Prologue  -  Out of nothing!

​

            A vast emptiness spread out before Osar and his brother Qwentas. They do not remember a time when they came to be, nor do they remember a time when they were not. They just were. For eons, the two formless entities drifted through the cosmos, suspended in the vastness of nothing. They passed by innumerable systems of stars and all manner of fantastic cosmic displays. However, despite all that time, they had only traversed a mere fraction of the immenseness of the universe. Despite all they had witnessed, sights beyond imagining, none of it had been able to hold their attention. They grew weary and despondent. Eon after eon; was this all there was to see and do… an endless field of twinkling lights and very little else? Hope began to fad that nothing would be new for them until one day, they stopped and saw a strange, small orb circling one of the twinkling lights. This one orb seemed different to them than the countless orbs they had passed before. Not just a plain ball of rock or ice or a gaseous giant. Rather, it had a thin layer around it that had cooled, trapping in its molten core. Above that hardened surface had formed an unusual, thin layer of gases that held a different type of gas below it. They discovered a seething, undulating liquid covering a large portion of the cooled rock, and they found themselves transfixed in its power and beauty as it endlessly flowed around the strange little orb. This oddness piqued their curiosity for once in so long a time, and so they decided to stop and investigate the peculiar orb more closely.

            Both of the cosmic brothers wanted to interact with this odd place, unsatisfied with just hovering around it. They drew in their immense power and took solid form so as to walk about this orb and experience it in a new and exciting manner.

            Osar was the first, and he was magnificent. He became something new and wonderous, never before seen in all the cosmos. His new form had everything he felt would be needed to interact with this place. Legs with feet to walk upon the ground. Arms with hands to touch and pick up the cooled dirt and rocks. A common trunk held these parts together. Upon this trunk, he placed his mind within a remarkable facet that had all he would need to see, hear, smell, and taste the things this strange orb had to offer. He covered this facet with long, flowing golden hair to help keep the elements of this strange orb at bay. He was indeed a sight to behold. Unlike anything they had come across during their endless travels. 

            Qwentas marvelled at his brother's new look. He wanted to join him upon the orb but was not as successful in his attempts to take form. He tried to emulate his brother’s glory but ended up grossly distorted. He had an extra arm, deemed to be excessive and unnecessary. He had hard, misshapen feet that tore up the soft ground as he passed over it. Upon his top facet, he had one too many eyes than Osar had deemed necessary, and upon this facet were two hard bones that curved down, nearly blocking the vision of the eyes. Even though they could float anywhere they needed to by using their vast power, Qwentas had long, strange appendages stretching outwards upon his back.  They caught the winds swirling around the orb, causing him to glide clumsily above it. No, Qwentas was not as lovely an image cast by his brother, and this saddened him. Osar told him not to be bothered with sadness. He was just as wonderful to him in this form as any other they had seen. He told Qwentas to be proud of what he looked like. There were no other beings like him in all the cosmos. It was his uniqueness that made him special, and he loved him no matter what. The two brothers were content to wander this wonderous place for many Ages. 

            All was good.

            In time, their strange little orb's newness began to wane, so they used their immense power to breathe new life into this tiny orb. They created all manner of plants and trees to cover the barren rocks and sands, and they filled the great swirling liquid with colourful plants and living, breathing stones. This new look they had established pleased them immensely, so they basked in its glory again in solitude for hundreds of millennia.

            All was good.

            This paradise they walked among was unrivalled in the cosmos, but still, it was missing something. The ancient brothers were lonely. They had been alone, just the two of them, for longer than they could have imagined, and the thought of sharing this glorious place with someone was ideal. So, they brought forth small extents of their vast power and split them off, making smaller versions of themselves. Once again, Osar was wonderful at this. He created several of these new children in his image and gave them names. He called them the lesser gods. They called him Father. Six of these lesser gods did he create. Bazlin, Orthanel, Jaskier, Monatelle, Varandiel and Hormanus. And they were glorious. All unique to themselves but just as beautiful as their father.

            Qwentas, not to be outdone, made copies of himself. Once again, he was unsuccessful in his attempts. His children, Ganvara, Braxious, Tacellen, and Hopptus, were like their father… all misshapen and wholly unique. He loved them no less. And the sons and daughters of Osar treated them with no hint of disdain. They were one big happy family sharing their love in a fantastic paradise.

            All was good.

