In Hyperion, the silence wasn't a void. It was a soft melody, woven by the wind and the clouds, designed to lull us into a hollow eternity.

Sitting on the edge of the Lesser Cloud, legs dangling over the endless white abyss, I stared at the horizon. The sun felt so close it gave me the illusion that I only had to reach out to grab it and keep its warmth in my chest. But I knew if I tried, I'd burn my fingers. The harsh, ironic truth is that the gods are nothing but a reflection of human will. We could do anything, yet up here in the heavens, we did absolutely nothing.

Suddenly, the air cracked behind me. The smell of ozone flooded my nostrils, and a small purple spark of lightning flashed right next to my ear.

"Still trying to fish for clouds, Neiva?" The voice dripped with smug provocation.

Startled, I whipped my head around. Crouched on the immaterial railing behind me, holding that elegant balance typical of her nature, was Yae. Her long pink hair swayed with the celestial current, and her pale, slit-pupil eyes gleamed with pure amusement. She cracked a smile, revealing slightly sharpened canines that gave her the look of a bored predator sitting in the middle of the sky.

"Not funny, Yae! You nearly scared me to death!" I grumbled, pressing a hand to my chest.

My twin sister hopped off the railing, landing on the ground without making a single sound, just like the fox her bloodline betrayed. We were like night and day. The absolute, electric confidence she radiated clashed violently with my own insecurities, making me feel even smaller in that white abyss.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," she sighed, crossing her arms with a smile she didn't even try to hide. 

"By the way... we better hurry. Ahria must be waiting for us at the bridge to the Ascending Cloud."

I stood up slowly. I glanced at my own shoulders, where iridescent scales in shades of white, pink, and blue covered my skin, matching my tide-blue hair.

We walked together, side by side, crossing the immaterial bridge that connected the Lesser Cloud to the Ascending Cloud. Walking in the sky of Hyperion wasn't like falling. It was like floating inside a lucid dream... walking without hitting the ground, running without tiring your muscles, breathing without ever panting. It was simply existing. The body felt light, even when the mind was heavy enough to drag us under.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? The way their light outshines everything else..."

 I started, admiring the colossal pillars of Hyperion's noble district far in the distance, feeling that old sense of inferiority tightening my throat.

Before I could finish my bleak thought, Yae stopped walking. She grabbed my face with both hands, squishing my cheeks hard enough to make my lips pucker like a duck.

"You know what else is beautiful, Neiva? You." Yae's expression softened. The teasing glint gave way to a warm, deep look. 

"And you don't need to live in the Ascending Cloud to be beautiful. I'm happy just being by your side. I'm happy annoying Stella and Ahria. I'm happy that it's just us, and not because of the place we sleep. I am happy. And I know you are too. Now, repeat after me: 'I am happy!'"

I wasn't going to argue with her. I took a deep breath, swallowing my melancholy.

"Alright, alright... I am happy," I replied, starting to walk beside her again.

"Not like that, you sound like you're at a funeral! With more feeling!" she exclaimed, jumping in front of me and walking backwards.

"I am HAPPY!" I answered, forcing a wider smile.

"Again!" Yae laughed, the sound blending with the wind.

"I AM HAPPY!" I repeated, this time laughing genuinely at her contagious energy.

"That's the spirit! Now let's hurry up," Yae stated, spinning back around to face forward.

Happy with the simple things, right? Yae and I always only had each other. The problem was that Hyperion worked like any other part of Primitia. Where there is ostentation and boundless wealth, there is also poverty and neglect. And the Greater Cloud, hovering unreachably above us, was living proof of that.

"Neiva! Yae!" called a soft voice, carried by an air current that swirled around us.

In the distance, waving at us from beneath a portico carved out of solid cloud, stood a woman. The celestial breeze seemed to obey her, playing with her long, wavy silver hair. Her skin had a pale, fragile tone, and her long eyelashes blended black and white, framing eyes so light they looked like a translucent mix of white and green, marked by the primordial slit. It was Ahria. One of our longtime friends.

"You have no idea how much I missed you!" Ahria confessed with a radiant smile, pulling us both into a tight hug, bringing with her the scent of fresh, clean air.

"I can imagine. You couldn't live without us." Yae tossed her pink hair back with her typical smug smirk.

"Yae, Yae... always so full of yourself!" Ahria laughed, letting us go. "Anyway, we better hurry! We still have to go get Stella, and there's something I'd really love to do with you guys today."

"Oh, now I'm excited!" I replied, giving a spontaneous little hop.

"You get excited over anything, Neiva. But I don't blame you," Ahria commented, looking at me with quiet admiration.

"It's in the little things that we experience the extraordinary, isn't it?" I laughed, meeting her calm, white eyes.

We started walking down the misty promenade of the Ascending Cloud.

"By the way, how have your lives been since we last met?" Ahria asked.

"Same as always. The faith and credibility the mortals have in us haven't grown at all, so we're still practically forgotten in the Lesser Cloud," Yae said, wearing a purposefully indifferent expression, though I knew her well enough to catch the frustration hidden in her voice.

"And what did you do to move up to the Ascending Cloud, Ahria?" I asked, genuinely curious about the approach she had used to escape our shared oblivion.

"I had a little help from the gods of the Greater Cloud's palace. They asked for my help to design and build a sanctuary for their priests down in Primitia, and in exchange for my favor, they spread my name through them," she revealed, her expression a mix of pride and surprise. "Have they never asked you for anything?"

