ON THE STARVERSE
THE MEETING OF THE GODS
The Meeting of Gods was not held in any ordinary place—no grand palace, no golden hall. Instead, the gods gathered in the endless void between worlds, where dying stars flickered like candles and the fabric of time itself unraveled at the edges. Here, in this place beyond mortal understanding, the gods stood upon floating fragments of forgotten worlds, their power shaking the darkness.
Kazima, the God of war, stood tall upon a broken piece of a dead planet. His cloak, woven from the storms of dying suns, billowed behind him like a living thing. His voice, deep and commanding, echoed across the infinite blackness.
"We will end the reign of the Rulers," he declared, his words ringing like thunder. "And we will take the throne for ourselves."
From the shadows, another god appeared—Hendi, His skeletal fingers clutched a book bound in weeping runes, its pages whispering secrets too terrible for mortals to hear.
"You know this is madness," Hendi rasped, his hollow eyes glowing with doubt. "We don't have the strength—nor the power—to challenge the Rulers."
Kazima smiled, slow and dangerous. "I know. But we are not alone." He raised his hand, "The Angels will fight with us… and so will the Forbidden Race."
A burst of ember-light exploded nearby, and Dai, the youngest of the gods, appeared in a swirl of golden sparks. His eyes, bright with shock, widened.
"The Forbidden Race?!" Dai's voice cracked. "How are they still alive?! What the hell is happening in the verses?!"
Shisi, the Goddess of Veiled Shadows, materialized beside him, her body wrapped in living smoke. "I'm confused too," she murmured. "The Forbidden Race was supposed to have died in the Great War. They were hunted down—erased!"
Kazima's laughter was sharp, like a blade scraping bone. "That's what the Rulers wanted you to believe." He clenched his fist, revealing a hidden world of twisted towers and bleeding skies. "The truth? They never died. They fled. They hid in Stara, beyond the verses… and there, they grew stronger than ever."
Hendi's skeletal grin widened. "If they've become stronger… then maybe—just maybe—we can defeat the Rulers. Once and for all."
"Exactly," Kazima purred. "But don't think this war will be easy."
Dai scoffed, sparks dancing at his fingertips. "Yeah, we know. The Rulers aren't weak."
Kazima threw his head back and laughed. "No, Dai. The Rulers have grown soft. Centuries of peace have made them weak."
Shisi's smoky form flickered with uncertainty. "What do you mean?"
Kazima flexed his hand, where a faint scar glowed with eerie light. "At the Meeting of All, I fought a Ruler. Just one strike. he had used his full power, I should be dead. But I'm not. That means only one thing… they are weakening."
Hendi's grin mirrored Kazima's, a crescent of teeth in the dark. "I see. But we cannot assume the same for Krelious."
Silence fell over the gods.
Kazima's voice, deep and heavy, broke the quiet.
"Hmm… That's true. Krelious is different. He may be the only one who still holds the true power of a Ruler. He might have even surpassed the First Rulers."
A ripple of fear passed through the group. Shisi clenched her fists, her voice barely above a whisper.
"If that's true… then how do we kill him?"
Kazima's lips curled into a knowing smile, though his eyes remained dark.
"We can't kill him. The only thing we can do is seal him away—in the darkest pit of Hell, forever."
Dai frowned, his golden armor gleaming faintly. "Are you saying that even with the Angels and the Forbidden Race, we still can't defeat Krelious?"
Kazima nodded slowly. "Yes. Even if the Void's armies join us, we will still be outmatched. That's how powerful he is. And I learned that the moment he almost killed me."
Hendi, tensed his muscles coiling like serpents. "I didn't even see him move. I only saw the aftermath."
Kazima exhaled, his breath stirring the embers around them. "Neither did I."
Shisi's voice was quiet but final. "Then this war is lost before it even begins."
Dai's shoulders slumped slightly. "I agree."
But Kazima's eyes burned with defiance. "No. It's not lost. Because Krelious won't fight."
Shisi narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Kazima's smile returned, edged with amusement. "I'm certain. Krelious doesn't fight weaklings—he never has."
The word struck like a blade.
"Weaklings?!" Hendi roared, his voice shaking the void itself. "Us?! Weaklings?!" His fists ignited with divine fire, casting jagged shadows. "On the battlefield, I'll prove to every race in existence that we gods are not weak! I'll show them our true power!"
Dai nodded, his own resolve hardening.
Kazima's voice rose, filled with the promise of vengeance. "We will show them all. And when we win this war, we will rule over everything… and everyone."
Shisi's fingers clenched into fist's. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's gather our forces and start this war!"
But Kazima raised a hand. "Wait. We haven't met the Forbidden Race yet. And we're still gathering allies from across the verses… and it's not easy."
Dai sighed. "The Universe refuses to join us. The Domainverse Kings remain neutral. Only the gods of the Starverse and a few from the Multiverse stand with us."
Hendi scowled. "And Carel refuses to fight."
Kazima laughed sharply. "You mean the fool who challenged me at the Meeting of All?"
Dai folded his arms. "Carel just fought a war against the Unknown Chaos. We didn't help him then… so now he won't help us."
Kazima's laughter faded into a dark chuckle. "A war that was created by one of the Rulers."
Hendi nodded grimly.
Kazima's voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with truth. "This is what the Rulers do. They make us fight each other—or they create monsters to do their work. Then they step in as 'saviors,' making us believe they are good… that they are on our side."
Dai's jaw tightened. "Yeah. They use us like pawns."
Shisi's eyes burned with fury. "When we win, we will never be pawns again."
Kazima straightened, his presence filling the void. The time for talk was over.
"Then let's prepare for war. Because when we step onto that battlefield… we will raise Hell itself against them."
The gods roared in agreement, their voices shaking the stars.
"YEAH!"
And with that, they vanished—into the night, into the stars, into the coming storm of fire and blood.
The war for eternity had begun.
To Be Continued.