The cavern was quiet except for ragged breathing. Smoke and dust still lingered from the battle outside, drifting in faint wisps through the cavern mouth. The floor was littered with broken stone, the scent of blood and burnt earth hanging heavy in the air.
The Eleven lay scattered across the ground, bruised and battered. Hyperion pressed a hand to his ribs, groaning. Oceanus sat hunched, his forearm marked with dark bruises. Iapetus leaned against a wall, flexing his swollen fists, blood crusting his knuckles. Tethys shivered, her body trembling as though she could still feel the beast's claw descending on her.
Chronos lay flat on his back, staring up at the glowing crystals in the cavern ceiling. His chest still burned, his head throbbed. The silver hourglass in his palm pulsed faintly, each beat echoing through his bones. Three heartbeats, he thought. I froze its claw for three heartbeats. Barely enough. But it saved her.
Gaia's vast shadow filled the cavern. Her molten eyes burned as she lowered herself, her presence pressing into them like a mountain settling.
"You fought as one," she said, her voice rumbling. "You bled as one. And you rose as one. This is the beginning. From this day forward, you are no longer helpless children. You have stepped into your first age—the Age of Titans."
The siblings lifted their heads, exhaustion fading for a heartbeat as her words sank in.
"The Age of Titans?" Oceanus asked softly, his ripple-mark glowing faintly.
Gaia nodded. "Yes. Ten years have passed since your birth beneath my hand. Ten years you have lived in shadow, learning to breathe, to stumble, to rise. From this day, the world will know you not as infants, but as Titans—pillars of power who will one day shape destiny itself."
Her words struck heavier than stone.
Chronos' breath caught. Ten years… still children compared to gods. But no longer nothing.
Around him, his siblings stirred.
Oceanus cupped his ripple-mark, water flowing faintly down his arms. "I thought water was only for drowning. But it cools me… it steadies me. Maybe that's who I am meant to be. The river that guides, not just the flood that kills."
Hyperion smirked weakly, though his sparks flickered faintly. "Fire too. When I force it out, it burns me. But if I let it burn inside… it warms me. Maybe I don't always have to explode."
Themis gave him a sharp look. "If only you'd remember that in battle."
Hyperion groaned. "Yeah, yeah, scales. I hear you."
Mnemosyne sat cross-legged, her glowing eye steady. "Every strike, every mistake, I remember them all. If I can hold onto them, perhaps next time, we will stumble less."
Crius groaned, rubbing his temples as faint stars flickered above his head. "My constellations scattered again. I couldn't hold them."
Mnemosyne reached out, touching his arm. "Then I'll help you remember their patterns until you can."
Coeus chuckled softly, though his eyes were tired. "And I must stop drowning in thought. Knowledge means nothing if I never act."
Phoebe's crescent glowed gently as she steadied Tethys, whose wave-mark trembled faintly. "Your fear is real, but your current is stronger," Phoebe whispered. "You stopped the beast's legs. You helped us stand."
Tethys sniffled but nodded, leaning into her sister. "I… I'll try not to drown again."
Iapetus laughed hoarsely, flexing his fists. "My fury shattered that beast's jaw. Don't expect me to let go of it."
Themis shot him a glare. "And your fury nearly shattered you. Without me redirecting you, you'd be bones in the dirt."
Iapetus grinned wider. "Then maybe we're a good team after all."
For a moment, the cavern echoed with laughter, faint but real.
Chronos sat up slowly, clutching his glowing palm. The silver hourglass pulsed steady now, no longer crushing him, but reminding him of its weight. Time wounds. Time mends. For the first time, he believed it.
Gaia's molten gaze swept over them. "You are no longer newborns. You are Titans. Remember this: your realms are not only weapons—they are you. Flame warms as well as burns. Water heals as well as drowns. Judgment steadies as well as condemns. Even time devours and restores alike."
Her voice shook the cavern walls.
"You are not fragments to scatter. You are a circle. Alone, you flicker. Together, you blaze. Protect each other. Grow together. That is the only way to defy the Sky."
The Eleven straightened. Oceanus looked at Hyperion without mockery. Themis gave Iapetus a grudging nod. Phoebe held Tethys' hand firmly. Mnemosyne whispered softly to Crius, while Coeus muttered a vow under his breath.
Chronos met each of their gazes in turn. For the first time, he didn't feel cursed. He felt chosen.
Gaia rose to her full height, her molten eyes blazing like suns.
"This is the first age—the Age of Titans. It begins with you. But it will not be easy. The Sky watches. Uranus waits. He will test you. He will try to break you. But remember: Titans are not born to kneel. Titans are born to hold the sky upon their shoulders—and not break."
Her voice rolled through the cavern like prophecy.
The Eleven exhaled together, their emblems glowing brighter despite exhaustion. Bruised, bloodied, trembling, they no longer felt like frightened children. They felt like something greater. Something eternal.
Chronos pressed his palm to his chest, whispering to himself: Ten years old. Still children to gods. But Titans to the world. One day, even the Sky will tremble.