Come, my children, and listen as I bring tales to you of our great gods in heaven and on land. To-night, my young ones, are tales of celestial beauty both rare and uncommon. I tell of why to not fear eclipses of the sun and how in the frozen lands so far north and so far south lights dance in the sky on the longest and darkest nights. Listen well, dear children, and keep these tales in your hearts!

When our world was still young, The Sun and The Moon would never think to cross paths. They both disliked each other mutually due to their unending feud for The Sky's affections. Though they spent equal amounts of time with The Sky, even with the days and nights being of unequal length, the two celestial bodies quarreled and bickered. The only thing they both loved as much as they pined for the attention of The Sky was the cute and brilliant Morning Star. Though he was young and usually spent his time playing games and singing, he was known as a smart star who understood many a thing.

One day, as he stayed up past nighttime to wait for The Sun to awaken and take him on fun adventures, he noticed a deity he knew little and much about doing his work. The King of Death, though handsome and devilish in looks, always seemed lonesome. Curious to the king's temperament, the Morning Star wandered to the King of Death as he set upon the land a small outbreak of illness among a field of crops.

"King Kai, you are awake early this morn," said the star cheerfully. "What illness do you bring man today?"

The king laughed and smiled, though it hid a hint of sadness. He touched a plant filled of fruits ready for picking, a mist of black covering it for a short time. "I'm just planting a simple sickness that will become easily cured in the future. Of course, in this age, it is much less tolerable. Are you waiting for Chan Yeol to wake up and steal you for mischief and frivolity?"

"Of course," the star hummed, "but I should like to watch you work until then. I know you are the King of Death and bringer of sickness, yet I have never seen you do your work up close."

"Ah, well," the King of Death sighed. "I try to make myself unseen, though some have seen me. I don't like doing my job, you see." He paused as he touched another plant, infusing it with disease. He looked at the little star, motioning that they walk, moving away from the crops he had infected. "I was made by the Highest God to be the one to cull the souls of those who die, as well as bring illness," the king continued, the star following beside. "However, unlike the previous god of death, who had no conscience or feelings, I was given the emotions the previous god lacked before he was cut down by you-know-who."

"You-know-who?" wondered the little star, his eyes bright with curiosity.

The King of Death shook his head, "If you don't know, then that is fine. Ask Tao for that tale; he knows of whom I speak." When he felt they were a good distance away from the field he had been working in, he stopped walking. They were at the edge of the Prince of the Green's forest, and the King of Death seated himself in the dew covered grass. He waved for the star to join him and he did sit with the king. "Now, little star, you must wonder what that has to do with anything, yes?"

The Morning Star shook his head. "No, I understand. I have seen you look sad sometimes when you think no one is watching. I'm so curious about all of you gods. I watch. But that is why you're sad sometimes. It is because you have emotions like man."

"My, but you are just as smart as they say, little star!" The king patted the boy on the shoulder. "I am sad, yes, but I have no time to grieve. So many die at my hand, and I cannot even pass a thought for them as I take their souls from their bodies to put in this satchel of mine," he idly touched the bag at his waist that was fat from souls taken that night. "It's both saddening and angering. I want to cry, but am not allowed to shed tears. I want to scream, but am not allowed to show rage. This job I was given is not easy." He turned to the star with a half-hearted smile. "I don't think anyone could ever understand what it's like to take life away from people who are so capable of living full lives. What memories are lost and what potential is wasted, all because of what I do. No one should want this job if they have a good and kind heart." The king laughed mirthlessly, "Maybe that's why I sometimes feel evil growing within me."

A long silence passed between them before the Morning Star felt brave enough to speak. "You could never be evil. The sadness in your eyes is proof of that." He lifted his gaze squarely at the king. "You need a way to hide your tears. Venting frustrations is good. Isn't that why Se Hun is allowed to rampage with his tornadoes?"

