a thick brown beard, a grand helmet inscribed with many intricate runes of various sizes upon his brow that was forged in gold. His armor was gold as well, and a long black cloak clutched his throat and wrinkled over his back to accent his muscular arms.

"Now, now Azel," Mire scolded "Have mercy upon this poor woman, not all of us share your desire to dwell in the muck that categorizes you so"

A deep resonating growl emanated from the throat of Azel "I have sat among you four in harmony for eons, but do not think I will not crush you were you sit and make you sub servant to the very 'muck' you mock"

A second woman materialized, her cerulean hair rippling against her white silken dress and a white and blue cloak. "And together we four sat would be here to stop you." She stated. Her voice was somewhat more matter of fact than her comrades that spoke before her. "You would do well not to question your place among us." Placing a single white hand against the marble table and pointing towards the empty seats, "Please take a seat. My husband believes we have much to discuss. We cannot make decisions as three out of five."

Mire began to shift in her seat. "I fail to see why we cannot meet somewhere in the open air...." Mire said to herself thought somehow the other two in the room heard her.

"To feel the open air....." She shifted again more uncomfortably.

"Patience, Mira," the standing woman said soothingly. "You know full well that we cannot meet above ground when the mortals walk nearby. Face to Face discovery would be the worst fallout in all the short existence of the mortals. This meeting should not take long.....:"

Azel laughed. It was rough hardy sound that reverberated the room filling it with deep base of his voice. "Ah, Vepar you already said that your husband states we have much to discuss. If it doesn't take long couldn't we wait another couple of centuries, a few hundred years is nothing to immortals.

"No." Vepar shook her head. It was times like these that Vepar took the matriarchal role amongst the Astral Gods, when they grow restless. "This meeting of vital importance and must be completed at once."

A roaring orange fire appeared into view, next to her. When the fire died down a man stood in the flickering embers. He was a man but also fire, both organisms merged into one being, his hair consisted of the same material that lay at his feet. It eventually died down to a stagnate mixture of orange of yellow. A long flowing robe rippled down his shoulders changing colors among the orange and yellow that categorized his every being. Silence fell.

"Ah," he remarked, though not unkindly. The room became silent. There weren't even any remarks from Azel on the eccentric manner of entering. Instead, the entire room became enthralled in the regal bearing he brought upon the room mesmerized even. This man was their leader a God amongst Gods: Zebar.

"It is good to see you are all present...." He gaze fell on the one empty seat and he frowned. "Where is Adex?" he demanded.

The other three looked blankly among themselves, Mire still fidgeting in her seat and the middle aged Azel laughing silently in his seat.
Finally, the fifth and final figure materialized slowly amid a large gust of wind, various articles of clothing fell along the table before him, the wind still prevalent in the room rustling the clothes and eventually revealing the undergarments of a woman.

"Terribly sorry," the figure murmured still shadowed in darkness as he shuffled into the light "I was just....umm....examining the physical condition of our creations." The individual had the appearance of a young man, his blond hair cascading over his eyes, as his grey and purple robe swished in the wind.

"Swine." Mira remarked as she stared at the unknown woman's clothes, "You are perhaps the vilest individual I have had the misfortune to associate with.

"Ahh, your melodious voice brings music to my ears." As the figure spoke he lifted his head to reveal, amethyst eyes filled to the brim with mirth. With a raise of an eyebrow he continued as he gestured at the disheveled fabric on the table "Are you sure you don't want to experience the pleasure that so consumed the owner of these clothes moments ago?

Mira's stood up with a boom of thunder and was already across the room gripping the throat of Adex, before anyone could stop her. "I would most likely rip your throat off then hold the displeasure of bedding you." She roared with venom.

"Enough!" Zebar screamed fire surrounded his form, thumping his hand down onto the table to bring about silence and pulling out Vepar's chair so that she could sit. He remained standing. "We have important matters to discuss."

As the quarreling immortals took their seat's Adex sat down with a permanent smirk on his face and Mile with a discontented frown on her face.

Azel sighed "Idiots....are you sure this cannot wait a century or so?" he complained, tugging on his brown beard turning that particular patch into gold.

"No, it cannot. Much has occurred in the years since we last met." Zebar started "The fragile peace that the humans have created for themselves will soon end. The beings of Vano's dark world have never been a problem once our creations had the power to fight against them. But yet plans have been set in motion to break the balance of the world. In fact an event is coming that will become the catalyst for events in the coming years."

"Zebar, when and where does this event occur?" Azel asked

"Tonight, it will be occurring in the land that pays reverence to me in their capital in fact." Zebar answered, his expression darkened as he continued in a whisper. "Death, death will come of it."

"Will you please stop with the suspense, I'm actually curious in this new occurrence" Adex remarked. Zebar turned his eyes on Adex and gazed his eyes piercing the very being of Adex. "Sorry I meant will you please stop with the suspense" he finished with a nervous laugh.
Switching his gaze towards the entire room Zebar continued "A dragon will be set loose upon the unsuspected city. Not just any Dragon but one that is seen as a God among his species: Zagros. But that is not the only thing that is associated with the attack Vano, is sending his avatar to control the dragon directly.

"Mordred , that snake!" Mire sneered

"This could be our chance to end this you know" Adex started "To completely stop the influence of Vano on our creations, we can cut off his connection from this world forever. I'll do it myself in fact.

"Do you not know your place Adex?" Azel rumbled "We must not overtly change the fate of mankind with such overly flashy displays. We must remain out of sight and slowly but surely tweak the fates of mortals."

"Yes, but why? We can stop the suffering of our creations with the simple flex of a wrist."

"Azel, you know as well as the rest of us that being seen by our creations would be disastrous. We thrive on their beliefs, and if it weren't for that belief then we would not exist the way we do now. We would lose our powers if they see that we are not near perfect beings like they envision." Mire offered.

Adex's voice grew solemn "Maybe this is a necessary end. Nothing may last forever. Not even the Gods. Maybe it's time we took a walk with our creations a stand in the sun, rather than dwell in the shadows.

The room grew quiet as the Gods took the opportunity to dwell on the words put forth by the God of Wind.

Suddenly a portal opened in the center of the table. Revealing the large metropolis of, Pandarum.

"Ah, so it begins......."