Aetherion The Sword of The Sky
As Hephaestus wandered through the world, he sometimes glimpsed fragments of fate—echoes of what was yet to come.
One such vision showed him a warrior upon a winged steed, soaring through the skies. Below, a great beast, its body a fusion of lion, serpent, and goat, spewed fire across the land.
Hephaestus did not yet know who this warrior would be, but he understood one thing:
A battle would be fought in the heavens. And for that, a weapon must exist.
Hephaestus journeyed beyond Olympus, beyond even the lands of the Titans, to a place untouched by the world below—the highest peaks of Aether, the domain of pure sky.
There, he gathered a fragment of true Aether, a material that was neither metal nor stone, but the essence of the heavens themselves.
From this, he forged a blade lighter than air yet sharper than any edge known to gods or titans. It carried no weight, allowing its wielder to strike with the speed of the wind.
For the hilt, he sought a remnant of something long lost—a feather from the Celestial Birds, beings who once carried the morning sun before Helios and his chariot took their place.
When the weapon was complete, he whispered a blessing upon it:
"To the one who soars beyond the reach of men, to the one who defies the earth itself—this blade shall be yours."
And then, he sealed Aetherion within the Gate of Hephaestus, waiting for the day it would be claimed.
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When the blade was completed, the heavens trembled for a bit. A new weapon had been born, and the world could feel it.
Zeus, feeling the disturbance, turned his gaze toward Hephaestus.
"You create weapons even before there are hands to wield them," Zeus mused. "Do you think you can shape fate itself?"
Hephaestus did not answer. He merely continued his work.
For he knew—the age of mortals would come. And when it did, his weapons would be ready.