The transition ceremony for juvenile gods traditionally took place at the Temple of Ascension, a modest structure by Aetherian standards. However, as Zeus's one-hundred and twentieth year approached, the Council of Elders made an unprecedented decision: his ceremony would be held at the Grand Forum, the largest public space in the central district of Aether.
"This is unnecessary," Zeus protested when Cronos informed him of the arrangement. Father and son stood at the edge of a practice field, both breathing heavily from their combat exercise. Even with his time manipulation abilities, Cronos found it increasingly difficult to match his son's speed and precision.
"Perhaps," Cronos conceded, "but it serves a purpose beyond mere spectacle. The god race needs symbols, Zeus. Especially now."
"Now?" Zeus's keen eyes narrowed. "Has there been another incursion?"
Cronos hesitated, then gestured toward the viewing portal nearby. It shifted to display images of Earth's central battlefield, where the usual contained skirmishes had given way to a massive confrontation. The demon forces had pushed further into neutral territory than they had in ten thousand years.
"When did this begin?" Zeus demanded, studying the tactical formations with a practiced eye.
"Three days ago. I've been... occupied with the response."
Zeus noted the fatigue etched into his father's face, the subtle drain that even time manipulation exacted on its wielder after extended use. "You've been slowing time at the front lines," he surmised. "Giving our forces a reaction advantage."
Cronos nodded. "It's sustainable for now, but the demon command has adapted quickly. They've deployed temporal anchors, devices that create localized stability. My influence is diminishing."
"And the Council wants my ceremony to be public to boost morale," Zeus concluded. "A distraction."
"Not merely a distraction," Cronos corrected. "A reminder that our strength continues to grow, that new generations rise to defend Aether." He clasped his son's shoulder. "Whether you wish it or not, you have become a symbol, Zeus. The lightning-wielder. The prodigy who surpassed his instructors by his fiftieth year."
Zeus frowned. "Symbols can become targets. The demons would gladly disrupt such a public gathering."
A grim smile touched Cronos's lips. "I'm counting on it."
---
The day of the transition ceremony dawned with perfect Aetherian clarity. The Grand Forum, an amphitheater carved into a floating island of pure white stone, filled to capacity hours before the scheduled commencement. Thousands of gods from across the realm gathered to witness the formal transition of the Supreme Commander's son, and, perhaps more significantly, the most talked-about prodigy in recent memory.
Zeus observed the proceedings with outward calm, though his mind raced with calculations and contingencies. The ceremony itself held little interest for him; it was the opportunity that Cronos had hinted at that occupied his thoughts.
The ritual followed ancient patterns: invocations to the cosmic forces, recitations of the juvenile's accomplishments, symbolic representations of the passage from child to juvenile. Zeus participated mechanically, his awareness extended far beyond the Forum, sensing the subtle energy patterns of the surrounding area.
There, a flicker of wrongness in the perfect harmony of Aether. A disturbance so slight that even the boundary wardens might miss it.
Just as Elder Oceanus began the final blessing, Zeus acted. Without warning or explanation, he summoned a lightning bolt that struck the ceremonial dias with explosive force. In the ensuing confusion, his voice cut through the panicked cries:
"Breach in progress! South quadrant, peripheral defenses activated!"
The audience's confusion turned to alarm as the truth of his warning became evident. Warning signals blazed across the city as the defense grid detected what Zeus had already sensed, a major boundary incursion less than a mile from the Grand Forum.
Cronos, who had been seated among the Council Elders, was already issuing commands through his communication crystal. "All civilians to shelter points! Defense units to positions! This is not a drill!"
In the chaos of evacuation, few noticed Zeus slipping away from the ceremonial platform, moving not toward a shelter but directly toward the incursion point. By the time Cronos realized his son's intention, Zeus was already beyond immediate recall.
"Stubborn, impulsive..." Cronos bit back further commentary as he coordinated the defense response. Whatever Zeus intended, he would have to trust his son's judgment. For now.
---
The boundary between Aether and Earth manifested as a shimmering curtain of energy, visible only to those with the training to perceive realm divisions. Under normal circumstances, this boundary was impenetrable except at designated transit points.
What Zeus found at the south quadrant defied standard incursion protocols. The boundary hadn't been breached so much as... folded, creating a pocket where Aether and Earth temporarily occupied the same space. Within this dimensional anomaly, a contingent of at least thirty elite demon warriors was materializing, led by a figure Zeus recognized immediately from intelligence briefings.
Abaddon, Master of the Void, one of the Nether realm's supreme strategists.
Zeus concealed himself behind an energy deflection field, observing as the demon forces established their position. Unlike typical raiding parties, they carried no destructive implements. Instead, each warrior bore a crystalline device that pulsed with sickly green light.
"Scanners deployed," Abaddon's voice rasped like dry leaves against stone. "The energy signature is near. Find it!"
