<h2>CHAPTER 99 - SONG OF SOLSTICE</h2>


    The sudden surge of energy wiped Epiphany clear of any prior intentions or convictions. She was floating through time and space at an incredible rate, grappling with her brother. He broke out of his gemstone just as crazy as she did. Quarrel clawed at her as she finally came to her senses and pulled them out of the eternity cascade. They crashed into the only place she could think of. The impact took out some of the roof of the Temple of Virtue. In the collision, Quarrel had finally lost his grip on Epiphany.


    The goddess tried to travel back to the battle, but it did not work. Her powers were malfunctioning. Something about that journey changed Epiphany. She braced herself for Quarrel’s inevitable attack. He was the god of mischief, Chaos’ favorite child. Epiphany knew he was waiting to get the drop on her. She tried to leave again. This time a small little tear in the atmosphere. She had to gather more energy. The goddess did not have time to rest and gather her strength. She had to think of something else, an alternative way to recharge.


    It was too late. Quarrel lunged from off the temple roof at Epiphany. She backed away and fell into the temple room with all of the paintings and relics. She smashed the ones she knew and when they broke they left a glimmering residue Epiphany absorbed. It would be enough. Epiphany made a short sword of light that quickly faded to a bleach silver. She battled back Quarrel’s attacks.


    He kept trying to reach for the sword, to take it from her. Something about this made Epiphany remember her handsy youngest brother from ages ago, the first age. Epiphany knocked him back with a bump on the head with the pommel of the sword. Then she swept out his feet and drove the sword into his shoulder and the ground, pinning him down.


    Epiphany popped into the center of the room with her arms out reaching forth on both sides of her. The goddess shook as the walls shook. She meant to bring the entire temple down and possibly the entire cliffside.


    “No!” Quarrel spat, “Not like this!”


    He grabbed the silver sword pinning him down and within his grasp it turned into a puff of cloud. The cloud started the same color as the bleached silver blade but then it tainted black and became dense, oozing into his wound. He pulled a compass out from his vest pocket that pointed to numbers instead of north. He smashed it on the ground and then threw it towards Epiphany, but it stopped midair in between them and then launched a sphere all around, encapsulating them.


    In a flash the sphere was gone, and they were somewhere else entirely. Epiphany was still on the ground, elbowing back. Quarrel approached her with the stars behind him, except it wasn’t night time and it wasn’t earth’s sky. Epiphany got herself up. The ground was a strange sort of stone, pale but not devoid of character. They were on the moon.


    Instantly, Epiphany knew what her younger brother was doing. He was trying to ascend to the heavens. Convinced, just like Epiphany, that their oldest brother, aside from the late Epitome and Plageus, Apophas was still alive and avoided enslavement from the Incapsulate Impernums. The third in line, and oldest surviving founder god, Apophas, Lord of apathy, created the animal demigods so he would not have to care and then he was convinced by Quarrel to complete the circle of withdrawal by condemning his own kin to the godstones.


    “I see you have come to your senses. Must have been the journey here or perhaps the sudden realization that you could have died by my blade back there. You think I don’t know what you are up to?”


    “Spare me the lecture, sister. I’m doing what I must to get home.”


    “To get to him, you mean.”


    “He owes me an explanation.”


    “If he’s even up there.”


    “Oh, he is. I remember everything.”


    “Then tell me exactly how you doomed us all!”


    “I was going to trick everyone into using the orbs, but mine was reversible. He found out and we all the two of ours were switched last minute locking me away with the rest of you fools.”


    “You mean to tell me he’s been up there the whole time and let this evil infect our world?”


    “You never cared before. Yes, I''m remembering now. What’s changed?”


    “I stopped trying to bring back Epitome for MagnaThora and started doing what Epitome would want best for MagnaThora.”


    “How wise and noble of you! Now, if you will excuse me, I intend to speak with our dear brother briefly before killing him, of course.”


    “Then you won’t mind if I join you. I’ve got my own questions.” And there is no way I''m letting you do that.


    “By all means, sister. After you.”


