#;aurum

What’s a mob to a king?

What’s a king to a god?

"My form is justice! My form is the world! Revere me. Praise me. This noble and beautiful... immortal and most powerful god... Aurum!"

I’m completely redoing the myths and backstory of my fantasy world, but I’m rather happy with the material I’ve written so far and thought it would be a shame if they never saw the light of day, so without further ado…

Aurum was unique amongst the gods, for he was the only trueborn child of both Dio and Stella. Husband and wife though they were, the king and queen of the gods often acted more like rivals than the lovers they were supposed to be. Each had their own children without the consent of the other, and indeed the very heavens themselves were split between Dio’s line and Stella’s line. Divine Aurum was at the center of it all, the tie that bound the sun and moon together for all eternity.

Though the world itself had existed since time immemorial, it was once a barren a rocky husk peppered with large expanses of water. Though Dio and Stella ruled over the cosmos they spared the empty ground below them with very little attention. Dio was far more concerned with ensuring time itself ran linearly and on course, and Stella with ensuring the space around the world didn’t come crashing down.

It was Aurum that noticed the bare and empty existence for all the potential it had. The Golden God imagined such a wondrous new land, where beings much like the gods themselves basked. To this end, he recruited his brothers, Erimitus and Coelum.

The firstborn son of Stella, and her alone, Erimitus was amongst the oldest of the gods. Despite his seemingly youthful appearance, he had an intelligence to match his vast age. It was a shame then, that he was often too lazy to put it to good use. Erimitus was a proud deity, sure of himself and his wisdom. Indeed, the reason he agreed to Aurum’s proposition was because he had foreseen the results for himself, being the god of prophecy. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that ruling over an empty universe had become exceedingly boring. Erimitus had an affinity for green things, and all the plants of the world can be traced back to him.

Coelum was a younger son of Dio, and him alone. Compared to the serenely confident Aurum or the bizarrely arrogant Erimitus, Coelum was of a far gentler disposition. Consistently nervous, and shy around others, he was largely ignored by his father in favor of his other brothers. As a result he often spent time around Aurum, the only one of his brothers to encourage and support him. By nature, Coelum was a kind soul, and his gratitude was everlasting. When Aurum approached him about giving the world life he readily agreed. Though primarily the god of the sky, he had an affinity for animals and all manner of creature that lived under his blue firmament.

Unsure of how his father would react to his ambitions, Aurum enlisted Platinus to keep the divine king distracted from the thread of time. The son of Erimitus, Platinus was a young god at the time. Stoic and keeping to himself, no one knew what incredible strength the god of metal kept contained within himself; no one but Erimitus himself. When Aurum broached the topic of keeping Dio’s gaze off of their world, Erimitus readily volunteered his son for the task. Though annoyed by the prospect of fighting off the king of the gods, Platinus agreed as he was intrigued by the plan of his elders.

The young god marched right up to the Lunar Throne and challenged the king of eternity to a duel. Dio, unimpressed and vain as ever, scoffed at the notion and ordered Stella’s errant grandson out of his sight. Platinus’ response was simple, and his fist connected with the blond god’s face. Their battle would rage through the heavens, rattling the very fabric of time itself. It is said that comets are punches thrown, racing through time and space, millennia after the fact. It was through this feat, of holding back Dio himself, that Platinus earned his title, and became the god of war. To this day no one truly knows who is stronger, and neither god are willing to speak of who really won their brawl.

All the while, the three creator gods were busy at work bringing life to a dead world. Erimitus’ vines spread all throughout the earth, greenery and foliage blooming wherever they touched. Coelum molded the beasts of the world, forming their shapes from the clouds that filled his domain. Aurum was at the center of it all, breathing life into all things with his golden wind. Soon beauty came to dominate the world, and all of creation danced at the sight.

Still, Aurum was not satisfied. The creatures he had envisioned, so alike to the gods and yet so different, had not yet come to pass.

The heavens then shook with a thundery roar, and it became apparent that Aurum’s plot had been foiled. Luna Dio and Sol Stella descended down from on high, and touched down onto the earth for the first time. The king of the gods looked worse for wear, but the most divine of queens looked as elegant as ever, splendor radiating off of her and brightening the lives of any who stood near her. Aurum did not bow, did not show deference to his parents, instead fixing his father with a cold glare. The message was clear, he would hold his ground.

To some it might be considered a miracle that Aurum was not smote on the spot, but few can claim to know the thoughts of Lord Dio. Indeed it is speculated whether or not the king of the gods could have murdered his heir to begin with, for it is argued that Aurum’s power might even eclipse that of his father’s. Regardless of the reason, the errant prince did not die that day. Dio said not a word, merely nodding his head in begrudging approval.

It was Stella, mother of all, that explained her brother-husband’s acceptance. That although Aurum’s creations had not been part of time’s fragile thread before, they were now inexplicably interwoven in the web. There was absolutely nothing that could be done about that now, for destiny itself protected the mortal realm from divine retribution. Thus it was that Aurum earned his title, the god of life and destiny.

Still, she found that there was something yet missing from the world her sons had created. Aurum, excitement overwhelming him, spoke to his mother about the vision he had had. About those creatures much like the gods and yet not. Beings that held their appearance, but were not divine. Creatures that held the wisdom of Erimitus, the kind nature of Coelum, and the imagination of Aurum himself. Intrigued by his ideas, Stella grabbed a handful of stardust and molded two figures from it, the essence of the universe. One took the form of a man, and the other a woman.