"As true as that is, I can't just be allowed to vent my frustrations. That might kill a quarter of the world's population. We don't need tuberculosis running rampant or cancers sprouting up for no reason."

"No, not like that." The star rose from the ground, wiping dew from his shooting star robes. "You can shed normal tears, right? Like man does? You kings are much more humanlike than the other gods. Even stars do not express themselves as similarly to man as you and maybe Chen--"

"Because Chen was born from man," the king interjected.

"Right, but you cry salty, wet tears, just like mankind."

"Yes."

The Morning Star nodded, "Then I have a plan! I don't know if it's a good plan, but so far my plans have worked well."

"That's only because you seem to have more common sense than anyone else."

"And that's why I believe this plan will work." The Morning Star could hear The Sun calling for him to play. "I'll talk to Chan Yeol and Tao. They will be the ones to help with this plan."

The King of Death gave the star a questioning look. "You do remember that they hate each other, right?"

The Morning Star laughed and shook his head. "If it's for me, then I think they'll do it. They love me more than they love fighting each other!" Again, his name was called by The Sun and the star smiled brightly to the king. "We'll talk again soon and I will hopefully have a surprise for you." With these words, he vanished in starlight to greet The Sun.

After speaking with both The Sun and The Moon individually, the Morning Star convinced both to meet in heaven just after sunrise to talk civilly. The Morning Star did not tell either what the meeting was about, other than it should help someone. The Sun, being one to never help others, thought it would make him look better to the other gods if he aided in the star's plan, and The Moon, always wanting to help those in need, resolved to try and not get angry with The Sun if it was to help another.

The Sun yawned when he saw his friend and waved. "Oi, Baek Hyun, it's far too early for a meeting. You could have brought breakfast, at least." He laughed and gave the little star a hug. When he could feel the glare of The Moon searing a hole into his back, The Sun moved away and stuck his tongue out at the other deity. "So you and your panda eyes really did come? A good night's sleep should make those dark circles go away, you know!"

"They aren't dark circles," The Moon said quickly in response. "And I wouldn't break a promise to my child, even if it involves conspiring with you."

"My father, my friend," the star held up his hands to calm both deities down, "I said not to argue. We are to do something nice for someone else, after all."

"You keep saying that," said The Sun, "but you never mention who it is."

"But now I will tell you."

"Good, because the less time I'm with panda-face, the more time I have to do something fun."

"I'm not a panda!" cried The Moon.

"Quiet, you both!" yelled the little star. The raising of the star's voice caused both deities to close their mouths and focus on him. "Ah, thank you." The Morning Star placed himself between both celestial bodies and spoke gently, "I doubt either of you have noticed the suffering of King Kai, have you?"

The deities shook their heads silently.

"He suffers in a way none of us could ever understand. Like King Lay, he has emotions and feelings like that of man, and he feels burdened by the weight of all the lives he has culled to wait in eternity. He takes his satchel to the land and steals away potential from those with so much potential left, and takes them to the palace of the Highest God to be judged."

"We know that already," The Sun said, looking bored.

"You're not understanding that his entire job is to kill people," the star replied.

"But... I kill people, too," said The Moon.

"You kill them indirectly, Tao. You are not physically on the battlefield, pulling the souls of lifeless soldiers from their bodies. Not like King Kai does."

The Moon looked away, understanding his place.

"What he does is a job no man should want, yet he has all the feelings and emotions that a man has. He keeps a devilish smile on his face to hide how much he's hurting inside. He told me that he hates doing his job, though he has no choice but to do it. He was made to do it."

The Sun snorted. "And what exactly are we supposed to do about that?  It's not like we can just go up to him and will his emotions away."

"Not even King Lay would take my loneliness from me," said The Moon solemnly.

"What I think is that he needs to have time to free his emotions, like how Se Hun sends his anger through tornadoes."

"I still don't see how this means I have to partner with Chan Yeol," grumbled The Moon.

