Mount Kacia, on Akacia island, at the far north of Piris Lake. It was a place where sapphires mixed with rock and dust, magma flowing from cut wounds down the precarious slopes. The fires there had burned for a thousand millennia but shone brighter whenever a god was being born. When azure smoke filled the skies and the universe held its breath, the body and soul of a deity were being formed at the center of Mount Kacia’s kiln.

The months before Solis was born were supposedly very calm. The fires burned peacefully, with not a single cloud in the sky. His appearance in The Heavenly Realm was what they called a fortuitous occasion. He wasn’t so much planned as he was spat out in a mess of ash and flames by a progressive universe ready to expand. There hadn’t been a god of celestial bodies in a very long time. Solis was immediately popular.

The very first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, was the cool blue of the lake lapping at the island’s shore, and a ridge of imposing mountains in the distance. Solis thought about how grateful he was to be so far away from that looming darkness, a streak of fear against the horizon. Little did he know that he would be entombed there in a measly few years, by his own hand. Even knowing, he likely still would have descended…

Solis was enamored by the little beings that came to the island and tittered around him, draping thin fabric over his shoulders and cleaning the dirt from his face. He liked their soft voices, the way they all looked happy he was here.

This Chorus, the Chorus of the god of war, had been sent here upon learning of his birth, and after a quick explanation of where and who he was, the creatures took him with wide smiles to the palace in The Hand of God; an enormous rock formation which had risen slowly with this mighty god’s growing power. Solis viewed the palace and the hand as they arrived and wondered quietly to himself if, when the god of war was firstborn, the hand was just the tip of a thumb or a single finger…

“The God of Celestial Bodies has been born!” The Chorus sang as they entered the palace.

Solis felt cold in the robes they had dressed him in, but he also didn’t want to impose. He was young, and the other gods were so old. He realized, even as he stood before most of them in the great hall, that he must seem very pitiful and weak.

“Welcome to The Heavenly Realm, child. We are honored to have you among us.” The voice was powerful but genuine.

Solis thought the other gods looked untouchable, a tad fierce, and he searched his own thoughts for a touch of that impact but found his soul was a white slate. In a way, he realized he was the most powerful out of them all, because he was the purest, and could now become anything. Of course, within reason.

Solis was introduced to many faces, many gods, more Chorus members, even Seraphim- the gods’ soldiers. Solis was told he would have to cultivate a lot to be able to harness the energy required to form these angels. He was fascinated by the discovery that unlike himself, made out of something, the Chorus, Seraphs, and Auditors, were maintained by a god’s spiritual power. If he wanted to really show off, he could one day imbue a mortal with his godly essence and bring them to live a new life in the heavens.

The idea of human beings was endlessly appealing to the young god, who indeed, soaked up so much knowledge on that first day that his first meditation that evening felt like falling headfirst into deep water.

Solis felt lucky, the longer he lived, to be surrounded by so many who wished him well. He could stay in Killera at Aeris’ palace until his own could be constructed, which truthfully he wasn’t overly passionate about, and he could wander, read, and cultivate wherever he wanted to grow his powers and learn new skills.

Every day was a new experience. He failed more often than he succeeded, but he was told the first few years were always hard. There was the weight of a whole universe on his shoulders, after all!

Solis found his powers growing exponentially the longer he worked on them, his affinity for stars and planets showing him the way and leading him to a satisfying set of rituals that he was always eager to perfect and hone. There were many nights that he held galaxies in the palm of his hand and watched them spin, turning them inside out, seeing star matter, watching it all burn brilliantly before his eyes. Solis knew who he was, and he was happy.

Not long after his first year, Solis was allowed to finally visit the god of the forge and have his own spiritual weapon made! It was a very exciting time. All the other gods had their own weapons which they used for a variety of things. To Solis, besides the technical advancements he could make in his own power, he was looking forward to seeing what it would be!

“Spiritual weapons are not like normal weapons, and can never be broken or remade. Don’t let another god use your weapon, it would be disastrous. Also, if a human gets their hands on your weapon, please don’t let me know about it. I’ll be very put out, and also, unable to help.” Khalkeus told him strictly when he arrived in Tstemor.

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The god’s home was in the far west, and to Solis, was really a huge mess compared to the other palaces he’d seen.

Khalkeus was a busy woman, obviously, being the god of blacksmithing, weapons, and invention. The mortals were finally learning how to bash two rocks together, so the god was frantic, already preparing more and more things for the other realm to bash together in the near future.

