The Beginning
While the two brothers reigned in their respective realms, ever circling, yet entirely oblivious to one another in the endless cycle of time, the borders of light and dark blurred and intermingled, a final creature was born. Silvery scales that held the colors of all the galaxies around them shone bright from the dark, and brilliant in the light, long silken tresses of mist shrouded the length of her spine, and fell in tufts from her limbs. Lustrous violet eyes shone with something foreign to the brothers, it was desire, it was passion, nuturing and loving. Xīn, The Mother, sought something more from existence, something beyond both the void and endless light; she sought something to fill with her passion and care.
And so in the pools of mixed darkness and light, Xīn began her task- from one of her own fangs she created first the world and earth, separating earth and sky with the border of light and dark. And for a time, it was enough. She nurtured the small world, and soon, life began to spurt from her love that she poured freely into her work, first came the water and plants, greenery and flowers of endless colors sprouting and taking root across the lands that were separated by vast and roiling seas and mists. And yet she felt a void within her, something was still missing from her creation. She began to toy more with her abilities, first making small creatures from her misty tresses, taking great joy in watching them scurry about the massive world, until this too, was no longer enough. Though her first children wandered the world and sustained themselves upon the bounty of plants, no matter how large or grand she made them, it was still imperfect, still not enough. She wanted more.
The gods do not measure time, and have no need to make note of its passing, and while Xīn still sought to perfect her creation- to bring forth a true and eternal masterpiece of her own creation- she found herself lost in her work for millennia. From her scales and claws and blood and fur she sculpted her perfect children- made in her image- the first Shi'vali- the rag'orans. They are massive and glorious, wild and free. They rule the small world from their seats in the clouded heavens of the sky, and rove and make claim to whatever they please on the surface. The rag'orans know of their mother, and she is revered. Her blood and magic flow through their veins- they are ether made flesh and the true children of the great Goddess.
The rag'orans develop a culture all their own, often performing feats of physical strength and creativity in making crude art and sculptures from the nature around them to devote to their Goddess. Though they speak, their language is one of snarls and roars and deep vibrations that come from the depths of their chests. Some are able to communicate without sound at all- able to commune to the minds of their closest loved ones so that they are able to connect from a vast distance. The mystery of their flight comes from their celestial origin; in a strange combination of magic, semi-hollow bones, buoyancy organs and magnetism, the Rag'orans are able to fly through the skies as fish swim through the seas, and as their Mother snakes through the ether. However, the pride and joy of the Mother was too great to go entirely unnoticed..
At last satisfied, Xin relaxes and watches her children with pride. They are peaceful among themselves and are prideful in their superiority, although the actions of the Mother did not go unnoticed by her siblings. Cànlàn had taken notice of the small world that Xin had been tinkering away on for eons, and as he noticed her radiant smile and joy, he grew curious. Cànlàn watched Xin's children fly and flourish, and he too took delight in her creation, and it was not long until he too, wished to contribute something to the world. On a far corner across a vast sea, Cànlàn began creating his own children. They stood on two legs and were varied in appearance- some were furred and some were scaled, others were feathered and other still had only bare skin. They looked like the many creatures that roamed the lands Xin had created, though they walked upright and could manipulate the world around them with their hands and spoke to one another through a strange language. Their culture revolved around Cànlàn and the light- they praised the sun and built grand cities and monuments in his honor. And so, divided by the vast oceans, the children of the gods flourished in peace.
As Xin and Cànlàn prided over their creations, they did not go unnoticed by their dark brother. A strange feeling was brewing in the heart of Hùsòng, one he did not know nor could comprehend, but the mortals that wandered the new, young world, would call it envy. Hùsòng longed for children of his own, to create something of equal beauty to that which his siblings had made. And so he began to tinker away in the darkness, making his own little world. It was a place of shadows and mists, creeping vines and pale moss, crooked trees and gossamer grasses, an uncanny mirror of the other world. The creatures Hùsòng brought to life were in equal measure to their strange environment; strange and twisted beings, with many eyes and legs, wings and scales and shells and faces of other creatures, some with no faces at all. Hùsòng adored his eccentric children, and just as their cousins worshiped their creators, so too did the children of darkness. And yet, there was something missing in both Hùsòng and his world- many emotions had been lost on the Shepherd and his flock, and as they slowly spun around the world at the center of both dark and light, they found themselves drawn to it, enticed by the light and warmth; and full still of that strange feeling they could not name.
To Be Continued..
IS THIS