Energy signature? Zeus's mind worked rapidly. This wasn't a standard attack, they were searching for something specific. Something in Aether.
The realization struck him with perfect clarity. The timing, the location, the specialized equipment, they weren't here for random destruction. They were here for him. For the ceremony.
Drawing upon his years of study in the Sealed Archives, Zeus made a swift decision. Rather than waiting for reinforcements, he would engage directly but not with conventional tactics.
Focusing his consciousness, Zeus extended his connection to the lightning that was his elemental affinity. But instead of manifesting it externally as a weapon, he internalized the energy, transforming his physical form into living lightning.
The sensation was beyond description, consciousness expanded across multiple energy states simultaneously, perception accelerated until normal time seemed to crawl. In this form, Zeus moved at the speed of light itself, invisible to conventional senses.
He streaked through the demon formation, gathering critical intelligence with each microsecond passage. The crystalline devices were calibrated to detect and capture elemental energy signatures, specifically lightning affinity. The dimensional fold had been created using technology previously unknown to Aetherian intelligence. Most concerning of all, the operation had been planned with detailed knowledge of Aetherian defense systems and schedules.
They had a traitor in their midst.
Having acquired this intelligence, Zeus faced a tactical decision. He could return to Aetherian forces with this information, or he could act unilaterally to neutralize the threat.
He chose the latter.
Still in his lightning form, Zeus infiltrated the molecular structure of each crystalline scanner, introducing a subtle energy harmonic that would cause them to resonate against each other when activated. Then, reverting to physical form at the edge of the demon formation, he deliberately flared his energy signature.
"There!" Abaddon snarled, pointing directly at Zeus. "Capture protocol initiated!"
All thirty scanners activated simultaneously, and immediately began a catastrophic harmonic cascade. The resulting energy pulse collapsed the dimensional fold, disrupting the demons' physical coherence in the process. As the fold destabilized, the invaders were pulled back toward their origin point, their forms distorting as they lost cohesion between realms.
Abaddon, more powerful than his subordinates, maintained his position longer than the others. His eyes, burning pits of ancient malice, fixed on Zeus with recognition and hatred.
"The prophecy child," he hissed. "Your interference changes nothing. What was sundered shall remain sundered. What was taken shall remain taken."
Before Zeus could respond, Abaddon too was drawn back through the collapsing dimensional pocket, his final words fading into an otherworldly howl.
Moments later, Aetherian defense forces arrived, led by Cronos himself. They found Zeus standing alone at a perfectly normal boundary point, no evidence of incursion remaining except a residual energy pattern that their instruments struggled to interpret.
"Explain," Cronos demanded, his expression a mixture of anger and relief.
Zeus met his father's gaze steadily. "I believe it's time we had a conversation about what really happened at the beginning of the war, father. And about why certain powers were systematically eliminated from the god race's genetic lineage."
Cronos's expression hardened. "Those are matters for the Council..."
"Those are matters for survival," Zeus interrupted. "The demons weren't here for random destruction today. They came for me specifically, for my lightning affinity. They knew about the ceremony, the location, the timing. They had our defense patterns." He paused significantly. "And Abaddon knew who I was."
For perhaps the first time in Zeus's memory, Cronos appeared genuinely shaken. "Abaddon was here? Personally?"
Zeus nodded. "He called me 'the prophecy child.' And he said something that I believe you will find interesting: 'What was sundered shall remain sundered. What was taken shall remain taken.'"
The blood drained from Cronos's face. Without another word, he activated his communication crystal. "Full Council session. Most urgent classification. One hour." To Zeus, he said grimly, "It seems your transition to juvenile status will be marked by more than ceremonial recognition. Come with me."
---
The Council Chamber lay deep beneath the Celestial Mountains, a secure location rarely used except in the gravest circumstances. Unlike the opulent meeting halls where routine governance took place, this ancient chamber was severe in its functionality, twelve stone seats arranged in a perfect circle around a central dais, illuminated by light that seemed to emanate from the stone itself.
Zeus had never been permitted entry before. As he followed Cronos through the heavy doors, he felt the weight of age and power pressing around him. This place had existed since the earliest days of the war, perhaps even before.
The Elders filed in silently, their expressions solemn. Zeus noted that several seats remained empty.
"The Eastern Territories representatives cannot attend on such short notice," Cronos explained, taking his place in the circle. "And Mnemosyne is currently deployed to the Earth battlefield as a tactical advisor."
Elder Oceanus, who had been interrupted mid-ceremony earlier, spoke first. "Is it wise to include a juvenile in Full Council proceedings, Supreme Commander? Regardless of his... unique status?"
"What I am about to discuss supersedes traditional protocols," Cronos replied. "And Zeus is directly involved in the matter at hand."
For the next hour, Zeus listened as his father detailed the incursion and its implications. The Council's reaction ranged from disbelief to outrage to cold calculation. Questions were raised about security protocols, boundary maintenance, and intelligence failures.
