#aethil

[crystalzentury-blog]

AETHIL

Or a fancy word for a look into the mythos of Zentury. Here’s an artistically written account on the rise of the universe in which it exists!

We of Eternity

Most of us know the story by now

Of how all that is, all that we know, had started as none

This, of course, is something we cannot know for certain

As we, humanity, cannot hope to understand

As high as we see ourselves in comparison to those about us

We, in all of our supposed glory, stand for nothing

We, in all of our supposed intelligence, understand nothing

We, are not meant to

We, that are nothing but a drop of water in the ocean of Eternity

Only in accepting this can we truly begin to see

No matter what you believe, what you see, those around you see differently

And perhaps somewhere in the vastness beyond what we know

What they see is reality

So please, listen to this story

It is but one of countless created thus far

In an attempt to make sense of how this all began

And how, in time, it will all end once again

Void

This world that we know

This galaxy, this universe

Everything that we’ve ever perceived and more, this Eternity

It, along with the many that preceded it, was born in the Void

We have come to call this Void nothing, a vast emptiness

This is true, but also a lie

It thinks

It acts

It has a will to survive

In all ways that matter

It is alive

We, as beings of matter and energy, we cannot hope to comprehend

Nothing of Eternity is capable of comprehending

Everything is incapable of understanding nothing

Even if a part of it were right before us

We would be incapable of perceiving it

Outside of the deeply ingrained terror it arouses within us

As if, deep down

We understand that it’s continued existence

No matter how little of it is left

Means that in time, everything will once again fall into nothing

The Eternal Cycle

There was a period where the Void was all that there was

It knew not of time, nor matter, nor energy

It existed outside of our understanding of existence

There is no way of measuring the true age of the Void

Perhaps there were others that appeared

Tiny drops of things that have no definition to us

Perhaps the Void had siblings, or even predecessors

But nothing of them remained

Suddenly, however, there was something new

And no matter how many time it was swallowed

This something that appeared within the Void kept coming back

And lasted longer each time

This was the birth of Eternity

And, like the Void, it was determined to survive

But unlike those that may have come before it

It had the ability to resist

No matter what it tried, the Void could not erase this spec entirely

And no matter how little was left, it would begin to grow once again

Fate

For an immeasurable period

Eternity existed for only moments at a time

Succumbing to the Void with no way to defend itself

But with each birth it learned

Not much at once

But over the countless beginnings it began to understand

And with that understanding came power

And with that power came something not even the Void could erase

They were called Himai

Supreme Lord of Fate

Taken by surprise, the Void was overwhelmed

Pushed back relentlessly as Eternity grew

With the aid of this new guardian

Nothing had finally given way to everything

Himai, no longer believing the Void to be a threat

Lowered their guard

Setting down the Crown of Eternity he had used against it

But there was something that Eternity did not yet understand

Some cycles are not meant to be broken

Others simply cannot be

At this point Eternity was not what we know it as now

There was no separation

Everything was all things, all at once

It was content with this

Himai, however, grew uncertain

Lost

With their purpose fulfilled they sought new meaning for their existence

Eternity gave them none

They asked what would come next

The reply received brought upon a realization

Nothing

Things were to remain as they were

To Himai this was no different than the Void itself

So they took up the Crown once more

But a weapon of Eternity cannot be used against it

The Crown shattered

Scattering its power

It’s destruction the driving force behind a period of pure creation

Himai, however, was gone

What was Once One

No longer contained within the Crown

The energies of Eternity began to leech from the shards

From each of twenty one pieces that remained

Came forth an entity of incredible power

From the eighteen lesser shards came the elemental Lords

Mitsu, who was full of hope for the future

Began to shine their brilliant light

While Vachel, who burned with rage

Started to spread their shadows

Destin, who sought purpose in their existence

Began giving space its structure

While Uri, full of mischief and without inhibition

