"Ha," Isis sneered, her voice dripping with disdain.
Osiris watched with a sly, mocking grin, while Nephthys maintained a stoic disinterest, tuning out the sharp tension that crackled between the deities.
Set, caught in a moment of discomfort, quickly masked his grimace, eyes flickering between the formidable figures before him.
Arrayed in celestial majesty, the goddess addressing them radiated authority. Her crown of sapphire twinkled like the night sky, her skin a vibrant sky blue, and her dress a tapestry of starlight itself, the majestic Nut, goddess of the sky.
Beside her stood a male god of equal splendor, his crown a brilliant yellow sapphire, his features chiseled and regal, dressed in a sky blue skirt that shimmered with celestial light, the formidable Geb, god of the earth.
These were the parents of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys, the divine rulers whose very presence commanded awe and reverence, yet also brewed a storm of resentment among their children.
The memories, fused and sharp, reminded them of their deep-seated disdain for Nut and Geb. Had it not been for Ra's stern prohibition against deicide, and the towering power of both sky and earth that ranked just beneath Ra himself, Set and Isis might have once conspired to topple their lofty progenitors.
Despite the palpable contempt from Set and his siblings, Nut's demeanor remained unflinchingly serene, her gaze sweeping over them with an undisturbed grace. Geb, by contrast, wore an expression of mournful resignation, his sorrow a stark contrast to Nut's calm.
The assembled deities remained mute, their silence a testament to the delicate balance of power and fear. For while gods were forbidden to slay one another, lesser punishments were not off the table, a fact that kept outright dissent at bay.
Nut's voice, gentle yet firm, cut through the tension. "After the gods' meeting, we shall converse in earnest," she proposed, her smile tinged with sadness. "My dear children, remember the oaths you swore."
With these parting words, Nut and a visibly distressed Geb withdrew, leaving a heavy silence in their wake.
Set's earlier restraint turned into outright loathing. He detested threats, especially from those who then sauntered away cloaked in their own righteousness.
Osiris, his expression now neutral, motioned towards the sanctuary. "Let us go back to our temple and discuss," he suggested, a note of finality in his tone.
Together, the sibling gods made their way towards the grand temple of Osiris, leaving behind the watching eyes of their peers.
The implications of the confrontation were not lost on the divine assembly. Soon, the whispers of what transpired would ripple through the celestial city of Heliopolis, reaching even the ears of the lesser deities.
In the temple, modeled after the grand edifices of Earth, the four gods settled into an uneasy silence around a round table carved from an ancient tree, a symbol of their rooted connections and shared legacies, all under the watchful eye of Ra, the creator, who had woven the very fabric of their existence from the cosmic duo of Shu and Tefnut.
The Earth serves as a foundation, with the air flowing above it, and the sky reigning supreme above all. In this celestial hierarchy, the earliest creatures of creation dwelled within the air.
The existing pantheon, gods of old and new, inhabited this world as well, shaping its destiny. Among them, the Sky Goddess and the Earth God, entwined by love, gave birth to the stars, mingling their divine essence to craft these celestial beings.
Yet, while gods begot gods in their unions, the stars, though they hung radiant and high in the firmament, lacked life and consciousness, they were mere incandescent stones, devoid of the divine spark.
Unwilling to accept this, the Sky Goddess and the Earth God clung to the belief that the stars possessed life from the moment of their creation. In their desperation, they beseeched Ra, the supreme deity, for intervention.
However, Ra confirmed their lifelessness and, foreseeing the dangers of their continued union, which threatened to deplete the air and bring about the annihilation of all life by collapsing sky into earth, strictly forbade their reunion. Such a catastrophe would not only destroy life but also diminish the gods, stripping them of their dominion.
Defying the constraints, the celestial couple sought alternative ways to animate the stars and elevate them to godhood, but in an era devoid of a God of Life, their options were severely limited. Persistent in their pleas, they implored Ra night and day for the permission to procreate anew.
Driven by the prophecy of a weary spirit from the twisted forest, a prophecy that promised the birth of a God of Life from Nut, the Sky Goddess, they held onto hope.
It took two millennia and the persuasion of Thoth, the god of wisdom, for Ra to relent, albeit briefly. He granted them five extra days to unite and create new life.
With these days, Nut brought forth Osiris on the first, Isis on the second, Set on the third, and Nephthys on the fourth. On the fifth day, she birthed the stars once more, this time infusing them with the drained powers of her children in a desperate attempt to spark life and divine ascendancy within them.
Despite these efforts, the stars remained devoid of life and wisdom, inert in their celestial paths. Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys, now stripped of their original might, were relegated to a status between gods and demigods, unable to fully manifest their divine authority or ascend to the echelons of godhood.
Demigods, lacking the full spectrum of divine powers, hold only the gift of immortality, distinguishing them little from a god's offspring.
In this unique predicament, the original quartet of deities, Set, Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys, had no intent of harm towards these lesser beings. However, without the ability to manifest their divine authority, Nut found herself unable to ascertain their powers.
As a measure of control, Nut and Geb confined the newly born deities within the lofty Sky Temple atop a sacred mountain, awaiting the day their powers would emerge and the elusive God of Life could be located.
During their captivity, the Sky Goddess and Earth God compelled Set, Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys to swear an oath to Ra, promising to bestow life upon the stars should they encounter the God of Life.
After a millennium of imprisonment, Ra summoned a divine conclave and decreed the liberation of the Set deities, endowing them with the means to wield their authority and ascend to higher divinity.
With their newfound powers, the bitterness of long imprisonment, and the resentment from forced oaths, Set and his siblings harbored plans of retribution against their celestial parents, whom they had once revered.
Yet, despite their elevated status and capabilities, the vast disparity in power and their recent ascension deterred them from immediate action. Meanwhile, Nut and Geb remained distant, unapproachable.
Osiris, breaking the prolonged silence, reminded them of their longstanding strategy. Set recalled the intricate plan they had devised over decades: first, Isis would animate the stars, and then, in a defiant display, they would extinguish these newly sentient beings in full view of Nut and Geb.
Such actions were permissible; while gods were forbidden from slaying each other, the stars, mere life-infused entities, were not protected under divine law. Ra would not intervene in their demise.
The significance of this act was profound. By giving life only to snatch it away, they would strike a deep emotional blow to Nut and Geb, who had yearned for the stars' vitality for eons.
Nephthys, somewhat despondent, questioned the moral impact of their scheme. "Will they truly be driven mad by the death of the stars?"
"I'm uncertain of their emotional ties," Set mused.
Isis, with a knowing smile, interjected, "Regardless of their bond, the loss will undoubtedly bring them sorrow."
"After all, they've awaited this moment for far too long," Set concluded, steering the conversation away from Nephthys's concerns.
"I just hope they can endure it," he added, reflecting on the harshness of their planned revenge.