"Nothing..." I replied, feeling my chest tighten. I was just the goddess of water. What did I have to offer the great ones of the Greater Cloud?

Yae coughed lightly, clearing her throat.

"They just haven't found a use for our powers yet," she said, grabbing my hand.

"Yeah... I hope so," I agreed, falling silent afterward.

Would we ever truly be valued? Would we ever get to step foot in and live in that coveted palace? Mortals didn't know us, and they lived their lives fully down below. Maybe we weren't a necessary good like the other gods. I shook my head, scolding myself. I needed to focus on the walk and the presence of the people I loved, and leave those self-deprecating thoughts behind.

We walked through the illuminated streets of Hyperion. It was a dazzling and opulent place. The gold on the roofs reflected the light and life of the sun with blinding intensity. The walls and pillars were built from pure marble and ethereal materials that I couldn't even begin to describe with words. The doors were massive, cast in gold, and the gates were made of elegantly wrought iron. The plants weren't just simple street decorations; they pulsed with magical life, even up here in the heavens, far away from the soil needed for a real ecosystem to function.

Despite Hyperion being an isolated and distorted reflection of Primitia, it was comforting to see humanity mirrored in the actions of the gods. Younger, more jovial gods, also known as Nascent Gods, played in the squares, flew between the towers, or even competed against each other in small magical spars. It warmed my heart to find genuine smiles in a world built on worship and divine masks.

A smooth walk eventually brought us to the bridge connecting the Ascending Cloud to the Greater Cloud. The structure was long, noble, and so rich in meticulous details that it arrogantly marked the divide between the rising gods and the greater gods.

That bridge didn't just lead to another district of Hyperion. It led to a colossal palace. A palace of pure light, studded with gold, marble, and clouds that had been tamed to become part of the architecture itself. Magic pulsed from the various towers on the outskirts, and the entrance gate was larger than whatever shred of dignity remained in the Lesser Cloud. It was an immense honor simply to stand there, before that threshold. For the most part, the inhabitants of that palace were the Elder Gods—the oldest and immensely powerful—or Full Gods who, though younger, possessed a striking global influence.

We stood in front of the gate for several long minutes, admiring the building's sheer imposing scale, keeping a safe and respectful distance.

"This is where Stella lives now," I said, taking in the palace's intimidating beauty. "One day, we'll all live here too."

"When the time comes, yes," Ahria replied pragmatically.

"Well, they bet a lot on Stella. I wonder how she's handling all that weight," Yae questioned, her eyes locked on the palace's light-filled stained glass windows.

"We'll know soon enough. It won't be long before she shows up. Or so I hope," Ahria confessed, assessing the sun's declining position.

"She said that when the sun reflected off her bedroom mirror and the light hit her desk, she would fly down here," I explained, waiting patiently.

"Yeah... despite all this luxury, the palace has too many restrictions and rules for the younger gods," Ahria thought out loud, shifting her gaze between me and Yae.

"Let's wait a little longer. She should be coming down already," I replied, sitting casually on the bridge's pristine floor.

We waited. The end of the day was approaching fast, and it was then that Hyperion's true, selfish face revealed itself.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the Greater Cloud, positioned high above, caught and hoarded the last golden rays. The palaces of the oldest gods continued to shine as if night was still miles away, refusing to accept the darkness. Meanwhile, the Lesser Cloud, so far below where we came from, was already being entirely swallowed by the shadows of dusk. The clouds didn't just divide the sky; they divided the existential worth of those who inhabited them.

"The sun is already setting... looks like we won't have time to do what I had planned..." Ahria murmured, visibly disappointed.

"Who says? Stella isn't here yet, but we can easily carry out your plans anyway," Yae replied, stepping closer to Ahria with a conspiratorial smile.

At that exact moment, a beam of light flared in the distance, flying out from between the palace's colossal walls. As the blinding light drew closer, an unmistakable silhouette began to take shape.

It was a woman with blonde hair, cut just above her shoulders with elegant precision. She wore a long, elegant dress fashioned in shades of yellow, white, bronze, and gold. On her back, she bore a stunning pair of wings made entirely of light, which she used to fly gracefully against the wind.

"Stella!" all three of us exclaimed in unison, recognizing our friend.

"I am so sorry, Neiva, Yae, and Ahria. I had a really hard time slipping out of the palace through my window today," Stella lamented as she landed on the bridge floor. The click of her high heels made no sound, and her wings folded softly, fading away until they disappeared into her skin.

"What happened?" Ahria asked, extending a hand in friendly support after the landing.

"The God Apollo was out on the main balcony, staring down at the Ascending Cloud. Since I still don't have official permission to leave the palace grounds until my integration ceremony is complete, I had to stay hidden and wait for him to leave before risking the flight," Stella confessed, smoothing out the silk of her divine dress, still panting slightly from the adrenaline of her escape.

"The Ceremony of the Solar Storm!" Ahria exclaimed, her white eyes widening in realization. "Hurry! Follow me!"

"Isn't that the ceremony where they open the border between Hyperion and Primitia for the arrival of the Transient Gods?" Yae asked, running after her while holding back her own hair.

"And not just that! It’s for the gods to choose their new priests and priestesses in the mortal world, and it's when the gods of light and sun make their grand debut, the Solar Presentation," Ahria explained, her voice brimming with excitement. "Now run and follow me!"

Ahria sprinted back toward the streets of the Ascending Cloud, and we followed close behind her. All of us except for Stella, who preferred to unfurl her wings of light once more and accompany us through the air, maintaining her majestic, untouchable presence, far above the dust of our running.