Aetherion looked at his mother, then at his siblings.
But before he could speak, one of his brothers—noticeably older in appearance, with a light blue beard—stepped forward and spoke.
'How come he has a beard? And why does he look older than me?'
Aetherion thought to himself, confused by the sight.
Before he could respond, the brother continued, his tone cautious and edged with suspicion.
"Who are you people? And why should we trust you or follow you?"
Aetherion met his gaze calmly.
He didn't want to waste time—not with Kronos still behind them, choking and vomiting up the contents of his cursed stomach.
His voice, steady and warm like the moonlight, rang out clearly.
"I am your brother. Your older brother—Aetherion. Firstborn son of Kronos and Rhea. I've come to rescue you. Now please, go through the portal. It's not safe here."
His voice carried a soothing weight, as if it held a divine calm.
The energy that flowed from him resonated with a tranquil authority, easing the tensions in the air.
His siblings looked at him, their uncertainty softening—but suspicion still glinted faintly in their eyes.
To ease their doubt, Aetherion gestured toward Rhea, who stood quietly beside him.
"This is your mother—Rhea. You should recognize her. She was the first face you saw when you were born."
The siblings turned to look at her.
They stared.
And then… something shifted.
Recognition dawned in their expressions.
Even after being trapped within Kronos for so long, their divine memories remained intact, preserved by their very nature.
It was impossible to forget her.
Emotion surged through them.
They wanted to run to her, to embrace her—but Aetherion raised his hand and stopped them gently.
"Hurry. We can reunite properly once we're safe. Go with Mother through the portal—now go!"
His tone was firm but filled with care.
He gave Rhea a small push forward.
Without hesitation, the five newly freed siblings turned and rushed toward the glowing portal, Rhea following close behind.
None of them dared waste another second.
Aetherion stayed behind.
He turned slowly.
And there, standing before him in ruin, was Kronos—burping, choking, and heaving with rage and agony.
Aetherion stood tall.
Alone.
And an expression of someone who was up to no good.
He began to enter his divine form of Earh, attuned with the Earth domain.
The portal behind him still shimmered, open and glowing, but he didn't step through it.
Instead, from the earth beneath his feet, a gigantic hammer began to rise—half the size of Kronos, who stood at forty meters tall.
Aetherion took hold of the massive weapon in his hands.
"What are you trying to do, boy?"
Kronos asked, his voice laced with confusion.
He couldn't understand what Aetherion was planning.
Aetherion looked at him and let a small smile curl at the edge of his lips.
"Father… I simply wish to repay the kindness you showed me at birth,"
he said coldly, tightening his grip around the hammer of stone and earth.
Kronos furrowed his brows in confusion, but before he could speak again, he saw Aetherion shift his stance—lifting the mighty weapon, far larger than his body should've been able to handle.
"Don't you dare—"
Kronos began, but it was too late.
Aetherion channeled all of his divine energy into the hammer, and with a roar of effort, he swung it with enough power to destroy not one, but multiple mountains.
The blow struck Kronos directly in the head.
The force sent the King of the Cosmos flying, hurling through the air like a ragdoll, tumbling so far into the horizon that Aetherion could no longer see him.
And yet, in the distance, he still heard his father's voice echoing in fury.
"I will find you, boyyyy!"
Aetherion exhaled deeply, as if a great weight had lifted from his shoulders.
"Ah… that felt good,"
he muttered to himself, a look of bliss and satisfaction on his face—as if he had just tasted the sweetest dessert in the world.
"Hitting a tyrant and a bastard like him sure feels good."
He smirked, rolling his shoulder before turning toward the portal.
He knew the hammer wouldn't seriously hurt Kronos—perhaps it had only left a scratch—but that wasn't the point.
The point was distraction, and to buy time.
Aetherion understood that Kronos was going to hunt them.
He knew the island he created was shielded beyond comprehension, with layered blessings and concealments.
But still, he wanted to make absolutely sure no trace led back to them.
'He might explode with rage if he's tricked again.'
he thought to himself, chuckling.
From the earth, clones began to rise, shaped and molded with divine precision. Then, moonlight enveloped them, shifting their appearances.
Aetherion couldn't maintain the moonlight manipulation in his Earth form, so he dropped from his divine form and returned to his normal state.
The clones—identical in every way—took the forms of himself, his siblings, and Rhea.
Aetherion gave a single, clear command:
"Run. Scatter. Hide from Kronos as long as you can."
And with that, the illusions disappeared into the winds, heading off in a direction.
But Aetherion hadn't simply created illusions—he had layered them with divine energy.
He had mimicked the divine energy release of his siblings' presence and Rhea's own aura.
Having been around her for over a year, he knew her energy well enough to replicate it almost perfectly.
As for his siblings, it didn't really matter, because Kronos himself didn't know their energy well enough.
He had only seen them twice, so it wouldn't make much of a difference.
His own energy, embedded in the clone of himself, was perfect—so the release of his siblings' auras didn't really matter.
From afar, even Kronos himself wouldn't be able to distinguish it.
And especially his subordinates wouldn't be able to distinguish it.
The deception was flawless.
Finally, Aetherion stepped toward the portal.
'Everything went according to plan,'
he thought, humming a light tune to himself as he walked through the glowing portal.
Just as the portal began to close behind him, the voice of Kronos rang out, loud and furious, shaking the earth.
"I will destroy you all!"
That was the last thing Aetherion heard before he vanished into safety—leaving only silence in his wake.