The master spy or Puss in the boot adventures

Lyra, the Goddess of Dreams 42, Part 172

Astraea waved her hand, the darkness parted, revealing a shimmering portal that seemed to lead to the very heart of the cosmos. Within its depths, countless stars swirled in an intricate dance, weaving patterns of light and shadow that hinted at the fundamental truths of existence.

"Behold," Astraea intoned, "the Nexus of All Realities, the place where all worlds and dimensions converge. It is here that the true power behind the Shadow Soul resides, a power that predates even the oldest of gods."

As Solaris and Nyx stared into the mesmerizing depths of the portal, their eyes widened with a flicker of recognition. Astraea fixed them with a knowing gaze, her voice softening with a hint of sorrow.

"Yes, you begin to remember now, don't you? The truth that was hidden from you, the memories that were sealed away when you chose the path of darkness."

She turned to Solaris first, her eyes shimmering with starlight. "Solaris, Master of this Reality, you were once a being of light, a guardian of the Nexus tasked with maintaining the balance between worlds. But you were seduced by the lure of power, tempted by the whispers of the void. You abandoned your duties and embraced the shadows, believing they would grant you dominion over all creation."

Solaris flinched as if struck, his face contorting with a mixture of rage and despair. "No... it cannot be. I am the Master of this Reality! I will not be bound by the lies of a fading star!"

But even as he spoke, flashes of memory danced behind his eyes - visions of a time long past, when he stood as a radiant guardian, sworn to protect the delicate balance of the cosmos. The weight of his betrayal settled upon his shoulders, and for a moment, the shadows around him wavered.

Astraea then turned to Nyx, her gaze softening with compassion. "And you, Nyx, most formidable of necromancers. You too were once a guardian, tasked with shepherding the souls of the deceased to their final rest. But the whispers of the darkness called to you, promising power over life and death itself.

" Yes, I remember, said Solaris. " Once i was... the Watcher of Eternal sun...but then... other celestials were frightened by my power... and threw me out..."

" Yes, because you ... got corrupted , Brothers!", said Astraea and continued with her story.

"Brothers?!", screamed Lord Seth. " What do you mean?"

"Yes, Solaris and Nyx are my brothers!", admitted Astraea. " and i still ... love them!"  

As she spoke, images began to take shape in the air around them - ghostly visions of a time long forgotten. They saw themselves as they once were, radiant beings of light and shadow, working in harmony to maintain the delicate equilibrium of the universe.

"You were my sister then," said Solaris with a sadness in his voice , " but now you are my mortal enemy! Kill her!"

As Solaris's command echoed across the shimmering expanse, Nyx hesitated, his gaze flickering between his longtime ally and the celestial being who claimed to be his sister. The weight of forgotten memories pressed upon him, a distant echo of a life he had long since abandoned.

Astraea, sensing the necromancer's inner turmoil, stepped forward, her luminous form casting a soft glow upon the assembled beings. "Please, brothers," she implored, her voice resonating with the gentle power of a thousand stars. "I know the darkness that has taken root within you, but it is not too late to turn back from this path. The Shadow Soul was never meant to be wielded as a weapon - it is a sacred artifact, a keystone that holds the very fabric of reality together."

She waved her hand, and the swirling portal behind her shimmered and expanded, drawing them all into a vision of the past. They found themselves standing amidst the towering spires of a celestial city, its crystalline architecture pulsing with an inner light that seemed to emanate from the very heart of creation.

"This was our home," Astraea whispered, her eyes glistening with the weight of ancient memories. "The Nexus of All Realities, where the threads of every world and every timeline converged. As Celestials, it was our sacred duty to maintain the balance, to ensure that no single force grew too powerful and threatened to unravel the tapestry of existence."

The scene shifted, and now they witnessed a great assembly of radiant beings, each one shining with the unique hue of their cosmic essence. At the center of the gathering stood three figures - Astraea, Solaris, and a third Celestial who bore an uncanny resemblance to Nyx.

"We were the Triad," Astraea explained, her voice heavy with emotion. "Solaris, the Watcher of the Eternal Sun, tasked with overseeing the flow of time and ensuring that each moment played out according to the grand design. Nyx, the Shepherd of Souls, charged with guiding the spirits of the deceased to their final rest and maintaining the cycle of life and death. And I, Astraea, the Keeper of the Cosmic Balance, responsible for safeguarding the delicate equilibrium between light and darkness."

As the assembled Celestials looked on, a shimmering artifact materialized before the Triad - the Shadow Soul, its obsidian surface swirling with an inner radiance that seemed to contain the very essence of creation.

"The Shadow Soul was entrusted to us," Astraea continued, her gaze fixed upon the mesmerizing artifact. "A sacred relic forged in the crucible of the universe's birth, imbued with the power to shape reality itself. It was our duty to ensure that its power was never abused, never used to upset the balance we had sworn to protect."