[center][h2][b]The First Light[/b][/h2][/center]
[center]Feat. [@Crispy Octopus], [@Aristo][/center]


After they bid the Goddess Phystene and God Kalmar farewell the two of them made their way to the crystal the Architect had set aside for Aelius.  The God of Virtue had just started to outline his plan when the divine vehicle sped out of the Architect’s palace, streaking through the empty universe and arriving at the space that would be Aelius’s Sphere far too quickly for much to be said en route.  There had been no rush once they’d arrived though, and in truth Asceal had been rather glad for the privacy such isolation offered.  There were gods whose very existence concerned her, Melantha in particular, and being able to hear the details of Aelius’s proposal far from any eavesdroppers was a relief. 

His explanation hadn’t been long, but once he’d spoken it she knew trusting Aelius had been no mistake.  The idea was as elegant as it was simple.  They would build their spheres on either side of Galbar, one marble, one crystal, and each equipped with a fragment of light itself.  A Celestial Furnace, he’d called it, and from the moment the words had escaped her fellow’s lips she’d begun to consider how such a thing might be built, how she could bring forth and then confine an eternal spark.

In fact, she was still considering the problem even as a city grew around her.  With little else to do, Aelius had long since left her to her ruminations and begun the construction of his marble city, [i]Heliopolis[/i].  While she might normally have marveled at the complexity and grandeur of the Sphere being erected around her, for the moment her attentions belonged to the problem before her and nothing else.

At least, until she had a breakthrough.  She gave a little cheer and flashed with excitement, light flooding Aelius’s dark city for the slimmest fraction of a second before she calmed herself.  Asceal knew how it was to be done, and without delay she began crafting an luminous ethereal orb, a framework that could contain a source of light so potent even she would exhaust herself summoning it.  It was a fiendishly complex working, and even when it was completed a way to focus its energy on Galbar would need to be found, but it was taking shape before her very eyes.  She had done it.

Aelius wiped his brow and emerged from a newly-erected alleyway. He’d marvelled at his abilities as he channeled them, raising all manner of structures with just the strength of his will. The foundation and layout of Heliopolis had been established. The finer details could come later. He took the opportunity to check up on Asceal and see how her work was coming. When he found her, she was leaning over some object, bathed in an intense light. He stepped forward, shielding his eyes with a hand. He whistled in awe as he stopped at her side.

“I see you’ve been making progress,” he said.

“Hm?”  Asceal looked up from her work and smiled brightly at Aelius’s question, “I have!  It took some time to work out the specifics but I have it now, the framework is just about completed.  I did it, a Celestial Furnace, like you said.”

Just then she took in her surroundings for the first time since she’d arrived, “It seems I was not the only one making progress, though.”

“That’s great,” Aelius said, peeking through his fingers, “but this is much too bright to keep out in the open all the time. We have to contain the Furnace and redirect its light towards Galbar. And out of my eyes!” Aelius spun on his heel and looked out across Heliopolis. 

“I’ve an idea,” he said, and made down the marbled street with Asceal and her Furnace in tow. Eventually, the pair came to a massive plaza, clear of obstructions. “This is the center of Heliopolis,” he announced. “This is the perfect place. Now, stand back.”

The God of Virtue took a deep breath and threw up his hands. At once, the ground rumbled and from his feet a magnificent palace rose. It was arrayed with columns and golden domes and frescoes adorned the surface, exhibiting scenes that most likely represented Aelius’s ideals of virtue. He spun, grinning, and said, “Here is where the Furnace will reside! Bring it in.”   

Asceal stopped for a moment to gawk at the palace Aelius had just erected, the man certainly liked gold, before shaking her head and positioning the nascent furnace where Aelius had directed her to.  Once it was where he wanted it she took a second to prepare it for its true activation, for if Aelius thought it was bright now he hadn’t quite grasped what he’d directed her to construct.

“It only needs energy now, Aelius.  Provide that and the Furnace will do the rest.  Half of Galbar will be bathed in light and the lost souls that reside there will know what is to come,”  She paused for a moment and ran a hand though her glowing hair in thought, “Though, I cannot say I know how you intend to focus its light.”

Aelius simply smiled and with a wave of his hand, a wall slid into place, sealing off the Furnace. Then, he ascended a set of winding stairs, waving at Asceal to follow him. The pair exited onto a rooftop walkway and before them was a golden dome, unadorned and simple, save for a small hole in the center through which Asceal could see the Furnace. “Take my hand,” Aelius said, beckoning her to the dome. Aelius pressed the palm of his free hand to the gap in the surface. Asceal hesitated, pursing her lips, but complied.

When the two were joined, Aelius closed his eyes and focused on the sphere on the other side of the dome. He imagined the light exploding outward, washing Galbar in it. He felt the warmth of Asceal’s hand - her godly energy - and with a shout, he poured his might through the gap. A wave of heat shot through his body and left through his palm, and his breath became labored. 

Aelius let go of Asceal’s hand and motioned her back from the dome, then he took a step back himself. Where his hand had been was a fist-sized lens, and a brilliant ray of concentrated light shot from its glassy surface. Jubilant, Aelius looked up, following the ray’s arc towards Galbar. 

She felt it, in a way no other being could, when the ray of light impacted Galbar and reflected off its rich oceans.  Where once there was only cold darkness now there was light, a trillion trillion brilliant streams of light bouncing off Galbar and illuminating even the farthest reaches of the Architects creation.  Her heart swelled with equal measures joy and pride.  

This was her purpose, and it was nearly fulfilled.  Better yet, the tasks second half was to be a mere simple repetition of the first,  the hardest part  was over.  With a wide grin she took Aelius’s wrist in hand, as if to pull him to their next task, “Let us waste no time!  Our job isn’t over, my sphere beckons to me, it desires the same light we have made here.”

“It will have it!” Aelius said. “But first-” He snapped and a wave of white light ebbed across the horizon, an alarm, for all intents and purposes. If anyone entered its circumference, he would know. He snapped again and gleaming chariot materialized before the pair. He helped Asceal into her seat and climbed beside her. He snapped the reins, and though it seemingly had no beast of burden, the chariot took off into the air, making for Asceal’s Sphere.

[hider=Summary & Costs]
Aelius and Asceal build a city and a sun.  
Aelius makes a alarm system.
Aelius makes a COSMIC BICYCLE!

[b]Might Costs:[/b]

[i]Aelius: 
-16 FP (Creation of Heliopolis & Furnace)
-1 MP (Creation of VirtueCorp Alarm System)
-1 MP (Creation of the Cosmic Bicycle)
{4 FP & 3 MP Remaining}


Asceal: 
-4 FP (Creation of Heliopolis & Furance)
{16 FP & 5 MP Remaining}[/i]
[/hider]