            Life like this went on for many a millennium. In time, the children of Osar and Qwentas created life of their own to please their fathers and add to the beauty of the paradise. The lesser Gods made all manner of strange creatures to roam the lands, fly upon the sky, or swim within the great liquid. The paradise was now full of life, and Osar and Qwentas rejoiced.

            These creatures turned out to be fascinating. They developed a cycle of life and death, hunter and hunted, that kept the checks and balances for continued growth and prosperity for all. The two Fathers were pleased with the additions their children had brought forth.

            All was good.

            More millennia passed, and the two Godly brothers grew complacent once more. They still thought this world to be empty. It needed to be enjoyed to its fullest by more than just the animals their children had created. They sought to add life more likened to themselves and their children to share this paradise with, something lesser than their children but more remarkable than the smaller beasts that roamed the lands. Osar made the first men. He breathed an infinitesimal fraction of his essence into enormous titans. He had erred in his designs as the great giants towered over the trees and the small animals living within. Still, the gods were fascinated watching these great men and women learn to use all contained within the paradise to live off of. They did not merely settle into a symbiotic relationship with the paradise, as their children’s creations had, but instead sought to dominate and manipulate the paradise. This new wrinkle certainly piqued the interest of the many gods watching it all unfold.

            Not to be outdone, Qwentas created a race that was more in tune with his own image. But failure in this endeavour was in his nature. These beings he made did not walk upon two feet as did the giants. Rather, these massive beasts scrambled around on four powerful clawed limbs with long bodies and serpentine tails. They sprouted great wings much akin to Qwentas’s own, and as he had born them of fire, they were its master. Dragons, he named them…the Great Wyrms. The Gods’ newest creations changed the way paradise was for many millennia to come.

            All was good.

            These two magnificent creations thrived and were long-lived, but they did not spread out and multiply as the two gods had planned. Luckily so, as their sheer size would have been too much for the small orb to support had things gone as the Gods had hoped.

            Hoping for a better result, Osar once again created life. His yearning to share the paradise with as many as possible was unsatiable. This time, he used so little of his essence that those he created were small and could not use any of the godly power within them as their larger predecessors could; only a handful of these new creations would manage, in time, to learn how to tap into that power. He called his newest children… humans. They were a fragile young race, not overly durable nor ready to withstand the elements the paradise often presented to them. They struggled to adapt to the world they were brought into. The many dangers within the paradise plagued his new children, but they persevered and were innovative. Soon, they began to thrive. In time, they mastered the elements and the simple beasts that dwelled within their lands and multiplied much to Osar’s delight. Osar had placed his humans in many different spots up the orb, and they learned to speak in many different tongues. He found that his children had difficulties communicating with one another, so he gave to them a common language so that they could better understand each other. He was sure that if given time, they would be able to fill and enjoy all the orb had to offer.

            Seeing this, Qwentas, not wanting to be outdone once again, also tried to make a smaller race of his own. One to rival that of his brother’s newest children. Many times he tried and failed. First, the goblins he made. They multiplied as he hoped, but they were small and not nearly as strong as he needed them to be. Then he made the dwarves; they were stronger but still not very tall, and they struggled to multiply. Next came the Orcs, who had all the attributes he wanted. Strong and large, they multiplied almost out of control but were unruly and could not live peacefully with each other or his other children. So they would not thrive. Time and time again, Qwentas tried and failed: trolls, ogres, and so on. All the races Qwentas made would not thrive like Osar’s humans had. They were all stronger and better able to face the dangers of the paradise. Many could tap into the godly powers given by their father, but they could not get along, and they fought with one another, and then they fought with Osar’s humans. Osar was not pleased with this and implored his brother to reign in his creations. With great trepidation, though he loved them so, despite their faults, Qwentas abandoned his newest children. They continued to fight amongst themselves, never reaching the great heights that Osar’s humans had.

            Qwentas tried one final time. He was so envious of his brother, and he had to get one proper. He poured all his heart into his final creation. The Alves. They were perfect in every way, and Qwentas was filled with love. The Alve could use the godly powers within them, and they were ever so graceful and tall. They were long-lived and wise and could multiply like Osar’s children could. They outmatched the humans in every way. Qwentas loved them most of all… his final glorious achievement. The humans and the Alves grew and thrived, dominating the lesser races of Qwentas’s earlier failures.

            All was good… for a time.