Solis appreciated Khalkeus’ efficiency. The moment he arrived she led him over to her main workstation and told him to begin circulating his energy. He’d gotten pretty good at this in a year, so he did so with ease, then the other god approached him with what looked like a big vat of churning bright green soup. It bubbled grotesquely, looking unappetizing in the extreme. Solis hoped he didn’t have to drink it…

As it turned out, he merely had to add a thin ribbon of his own spiritual energy into the mixture. Not a problem, he cultivated fast. This amount of energy would be renewed in a few weeks' time.

“The weapon will be linked to you spiritually and physically. I assume you’ve seen the others wield theirs? I have a mallet, Euthos has his dice… Tstovin and his stupid spear-”

Solis had indeed studied everyone’s weapons closely. He thought they resembled their masters. And, he agreed with Khalkeus’ observation of the god of weather’s spear, which the man used often, and without mercy.

Solis waited in the welding room for many hours, occasionally peeking over at what Khalkeus was doing, but she’d usually feel his eyes and sigh loudly, so he tried to busy himself thinking of other things.

After a long time, long enough for the young god to wonder if the others sat here and waited patiently, which he really doubted of some of them, Khalkeus made to stand and donned a thick pair of gloves. Solis watched in eager anticipation as she reached into the still-bubbling bucket and fished around in it, looking preoccupied and bored.

When Khalkeus raised her hand, Solis’ eyes grew wide, sparkling with awe. Speechless, he stared at the object the other god was holding, lapsing into daydreams about wielding it, and the stories the humans might one day create about Solis up there in the sky, working away in the heavens with his trusty… what exactly was it, again?

Khalkeus hummed, seeming more interested now, and turned the gleaming object to see all angles. Solis already felt connected to it, like it was a smaller piece of himself, maybe an extra limb, or an additional sense outside of sight and smell. It felt good, but a little daunting at the same time. Did he have to name this beautiful thing? Did it even desire to be his spiritual weapon, or was he forcing it? Oh no, what if they ended up having a miscommunication?!

“Hold out your hand. Don’t look so nervous.” Khalkeus sighed again.

Solis swallowed and did as he was told. When the object was placed in his hand, he felt a surge of power tingle all the way up his arm. Suddenly, he felt silly, imagining his own spiritual weapon would dislike him when it clearly shone as bright as a star the moment he touched it.

“I haven’t seen a spiritual weapon similar to yours before,” Khalkeus said, looking pensive. “There’ve been blades, pens, instruments, even ropes. Your uniqueness knows no bounds.”

Solis, not knowing any better, preened at the perceived compliment.

He smiled as he held up the shining arc, feeling it warm in his hand. It was almost a complete circle; the ring going from thick to thin as the ends tapered off. It felt weird; smooth and strong but also oddly flexible and squishy. He poked his fingers into it and laughed in surprise as he felt answering tingles in his chest.

“How do I use it?” He asked Khalkeus, eager to give it a try.

“How should I know? It’s your spiritual weapon, only you can wield it. Go to Auriel and throw it at some trees, see if anything happens… don’t get too close to Tstovin’s territory or he’ll smite you.”

Solis went to the little island in the middle of the lake and waved his weapon around in the air, thinking maybe it could shoot out energy. It didn’t. He did try throwing it at some trees, apologizing in his head to the god of nature to whom he’d scarcely said hello at all. His weapon did do something interesting when he threw it, slicing the tree in two easily and then returning to his hand in a smooth arc.

He smiled widely, more than a little excited to show it off the next time there was a heavenly meeting. He imagined walking in with it and seeing the other gods’ eyes linger on its angelic glow. Pride welled up in Solis’ chest, and it felt a little stuffy, but also sort of good.

The more he played with his weapon and the more trees that met their end, the more the young god began to think it really did resemble some sort of heavenly halo. It certainly shone bright enough…

That was how he thought to raise it above his head. The moment he did, he saw a flash of light, and then the weapon was suddenly gone from his hand! Solis panicked, whirling around anxiously, muttering to himself as he tried to find it. Maybe it was hiding?

He eventually reached back up, and when his hand passed over the top of his head, he saw that flash again, and the weapon was back in his grasp, just the same as before. Solis stared at it, wondering what this new little trick was about. He imagined it must be a convenient place to store the thing when he wasn’t using it.

He tested it, of course. He put his weapon away, then brought it back. He tossed it around, calling it back to him without even a spare thought. It always returned. So loyal…

Solis returned to Killera after many hours of fun, and after a bit of meditation to calm himself down, since he’d learned ages ago that it was frowned upon to run through the hallways when one got too excited. The young god began his work again, this time, with a shining glow beside him, ready to be taken up when he needed a little extra light.