The Earth as we once knew it began as a cauldron of untamed energy.
It was a wild world—vibrant mountains carving the horizon, turbulent rivers shaping virgin stone. Life seemed to flow in an illusion of peace beneath the warm light of a young sun.
In the skies, flocks of long-necked pterodactyls glided in harmony, their shadows dancing across untouched forests. There was no urgency. Only wind.
But nature's tranquility is merely the pause between two screams.
ROOAAARR!
A mass of black scales tore through the silence. From the clouds emerged a fierce and magnificent dragon, like a bolt of living darkness. Its claws closed around one of the creatures mid-flight. There was no cruelty—only necessity.
It carried its prey to an erupting volcano, where magma bled across the land. The sound of its razor teeth tearing into prehistoric flesh echoed among the volcanic cliffs.
Predation is the rule that keeps the world in motion.
Yet the chaos of creation is governed by greater laws. In the depths of cosmic void—where light dares not enter—a sphere of tranquil darkness formed.
From it emerged Yin: a male figure with long black hair, his body seemingly shaped by gravity itself. He was shadow, silence, contained chaos.
At the same time, a radiant sphere descended from the celestial heights. Yang came into being at dawn. His white hair floated within a golden aura, his presence radiating order and light.
When forces so absolute converged, it was not merely a collision of matter—it was a summons that reached the soul. The instant light and shadow touched, a golden wave spread outward like warmth in the chest, reaching every corner of the universe. Thus, invoked by convergence, arose the Phoenix: the Mother who creates and protects. She spread her wings across the vast interstellar void, as if embracing all that exists.
The bird of flame and stars transformed into a young woman with red hair, pale skin, and amber eyes heavy with melancholy. Her beauty was unlike any other being.
"My children, we must restore order," said the Mother, her voice gentle.
"For order, Mother, we will ensure the structure is upheld," Yang replied, stepping forward.
"Order only endures when there is chaos to challenge it," Yin countered.
The Phoenix smiled softly and beat her wings. A crystalline structure manifested as cosmic sparks gave birth to eight bodies lying upon translucent ground.
SHWAAP!
Yin's red eyes watched the scene with a crooked, acidic smile.
"Elementals again?" he mocked, folding his arms. "Will it be just as entertaining when they fail, Mother?"
Yang turned sharply, his golden aura vibrating with restrained fury.
"Yin! Respect the Cycle—and the essence that created us!"
"The Cycle is imperfect," the Mother replied calmly. "Beauty lies in trying, not in being. Both are necessary."
Before they could clash, the Phoenix manifested two warm, ethereal hands, touching Yin's and Yang's faces at once, silencing the dispute with infinite tenderness.
"My Chaos… my Order…" she whispered. "The purpose is greater than your conflict."
Yin sighed, rolled his eyes, and relaxed his posture, accepting the rules with reluctance.
"So be it."
Yang nodded, resolute.
"Certainly."
The Phoenix stepped back, returning to her original form and illuminating the void.
"I must depart… Now it is up to you, my children. It is time to name the Elementals."
The brothers walked among the sleeping bodies upon the crystal floor, deciding the fate of each soul.
Yang stopped before the first female figure. Her hair burned like fire, her garments emanating volcanic power. He smiled, feeling the gentle heat radiating from her.
"She shall be Hestia," he declared. "Shelter. The warmth that nurtures life through the harshest winters. The flame of the Cycle."
Beside him, Yin halted before a male figure whose skin absorbed the surrounding light. Blue flames devoured the void around him.
"And he shall be Hades," Yin said with a short, dry laugh. "The heat of destruction. The necessary hatred that burns away what no longer serves. He carries the burden of the Primordial Dragon."
They moved on.
Yang gazed with admiration at a small, delicate girl—pale-skinned, with golden hair tipped in rebellious pink strands over a green dress.
"This is Eriya. She emanates safety and stability. She will be the foundation upon which the world moves."
Yin wrinkled his nose at a gigantic man—a sleeping mountain of muscle.
"A brute. This will be Cratos: pure strength and endurance."
Then he shot his brother a disdainful glance.
"Your Earth Elemental should look like him, Yang. Eriya is far too fragile to hold the world."
Yang stepped between them.
"Order requires more than muscle. Eriya's stability is silent endurance. A diamond is hard only because it endured pressure long enough."
They continued.
"This is Nemmy," Yang said, observing the serene young woman with curly hair white as snow. "Lightness. The one who sees the world from above."
Yin paused before a pale, almost translucent young man.
"Morpheus…" he murmured poetically, with quiet melancholy.
"The cold void. The mist that freezes movement and brings eternal sleep."
Finally, they reached the water.
"Percy," Yang smiled. "Fluidity. Life that always finds a way."
Yin examined the last woman—beautiful and sharp as an iceberg.
"Nefer. A name that sounds like beauty, yet carries the perfection of chaos. Ice that stops time."
Thus were named the Elementals of Light—Hestia, Percy, Nemmy, and Eriya—
and their Anti-Elemental counterparts—Hades, Morpheus, Nefer, and Cratos.
Yang stepped back, satisfied. The distance between the two groups became visible in the cosmic hall.
"Elementals, you are balance. Those of Light must contain; those of Shadow must understand consequence."
Yin merely shrugged, his smile unreadable.
What Yang did not see was what happened behind him.
Hades, Cratos, and Nefer opened their eyes for a brief instant. There was no confusion—only clarity. A silent glance was exchanged.
"Your purpose is to be the cause…" Yin whispered like a serpent.
(Understood.)
