Chapter 3: The First Five Years

Eryndra Veylith watched.

From her corner of the void, she observed the mortal world with an intensity that bordered on obsession. Her galaxy-like eyes were fixed on the small village where Selune lived, her gaze piercing through the veil of reality to see every detail of the girl's life. She watched as Selune grew from a fragile newborn into a curious toddler, her silver hair shimmering like moonlight and her violet eyes filled with an innocence that made Eryndra's heart ache.

But it wasn't all joy. The Church of Solara, the dominant religion in the region, had taken an interest in Selune from the moment of her birth. They saw her as a cursed child, a harbinger of darkness born under an ill-fated star. They didn't understand her, didn't see the beauty and potential that Eryndra saw. All they saw was a threat—a threat that needed to be controlled.

Eryndra's hands clenched into fists, her runes glowing with a faint, angry light as she watched the priests of Solara mistreat the girl. They kept her isolated, locked away in a small, dimly lit room within the church. They fed her scraps and clothed her in rags, treating her more like a prisoner than a child. They whispered prayers of purification over her, their voices filled with fear and disdain.

"She is cursed," one priest said, his voice trembling as he looked down at the small girl. "The darkness within her must be purged."

Eryndra's flames flickered in the void, her anger threatening to spill over. She wanted to reach out, to burn the church to the ground and take Selune away from them. But she couldn't. Not yet. The rules of the void bound her, preventing her from interfering directly in the mortal world. All she could do was watch and wait.

The first year passed, then the second. Selune grew, her spirit unbroken despite the cruelty she endured. She was a quiet child, her eyes always searching, always questioning. She didn't cry, not even when the priests raised their voices or when the other children threw stones at her. She simply endured, her small hands clutching the hem of her tattered dress as she stared at the world with a quiet defiance.

Eryndra's frustration grew with each passing day. She paced the void, her flames burning brighter and hotter as she struggled to contain her rage. She lashed out at the other gods, her battles becoming more frequent and more violent. She didn't care who they were or what they wanted. All she cared about was venting her anger, her helplessness.

"Why can't I help her?" she muttered, her voice echoing in the emptiness. "Why can't I just reach out and take her?"

The other gods fell before her, their forms dissolving into nothingness as her flames consumed them. She didn't even bother to learn their names. They were nothing to her, just obstacles in her path. By the time Selune turned five, Eryndra had killed hundreds of gods, her power growing with each victory.

But it wasn't enough. Not while Selune still suffered.

On the eve of Selune's fifth birthday, something changed. Eryndra felt it before she saw it—a shift in the fabric of reality, a spark of divinity entering the mortal world. She turned her gaze away from Selune for the first time in years, her eyes narrowing as she searched for the source of the disturbance.

What she saw made her blood boil.

The five main gods—Solara, Thalor, Zephyra, Nyxara, and Virel—were bestowing their blessings upon the mortal world. She saw Solara's light descending upon a young girl with fiery red hair, her amber eyes glowing with newfound power. She saw Thalor's strength being granted to a rugged boy with stone-gray skin, his fists clenching as he tested his newfound might. She saw Zephyra's winds swirling around a lithe, winged girl, her laughter echoing through the skies. She saw Nyxara's shadows enveloping a pale, ghostly woman, her violet eyes gleaming with mischief. And she saw Virel's flames igniting within a fiery-haired girl, her armor glowing with molten light.

The chosen ones. The original protagonist and the four heroines. They were awakening to their powers, their destinies set in motion by the gods who had blessed them.

Eryndra's flames burned brighter, her runes pulsing with a furious light. She couldn't let this stand. If the main gods were going to bless their chosen ones, then she would do the same for Selune.

She turned her gaze back to the small village, her eyes softening as she looked at the girl who had captured her heart. Selune was sitting alone in her room, her small hands clutching a piece of bread that had been thrown to her like a dog. Her violet eyes were downcast, her silver hair falling over her face like a curtain.

Eryndra reached out, her fingers brushing against the void as though she could touch the girl. She focused her power, her flames burning brighter than ever as she channeled her divinity into a single, concentrated burst.

"Selune," she whispered, her voice filled with a tenderness that she had never shown to anyone else. "This is my gift to you."

The spark of divinity entered the mortal world, descending upon Selune like a falling star. The girl gasped, her eyes widening as she felt the power flowing through her. Her silver hair shimmered with a faint, otherworldly light, and her violet eyes glowed with a newfound strength.

Eryndra watched, her heart swelling with pride as Selune stood, her small hands clenching into fists. The girl looked around, her eyes searching for the source of the power she now felt. She didn't understand what had happened, but she knew that something had changed.

"Hello, Selune," Eryndra whispered, her voice soft and filled with longing. "I've been waiting for you."

The void seemed to hum in response, the distant stars flickering like silent witnesses to the bond that had just been formed. Eryndra Veylith, the Outer God, had finally reached out to the girl she had waited ten thousand years for. And now that she had, she would never let her go.