TSM

The Shiar’elestrian Mythology

In the beginning there was nothingness; a void of absolute emptiness. There was no time and no dimension. There was no substance and no energy. There was absolutely nothing. This nothingness didn’t even have a name.

Nothingness, by its very nature, is boring. Actually, it could be said that there is nothing more boring than nothingness. This quality of boringness became the first thing to exist in the universe. The universe was no longer nothingness, it was now boringness. It had completely transformed from one thing into another. That was exciting. Suddenly there were two things in the universe, boringness and excitedness. This caused a chain reaction as more and move qualities filled the void. Fearfulness, anticipation, regretfulness, a slew of things appeared one after another, interacting with one another and spawning even more things until eventually the most impressive thing to yet form came to be . . . consciousness.

The newly conscious universe then had a new type of thing. All the things that it had formed to this point were emotions, though it had no name for them, suddenly by arranging the emotions into a specified order it created something else . . . a thought. The first thought was a question. That question was, “Am I?” The thought was quickly followed by another thought in response, “I am.” Thus the universe had a name, which in the tongue of the gods is Aeson Onaes. More thoughts sprung to being in the universe. First a question would form; then an answer to that question. Each answer defined the universe a bit more. Thus the universe defined its own nature.

Still Aeson Onaes had no substance. It was a mass of thought, emotion, and conditions. Then it made something new. It asked itself, “What shall I make?” It answered, “I shall make energy.” Thus was born a new thing in the universe . . . magic, which is the basis of all other energy and energy the basis of all matter. Aeson Onaes developed a new emotion for the first time since the formulation of time itself. Aeson Onaes became lonely. In its loneliness it asked, “What shall I do with energy?” It answered, “I shall make another.” Thus a part of energy, which is mahjyk in the tongue of the gods, was folded into itself, and became something else . . . a different form of energy. “Is it done?” asked Aeson Onaes of itself. “It is not,” it answered.

Aeson Onaes took a portion of the new energy and folded it into itself until he had yet another form of energy . . . then folded a portion of that into another, and on until it had created something that was not energy. This was the first substantial thing, the first matter. The matter did something rather surprising then . . . it exploded.

Aeson Onaes realized that it had made two things instead of one; and that these things were opposite one another and reacted violently with one another. When they touched, they annihilated one another. Luckily, their explosions left pockets where there was only matter and pockets where there was only antimatter. Then the matter and antimatter again did a strange thing. They attained the quality of loneliness from Aeson Onaes.

In their loneliness, the matter sought out other matter to cling to, and the antimatter sought other antimatter. Soon there was too much substance in one place and the clumps of matter and antimatter burst into flame. Thus the first stars were formed. The stars were so massive and hot that they lasted a very brief span of time before they too exploded. But when the matter was a star it had created more forms of matter. The explosions made more stars, which exploded and made more stars. All of this was happening without the hand of Aeson Onaes.

Aeson Onaes saw the chaos and knew that this was another like itself; for it had acted without his will. It gave the chaos, which was part of Aeson Onaes yet was not a part of it, consciousness. Thus was formed the second being in the universe; Xazhal which is chaos in the tongue of the gods.

Xazhal continued playing with the universe, as more and more forms of matter and antimatter came into being . . . until a pattern emerged. Aeson Onaes saw that Xazhal had created something new without intending to do so, much as it had with the creation of Xazhal itself. It saw a third like itself. It gave this new thing, this order a consciousness as well. Thus it became the third being in the universe Aelea, which is the word order in the tongue of the gods.

Xazhal saw Aelea, and became curious. It approached the new being and was at once attracted and repulsed. With no language, Xazhal tried to communicate with Aelea. They were such different beings; however that Aelea could not understand what Xazhal wanted. In its confusion, Aelea struck out, and wounded Xazhal. Xazhal struck back in anger, piercing into Aelea. When Xazhal withdrew, it accidentally left a portion of itself within Aelea. Thus the genders became defined as Xazhal became the male and Aelea became the female.

The small piece of chaos within Aelea merged with some of her order, becoming a new being. Aelea pushed the new being from herself, and so it was the first being in the universe to be born. This new being was Kisara, which is harmony in the tongue of the gods. Kisara saw that its mother and father each had gender, and so assumed from each of them the qualities of their gender becoming a third gender which was both male and female, but simultaneously neither. She saw the animosity between her parents, and created language to allow them to resolve their difficulties without fighting. Thus was formed the tongue of the gods; the Shar’Do-Ma, voice of thought and emotion in itself, the tongue of the god.

Aelea looked about, and could not abide the chaos that she saw. She set about bringing order to the universe. To do so, she began to categorize all that was. She named each thing as she set its place in the universe; but in so naming she brought those things into consciousness.

She first named that which was light. She gave it the name Lumina, which is light in the Shar’Do-Ma; and Lumina was born. Lumina saw that there was gender, and chose to be female. Next she named that which was not light. She gave it the name Noxar, which is darkness in the Shar’Do-Ma. Noxar saw that there was gender and chose to be male. Then Aelea rested.

Noxar saw Lumina and felt a great need to be with her. As he drew near his beloved, he was pushed away. Still he sought out the light of his love, but it was not to be. He follows her still but must hide from her at the same time. This is where shadows come from as Noxar hides behind objects so that he can be close to Lumina without her light pushing him away.

Next Aelea named that which was solid. She named it Terrak, which means solid in the Shar’Do-Ma. Terrak saw that there was gender and chose to be male. She then named that which was liquid. She named it Akua, which is liquid in the Shar’Do-Ma. Akua saw that there was gender and chose to be female. Aelea then named that which was gaseous. She named it Lithlor, which means airy in the Shar’Do-Ma. Lithlor saw that there was gender, and chose to be male. Next Aelea named that which was plasma. She named it Elexa, which is fire in the Shar’Do-Ma. Elexa saw that there was gender and chose to be female. Then Aelea rested.

Terrak, Akua, Lithlor, and Elexa looked at one another. They gauged one another and began a discourse. They soon became fast friends, and vowed that they would share substance amongst them. This is why matter can be solid, liquid, gas, or plasma.

Aelea then named time. She named it Chronos, which is time in the Shar’Do-Ma. Chronos saw that there was gender, and chose to be hermaphroditic. Aelea then named the source of all things, energy or magic. She named it Mahjyk, which is magic in the Shar’Do-Ma. Mahjyk saw that there was gender but chose not to assume a gender.

Xazhal saw what Aelea was doing, and became wroth. He assaulted the order which she had made, and slowly chipped away at it. Aelea became frustrated with his efforts, and attempted to set things back to the way she had them. Xazhal was slightly more powerful than Aelea, and her efforts could never quite repair what he unmade. This is how entropy came to be.

The friendship of the elemental entities grew as time passed, becoming more. They fell into mutual love, and desired to make a child. They could not decide which pair among them would be the father and the mother, which strained their relationship. Kisara saw this, and used her power to fuse Terrak and Lithlor into Terrak’lithlor and Akua and Elexa into Akua’elexa. The fusions thanked her and mated, producing the first twins. Shiar, which is sky in the Shar’Do-Ma, was born male; and his form had substance for the first time. Elestria, which is world in the Shar’Do-Ma, was born female, and she too had substance. The substance of Shiar was not solid, but the substance of Elestria was. Elestria had a torso, a head, two arms and two legs. She was the first of the colossi. Shiar embraced his sister, surrounding her entirely, there to stay for all time. With their children born, Kisara separated the fused elemental entities once more.

• Chapter 2: The Rise of Mortality

List of Gods

Glossary of Terms