Story of Creation
Never let history die
With Ferris being six now, Devin’s parents got him a proper bed and put him in Devin’s room. He doesn’t mind much; Ferris enjoys sharing a room with his older brother.
Devin steps into his bedroom to be greeted by a cheerful chime, “Devin!”
Ferris is already dressed for sleep and tucked into bed, though sitting up as he waits for his brother to return, as usual.
“Did you have a good cycle?” Devin asks with a soft smile.
Ferris just nods. “Can you read to me?”
As Devin walks to his own bed, he sees a small stool sitting next to Ferris’ bed, and a small book lays atop it.
“Don’t you want to tell me about what you did while I was away?” Devin sighs, starting to remove his scythe from his back.
“Mom took me to the prayer place.”
“Anything else?”
“She gave me this book,” Ferris replies proudly, reaching for the book next to him and holding it up for Devin to see. The cover of the leather-bound book contains two simple symbols, one black circle and one white diamond.
Devin sets his scythe down atop his bed and drifts over to Ferris, doing his best to smile at the little boy while hiding his own displeasure. He knows that book all too well, and he doesn’t look forward to reading it again.
“Alright, let me have it,” he says, holding a hand out to his brother. Ferris gives him the book eagerly, then shimmies farther under his sheets to rest his head on his pillow as Devin makes himself comfortable on the stool.
Cracking the book open brings back a few old memories of his own, where his mother would read to him when he was Ferris’ age. He used to love the stories, but as he grew older they lost some of their charm.
“Are you ready?” Devin asks, turning away from the book for a moment. His brother stares back at him with a wide smile and nods wordlessly.
He’s not going to read word-for-word, or else he’ll start to get frustrated with himself, and that’s not something he wants Ferris to hear as he’s going to sleep. But he knows the story well, so maybe he can simply tell it how he knows it and pretend it’s what is written down.
Devin turns the page and takes a deep breath.
“There was a time where Astria and the stars never existed, when the Spirit of Shadow ruled the darkness of the endless night sky alone. The first star was the birth of the Spirit of Light, bringing with Her warmth and companionship to the Shadow’s cold loneliness.
“They danced together through the dark, leaving in Their wake the night sky we now know of. They danced so much that the sky began to take on a life of its own, with stars dying and being reborn without command, staining the void with glittering colors in their wake.
“Light loved the sky She made, but Shadow felt unaccomplished. He, too, wished to create something beautiful for Their sky as well. So He took stardust and pressed it between His hands to create a foundation, warmed it with starlight so that He could carve the hills and valleys with ease, and cooled it with the dark void to solidify its shape. This was Astria. It was empty and lifeless, but not for long.
“Light was the one to color the water and the islands blue and green as Shadow busied Himself with making other things to decorate His world with. The very first things that were made for Astria were a tree and a small handful of grass. But the world itself was still empty, with no being to enjoy the creations aside from the Spirits.
“It is believed that the first Fragment Shadow and Fragment Light were made to be Astria’s first citizens, whom explored the world and gave names to all the things that the Spirits made for them. They named the tree, the grass, the water, and the endless stars in the sky.”
“What about wizards?” Ferris interrupts.
Devin pats his brother’s head lightly. “I can’t just skip parts of the story like that.” Ferris moans and seems to sink a little lower in his sheets. Devin sighs reluctantly and begins to flip through the book’s pages.
“I guess I could shorten some of the more boring details…
“Well, the Spirits eventually made the first beings, and Their Fragments became peacekeepers and helpers to these beings. The first beings used the first tree of Astria to make clothes, weapons, tools, and especially boats, setting out to explore the new world they were brought in to. The Spirits also brought about waves, wind, and weather, along with the cycle. Light and Shadow agreed to take turns watching over Astria as the other continued to create for Their shared world.
“The Spirits had different ways to overseeing Astria. Light kept order among the beings, creating rules for them to follow and punishments for if they ever went against Her wishes. Shadow, however, allowed the beings to be themselves without interference, and let them indulge in fantasies, dreams, and pleasantries.
“This difference created a divide between the Spirits, and the Fragments that once walked among the beings of Astria disappeared overnight. The Spirits argued for years on end over how involved They should be in the lives of Their creations.
“Light could not simply let Her influence die on Astria, and thus created the Guardians of Light to carry out Her will whenever She wished. In retaliation, Shadow blessed the first wizards with the power to manipulate the world that He had created at will. Even when the times seemed peaceful, the two sides still continue to fight back and forth, both between the Spirits above and Their creations below.”
“Is that why we’re fighting the Guardians?” Ferris asks quietly.
“Light doesn’t like us very much,” Devin nods. He reaches over and once again pats his brother’s head, offering him an encouraging smile. “But you shouldn’t worry too much about it. I’m here to keep you safe.”
For now, anyway… weighs heavily on Devin’s mind. Indeed, there will come a time where Ferris will no longer need his older brother looking out for him.
“Are you going to stop Her?”
Devin forces a chuckle. “Well, I know I can try and stop Her Guardians.”
Ferris smiles and closes his eyes. “Thanks, Dev…”
“Sleep well, Ferris.”