Started the flow of time in all directions

Eirian, who held themselves in high esteem

Began causing matter to decay

While Uzuri, who was desperate for the company of others

Started to twist all that they touched

Vassilev, so full of kindness and warmth

Began to introduce new forms of life

While Owain, strong and independent as they were

Started to invent devices to ease their work

Utari, with their countless views and ideals

Began to ponder and spread thoughts

While Havard, forever hungry and on the hunt

Started pulling things together by their own weight

Ormand, level headed and well thought

Began forming minerals and stone that came in all forms

While Uttara, who was jealous of all others

Started spreading charged energy as bolts of lightning

Diem, whose only desire was to sleep

Began to freeze all that they touched

While Tasia, who had faith in their creation

Started the flow of all the waters

Derora, whose fear knew no bounds

Began to ignite and burn matter to ash

While Zaynah, forever diligent and set to task

Started blowing many different winds and gas

Xerxes, believing fully that they were the best

Began using magic to put their powers to the test

While Oberon, whose bravery knew no bounds

Started using solids to build up the ground

But while these eighteen had a power far beyond any we know

The three that remained

Formed from the largest of the shards of the Crown

Would each put them all to shame

There was Oxide, with the power to create something from nothing

Who would come to judge all who came before them

Countered by Varric, with the power to annihilate something into nothing

Who would come to claim all that stood before them

And finally Luther

The balance

The equalizer

Who valued coexistence and order above all

Dissolving Eternity

At first each was unaware of the others

But eventually

Inevitably

They began to collide

Some encounters were joyous and amicable

Others merely benign

However many quickly turned hostile

Combat between Lords was something unfathomably violent

Throwing massive expanses into disarray

Or destroying them altogether

These fights seemed to have no end in sight

And none were greater

Then what occurred when Fallen and Divine collided

The rest were forced to take shelter

As the powers of creation and destruction waged war

Deaf even to the pleas of their third brother

Who could sense something stirring in the chaos

Something that Eternity

Which had fallen silent since their birth

Had failed to inform them of

And by this point it was already too late

Something finally gave Oxide and Varric cause to pause

A figure which appeared between them

Familiar to Eternity once but now foreign

Unrecognizable as what they once were

Himai, former Supreme Lord of Fate

Now consumed by the Void they once swore to annihilate

Drawn out of limbo by the chaos the Lords left in their wake

And somehow despite never witnessing them before

All the Lords knew that the end had begun

With Fate and the Void now having become one

The Greatest War

Suddenly realizing their folly

What their blind animosity had caused

All those formed by the shards of Eternity

Rallied as one

But despite this great opposition

The Void’s Host seemed unfazed

Why made obvious

As soon as the offensive began

They could be touched by none

For anything that entered their growing domain

Ceased to exist

And unlike what Varric manages to destroy

Oxide could not create more to take its place

Horrified by this discovery

Luther halted the assault

Aware their actions were merely accelerating the spread

Of the Void that had finally found its way to bring Eternity to an end

The expanse was slow

Giving the Lords a chance to think

But nothing they discovered

Even slowed its progress

Let alone made it stop

Sure in their inevitable victory

The Void allowed Himai to sleep

Uncaring of the one who constantly watched

And wept

Knowing balance was impossible

As long as this entity was free to do as it pleased

Until that sorrow turned into desperation

And that desperation into determination

Driving them to act in a manner

Not even the Void had considered a possibility

Luther threw themselves into the Void

And to all those who witnessed it

Had been destroyed

Many were shocked

But others understood

Believing they had given up

Accepted what would eventually become of them all

The truth soon proved itself quite different

As a sound unlike any other rang through Eternity

And nothing somehow once again became everything

The Void’s Host recoiling in incomprehension of the seal

That had been placed upon their face

Seizing their chance

The other Lords followed Luther’s lead

The one seal only enough to stun them

But the rest that soon followed forcing them to their knees

