Sometimes, love doesn't save—
sometimes, it destroys.
Between brothers, the line that separates admiration from envy can fade with a sigh… with a glance that lasts a second too long.
What begins as an unbreakable bond can rot in silence, buried beneath the weight of expectations and the poison of fate.
Glory is not a place meant to be shared.
Whoever reaches it, even without meaning to, leaves behind those they loved.
And those left below, forgotten by the fire of the gods, learn to survive among the ashes… or to burn with them.
There are battles fought on open fields.
But the cruelest ones take place in the heart—
where ideals collapse, where promises twist, where an "I love you" isn't enough to contain the fury accumulated over centuries.
Perhaps the true end doesn't come with death,
but with the bitter certainty of having failed the one we most wished to protect.
——————————————————————————————————————————
The air was heavy with tension.
The walls vibrated with an energy not of this world.
A low hum crawled through the corridors like an inevitable omen.
—What the hell is happening?! —roared Huitzilopochtli, his brow furrowed and his eyes fixed on the static screens of the command center.
—We're not sure, sir, —answered one of the guards, visibly shaken.— We can't make contact with the outside.
The god muttered a curse under his breath, fists clenched.
—This is just like that day… this looks really bad, —he thought, a shiver running down his spine.
—It's a lost cause, sir. All communications have been cut, —added another guard, his voice trembling.
—Damn it! —shouted Huitzilopochtli, slamming his fist onto the console.— Deploy every available soldier! We're facing a war!
—Y-Yes, sir! —the guard stammered before rushing off to follow the order.
Silence returned for a moment, broken only by the distant wail of alarms echoing through the halls.
—Shit… if this keeps up… —his thought stopped as he heard footsteps approaching down the corridor—slow, firm, familiar.
Huitzilopochtli turned slowly.
—Tezcatlipoca? What are you doing here?
The newcomer smiled, hands in his pockets, face calm as if nothing were happening.
—Hello. Long time no see, brother.
—This isn't the time for greetings, —Huitzilopochtli replied, unable to hide his urgency.— We're in a critical situation. I need your help.
—Yes, I know.
—Perfect, then—wait, what did you say?
—I said, I already know.
Huitzilopochtli frowned.
—That's impossible. We're the first to receive any intel—don't tell me that…
—Yes, —interrupted Tezcatlipoca, his voice calm, almost melancholic.— I'm the one who sabotaged the entire security system.
—What nonsense are you talking about?! —Huitzilopochtli growled, stepping forward furiously.
—Just as you heard.
Huitzilopochtli grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him against the wall.
—Stop spouting bullshit! While you stand here joking around, we have no idea what those bastards are doing out there!
—Relax, —Tezcatlipoca said with a crooked smile.— You've got nothing to worry about.
—What are you talking about?
—If you have so many doubts… you can ask him yourself.
Huitzilopochtli's body tensed.
Slowly, he turned on his heels—
as if time itself had begun to slow down.
Yogen was there. Behind him. Silent as a shadow, relentless as a verdict. His sword had already pierced Huitzilopochtli's torso before he could react.
A dull blow. A muffled groan. Blood. Too much blood.
Huitzilopochtli fell to his knees, vision blurred, his chest perforated.
—Good work, Tezcatlipoca, —murmured Yogen, wiping his blade as he turned.— The rest will be handled by my men.
The sun god gasped, his inner light flickering like a candle about to go out.
—Why…? —he whispered with difficulty.— Why have you done this, Tezcatlipoca?
His brother's expression changed. His gaze, once calm, now burned with contained rage.
—Shut your mouth!
He stepped forward, imposing as a judgment.
—You… left me no choice. Even though I tried, and tried, and tried… you never let me become the great sun god.
His words were sharp blades.
—But that will change from now on. Today will be my great coronation. And I will rule over all the races of Zutarts.
—Idiot! You know very well this isn't something we choose! It's the ritual that decides, and it always has been!
—Then I just have to finish all of you… right?
The hall filled with an abyssal silence. Huitzilopochtli's face tightened, pierced by frustration. And in that instant, it wasn't only a temple that began to crumble… but everything that had once bound them together as brothers.
Flashback.
Furious flashes tore through the darkness. Each impact shook the ground, making the air vibrate with wild energy.
Between smoke and light, two figures panted, covered in dust and sweat.
Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli stepped back, exhausted—yet their eyes still burned with fire.
—You've really gotten strong, —said Huitzilopochtli with a sincere smile.
—Thank you, big brother. I'll keep working hard, —Tezcatlipoca replied, breathing heavily.
—I'm sure that one day, you'll become the next ruler.
The scene shifted.
A massive bonfire crackled beneath a starry sky.
The air carried that unmistakable scent—the one that comes before events that change history.
Everything was silent, except for the sacred murmurs of the shamans.
—As you all know, —one of them said solemnly,— today we will perform the selection of the new sun of our nation. The one who will rule and guide us for the years to come.
Quetzalcóatl, Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, and Tláloc stood firm and expectant.
The shamans surrounded the bonfire, throwing arcane dust that dissolved into the flames like stars melting into the cosmos.
The heavens began to tremble.
Thunder. Vibrations. The night roared.
—What the hell is all this? —thought Huitzilopochtli, frowning.— It's the first time I've seen this guy here… Who is he?
Then, the sky froze.
The entire world seemed to hold its breath.
A blue spark descended from above like divine judgment, striking the bonfire and igniting a colossal, impossible blue flame.
—What is this? —murmured Quetzalcóatl, astonished.
—Am I the only one seeing this? —wondered Huitzilopochtli, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Around him, a multitude of spirits danced within the fire—ancient shadows, souls of the past, beings invisible to everyone else.
Only he could see them.
One of them approached.
Nervous, Huitzilopochtli greeted it with an awkward gesture.
—Good evening…
—Who's he talking to? —asked Quetzalcóatl.
—Who knows. Maybe he's lost his mind, —mocked Tláloc.
—Yes… that's it, —murmured the shaman, eyes glowing.— That's exactly it. You are the chosen one.
—Huh?
—They have chosen you as the new ruler.
—They? Who are they, really?
—Wait! —Tezcatlipoca interrupted, anxious.— I can see them too! I can see them!
The spirit turned.
It looked at him for a brief instant… and uttered strange words.
—Atihs nosan.
—Huh…? What did it just say? —thought Tezcatlipoca, confused.
—I'm sorry, —the shaman said without hesitation,— but the spirits don't like you.
Tezcatlipoca fell to his knees.
His eyes, once filled with hope, now shone with helplessness.
—But I… I trained day after day. I pushed myself to the limit… and still…
A warm hand rested on his shoulder.
It was Huitzilopochtli.
—Calm down. Believe in yourself. I know you'll make it next time.
—Brother… thank you, —Tezcatlipoca whispered, a smile of gratitude and pain crossing his face.
The ceremony continued.
The shaman cut Huitzilopochtli's palm.
His blood fell onto the blue flames.
In an instant, the fire rose like a living hand, touching the wound—and healing it completely.
An explosion of power enveloped Huitzilopochtli.
His body burned with a blue aura that seemed to consume the stars themselves.
From afar, Tezcatlipoca watched in silence.
—I thought that someday I'd have a chance. That's why I never gave up, —he reflected as memories of the past flashed through his mind.
One after another, the ceremonies continued.
Years. Centuries.
Gods ascended. New suns rose.
But he… always remained in their shadow.
—Again and again, year after year, I thought that chance would come. I watched one brother after another become the new sun… yet that flame of hope never went out.
Training became his only refuge.
Limits ceased to exist.
Death—a tolerable possibility.
The only thing that mattered… was to become the sun.
—I kept going, no matter the pain, no matter how many times I broke. It was the only thing I ever desired.
Until that day came.
From the shadows, a voice broke the routine of failure.
—Interested in making a deal?
It was Yosa.
And in that instant… everything changed.
Back in the present.
Blood boiled in Tezcatlipoca's veins. His voice, trembling but steady, rang out like a sacred thunder.
—They gave me another chance to become what I've always wanted… the god of this world.
His eyes shone with an ancient, almost divine fury.
—I don't care what price I have to pay. I don't care what I have to sacrifice… I will be the new god of this world!
Before him, Huitzilopochtli lowered his gaze. His voice came out as a whisper ripped apart by remorse.
—I'm sorry.
—What?
—I was the one to blame for all of this.
Tezcatlipoca took a step back, confused.
—What the hell are you talking about?
—The one who prevented you from rising to power… it was me. Time and again. It was me.
