TSM/Chapter 2

The Rise of Mortality

Elestria traveled the cosmos, marveling at the beauty of the universe. In time she grew tired, and sought a place to rest. She happened upon a young star, and noticed that a ring of matter swirled around the star. Curious, she approached closer. She noticed that the matter was consolidating into groups, and becoming a larger whole.

“This seems a fine place to rest,” she said to her brother. “We can seat ourselves in the star’s warmth and use the matter to increase ourselves in size and power.”

“A fine idea indeed, dear sister,” replied Shiar.

So it was that Shiar and Elestria settled into the ring about the star, and fed off of the matter of the disk as it drew near. Together they grew larger and larger. Elestria fed off of the solids and liquids, while Shiar took his portion from the gases and plasmas. They found happiness in their place, and noticed that the masses around them began to grow just as they did themselves.

Shiar and Elestria found solace from loneliness in their friendship, and it grew into love. They decided to have a child together. Thus was born Elara, which means nature in the Shar’Do-Ma. Elara was born female, and was so small compared to her parents that she could hardly be seen as she walked across her mother’s body bathed in the body of her father.

Elestria grew concerned for the small size of her child; and grew plants across her body that Elara might feed from them and grow as her parents had. Elara wept with joy at the bounty before her; and where her tears of elation fell upon the flowers the first fairies sprung forth. Elara was delighted, and frolicked with the fairies, naming all of the plants of the world.

Soon Elara felt the need to express her power, and decided to make creatures to share the world with the fairies and herself. Thus she brought into being the animals of the world, naming each as she made them. She wanted to create an animal that could champion all of the others, but her power was still too weak to make a sentient thing. She chose instead to mate with the animals of the world. She went to a male of each animal, and took its seed into her body. When all the animals were done, she bore a child, which was Jeshair. He was the first of the unicorns, destined to protect and rule over the animals of the world.

Shiar saw that his daughter had mated with lesser beasts and was upset. In his anger he cried out, “Aeson Onaes, you are all that is, was, and will be. Will you not punish these beasts for daring to mate with my daughter?”

“Of what concern of mine are these small things?” asked Aeson Oneas. “You can punish them or not as you like.”

“But bringer of all,” begged Shiar, “I wish a punishment that will last for all of time. My power is yet insufficient.”

“If your wish is for a punishment to last all of time, would it not be better to bring your request to Chronos?”

“Very well, great universe,” he said then cried out once more. “Chronos, beautiful aunt, I beg of you to punish these beasts for defiling my daughter.”

“What is this?” asked Chronos, “Why should I punish these beasts? Your daughter mated with them willingly. All parties involved were happy in the mating.”

“Does not the will of the father have any bearing?”

“She is a being in her own right. Would you have me punish you at the behest of one of your parents?”

“But my heart aches, and needs vengeance!”

“I will do this for you, but it comes at a price. That which I punish these beasts with must also afflict your line. I will choose one of your children at some future point, and the curse will be upon them and all of their issue for all eternity.”

“Very well, dear aunt,” sighed Shiar, “I agree.”

Chronos looked for a tool with which to curse the beasts. The entropy of Xarzhal caught her eye. She could see that while it was his, in a very real way it was hers as well. She took a small portion of that entropic force into her being. It mingled with her essence and she expelled it as Mortis, which is death in the Shar’Do-Ma.

Her son looked at her after he was born, and knew he had purpose. “What is my purpose mother?” he asked.

“You exist to bring an end to things in their good time, my son,” she replied. “But only to those over whom you hold sway. The first of these are all of the lesser beasts, but more will enter your domain one day.”

“So it is,” he said, “and so shall it be that time will see the ebb of their life . . . until they are no more.”

“No,” said Aeson Onaes, its voice echoing throughout all of existence. “That which is made cannot be unmade; only transformed. Just as all things must come from something, all things must return to something.”

“Of course,” said Mortis, “then it shall be that their substance shall weaken with the passage of time, until it can no longer support their spirit. Then their spirit shall come to me, and there substance shall return to the world. This curse I place upon them, and I shall call it mortality after myself.”

“Thank you Mortis,” said Shiar, “thank you great Chronos. My heart is lifted that these creatures are punished for what they have done to my daughter.”

Elara saw mortality descend upon her creations, and became upset. “Father,” she cried, “what have you done? Why do you hate my creatures so?”

“It is not their place to be with you,” he replied. “You are above, and they below. If you wanted a mate, you should have mated with one of those who are above . . . not these meager things.”

“Mother, have you heard this?” asked Elara, “Do you see the evil that father has done? Will you not undo this thing?”

“Alas, my daughter,” said Elestria, “Aeson Onaes has spoken. Mortality is made, and cannot be unmade . . . and it is from a power far greater than me. I have not the power to change it.”

“Then I must do what I can to punish my father,” said Elara resolutely. “None shall have me that are not under the curse of mortality!”

“You dare defy me to sleep with beasts?” raged Shiar.

“I so dare!” she replied.

“Then I give you too into the grasp of mortality!”

“I am my own being, and not yours to give. For your part in this I disown you. I have no father!”

• Chapter 3:

List of Gods

Glossary of Terms