One seal became twenty one

And Himai was restrained

They could not be destroyed

But they at least could be contained

With this victory there seemed to come peace

But they knew not yet

Of the price that had been paid

The equalizer was left forgotten

Broken and in pain

Inevitable End

The peace was short lived

Without balance came strife

The lords soon began to clash once again

Certain that this time there’d be no price

That the seals would hold

And at first they did

But with each fight

Each battle of wills

The seal of the Lords involved weakened

Unbeknownst once more

To all but one

However this time that one is not in a state to help

Their arrival showing the power

Of the corruption of the Void

Luther, former Lord of Balanced

Now twisted into the Chaos Lord of Order

Who, rather than being warmly received

And thanked for their sacrifice

Before their warning is even given voice

They’re apprehended and restrained

Their new likeness to the Void

Disturbing their brethren

Who quickly sought to seal them

But failed as their seals were already in use

On the entity now buried within a special device

Built on a world at the center of Eternity

A world they’ve come to call Zentury

And the world where they build yet another structure

A labyrinth, at the heart of which they place Luther

Who refused to fight

Unable to communicate their reason why

They go quietly to sleep

At the heart of the keep

Once done, many choose to stay

Fearful that one or the other may awaken one day

The settling of the lords causing unknowing aid

With the stability of the seal placed on Himai

But as with all things

This was not the end

As their decay has irrevocably begun

Caused by the damage already done

Born from the Elements

As the Lords settled

Upon the world they called Zentury

Their presence shaped the lands

The flora and fauna

And from their midst arose new entities

Races tailored to the will of their Lord

Who reign over the regions in which they arise

To Mistu, Light Lord of Hope

Came the Alzaleus, who bore their Lord’s antlers upon their heads

To Vachel, Dark Lord of Wrath

Came the Barrad, who bore their Lord’s horns and inability to see

To Destin, Spatial Lord of Approval

Came the Dasnuvius, who bore their Lord’s many eyes for which to observe

To Uri, Time Lord of Insanity

Came the Elothim, who bore their Lord’s numerous limbs and instability

To Eirian, Death Lord of Pride

Came the Fidesd, who bore their Lord’s rotted flesh and decay

To Uzuri, Hazard Lord of Lust

Came the Galbinghna, who bore their Lord’s mutations and multiple mouths

To Vassilev, Life Lord of Charity

Came the Halsylon, who bore their Lord’s vines and slim features abound

To Owain, Technological Lord of Solitude

Came the Ikanat, who bore their Lord’s mechanical parts amongst their flesh

To Utari, Psychic Lord of Division

Came the Karam, who bore their Lord’s multiple physical forms and thoughts

To Havard, Strength Lord of Gluttony

Came the Lakrimape, who bore their Lord’s sheer size and power

To Ormand, Earth Lord of Temperance

Came the Maedgnoun, who bore their Lord’s short stature and resilience

To Uttara, Electric Lord of Envy

Came the Naebooru, who bore their Lord’s scars and unstable appearance

To Diem, Cold Lord of Sloth

Came the Orcatio, who bore their Lord’s insulating fur and weight

To Tasia, Fluid Lord of Faith

Came the Punkuw, who bore their Lord’s webbed limbs and gills

To Derora, Fire Lord of Paranoia

Came the Rishaft, who bore their Lord’s numerous visages to face any threat

To Zaynah, Air Lord of Diligence

Came the Shanaw, who bore their Lord’s slender build and hollow limbs

To Xerxes, Arcane Lord of Worth

Came the Tuvana, who bore their Lord’s glowing magic glyphs

To Oberon, Stone Lord of Courage

Came the Ulurur, who bore their Lord’s tough shell and sluggish movement

To Oxide, Divine Lord of Justice

Came the Vidrtus, who bore their Lord’s feathered wings and golden halos

To Varric, Fallen Lord of Greed

Came the Xitsef, who bore their Lord’s taught wings and sharp tail

And, despite their corruption and inability to act

To Luther, Chaos Lord of Order

Came the Zamkan, who bore nothing but their Lord’s corruption

Their invisible ability to throw things into disarray

Each race resembled their leader

Each individual a weak representation of their Lord

With powers and thought processes

That reflected their ruler’s own personal accord

With these new followers to do most their work

The Lords became complacent and merely watched from the side

As societies developed, grew unstable, then died

Until finally, a unlikely balance was attained

The likes of which that is very much susceptible to decay

But that is, for the time being, being maintained