The night sky burned like a dying sun.A single streak of divine fire cut through the clouds, tearing across the heavens before crashing into the wastelands east of Metropolis. The ground shook, a thunderous echo rolling for miles.
When the smoke cleared, the crater glowed with molten gold. In its heart lay Aurin, the Silent — an Eternal known for his unyielding calm and his voice that could shape matter itself. Now, he lay broken, light flickering from his veins like fading stars.
From the distance, figures approached — the Justice League and the Avengers, together for the first time since the cataclysm.
Iron Man hovered above the crater, scanners flaring. "That's no meteor. That's one of them."Thor landed beside him, Mjölnir humming. "He bleeds."
Batman stepped closer, his voice low. "Then he's not untouchable anymore."
Superman landed at the edge, heat vision piercing the smoke. His expression softened. "Wait. He's not attacking."
Aurin stirred. His eyes — vast, radiant — flickered open. He looked around at the shattered ground, the fractured sky, and the mortals who stood over him. His voice came as a whisper that bent the air.
"This… is pain."
No one spoke. Even Thor hesitated.
Wonder Woman stepped forward. "You've fallen, Eternal. Why are you here?"
Aurin's gaze lifted to her. "To understand."
He reached out a trembling hand, touching the dirt beneath him. "We shaped worlds, but never felt them. You live… in the weight of loss, yet rise again. We cannot."
Strange exchanged a glance with Batman. "He's changing — like Kael."
Aurin looked toward the horizon, where the battle in the heavens still raged. "The Prime Eternal will burn this world to silence. You must flee."
Superman shook his head. "We don't flee. We fight."
A faint smile crossed Aurin's lips — the first true expression he had ever worn. "Then perhaps… there is hope for gods after all."
Moments later, alarms blared in Iron Man's HUD. "Incoming energy spike — the Citadel's charging something massive."
Doctor Fate's eyes glowed gold. "It's no weapon. It's a gate."
Aurin's face darkened. "He's calling the First Light — the beginning of all Eternals. If it awakens, everything ends."
The Earth trembled again. The sky split wider, bleeding white light.
Aurin rose shakily, his power waning. "I will help you stop him."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
The fallen god looked at the heroes — the mortals who refused to yield, even before extinction — and whispered:
"Because I wish to feel the sunrise before it dies."