Ymir and Ra. Two of the original creations of this Universe. Great gods of magnificent power...were gone.

The growing pantheons of gods throughout the Universe fought and struggled. They all sought dominance over the others. All, that is, except for two rather unique pantheons.

The "Others" that fought the mighty Ra were deeply troubled with the results of their conflict. Through their battles, they had come to respect the power and wisdom of Ra. When they finally captured him, they were shocked. Betrayal had broken him. When Ra gave the juvenile pantheon his power and imposed his self-banishment, they found that, they too, were upset. This was not the outcome they wanted. Honorable victory over a great opponent was one thing, but Ra’s heartbroken surrender left them with a bitter taste in their mouths. Instead of celebrating their great victory, they mourned their great foe. They had what they wanted. They had Ra's Sun and peace with his other creations. But still, they grieved. They grew sick of war. They had no wish to fight other pantheons.

In contrast to these troubled gods, at the edge of the Universe, Odin and his growing pantheon were content. They had a planet to call home and a corner of the Universe sliced out for themselves. But they had a problem. Odin's brood was still small. Too small to resist the forces of others. He grew fearful that his warlike neighbors would forcibly take his home. In desperation, Odin put out a call for help.

A call that one group of gods answered.

Both the “Others” and the remnants of Ra’s pantheon had no wish to fight the neighbors of Odin. But, at the same time, they found that they could not stand by and watch the only content pantheon be destroyed because they did not share the violent tendencies of others. Thankfully, their reputations preceded them. The whole Universe had heard of the pantheon that vanquished the mighty Ra and none wished to fight these imposing gods as well as Ra’s own creations.

And so, an alliance was formed.

They agreed to share Odin's planet and Ra's Sun and to live in peace. But, before they separated to their chosen portions of the world, they had a problem to solve. Ra's mighty power had been the only thing keeping his Sun lit. But Ra was gone. Panic spread among the new alliance when his creation began to dim.

They convened to solve this trouble. They realized that someone would need to power the Sun. But who could possibly match the power of Ra? With growing dread, they realized that Ra's power had been sufficient to maintain the Sun and his own form for eons. But they did not possess his power. To power the Sun, one god would have to give up his form. One god would have to die. They would trap themselves in the Sun and burn their very being to keep it lit.

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But who? Who among the gods would volunteer for such a fate? Much debate was had before two volunteers presented themselves.

The first was Tecciztecatl. Tecciztecatl was not a member of Ra or Odin’s pantheon, nor was he one of the “Others”. He had fled his own family of gods during battle and been too ashamed to return. He found acceptance and a home among the newly formed alliance and volunteered his life to repay this debt.

The second god to volunteer was Helios. Helios had led the “Others” in many of the battles against Ra years before, and, when Ra shared his power with Helios's pantheon, Helios seemed to be granted more than his brethren. He felt that this was the will of Ra. That he had received this extra power so that he might power the Sun.

The pantheons could not decide between the two. Both gods were honorable and determined. So, with reluctance, the pantheons agreed that whichever god could throw himself into the Sun first would be the one to power it.

Tecciztecatl was the first to react. He flew to the Sun as fast as he could with Helios close on heels. Tecciztecatl reached the Sun first and prepared to throw himself in. But, at the last second, he hesitated. His intentions were pure, but he was not the bravest of gods. He had run from battle once before, and now, in this most important of tasks, he hesitated.

His hesitation was all it took for Helios. With a cry, he dove into the Sun, sacrificing his very essence to keep its molten core burning.

Tecciztecatl was devastated. He felt such shame that it made him want to dash himself against the ground. The other gods tried their best to console him. It was understandable for him to hesitate! He should not be ashamed! He had volunteered when nobody else would! Surely that had taken great courage.

But Tecciztecatl would not be consoled. He fled to the Sun where he cried for Helios and his own shame. With a final sob of despair, Tecciztecatl resolved to throw himself into the Sun so that he might end his existence and join his friend. With a great cry, he dove towards the Sun.

His friends watched in shock, all arriving too late to intervene.

All, except for Diana.

Diana, the most fleet-footed of Helios's pantheon, had followed Tecciztecatl as he fled towards the Sun. She cried out for her friend to stop, but Tecciztecatl would not listen. In desperation, she dove after him and succeeded in grabbing hold of his ankle.

But for poor Tecciztecatl, it was too late. Already, his upper half was buried in the Sun, and his essence had been ignited. Diana heaved him out and shepherded him to the other gods who cried out at the damage done.

They quickly realized that they were too late to save him. Tecciztecatl was already glowing dimly, burning up from the inside. Diana was desperate. Gathering the power granted to her by Ra, she formed a shell around Tecciztecatl, attempting to isolate the part of him that was burning from the rest of his being.

But, in the end, it was not enough. All she could do was slow the process.

And so, both pantheons grieved.

They grieved for the loss of Helios and the loss of Tecciztecatl. With nothing left to do, they hung the body of Tecciztecatl next to his friend in the Sun and honored them both together.

Helios the Sun.

And Tecciztecatl the Moon.