Within the Silver Philotimo Observable Existence, nested among countless territories that had flourished for eons beyond counting, there existed a Primordial Realm known as Rasatala-loka.

It was a place of ancient power and concentrated authority, a domain that had been cultivated across generations of the Bronze Line until its very fabric resonated with the Civilizations of those who called it home.

The skies burned with permanent sunset that cast everything in shades of amber and gold, while rivers of liquid Observable Force flowed through the atmosphere itself rather than along the ground, creating highways of golden radiance that connected the various territories comprising this Primordial Realm.

At the center of Rasatala-loka, a string of floating islands drifted in perfect formation through the eternal twilight. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

They were connected by bridges of pure Observable Force, golden currents that had been shaped and solidified into pathways that beings of lesser power could traverse without being dissolved by the concentrated authority flowing through them. Each island served a purpose in the hierarchy of the Bronze Line, housing training grounds and cultivation chambers and vaults containing treasures accumulated across millennia of dominance within the Silver Philotimo.

On the central island, the largest and most magnificent of the chain, a man and woman meditated back to back.

Rivers of Observable Force swirled around their seated forms with currents that responded to their breathing, golden light flowing in patterns that suggested conscious direction rather than passive accumulation.

The power they emanated was terrifying in ways that transcended conventional measurement, authority pressing against reality with weight that would have crushed most Second Scale beings through mere proximity.

Their bodies eclipsed the power of Rhyacian Proterozoic Scale Primordial Architects entirely.

They even exceeded the second tier of Calymmian Proterozoic Scale beings, their foundations having advanced beyond what most beings could achieve across entire eternities of dedicated cultivation.

They stood at Ediacaran Proterozoic Scale.

Near the very Apex of Vakochev’s Second Scale of Existence, the highest realm that Bounded Lifeforms could reach without transcending the limitations that governed their fundamental nature.

The man was regal and muscular in proportions. His skin gleamed with bronze radiance that matched his lineage’s name, while his hair fell in thick twisted lengths threaded with gold that caught the eternal sunset light with every subtle movement of his breathing. His features were carved with severity that spoke of absolute authority, a face that had commanded armies and crushed rebellions!

The woman was graceful and extraordinary in ways that complemented her partner’s raw power with elegance that cut just as deeply. Her form possessed curves...curves!

While her face held beauty that had been refined across millennia until every feature achieved perfect proportion. Her hair cascaded in waves of deeper bronze that pooled around her seated form like liquid metal given organic life.

Both Primordial Architects emanated tremendous waves of Pride.

This was Pride that had been Engineered by Gilded Ones, amplified and refined and integrated into their very existence until it became armor against the madness of Infinity that threatened all who touched endless potential without proper anchoring. Their Egos had been modified at the highest levels available to Bounded Lifeforms, granting them resistance to THE Gamaidjan that allowed them to wield Infinity with stability that lesser Second Scale beings could never achieve.

They were among the favored of THE Gilded Ones.

They had paid tribute across countless generations and received blessings that elevated their lineage above most others within the Silver Philotimo.

At this time.

A figure approached the central island with movement that suggested urgent purpose barely restrained by appropriate deference.

He was a Calymmian Proterozoic Scale entity, his authority formidable by any conventional measurement but utterly insignificant compared to the power radiating from the meditating pair. He landed upon the golden surface of the island with expression heavy beneath the weight of news he had been tasked to deliver.

He knelt at appropriate distance from the meditating couple and waited.

The man’s eyes opened first.

Gold-flame radiance burned in those depths with intensity that made the messenger flinch despite his own considerable power. The rivers of Observable Force swirling around the pair shifted their patterns slightly, responding to the awakening awareness with adjustments that spoke of absolute control over the foundational medium of structured reality.

"Speak."

The single word pressed against the messenger with authority that demanded immediate compliance.

"Great Ones, I bring news from The Coliseum of a Thousand Ascendant Glories."

The messenger’s voice emerged steady.

"Prince Khaemwaset-of-the-Nine-Suns entered THE Last Stand of the Solitary Sun and..."

He paused, gathering himself for what came next.

"Prince Khaemwaset has had his Civilization collapsed!"

...!

The woman’s eyes opened.

HUUM!

Cold fury burned in depths that matched her partner’s gold-flame radiance with intensity that made the surrounding Observable Force currents shudder and crack. The rivers of golden light that had been flowing in meditative patterns around them both began moving faster, responding to emotions that Ediacaran Scale beings rarely allowed themselves to express openly.

The man’s voice emerged with deadly calm that promised violence to come.

"How?"

"The foreigner, Adrastia, utilized waters that appeared similar to a Miniature Cause, Great One. Their power is presumed to be Calymmian..."

The messenger kept his head bowed, unwilling to meet the eyes of beings whose displeasure could unmake him with casual thought.

The woman spoke with voice that carried weight exceeding even her partner’s.

"We have many children, but it does not mean they can be killed without consequence."

Her words fell like pronouncements of doom.

"Gather all the information you can on this Adrastia. His origins. His connections. Everyone he has ever cared about. We will show him the pain of losing his family too."

She paused as calculation tempered her fury into something more controlled and therefore more dangerous.

"But I do not want us doing too much. The Noble Gilded One, Mansa Zulu, has told those of us at the peak of THE Second Scale that THE Observable Road to Glory may open soon between multiple Observable Existences. A pathway that could allow Bounded Lifeforms like ourselves to potentially gain power exceeding THE Second Scale entirely."

Her gold-flame eyes blazed brighter.

"We cannot be embroiled in prolonged conflict when a chance for us to grasp power equivalent to THE Third Scale presents itself. We must be ready. We must be positioned. We must grasp it!"

...!

Her power surged around her in waves that made the floating island shake and the connecting bridges of Observable Force flicker with instability that would have terrified any witnesses of lesser Scale. The man beside her added his own authority to hers, their combined Ediacaran might pressing against reality!

They were Amenhotep-of-the-Eternal-Bronze and Nefertari-of-the-Gilded-Dawn.

Patriarch and Matriarch of the Bronze Line.

Parents of Khaemwaset-of-the-Nine-Suns and seventeen other children who had inherited their power and their Pride across generations of careful cultivation.

They were favored of THE Gilded Ones, having received Engineering that elevated their Egos to heights that most Second Scale beings could only dream of achieving.

And they followed a glorious purpose that transcended petty vengeance.

But vengeance would come nonetheless!