The Celestial world consists of many realms and kingdoms, home to each deity. Each domain is made from enormous clusters of many different coloured crystals. Some are firmly set on the land, while others are on floating islands that connect with stone bridges. Each celestial home is just as beautiful as the next. Different colour orbs swim throughout ponds and rivers. The air glistens as if it’s always raining sparkles. There is no sun, which reveals millions of stars in the sky. Some planets are so close that it looks like the worlds will collide, but they never do. Even though there is no sun, the sky has an ongoing aurora that forever emits a glowing light. We know when the new day begins as the aurora changes colour at the day’s end. The Celestial world is so vast it can take months to travel to the other side. This is great for deities that don’t get along. They can instead stay many moons away from each other.
Gods and Goddesses thrive from being worshipped and acknowledged. It makes them more powerful and popular in the Celestial world. It’s forbidden for them to kill life in other dimensions. The punishment for doing so is to be banished and sealed away by the other deities for eternity.
The Moon Goddess, who lives east of the Celestial world, is the most envied and popular there. Her kindness, beauty and grace draw many deities to spend time with her in her magical kingdom. Walls of green vines and flowers of many colours, so large, drape the outside crystal walls of her kingdom. Stepping stones hover above the violet, soft grass. Adorable creatures play and explore her realm. Rabbits with antlers, Owls that glow, cats with wings. The ground ripples like water as you walk amongst the soft velvet ground. In Selene’s grand hall, the entire floor is made using tiny mosaic tiles that are intricately placed, creating the most beautiful pattern of the moon.
A table made from iridescent blue moonstone is at the back of the hall, with a matching chair on which Selene sits. The other seats are made from other solid crystals in different colours for her guests. Valkrim, Ogrun and Cerridwen have always been her closest friends, whom all sit at the table, conversing and drinking wine with her. The walls are painted with liquid gold, and the ceiling is transparent, allowing one to stare at the stars and planets floating by. The reflection from the coloured aurora dances across the mosaic floor, adding the final touch of charm.
Atlanta
I sit silently, despising all the attention my sister Selene receives. Sipping my wine amongst the deities, I am ignored. I continue to glare at Selene while the others give her their undivided attention. I envy her long white hair and crystal blue eyes. The only feature we both share is our fair skin tone.
In comparison, I have long black hair and green eyes. Everyone says we are both extremely beautiful and flawless, but I don’t see the beauty when I look at myself. I only see beauty when I stare at Selene. Maybe the resentment I have grown towards my sister has overshadowed my senses. The other Gods and Goddesses are always uncomfortable and try to avoid conversation with me.
Over time I would visit my sister less frequently, even though she insisted I come over each day. I refused, so Selene decided to come to my domain unannounced.
‘Leave!’ I shout, causing sharp black crystals to sprout from the ground around her.
Selene gasps, ‘Atlanta, this is unlike you. What has caused this hostility towards me? We used to be so happy, and now I never see you.’
‘You and the rest of the deities have made me this way. No one respects me, Selene. They are all too busy trying to keep your attention to themselves,’ I pause and let out a manic laugh, ‘My status is ironic, don’t you think, sweet sister? Goddess of night, I’m nothing but a dark presence to everyone, a shadow, a cryptic nightmare everyone wants to wake up from!’ I say, intensifying my glare at Selene.
‘Atlanta, that’s not true. You are the light in my life.’
I scoff, ‘Please, spare your words, sweet sister. You’re everyone’s light, the sweetest dream no one wants to wake from. Your words might be a sweet song to others, but to me, they wreak venom.’
Selene takes a step towards me with a sorrowful look, ‘Atlanta, please,’ she says.
‘I told you to leave!’ I yell, causing a wave of shadows to repel Selene back. More black crystals extend from the ground, creating a dome around my realm, preventing anyone from entering.
Selene emits a glowing light from her hands that dissipates my wave of shadows. Then, saddened that she may never see me again, she stops and turns for a moment staring at the vast dome of black crystal.