"Ah, but that's where my plan comes in. You won't have to do it very often, just when King Kai looks most distraught."

"And what's my cute Baek Hyun's plan? Do I get to string Tao up by his underpants and pretend he is a party favor at a festival? That would be fun. I could hit him with a stick and he would be so helpless!"

"I can hear you, Chan Yeol," The Moon glared again at The Sun.

"It's nothing like that!" exclaimed the Morning Star, pouting.

"Ah, you do that with your mouth again," The Sun said, poking a finger at the star's cheek. "You're so cute when you're mad!"

"My plan," the star continued, batting away The Sun's finger, "is that we make an occurrence in the sky that all creatures and men must look up towards. Think of it as a distraction. When this occurrence happens, it will give King Kai enough time to cry and shout without anyone seeing him do so."

"And what distraction have you devised, my son?" asked The Moon.

"I want you to cross into Chan Yeol's light, dear father."

"No." Both deities said this at the same time.

"Why not? It would be such a sight!"

"I don't want this beetle-eating donkey's rear end blocking my view of the land," said The Sun.

"And I don't want to be any closer to Chan Yeol than I am right now," said The Moon.

The Morning Star gave each deity a sad look. Again, his mouth made a pout and he looked at the ground. Each deity looked at the little star and their hearts broke. Neither liked making the bright star sad. The gods looked at each other, knowing defeat when met with the sad eyes of such a cute star, and nodded.

"I can't let you be sad, Baek Hyun," said The Moon.

"You're too cute to look so sad, so we'll do it. But not all the time. Probably not even every year. Probably not even every other year."

The little star smiled his brightest smile. "As long as you will do it, that's all that matters! Let's do it today, at noon! It is almost noon already, for how long we have talked, so let's do it today. It will be fun!"

The Sun and The Moon were not planning on doing it that day, but they gave the star a smile and a nod.

"Then I will go seek out King Kai and when noon arrives, you two can cross paths in the sky! This is our plan and it will surprise everyone on land and in heaven!" With these words, the star rushed off in starlight, leaving the two enemies to stare at each other in mutual confusion.

The King of Death had just left the palace of the Highest God and was making his way back towards the land. As he walked in heaven, he was met by the Morning Star, who greeted him with a great smile. The king laughed, slinging his satchel over his arm and giving the little star a nod.

"It's rather late for you to still be up," he said. "Your expression must mean you won over Tao and Chan Yeol with that plan you spoke of previously."

The star gave an enthusiastic nod of his head, grabbing the deity's wrist and giving it a playful tug. "Come, come, we have no time to waste! We have to be on the land by noon, come!"

The king gave the star a devilish smirk, freeing his arm from the star and racing forward towards the land. The Morning Star laughed and followed after, a trail of star dust left behind him as he ran behind the Kind of Death's black mists. Each knew they would be out of breath when reaching the land, and at the finish they both sprawled their bodies on the warm grass at the edge of the Prince of the Green's forest. Looking up at the sky, they could see The Sun was nearly to his zenith, followed closely by The Moon. Both deities looked perturbed, even from such a distance away.

"King Kai, it's starting!" the little star exclaimed, pointing up at the two celestial bodies as they inched closer together.

The King of Death slowly drew himself up from the ground, sitting and looking up as the two arch enemies moved so close. "What are they doing?" He waited for an answer but seemed to answer on his own, his mouth opening to release a sound of understanding. Both he and the King of Life had knowledge of the future, but it was limited and hard to conjure at times.

"They're creating a distraction for you," said the star, smiling up at the king. "When they cross paths, it will cause all creatures and men to look up. This way, you can let out your frustrations without anyone knowing."

The king nodded as The Moon crossed in front of The Sun, the celestial deities looking at each other with their usual, mutual hatred. On the land, everything went dark in a strange way, the sounds of all creatures and men becoming a buzz of confusion at the sight above. The King of Death pulled his knees towards his chest and made himself small, hiding his face from The Moon, The Sun, The Sky, and the Morning Star. The star could hear the king softly sobbing, but kept his gaze at his father and his friend.

