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