Throughout it all, Zeus remained silent, observing the political dynamics at play. It became increasingly clear that the Council was divided into factions, though all maintained the appearance of unity. Some seemed genuinely concerned with Aetherian security; others appeared more interested in leveraging the situation for positional advantage.
Finally, attention turned to Zeus himself.
"You transformed your physical form into pure energy," Elder Theia stated, her tone making it a challenge rather than a question. "That ability has been lost to our kind for millennia. How did you accomplish this?"
Zeus chose his words carefully. "I discovered references to the technique in the Sealed Archives. The theoretical framework was there, but it required an elemental affinity of sufficient strength to attempt."
"And you attempted this dangerous, forbidden technique without authorization?" Elder Hyperion demanded.
"I attempted it under battlefield conditions where standard protocols were insufficient," Zeus corrected. "And it was not explicitly forbidden, merely forgotten."
"Convenient distinction," Hyperion muttered.
Oceanus raised a hand for silence. "The more pressing concern is Abaddon's words. Cronos, you recognized their significance immediately. Explain."
All eyes turned to the Supreme Commander. For a long moment, Cronos seemed to wage an internal battle. Then, coming to a decision, he rose and approached the central dais.
"What I am about to reveal has been known only to successive Supreme Commanders since the Third Age," he began. Placing his palm on the dais, he channeled a specific pattern of temporal energy. The stone responded, projecting a three-dimensional image of the three realms, not as they currently existed, but as they had been in some ancient past.
The gasps from the Council members confirmed what Zeus had already suspected, this was not common knowledge, even among the highest echelons of Aetherian leadership.
The image showed Earth as a vast, pulsating nexus of energy, dwarfing both Aether and Nether, which appeared as balanced satellites orbiting the central realm. More surprisingly, there were no distinct boundaries between the realms, energy flowed freely among all three in a perfect cycle.
"This is the Original Configuration," Cronos explained, his voice heavy with the weight of hidden knowledge. "Before the Sundering. Before the war began."
"Impossible," Elder Coeus breathed. "This contradicts all historical records."
"The records were altered," Cronos said simply. "By the first Supreme Commander, with the agreement of the Council of that era. It was deemed necessary for morale, for continuity of purpose."
"What happened?" Zeus asked, breaking his silence. "What changed this configuration to our current reality?"
Cronos adjusted the temporal flow in the projection. The image shifted, showing a catastrophic event, a massive energy discharge that ripped through the three realms, severing their connections and establishing rigid boundaries. Earth, once the powerful center, became depleted and fragmented.
"We called it the Sundering," Cronos explained. "An event of such magnitude that it restructured reality itself. And contrary to what has been taught for millions of years, it was not initiated by the demons."
This revelation sent a shock wave through the Council Chamber. Elders who had lived for thousands of years, who had fought and sacrificed in the eternal war, stared at their Supreme Commander in stunned disbelief.
"Then who?" Elder Theia demanded. "Who sundered the realms?"
Cronos met her gaze steadily. "We did. The god race. Or more specifically, a faction within our race known as the Architects."
The projection shifted again, showing figures manipulating colossal energy constructs, deliberately altering the configuration of the realms.
"Their goal was to separate Aether completely from the influence of Nether, which they believed was corrupting the purity of our existence. They attempted to sever all connections, but they did not understand the true nature of the three-realm system. Their actions destabilized the entire configuration, nearly destroying all three realms in the process."
Zeus studied the projection intently. "And the demons? What was their role?"
"They were the other half of the balance," Cronos said quietly. "Not enemies originally, but partners in maintaining cosmic equilibrium. After the Sundering, they believed we had deliberately attempted to destroy them. Their aggression since has been partly retaliation, partly an attempt to restore the original configuration, though that knowledge has been lost to most of their kind as well, replaced by hatred and the drive for conquest."
"Why reveal this now?" Oceanus asked. "After millions of years of secrecy?"
Cronos gestured to Zeus. "Because my son has manifested abilities that have not been seen since before the Sundering. Because Abaddon recognized him as 'the prophecy child.' And because I believe the time has come to consider whether our current path, eternal war, eternal stalemate, is truly the only option."
The Council Chamber erupted into heated debate. Some Elders demanded immediate classification of the entire discussion; others called for wider dissemination of the truth. A few questioned Cronos's fitness to remain as Supreme Commander after revealing such a devastating secret.
Throughout it all, Zeus remained focused on the projection of the Original Configuration, his mind racing with implications and possibilities. If Earth had once been the nexus of power for all three realms, and if that power could somehow be restored...
As the Council argued, Zeus made a silent vow to himself. He would discover the truth behind the Sundering, find a way to restore what was broken, and end the eternal war, even if it meant challenging everything the god race believed about themselves and their purpose.
The path forward was unclear, but one thing was certain: his life as a juvenile god would be unlike any other in the long history of Aether.