Moments passed and as the king's crying slowed, the star stood, yawning. "I should probably tell them to end this. It's late, and I'm sure Tao must be very tired. If you ever need time to be sad, let me know and I'll convince them to do this for you again." He looked down at the King of Death with a gentle smile before fading in starlight. As the phenomena in the sky faded, the king slowly drew himself to his feet, wiping his tears. He couldn't cull souls with tears in his eyes.

In time, man would call this event in the sky a solar eclipse and would appreciate it each time it appeared before them. They seldom happened and made man fearful at first. As man saw these eclipses more and more, they realized they were not omens of doom and would view them with wonder when they appeared in the sky.

It was not always that the sky lit up in brilliant colors to the north and the south. In the early days of this world, it was always dark when winter set in at those regions. These lands were the remains of the Prince of the White's frozen empire and were left from the influence of the other gods. They feared that trespassing on those grounds would be meeting with doom at the hands of the god of winter. The Moon, during the longest of winter days, was cautious of sending his light to those frigid grounds, even if the sparkle of his light against the ice and snow pleased The Sky.

In winter, The Sky was usually grumpier than in the summer. The nights were long, and though he enjoyed sleeping late, this much darkness only made him irritable. Though he enjoyed the moonlight on the ice and snow, it was always white ice and white snow. He missed the colors of the summer. One evening, he sighed heavily and told The Moon of his growing hatred of the color white and his boredom of staring at nothing but darkness.

"With the day and night of unequal length," said The Moon, "it makes it difficult to change the color palette of winter."

"If only I had some sort of entertainment to get me through these cold and dark evenings, perhaps they would be slightly more bearable," The Sky complained.

"Should I call Baek Hyun?  His voice is so lovely and he could sing you a lullaby."

"No," The Sky grumbled, "I need something more visual."

"I could get some of my stars to perform their weapon routines for you."

The Sky snorted at this notion. "Is that really all you can offer me, Tao?"

The Moon looked dejected. A god of war and nighttime only had so much to offer. His singing was not as good as the Morning Star's and his dancing was not as good as the King of Life's or the King of Death's. He gave The Sky a nod fell to the land. He hoped taking a walk on the ground would help to give him a way to entertain The Sky. The Moon wandered through the Prince of the Green's forest, which was barren and snow-covered from winter's touch, and soon came upon someone he had hoped to not find.

In the center of the forest was the Prince of the White, carefully creating icicles on the branches of a large tree under the starlight. The Moon watched silently as the god of winter lovingly shaped each icicle, a smile on the old god's lips. The god of nighttime studied the tree, realizing that he knew this tree very well, though not as well as he knew it in summer. It was the Prince of the Green's favorite tree, where he would sit under its shade on hot summer days, chatting with The Wind as he blew cool breezes down from the north. The god of ice was decorating it for a deity who would never see it.

"It's not polite to stare," said the older god, breaking the silence.

The Moon froze in his spot when found, afraid the other god would torture him for watching something so intimate. "I didn't mean to pry. I was out for a walk and saw you," slowly, The Moon moved cautiously closer to the shorter god. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for curiosity," said the Prince of the White as he returned to making icicles. "But I do wonder why you have come to the land. You are one of those gods that usually never sets foot on soil or snow."

"Not never," The Moon said defensively. "Sometimes I like to walk along the beaches at twilight."

"There are no beaches here to walk alongside, so tonight's stroll must be for thought and not pleasure."

The Moon gave a slight nod, keeping his gaze at the snow. He was much taller than the small god of winter, and though his rank in heaven was higher than that of the Prince of the White, he always felt inadequate around him. He respected and feared the Prince of the White.

The prince, seeing that the other deity was still fearful of him, halted his icicle making and moved himself close to The Moon, keeping a gentle smile at his lips. "If you need guidance, I am here for you."

