The Earth God sighed heavily as his brothers congregated around him. For all of his efforts, his devotion, his sacrifice, the earth around them was dying. He had sensed it for seasons now - the subtle creak of the continent beneath his hooves, the groaning whispers of the trees as they struggled to produce oxygen, and the smell of death without rebirth all around. The inhabitants of Helovia had multiplied without forethought for the land around them, and now their homes were starting to die.

Helovia was starting to die.

"We must expand, or risk losing all that we have grown into being." The Earth God rumbled, as his emerald gaze regarded his two brothers."

"Here we are again, cleaning up after their thoughtlessness and wastefulness." The God of the Spark observed, his voice stating the cold hard truth of it all. He didn't object to the words of his earthen-kin, but he wanted to make it very clear that this disaster of economics was entirely preventable. "A new plague would work just as well." He concluded with a snort, only half joking.

"We will need her.." The God of the Sun interjected, his voice sounding surprisingly cool in contrast to his fiery exterior. Although he still burned with rage at the past actions of his sister, he was not so arrogant as to commit to a task that he knew he would fail without her aid.

The Earth God nodded - he too knew that this was necessary, although it didn't soften the pang of loss he continued to feel over the sacrifice and death of his son.

As their imposed-prison was released, the Goddess appeared. Lilac smoke swirled around her dainty figure as she seemed to step from the shadows, large silvery eyes glistening with a mocking amusement. "So! I see you've finally come around to my way of thinking." She purred, although her voice was nearly a hiss. She wouldn't forget her imprisonment, but nor was she petty enough to stand in the way of much needed progress. Her brothers were thick enough as it was - one little misstep and they might reconsider.

"I will go East. Sunny-dearest you will go West. The biggest of us will go South, and the shortest of us will go North." She mandated, eyeing each of them as she referred to them.

"It will not be that easy." The God of the Spark spoke up, ignoring his sister's jab at his height (even though he was slightly taller than she was). "They aren't going to just give the land up."

"Well then I suppose we'll have to be rather clever about it, now won't we?" She hissed back in response, leonine tail flicking with annoyance.

"We will take what we need. Our duty is here, to them." The fiery-God spoke, then looked to the Earth for confirmation, who merely sighed and rolled his massive shoulders in an unhelpful shrug. While the idea of forcibly taking land was not the way he wanted to proceed, his brother was right: His responsibilities were tied to Helovia.

"Our children will stay and keep the peace in our absence-" The Earth God began, though was interrupted by the God of the Spark. "-but just in case, I will enclose all the lands in a bubble of frozen time. Everything will slow for them and time will ... bend. It should prove interesting enough to keep them occupied during our absence." The Earth God nodded in agreement.

---

And so it was, the four Gods fled from Helovia to the four corners of the globe, scouring for new lands, and a new hope for the dying Helovia.