The world seemed to stop.
Disbelief spread across Tezcatlipoca's face, only to be devoured soon after by rage.
—You son of a—!
In a blink he was in front of his brother, unleashing a punch filled with ancestral fury. But it was stopped by Huitzilopochtli's sword, trembling in his hand.
Using the momentum, Huitzilopochtli spun and delivered a kick that sent Tezcatlipoca skidding back several meters.
—What the hell did you just say, you bastard?!
—The only one responsible for you not becoming the new god… was me. I prevented… occasion after occasion… I kept you from being chosen.
The earth shook.
Tezcatlipoca began to exhale dark energy, each breath turning into a roar.
—Call of the Nahuales.
From the shadows deformed beasts rose, fashioned from darkness and shaped like nocturnal animals. Their eyes burned with ancient hatred.
The nahuales hurled themselves at Huitzilopochtli like a living storm. Sword in hand, he repelled their attacks with precise cuts and bursts of sacred fire, but for every one that fell, two more rose from the ground.
—Shit. I'll have to go straight for him.
—Solar Embrace!
A wave of searing heat erupted from his body, burning everything in its path. The nahuales vanished amid howls. The sand turned into molten glass.
But from the heart of the storm, Tezcatlipoca resisted.
—You bastard…
A shadow crossed the curtain of dust.
¡CRACK!
Tezcatlipoca's body was slammed into the ground with overwhelming violence. The earth split beneath him. His blood splattered like dark ink.
Yosa had brought him down with a single blow.
Before Huitzilopochtli could react, Yogen appeared at his side, holding his head with one hand as if it were a useless object.
—I don't care what happens between you two. But I don't have time to waste, —he said, in a cold tone that froze the blood.
His eyes were blades.
—I'll ask you once. Where is the Sun Stone?
Confusion crossed Huitzilopochtli's face.
—I don't know what you're talking about…
Yogen sighed.
—I see.
Without warning, his fist crashed into Huitzilopochtli's right arm. A dry snap. A tearing scream.
The arm shattered into multiple pieces as if it were glass.
—Stop talking nonsense. I have no time. So… I'll kill you.
Both brothers felt true fear. Not for their power—but for his absolute certainty.
—But I know it doesn't matter how many bones I break… nor even if I cut out your tongue you'll speak. So…
In a blink, Yogen turned his sword toward Tezcatlipoca's chest.
—I'll have to remove… what you love most.
—TEZCATLIPOCAAAAAA! —Huitzilopochtli screamed.
BOOOM!
The impact was brutal. A shockwave rocked the building, tearing walls and roofs. But through the smoke… Tezcatlipoca was still alive.
He had managed to raise his shield in time.
—I knew that shield would be annoying, —Yogen grunted, frustrated.
And then… a new presence interrupted everything.
An even larger explosion rose in the distance.
A searing energy, unlike any other, climbed like a column of light.
Everyone turned. It was Edén.
Yogen frowned.
—Damn it. I don't have time… I have to end this now.
He stood before the two brothers, one kneeling, the other still bleeding.
—I haven't forgiven you, —Tezcatlipoca rasped.— And I don't think I ever will. Even if you had your reasons… I can't forgive that you didn't tell me.
His eyes burned with silent resentment… but also with resolve.
—Still… I won't be able to beat that guy alone. Will you help me?
Huitzilopochtli rose. Every movement hurt. His arm hung broken. But his face… he smiled.
—Yes… let's give everything, even if it's one last time.
The pain of their wounds was sharp—
but the fury weighed far more.
Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca lunged at Yogen in unison,
two opposing flames burning with the same purpose.
Their coordination was flawless—
but the enemy before them was an endless abyss.
Yogen dodged with insulting ease.
His expression didn't even change.
—These two are nothing but a nuisance, —he thought, irritated.— They're wasting my time. I'd better finish them quickly.
The brothers didn't relent.
—Damn bastard… he's too fast, —Huitzilopochtli thought as his fist missed Yogen's face by mere inches.— Even together we can't touch him. Who the hell is this guy…?
A joint charge. Two fists. Two shouts. One will.
But Yogen stopped both blows as if they were gentle touches.
With a single motion, he caught Tezcatlipoca's arm and used it as leverage to spring forward, delivering a brutal kick to Huitzilopochtli.