Again, the younger deity nodded and slowly fell to the ground, sitting in the snow and cold. "I don't know what to do, Xiu Min," he said, frustration apparent in his tone. "In these long nights of winter, Kris gets bored and angry. Every idea I come up with to please him, he tosses away like garbage. I want to find something to make him happy and that I can share with him every winter."

"What did you offer him?"

"I offered Baek Hyun's singing and the training routines of my stars," the god frowned. "That's all I have to offer. I, myself, cannot sing well or dance well or act well or draw well, and of all the stars in heaven only Baek Hyun has any great affinity for music or art."

"Art comes in many forms, Tao." The Prince of the White offered his hand to The Moon, "Come and see what I have been working on." The Moon took the hand offered to him and returned to his feet, following the smaller god back to the Prince of the Green's favorite tree. "Do you see the icicles I have made on this tree?"

"Yes, they are very icicle-like."

"Look closer at them. They are more than just icicles on a tree branch."

As asked, the younger god inspected the icicles more closely, finding that there was something strange inside them. Encased within each icicle was a colored strip of cloth that The Moon noted as being human charms. Young married couples tied such ribbons onto the branches of this tree to ask for a long and fruitful marriage.  He looked at the god of winter, his face still full of questions.

"This is my art," The Prince of the White said shyly. "It is a gift for Lu Han, though I know he will never see it. I case them in ice during winter to keep them safe through the season. You see, art does not just have to be a painting or a dance or a song. Art can be anything that someone finds beauty in."

"Are you saying I should find what Kris finds beauty in?"

"I think you already know. Beyond his own vanity, he loves colors. That is why Chen offers him rainbows sometimes after it rains. He made them for Kris because they matched his eyes."

A frown drew itself on The Moon's lips. He was at a loss. He knew that color was something The Sky loved, but The Moon had no colors to offer. White and black were the only colors he had to give, and unlike the Prince of the White, he could not offer The Sky ribbons encased in ice. Again, the tall god fell to the ground, hiding his face in his hands. What could he offer The Sky when his everything was monochrome?

The Prince of the White sat beside him, placing a hand on the younger deity's shoulder. "I have a thought. Do you want to hear it?"

The Moon nodded but kept his face hidden. He was trying not to cry in the presence of the older god.

"You make your own ribbons with your light, Tao. I have seen it cut through the clouds before. Your moonbeams, Tao, how do you make them?"

"I my sword down from heaven," said The Moon, his voice muffled behind his hands.

"Your sword makes straight lines, but can you make moving lines? Do you think you could make ribbons of light? I ask because light is one of your strengths. Your light is always so gentle."

"I'm not as bright as Chan Yeol."

"You didn't answer my question."

The Moon heaved a sigh, pulling his hands away from his face. "I don't understand what you're getting at. I'm not as dumb as Chan Yeol, but I'm not as smart as Baek Hyun."

The Prince of the White laughed, which was a more pleasing sound than The Moon would have ever thought. "What I'm saying is what I said. You can do something similar to what I have been doing, but with your own abilities. If you can make light cut through clouds, then you can make ribbons of light that tickle the sky."

"I don't want to tickle Kris."

Laughter again sang from the prince's mouth. "Not literally tickle him. Look at one of the ribbons I have yet to cover in ice. Do you see how it dances in the breeze? Instead of you dancing for Kris, you can have your light dance for him."

Slowly, The Moon smiled as he figured out what the Prince of the White was saying. "That sounds like a good idea, but how to I make it colorful for him?"

"I cannot work that much out for you, but Chen uses sunlight and raindrops to create rainbows. You can probably use a similar method or something different. It is your art, after all. Make it unique to you."

The Moon seemed satisfied with this knowledge and nodded many times. Quickly, he stood back up to his full height, looking energized. "I think I know what to do.  And it should work. Thank you so much for your help, Xiu Min," the young god bowed.

