Silver Stone and Silver Light

Mama, tell me a story!

Another? I just finished telling you one..

Another!

You should be happy you have a mother like me... fine, howwww abooooout-aha!

The child tucked himself in, a smile on his face.

The mother opened the story book, which had the symbol of a silver chalice and a silver moon, and began to tell..

Once upon a time in the heavens above, Veltes came to Ombra with a frightful dilemma.

"Ombra!" shouted Veltes "We both carry the holy symbol of silver! Whatever shall we do?"

The mother of the night quietly turned to face him, her peaceful visage never breaking from its poise.

"There is no need to fear, Veltes-for the light of the moon and the light of the stone shall always shine the same.  

This overlap made Veltes grow uneasy, and he soon spoke in a harsher tone

"You will return it solely to me, for it is my right as the King of Heroes!"

Ombra shook her head lightly, calm and collected as ever within herself.

This caused Veltes to storm out with his avatar across the veil and into space, going wherever he pleased. He was a god, after all!

And then what, mama?

Shh... focus on sleeping little one. There is still much story to tell.

Soon after, Veltes encountered our realm, upon which the sun shone brightly over the land.

He ventured through, envious of the prosperity and safety formed by the Father of Light. To him, Gold was his... A color to call his own.

  He wanted that too.. .but she would not grant it. Veltes went to Sol in a confused anger and asked:

"Sol, why is it I do not yet have a color to call my own?"

Sol replied:

"Because you are two halves of a whole. You cannot have that which you are not. If you so desire, you may share in my own with a half that grants mercy."

Veltes was taken aback by this at first, seeing it as an insult... but eventually, he realized the wise words spoken to him... for this, he was thankful, yet still uneasy.

He soon took his steps upon Aethius itself, walking its surface as a simple farmer... far from the call of a King he often had. Ombra's words still perplexed him... but then he paused.

The sun had began to set in front of him as he walked, and the shining and dazzling colors of the world presented in its skies like a light show of the greatest caliber.

How beautiful it was-to make even a God pause and stare in awe!

The child emitted a small giggle as his eyes began to lull.

He walked along the path quietly, seeking a nice spot to watch the sun finally dip beneath the land as it did at the end of every day. It did not take him long.

As he sat upon it with his form, the harsh grey stone sat beneath him, and was all he could see when he glanced below.

He let out a sigh as he watched the sky turn from light to dark, and the quiet and shining aura of the moon take the place of the loud and brilliant light of the sun.

As the moon continued to rise in the sky and hours passed like seconds, Veltes thought long and hard about what she meant by her words to him.

Soon, the silver light of the moons full gaze overcame the world, bathing it in a soothing, gentle aura of peace and quiet-broken only by the crickets and nightlife of smaller animals.

Veltes became annoyed at this, only furthering his anger of the issue when he thought about the calming silver light he believed to be rightfully his.

In a fit of rage, he slammed his fist upon the ground and unleashed divine energy, creating a small crater of land where he once stood.

Veltes anger turned to surprise as the dust soon settled, and the ground below carried with it small, beautiful veins of silver which shone brilliantly along with the moon.

His surprise then turned to happiness, for now he understood, and was at peace. As he left the mortal realm and returned to his own, he uttered one phrase as he passed beside the moon in respect to the God who had said such to him.

"The light of the Moon and the Light of the Stone shall always shine the same."

The mother smiled at the memory and closed the book. The child had fallen asleep quite a bit ago, and she soon set the book quietly down beside him.

She smiled, and went to kiss his forehead as he slept, and thought how beautiful caring and loving for new life truly was.

She then looked outside as her eyes glittered with the light of the stars, and she leaned over toward the candle-letting the flame die with a small huff from her mouth.

After the light of the flame had left and the silver of the moon replaced it, all that remained of the mother was a speck of stardust upon the old oaken chair, and she returned back into the night sky, where she once again watched over all with her motherly gaze of the dazzling silver moon...

The World of Aethius • The Multiverse of Aethier