‘No matter how much darkness consumes you, little sister. The spark of light within your heart will always shine.’
With those last words, Selene walks away.
After a thousand years, my hatred towards my sister and the other deities has only deepened. Having decided it was time to leave my realm, I pay a visit to the Goddess of air, Aria.
Aria informs me my sister Selene, Ogrun, Valkrim, Cerridwen and other Deities decided to create a new world since so many were destroyed by Thypon long ago.
‘Mysteria is different from the other worlds,’ Aria says, ‘Because when it was complete, it became protected by a magic veil you can’t get through. They created life in their image and blessed them with their abilities.’
I become more frustrated within myself hearing this, as Selene can shift into a large pure white wolf and has blessed her people with the gift of shifting. I have never been able to shift into anything. All I can do is summon poltergeists and manipulate shadows, which all the Deities opposed I do. The poltergeists liked to torment the living in different worlds. So, the deities banned me from summoning them, adding more reason to resent them.
Aria continued to talk while I sat there brewing.
‘So, Ogrun, the orc god, gave his green-skinned, tusked people the gift of great strength and bravery. Never would you meet an orc that would flee in the face of danger. Danger triggers excitement and adrenaline in an orc, which explains their love of fighting. Cerridwen gave her people the gift of casting spells, and Valkrim gave his people the advantage of speed and immortality. Unlike the other magical beings, his thrive from drinking blood, just like he does.
It means, unlike other worlds, the deities will not be able to interfere with the lives in that world. They will still be able to hear their people’s prayers and watch them, but they won’t be able to hinder or help them due to the veil preventing them from doing so. This will also keep them safe from Gods with harmful intentions, such as Thypon. Even though he has been sealed away for eternity, there could be other deities in future who wish to bring harm,’ Aria explains.
‘So, if anything goes wrong in Mysteria, not even my sister Selene can do anything about it?’ I ask.
‘That’s correct, and there have already been two great wars in Mysteria. The first one wiped out most of the species and left only humans and werewolves. Thankfully witches had placed babies and children of all species in the forest trees to protect them from the war before their demise. In the second war, Alpha King Damon and his Luna won after King Fenris tried to wipe the rest of the werewolves out. Once the second war ended, the children in the trees were set free, restoring all species to Mysteria again. Selene and the others were incredibly distraught that they couldn’t do anything during the war but could only watch. I did hear something that is meant to be a secret, so I’m not sure how true it is,’ Aria says.
‘So, tell me what it is then?’ I reply.
‘Apparently, the midsummer solstice is the only time a God or Goddess can enter Mysteria as it’s the only time of the year the veil will be weakened. Selene hadn’t gone through it to help the people of Mysteria because the wars were already over by the time the solstice came about. Defeating the purpose of entering. They don’t want anyone to know that in case one of us with bad intentions finds out.’
‘Oh, how interesting,’ I smirk.
‘But recently, Selene has been even happier than usual after some of her descendants, Astrid and Magnus, along with their friends and family, had left the human realm and now reside in Mysteria.’
I stand and force a sweet smile, ‘Aria, do me a favour and don’t tell anyone I’ve come out from my realm.’
‘Okay, sure?’ Aria says, confused as to why.
I halt and turn back to Aria with a smirk.
‘In fact, I’d prefer to make sure you don’t say anything at all,’ I shout, raising my palms.
I engulf Aria in a black sphere of shadows.
Because I caught Aria off-guard, she didn’t have time to repel them.
‘Please, Atlanta, don’t do this,’ she says as the sphere shrinks with Aria inside.
The sphere crystalises and is now the size of a marble. It drops from the air making a clinking sound, and rolls towards my feet. I pick it up, hold it up to the sky, and see tiny little Aria slamming her fists against the marble wall.
‘Better to be safe than sorry, Aria,’ I shrug and place the marble into my pocket.