    Epiphany managed to give him a fleeting curl of the corner of her lip that resembled a smile. There was no denying the fact that this was the biggest lead she would get towards finding her remaining brothers and sisters, working with the perpetrators. Quarrel wasn’t kidding either. The whole point in making a stop at the moon was because going straight from MagnaThora to Legacy City would tear any being to shreds.


    They were moved out from the dark side of the moon and into the light of the sun. The pure light ignited their skin, but not in fire. Their souls lit within them, shining, begging to get out. Epiphany and Quarrel held hands and braced themselves. The ancient parts of them, the essence that lived before MagnaThora itself, responded to the direct light of the sun and just like the souls drawn to the AfterLight, so were the two founder gods.


    A few moments more of holding onto their physical bodies and they would be through the passing. Epiphany wanted to let go, partly because it was so painful, and not really necessary, but also because this was basically a one–way trip. She could not protect MagnaThora if she could not be there to protect it. Epiphany would not consent into the same position as Apophas.


    The cosmic threshold reached into the very fabric of reality and tried to tear away at her. Picture invisible hands coming up and all around your vision trying to tug away at it in all the various directions. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. Part of Epiphany missed this feeling. That part of her that wanted to leave her humanity behind, fully embracing the unknown. Their makers made them in the image of humans and so their fates were ever tied together.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Epiphany and Quarrel practically shed their mortal coils on their approach to Legacy City. The luminescent gates opened, their entrance accepted. The flight to the Ascendant Realm was complete. Upon the throne of everlasting glory there was a standoff. Apophas sat as the last founder god, begrudgingly defending his claim over MagnaThora, albeit a policy of noninterference. The challenger was none other than Patronalus, his blonde hair wisping idly in the windless space. But he stood alone, without the rest of the Ascendant Gods.


    It was Patronalus’ time to rule the realms. The only problem was there being nothing he could do to usurp Apophas without compromising his own claim. He went as far as to hide his firesword back on MagnaThora to find worthy reinforcements. Patronalus fulfilled the covenants and patiently waited to take his rightful place in legend. To his utter surprise, instead of Axion, who he felt the earthly connection to as soon as he lit the blade on the battlegrounds of Zepathorum, in walked two of Apophas’ very own siblings and equals. This might tip the odds in his favor, hopefully.


    Quarrel did not hesitate upon entry of Legacy City. He lunged for Apophas on the OmniThrone. Patronalus saw death in his eyes and felt compelled to intervene. Against all of his instinct he got in between them and held Quarrel back. He should do nothing because that is exactly what Apophas deserved after how he treated MagnaThora. But that was just not Patronalus'' way. He had an unbreakable sense of right and wrong.


    Now Patronalus, the reluctant replacement turned bodyguard actively protected the would-be-king. Epiphany joined Patronalus in between Quarrel and Apophas, who remained true to his name and ignored them, his eyes fixed upon MagnaThora and the world before him, with the darkness of the cosmos as a back drop.


    Quarrel backed off for a second and released from the grapple with the gods. He addressed them as equals.


    “You have no idea how long I have plotted my revenge. Either step aside now or I will go through you with both ease and pleasure.”


    Epiphany pleaded with her brother. “Please, Quarrel, we have lost so much already. If you do this… It will surely bring about the Age of Solstice, after the acts of the Dark Lord Malinor. We are lucky it isn’t upon us already. I think its because Malinor didn’t destroy the god forces but transferred the power to himself. If one more god is taken off the board we risk everything. I beg you, put aside your grudge, for now, or seek retribution in a form other than death.”


    “You make a valid argument, sister. I shall concede.”


    “I know your tricks, Quarrel. As soon as we lower our defenses you will go for the killing stroke.”


    Quarrel’s toothy grin said more than any words could capture.


    “Then it appears we are at an impasse.”


    “I should hope-”


    Quarrel’s knee went into Epiphany’s gut while he tried to punch Patronalus. His fist was deflected but he went with the redirection and elbowed Epiphany down on the back. She was already keeled over from the gut punch. Epiphany dropped harder than a sack of gold. Quarrel pulled a spear out of his other palm and attacked Patronalus. The trickster god knew the fire hero had given his power away and now lived in limbo between Paragon and God King, rendering him weaponless.


