The Etherea Anthology

Ripped of Wings: Vol. I

Lunox meticulously weaved the three elements together, a task which proved more difficult as the other angels had been formed with just two. Lunox knew the fate of each creation they made, as they were the Divine. They knew this angel would require a trainable amount of void magic, but they would not tell him. It would be discovered later in the future. For now, they focused on weaving him together. Despite being one of the favored three angels, Lunox loved this creation the most, and treasured them. They finished the final touches up, and finally breathed life into him.

"Greetings, and salutations, new angel." Lunox spoke, a voice that demanded respect like a military commander, but was yet, as calm as a leaf in the autumn breeze. The new angel could not bear such power, falling face first onto the ground before his god. "You are Erebus, you shall be the Angel of Dominion, and Order." As Lunox spoke, the very fabric of reality obeyed them, forming into a pair of one-sided blades. Engraved in the hilt was text, written by Lunox themself.

"Peace is Order, Order is Peace." Erebus spoke, taking the hilts and placing them on his hip. The swords were white and golden, with a basket weave that surrounded the handles.

"You, Erebus, are my most favorite and treasured creation. Go forth and enforce order." Erebus nodded, but was handed a necklace, to which Lunox said nothing. Erebus put it on, and flew in the direction his gut told him. To which came across a gathering of other celestial beings.

Erebus' eyes shined, seeing all the other celestial beings present. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around, being met with another angel.

"Hello there new light. I'm Vysterian, the angel of judgment. It's nice to see another angel after all this time. I was starting to grow bored of the other five." Vysterian shook hands with Erebus and smiled.

"New light?" Erebus tilted his head, confused. "Is that my name? They called me Erebus." Erebus gestured at Lunox. Vysterian laughed a bit.

"It's a term we angels call the newest made." Vysterian explained. "That...celestial...you pointed at earlier is called Lunox. They are the creator of us all." Erebus nodded understandingly, despite being a bit confusing still. "It's a lot to take in all at once, trust me, let's take you to the Tome of Knowledge." Vysterian took Erebus by the hand, and led him to a floating palace. Erebus gasped in amazement.

"Pretty great, huh?" Vysterian asked. "This is our current area we reside in, till Lunox creates a better place above Etherea for us." Erebus just looked to the side.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" Erebus asked awkwardly

"Yea. You are, but we need to get the info to you." Vysterian replied, realizing his mistake. "Here, just read this." Vysterian handed him a book. Erebus read it, and nodded.

"See now everything makes a lot more sense to me." Erebus smiled, and Vysterian smiled back. "Although with creation in progress, it seems like there's not a lot to do now is there?" Erebus asked

"Nope," Vysterian said. "We could sneak onto one of the planets Lunox made, check it out." Vysterian giggled mischievously.

"I guess we could! Let's do it." Erebus smiled confidently. The two angels waited till Lunox rested, then proceeded to sneak onto one of the newer made planets. When the two angels landed, it was gorgeous. Large trees and crystal clear lakes dominated the planet, perfectly aligned with the luxurious towns.

"It's beautiful.." Vysterian commented.

"But where is everyone?" Erebus asked, looking up and down the roads.

"Maybe he hasn't put them in yet?"

"No, look, footsteps..on stone..as if they've been walked thousands of times before." Erebus noted, kneeling down beside the tracks.