Dio, refusing to let the process happen without his input, bequeathed the new creation one of the greatest gifts in existence: an end. These new creatures, and indeed all the creatures that now prowled this paradise, would be inexplicably connected to time itself. They would age, they would die, but they would build upon the successes of their ancestors. It would be a curse to live forever, burdened by the memories of the past. The Divine Dio gave these creatures linear time, letting them perceive the world in their own special way.

I’m completely redoing the myths and backstory of my fantasy world, but I’m rather happy with the material I’ve written so far and thought it would be a shame if they never saw the light of day, so without further ado...

Aurum was as grateful to Tiberia as she was to him, and to show his thanks he decided that he would take the form of a mortal man and spend the rest of her natural life together. It was something that was quite unprecedented in the realm of the divine, and there was much outrage over the prospect. Dio especially decried such a thing, but his queen, Stella, calmed her husband and convinced him to let their son be. A mortal’s lifespan was nothing compared to a god’s, and soon enough Aurum would be back kneeling before the Lunar Throne.

Living their lives as simple shepherds and taking the name Lukos in memory of how they met, Aurum and Tiberia soon gave birth to twins, one male and one female. They named them Aeneas and Aurora, respectively. As the twins grew it became clear that Aeneas had inherited his mother’s looks and father’s attitude, and Aurora was exactly the opposite. Fair of hair, young Aurora was the spitting image of Aurum. The young maiden did not inherit her mother’s gentle nature, though, instead acting much more haughty and arrogant, much to the concern of both parents. It reminded Aurum disturbingly of his father, for although Dio sat upon the Lunar Throne in judgement over all creation, he was well known to be a cruel and prideful god.

Despite their differences, the Lukos twins were inseparable.  The brother and sister duo complimented the other in every way, and made up for their respective weaknesses. Soon enough, the two became the darlings of the nearby town. What no one in the small little village of which the twins frequented realized was that they were so drawn to the brother and sister because of their divine nature.

I’m completely redoing the myths and backstory of my fantasy world, but I’m rather happy with the material I’ve written so far and thought it would be a shame if they never saw the light of day, so without further ado...

When the world was still young and the gods still walked amongst us, Aurum, the god of life and destiny, came across a lovely young maiden. Captivated by her beauty, the still young god took the form of a wolf and bounded towards her. Though frightened at first, the woman soon realized that the strange wolf with fur the shade of gold wasn’t attacking her, and that he was all alone. She approached the wolf with trepidation, and much to her amazement he allowed her to approach. As the woman ran her hands through the wolf’s fur, she pondered on where his wolf brethren might be. After all, wolves traveled in packs, everyone knew that!

The woman spent the day with the wolf, and in turn the wolf learned her name, Tiberia. It was a lovely name for a lovely woman; the wolf couldn’t help but to think. While timid at first, the woman conquered her natural fear of such a predator and indulged his whims. However, soon enough night came, and the wolf cursed his father for taking such joy away from him.

Such things do not escape the notice of Dio, king of the gods, and offended by his son’s impiety he cursed Aurum to be forever trapped in the form of a wolf, unless the young god could prove himself worthy of the woman’s love he cursed his father’s name so freely over. Devastated, the wolf slept in the forest that night but was not disturbed by any manner of creature, for all understood their patron dwelled among them and respected his solitude.

When Tiberia arrived the next day, basket in hand, she was surprised to see that her wolf friend was still exactly where she had left him. Rousing him awake, and hoping that she wasn’t a fool for doing so, the first sight the wolf saw as he woke was her smiling face. Instantly the wolf remembered his burden and whimpered in sorrow. Tiberia, now more than ever, knew that her wolf friend needed companionship and so stayed with him for the rest of the day, and the day after, and the day after that. Each night she left and went back to her home, and the wolf fell asleep where she left him.

One day however, the woman was later than usual and when she did finally arrive she was covered in bruises. In tears, Tiberia threw herself upon the wolf, tugging at his fur as she sobbed. Not realizing that the wolf could understand her, she began to tell the wolf of how her husband was a horrible man who did nothing but hurt her. The wolf was now fuming with anger, but took the time to comfort his only friend, licking her tears away and playing with her like he always did.

Unbeknownst to Tiberia as she walked home that night, she was followed. The wolf was silent as he followed her scent and felt her tracks, eventually coming upon a small cottage. Pacing around the outskirts of the home, looking for an entrance, the night was pierced by a shriek coming from the inside of the house. Leaping through an open window, the wolf fell upon the husband, who had been in the middle of beating his defenseless wife.

Teeth chewed and claws ripped through the man’s flesh as the wolf devoured the man who would dare lay a finger upon his dearest friend. It was over before it began, and soon there was nothing left but the man’s bones. Tiberia was left cowering in the corner at the gruesome display, but soon realized that the wolf attacking her husband had been her wolf. Her friend. She threw herself upon the beast once more and shed tears. This time though, they were tears of joy and gratitude rather than sorrow and sadness. In a thankful shout, she decreed that she loved the wolf more than she ever loved that disgrace of a man she had once called husband, and that she would forever be in the wolf’s debt.