Huitzilopochtli managed to raise his arm just in time.
The impact echoed with a dry crack.
—Well now… —Yogen remarked, mildly surprised.— You're tougher than I expected.
He took advantage of his stance to slam Tezcatlipoca into the ground,
burying him like a meteor. Dust rose in a thick curtain.
Staggering, Huitzilopochtli gathered energy in his fists.
When he saw Yogen slightly off-balance, he attacked with everything he had left.
But in an instant… Yogen vanished.
A dull thud. A tearing crunch.
Huitzilopochtli was sent flying, ribs shattering, crashing through a wall that crumbled like wet paper.
—Come on, come on, —Yogen said as he walked toward them.— At least make the time I'm wasting… worth it.
Before him, the two gods bled, gasped for air… yet refused to step back.
—Stop underestimating us, bastard… —Huitzilopochtli muttered with a crooked smile.
Yogen raised an eyebrow.
Tezcatlipoca stood, his body overflowing with energy.
—Yeah… it's time to bet everything.
Their bodies began to glow with an ancient force.
Huitzilopochtli's skin cracked open, and from his blood sprouted sacred blue feathers—
a divine rain that fused with his body.
Tezcatlipoca, in contrast, was consumed by dark markings.
His skin became that of a jaguar, his fangs lengthened, his eyes turned gold.
—What is this…? —Yogen thought, uneasy for the first time.— It's not Lack… they're not using weapons or catalysts. An innate ability? Those bastards… they were still hiding something interesting.
Before him stood two divine forms—
a blazing blue hummingbird and a jaguar of shadows.
Yogen smirked faintly.
—Well, what do you know… they're a little less weak than I thought.
BOOM.
A roar of fire.
Huitzilopochtli unleashed a burst of sacred flames that shot forward like a comet toward Yogen.
This time, he didn't have time to react.
The entire place was consumed by fire.
—It's impossible he survived… he didn't even defend himself…
But with a single snap, the flames vanished.
Yogen stood unharmed, wrapped in an invisible barrier.
—What a surprise. I thought I was dead… but it seems this damn barrier activated on its own. That attack wasn't enough.
—Bastard! —roared Tezcatlipoca.
He leapt, coating his claws with Zenka energy, generating friction against the air itself.
His strikes were wild, fast, precise.
But the barrier absorbed them all.
Yogen watched them without expression. Only his eyes showed disappointment.
—What a shame… so much variety of power, and you still can't even touch me.
But then—
a faint crack.
The barrier trembled.
It splintered.
—What…? —Yogen thought, eyes widening for the first time.
Tezcatlipoca seized the moment.
A single strike aimed straight at the weak point.
CRASH!
The barrier shattered.
In that instant, a surge of stored energy exploded toward Yogen.
He had no time to react.
The blast was colossal.
The ground quaked. The walls collapsed.
Everything was reduced to ruins.
—We did it! —Tezcatlipoca shouted, gasping.— We finally did it!
Among the rubble, Yogen's body seemed buried under tons of stone.
Both brothers spat blood, trembling, their bodies drained from the excess of power.
—What a pity… —a voice spoke behind them.
They froze.
—…I really liked this robe. It took me a long time to get it right.
Terror hit instantly.
Huitzilopochtli turned to defend himself—
but it was useless.
SHLAK!
His body was cut clean in half.
—Brother!! —Tezcatlipoca screamed, charging like a maddened beast.
Yogen intercepted him.
He tore off both his arms and smashed him to the ground with a brutal blow to the skull.
—I'm sorry… I can't keep playing anymore, —whispered Yogen, his eyes glowing like black stars.
He extended his hand over Huitzilopochtli's shattered weapon.
Clenching his fist, the weapon disintegrated into dust.
From within it, a crystal-like stone emerged—
and inside… a small sun, pulsating, powerful, eternal.
—What… what do you intend to do with that? —Huitzilopochtli stammered, barely conscious.
—I don't need to tell you, —Yogen replied calmly.— Let's just say… this is one step closer to the truth. And to a new world. A world… whose god has just been born.
Huitzilopochtli felt a jolt of realization—
that faint tingle he had ignored before attacking…
—So… that's what it was…
—Then… farewell.
Yogen vanished into motes of light.
Silence lingered in the air like a dying echo.
Both brothers… on the brink of death.
The Sun Stone… lost.