    Patronalus braced for an attack and a bird flew up to his arm and latched onto his forearm, locking its silver wings in place like a shield. The hawk didn’t flinch when its metal hide clashed effortlessly with the spear-strike. Patronalus kept the trickster god at bay, stalling for time so Epiphany could recover.


    Quarrel stopped attacking and walked away, pacing. This did not bode well. Patronalus braced himself. The trickster god teleported. And Patronalus knew exactly where he was going. Before he finished turning around Quarrel was behind him in a killing stroke. There was no way Patronalus could swing the shield around in time.


    The wings on the shield unlocked and flapped. In that moment, Patronalus didn’t know if the bird was speeding them up or slowing time down around them. Perhaps it was both. Patronalus dodged the strike. The only problem was, that’s exactly what Quarrel wanted him to do.


    Apophas watched his fair MagnaThora, a center continent sitting amongst a spiral of barrier islands, all of which surrounded by the only other continent on the planet, Terra Massa. The only city visible from this far away was Crucifire Plains, except for one other building in all of MagnaThora, the citadel at Zepathorum City still smoldering after all the carnage. The gods fought behind him, and he cared not.


    The spear clashed away from the swinging shield, as the movement from the hawk’s silver wings switched both of their positions. Quarrel leaned into it like he was water dancing. In that stride he released two throwing daggers towards the throne. The first one cut through the throne and stabbed Apophas in the back. The throne caused enough resistance to stop the dagger at merely a flesh wound. Unfortunately, the other dagger sailed past the throne and there was nothing to stop it from flying right into the back of Apophas’ head. It broke his skull and impaled his eye, pointy end now sticking out of his head.


    Epiphany got to her feet to see Patronalus frozen in terror. She followed his line of sight and saw it for herself. Apophas fell off the throne but caught himself before hitting the floor. He stumbled around and toward them, dazed. Dealing with some shock, himself. To Epiphany''s utter bewilderment, Apophas acted as though he thought they would never actually go through with it, like he was untouchable. Pure hubris.


    He pulled the dagger out of his back and tossed it on the floor. He pulled the other out of his eye. Quarrel snapped his fingers and the dagger exploded in lightning bolts, blinding, and burning his face.


    Quarrel laughed. And that set Apophas off.


    “You always underestimated me you impudent little worm and now it will be your undoing.”


    “And you’ve always bored me!” Quarrel hissed back.


    Before the trickster god could do anything else, even throw another perfectly timed insult, Apophas was on him. They wrestled for a brief second before Quarrel maneuvered his thumb into Apophas’ only remaining eye.


    The would-be-king cried out so loud it shook the foundations of Legacy City. He let go of Quarrel as if free himself from all burden and then pulled forth an unknown force around them with his arms on both sides of him. Suddenly the two of them were jerked out of the city and lunged at ludicrous speed toward the sun.


    “This is insane. You’ll kill us both! Listen to reason you fool!”


    “You took away the only thing I cared about and that has driven me to action, and in doing so I relinquish my rule, my right, and my life to finally see you get what you deserve.”


    “And in doing so doomed us all," said Epiphany, as she watched her brothers burn up in the celestial fires of the sun.


    “What’s going to happen now?” Patronalus asked.


    Epiphany flinched. For a second she had forgotten he was there. So young compared to her. A human made god, in bright contrast to her, a god made human, or at least made to look human. Long had he awaited this day and long had humanity deserved it. But at what cost?


    Epiphany took a deep breath and turned around, presenting Patronalus the OmniThrone. He slowly emerged and sat, first uncomfortable in his new position, then slowly he settled in. Epiphany put her hand on his shoulder. The sensation immediately gripped her, nearly bringing her to tears. Was it hope? It was the first time she felt like this since losing Epitome. Perhaps a part of him still lived on in Patronalus and she loved that.


    “My brave king, fear not. Now, you take your rightful place as the King of the Gods, and I will be by your side as we guide humanity through the horrors of the Solstice Age."


    "And if we fail to protect them?"


    "If we fail everything we know will fall to endless darkness.”