Creation shall begin now. Elementals, you are the architects of first life.
The Anti-Elementals carried a secret mission granted by Yin—a hidden directive rooted within their cores, greater even than the will of their own creator.
When the call reached her, Hestia felt her core vibrate.
It was not merely obedience—it was purpose.
Her golden eyes burned with resolve.
(My essence will be the Sun… I will be home to those yet unborn.)
Yang raised his right hand.
Space before them tore open, revealing a portal of pulsing light—so pure it hurt to behold.
"Pass through this portal," ordered the Father of Order.
"Cast the essence of the Creator Mother into the lower worlds."
Before Hestia could step forward, Hades and Nefer moved first, blocking the path.
The smile on Hades' face was a blade of mockery.
"We wouldn't want the 'pure ones' to get dirty, would we?" he sneered.
"That would be tragic for Order. Let us do the filthy work first."
Behind them, Morpheus—pale as a corpse—cast one last look at his creator, Yin.
(The Cause…)
Hades crossed his arms. His stance was not submissive, but predatory—like a beast waiting for its cage to open.
"The lower plane must be shaped by light first, Hades. You of the dark will enter only when the foundation is secure," Yang stepped forward, raising his hand in correction. His voice rang absolute.
Hades laughed softly, fury simmering beneath.
"Secure? You mean under your control."
He stepped closer, defying the god.
"We are not your laborers, Yang. We are the force that defines the end of all things."
The air froze.
Shadows behind Hades began to boil and condense.
Yin manifested—not as flesh, but as a flowing black silhouette, a hole in reality's fabric. He placed a hand of pure void upon Hades' shoulder.
"Why wait for the invitation of those who have already condemned us to oblivion?" Yin whispered, his voice sliding like venom into his children's minds.
"The portal belongs to the strong—not the obedient."
A chill ran down Hestia's spine, but the heat in her chest drove her forward. She grabbed Hades' arm.
She could not allow chaos to prevail.
She placed herself between them, golden eyes blazing.
"Hades, balance requires order," she said calmly, forcing reason into her tone.
"If you enter now, unprepared, the world will be born in war."
Hades stared into the depths of the red-haired elemental's eyes.
"Elemental…" he murmured, trying to understand her touch.
"The world is war. Step aside—or you will be the first to burn."
"You call war what is only your fear of being forgotten in the dark," she replied, sorrowful.
"Move," he whispered.
What Hades did not expect was to see pure tears spill from the flame elemental's beautiful face.
Confusion peaked. Hearts raced. Time slowed—then shattered.
VRAAAA–SHH!
The Anti-Elementals launched forward.
Nefer slid across the ground like a blade of ice too fast to follow.
Morpheus dissolved into shadowy mist, slipping through defenses.
Hades surged like a black lightning bolt toward the vortex's core.
The Elementals of Light rushed after them as the portal began to stain with corruption.
But something blocked the way.
KRA–KOOM!
The crystal floor cracked as Cratos landed before them, filling nearly the entire entrance. An unmovable mountain of muscle and dense stone.
Behind him, the silhouettes of Hades and the others vanished into the darkness of the newborn world.
Cratos crossed his arms, flashing a brutal grin.
"The entry order has changed," the giant thundered, his voice vibrating through Hestia's chest.
"The master has spoken. No one passes."
Yang reacted instantly, raising his hands to seal the portal with a barrier of light.
"NO!"
But he was stopped.
"Do not interfere!"
Yin's shadows rose. Black hands burst from the ground and seized Yang's wrists, locking him in a metaphysical hold.
The seal failed.
With the metallic scream of reality bending—SHHH–CLANK!—
the four Anti-Elementals crossed the portal of light.
The rift's edges trembled.
Hades' voice echoed from within—no longer human, distorted and guttural:
"THE LOWER WORLD BELONGS TO US!"
Yang struck the void with his fist, teeth clenched in fury. His face twisted in shock.
The static background of the universe turned gray.
"They…" he hissed. "They violated the pact immediately—and you helped them, brother."
Hestia's body ignited.
Not the serene fire of a hearth, but a war-born aura—gold and red—spiraling violently around her.
"I will not allow this!" she cried, charging forward.
She faced the corrupted portal, seeing her warped reflection in its dark surface.
"We will reach the seed before them, Master."
The portal destabilized, threatening to close and trap the traitors with the world-seed.
"We must stabilize the entrance!" Nemmy's voice cut through the chaos.
The Air Elemental hovered, hands shaping pale blue currents of wind to support the dimensional rift.
"If it closes now, they will corrupt the entire structure before we can stop them!"
Yang pointed toward the abyss, assuming the stance of a war commander.
"Elementals of Light—enter and save the First Creation. I will deal with my brother…"
Hestia, Percy, and Eriya advanced into the gloom.
The Light team leapt into the corrupted portal, leaving the safety behind.
But on the other side, they did not find the promised paradise.
Before them stretched a world wrapped in toxic atmosphere—ash deserts beneath a starless sky.
The first world had been stolen: a vanished dimension where time does not exist.
Crossing it was not like entering a grand hall—it was like being swallowed by a throat.
They fell through darkness, crashing into the ground with an impact that raised clouds of gray dust.
There was no sunlight.
No breeze.
The reality called Tartarus was a place where the essence of the Creator Mother did not bloom—it was tainted by the touch of fear.
The horizon revealed a desolate expanse of jagged stone and endless chasms, wrapped in stagnant violet darkness.
"Be careful… this place is not safe," Hestia warned.
[TO BE CONTINUED…]