And the true end… had only just begun.
—We were too arrogant… —Tezcatlipoca replied, barely breathing.
—Yeah…
A brief silence followed. The sound of blood dripping onto the ground was the only thing accompanying their words.
—Why did you do all this? —asked the dying jaguar, his voice trembling.
Huitzilopochtli stayed silent. His fading eyes turned toward the sky—
the same sky he had once ruled as the god of the sun.
—I always thought you deserved that place more than I did, —he murmured at last.— Over and over, I told myself that… I even considered speaking for you at the next ceremony. But one day… everything changed.
His voice began to fade as the world around them was painted in memories of the past.
—Those people came to me…
Figures appeared, dressed in immaculate suits.
Men with smooth words and rotten smiles.
Gathered in a dark chamber, they showed him contracts, seals, laws—
and something else.
—They spoke to me about duties, taxes, political alliances… but then, they mentioned something beyond that. The true control. The throne behind the throne. The Elderwood family.
What came next was a descent into hell.
—At first, everything seemed normal… but soon, the filth began to surface…
Blood celebrations.
Feasts where children cried.
Hidden slavery.
The disappearance of entire races.
The extinction of knowledge.
Day by day, the kingdom turned into an open wound.
—I knew it was wrong… but I couldn't stop it. The first warning was this…
He revealed the brutal scar on his back—still open in his memory.
—Then… she came…
Xochiquétzal.
Lying on the ground.
Lifeless.
Innocence shattered.
—I tried to save the kingdom, over and over… but it was impossible. They already controlled everything. To this day, I've seen things I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I wish I had never been chosen that day…
Tears began to roll down his face.
—Every second, I curse that damned day… the day I became the god of the sun.
His gaze turned toward Tezcatlipoca.
—But I couldn't let you… my younger brother… go through the same thing.
Tezcatlipoca's eyes widened.
His breath hitched. His throat closed.
—But… it seems I made the wrong choice.
—Not only did I cause the fall of the kingdom… but also our own deaths.
—The death of the brother I always wanted to protect…
His tears drowned his words.
—I'm sorry… little brother…
I love you.
—You don't have to apologize! —shouted Tezcatlipoca through sobs.— It's me who should be sorry!
His face broke apart.
—You… you only wanted to protect me… I'm the one who should be begging for forgiveness!
His words dissolved into tears.
—I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
Silence embraced them.
Only his sobs echoed.
—I'm sorry… —said a voice, unknown yet vaguely familiar.— But he's no longer among the living.
Tezcatlipoca's soul froze.
His face shifted from sorrow… to total despair.
An adult man with long, purple hair looked down at Huitzilopochtli's lifeless body with sorrow.
—But this… isn't over yet.
—What?
—There's still something we can do, —the man said, lifting his gaze slightly.
In Tezcatlipoca's shattered eyes, a faint spark flickered—
hope.
The stranger's face was finally revealed.
Zero Yomi.
—But for that… I'll need your help.
CRASH.
A sound like two mountains colliding.
The scene shifted to the other end of the battlefield.
Shun and Yogen staggered back after exchanging blows so powerful the very air seemed to bleed.
—You seem awfully confident, Yogen, —Shun said, brushing dust from his shoulders.
—I could say the same about you, —Yogen replied with a razor-sharp smile.— Though… it looks like Puppet left you in pretty bad shape.
—You could say that, —Shun answered with a short laugh.
—You'd better drop that fake mask with me, Shun.
If you don't fight seriously… I'll kill you.
Shun scratched his head, as if too lazy to care.
—Do you really think… you can handle it?
—What are you talking about?
Shun sighed.
—I'm sorry… but you…
He lifted his gaze slightly.
—You're weak.
And then—
An indescribable pressure crashed down on Yogen.
His body trembled.
His knees buckled by reflex.
His lungs forgot how to breathe.
A power without sense, without shape, without limit.
Something that should not exist.
But it lasted only a moment.
KABOOOM!
A thunderous roar tore the heavens apart.
Shun turned his head.
—So you expected this, huh…? This was your real plan…?
Beyond the horizon, hundreds of warships were making landfall.
Golden banners waved in the wind.
And among them… rose a celestial figure.
An angel with long blond hair, bathed in light.
At his side… the Archangel Raphael.
The war was not over.
It had only just begun.