            All great things could not last forever. The lesser gods began to grow weary of their father's new creations.  They started to influence them… some in positive ways, others not so. Osar’s children tried to teach his humans of love and peace. They tried to show them how to live within their means and how to tend to paradise and its smaller creations. Qwentas’s children, however, grow bored of all of this and started to set the smaller races upon one another. They whispered in their ears to behave in a manner that was not for the good of the paradise but merely for the good of the individual. They preached greed and, lust, and jealousy. In time, many of the lesser races that Qwentas had created banded together, driven by desperation and poor influence, and they attacked his beloved Alves. He did not know what to do and asked Osar, his wise and loving brother, for his help. Osar was not interested in the plight of the Alves. He was so taken with helping his humans thrive and had no time or care for the children of Qwentas. So, the Alves suffered greatly. Eventually, with great effort and sacrifice, they were able to fend off the lesser races, fighting them to a standstill. But they were decimated and had lost most of their lands. What few remained lived alone, crammed upon a large island. They needed more room to thrive, and so they headed to the lands of humankind. The greatest war of these dark times ensued when these two great creations came to blows.

            As the Alves were longer lived, taller, and stronger, coupled with their inherent ability to access the power of the gods that flowed within their blood, they soon came to bring the humans under heel. They were on the verge of wiping out Osar’s beloved children altogether. Now, it was Osar’s turn to plead with his brother to help stop the fighting. Qwentas turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to his brother. And so the Humans suffered. Osar could not allow his greatest love to perish, so he panicked and used his vast powers to smite the Alves's homeland. He wiped them out entirely.

            Qwentas grief was inconsolable. During this time, all the lesser Gods, the first children of the two Father Gods, had been taking sides with one or the other. They began to fight each other, hoping to curry favour with their chosen Father. The war of the Gods began. Very few survived this devastating time. Clusters of the great Dragons and handfuls of the mighty Giants survived, but only small clusters of the lesser races remained. Most died as collateral damage when the lesser Gods clashed. All ten of the godly children perished.

            After losing his beloved Alves and all of his godly children, Qwentas’s grief knew no limits. His rage built within him, and he grew to massive proportions. His anger and hatred of Osar fuelled him so. He would wipe out the humans that Osar so loved, and then he, too, would know the great loss Qwentas felt.

            Osar, seeing this, drew on his own strength and called upon the love of his children to bolster his own strength. He, in turn, grew to immense size.

            The two Gods met in combat, one on either side of a massive mountain range. The powerful Gods concocted massive weapons akin to the ones their children had used to smite each other for many generations. They fought each other to a near standstill for days, but Osar was fighting to save his beloved humans. He could not fail. He saw an opening in Qwentas’s defences and stuck with all his might. He sank his sword deep into his brother’s body and cut wide open his chest. There, Osar reached in and pulled out his brother's beating heart, the heart of a God. Qwentas dropped his massive sword, cleaving one part of the great mountain in half before the blade dissipated… releasing its energy back into the cosmos.

            Osar flung the beating heart deep into the forest on the mountain's eastern side, where it landed on a small island in the middle of a great lake. The heart sank into the ground, and a massive tree sprung from that spot, towering over the rest of the forest. It radiated a soft green glow as the very essence of God's heart slowly released through this great tree's branches and leaves.

            Osar caught his brother in his arms. He looked with tear-filled eyes into Qwentas's own as the light within them began to fade.

            “I love you, Brother!” he said the final words to his dying brother.

            What had he done? How could it have come to his? Osar wailed in agony as Qwentas’s light faded away. His body rejoining the cosmos. Osar looked around at what was left of their once magnificent paradise. All he could see now was a land decimated by war. Torn asunder and diminished. Most of the lesser races were all but extinct. Even his precious man had but a smattering of small tribes remaining. Everywhere he looked, he saw his brother and the ghosts of their children or their smaller creations. All the joy and love were gone. They had failed, and he could no longer look upon these lands. To do so filled him with a grief he could not reconcile.

            Osar once again entered the great void, leaving behind their creation to evolve as best it could without interference. He let go of his form and drifted once again. He would travel the cosmos alone for the first time. Oscar hoped with all his heart that he would one day come across another orb like the one he and his brother had found together so long ago; there, he would try again. One last attempt for his humankind. Hopefully, this time, he would get it right.

            All was… uncertain.