The Prince of the White dismissed the bow and slowly pulled himself up from the ground. "You needn't thank me. I'm glad I could help you, even if it was only so little."

"It was not so little, but quite a lot! I will entertain Kris with this idea of yours, but I want this to be a gift for you, too. You helped me and I need to thank you. Lu Han may not see your art, but I want you to see mine."

"Will Kris be jealous if he knows that your gift is not for him alone?"

"He can't be jealous if I don't tell him," the young god laughed, his mood visibly improved. "I will call for you when this artwork is ready." Again, he bowed in thanks to the Prince of the White and in gentle moonlight he faded back to heaven. It took several cycles before The Moon was ready to show The Sky and the Prince of the White his finished artwork. In those cycles he experimented with it, trying to make the ribbons of light perfect. With much effort, he succeeded and called upon the Prince of the White and The Sky.

The Prince of the White, knowing this was meant more for The Sky than himself, stayed on the land and looked up towards heaven from beside the Prince of the Green's favorite tree. The Sky had no need to know of how The Moon obtained this idea. All The Sky needed was to be entertained.

Boredom and annoyance etched into his face, The Sky appeared before The Moon reluctantly. "What have you to offer me this evening?" His voice held little joy or anticipation.

The Moon held up a shining whip made from the iridescent tail hairs of shooting stars -- the same material his favorite star clothed himself in. A broad smile was at his lips as he spoke. "I have a gift for you and the land. This is a trick I created for you. It's a whip dance."

The Sky seemed unimpressed with this idea, but gestured for The Moon to attempt to gain his affection. "If it does not please me, I will be very cross. If it pleases me, I will reward you."

"What kind of reward do you offer?"

"None, if you do not impress me."

The Moon furrowed his brow in frustration but said nothing. Instead, he focused on the dance he had invented. He stood at the edge of heaven under The Sky's critical gaze and cracked his whip over the land. The whip lit up in greens and pinks and reds over the land, shooting light up towards the end of heaven. From the land, where the Prince of the White stood, there was no sound, but the lights danced and petered in and out with different hues and shades. The god of winter smiled at the sight, glad to have helped the young god of the nighttime create something so gorgeous. Even he had not anticipated such beautiful colors and movement from the monochromatic god. He nodded at the lights and their beauty.

The delicate dance of light lasted for a long time. When The Moon felt tired and out of breath, he stopped and rested. As he seated himself in comfort behind a cloud, The Sky smiled down at him. "My Tao, you are the kindest of gods to give such a beautiful dance as a gift to me. I had no idea you could conjure such colors and motion. I am proud of you and give you my adoration."

"Do you mean it, Kris?" asked The Moon, his breath heavy.

"Of course I do," laughed The Sky, patting the other deity's head in satisfaction. "You made something so beautiful and unique. How could anyone not be proud?"

"Then, that means I get a reward?" The Moon looked to The Sky expectantly.

The Sky nodded. "You get a reward. And I want you to perform that whenever I feel so bored and irritable. It is exactly what I need to chase away ennui." The Sky motioned for The Moon to come with him to claim his reward and The Moon followed after him. On the land, the Prince of the White finally turned his gaze away from heaven and returned to his work of keeping the land cold and snowy.

This event in the sky would happen more and more times, but only in the cold lands ruled by the Prince of the White. Man came to call these dancing lights the Northern Lights or the Southern Lights, depending on which territory of the winter god they occurred in. All loved these dancing lights and all appreciated their glow in the long, dark days of winter.

And so, my young ones, you understand these phenomena in that glow in heaven. To hide the tears of the King of Death, the kind Morning Star convinced The Moon and The Sun to cross paths and allow the King of Death his sadness. To sate the boredom of The Sky, The Moon spoke with the Prince of the White who offered him clues to aid in making the most beautiful gift given to such a vain deity. Remember these stories I tell you, my children, and keep the memory of our gods alive in your hearts and minds.