Chapter 10: In the Beginning...

Chapter 10; The Beginning

In the beginning, before time, before space, before thought, there was only the Void. A vast expanse of absolute nothingness, where not even darkness existed.

Yet, from this silent abyss, two seeds manifested—one of pure light, radiating harmony, warmth, creation, the other reeking of darkness, chaotic and hungry. These seeds fed upon the Void itself, drawing power from its emptiness, growing larger and stronger. Finally, they collided and merged.

This fusion caused a very massive blast, one that shattered the very essence of reality and gave birth to the first being—a force beyond comprehension.

The being born from this celestial fusion had no name but he called himself Auranthos, the Progenitor, the First of All, the Source of Existence. His form was ethereal yet mighty a being formed from the mixture of light and darkness, evil and good, heat and cold. He carried within him the balance of creation and destruction, but he was alone.

For eons, Auranthos wandered the Void trying to replicate himself. Yet, no matter what he created he failed. Because of his longing for companionship, he decided to use the remnants of the two seeds and attempted to replicate himself.

His first attempt was flawed. The being that emerged was powerful, but something was missing, something intuitive and graceful. Realizing his mistake, Auranthos refined the creation. This time he succeeded, forming a counterpart—Xyphora, the Eternal Matron. She was the First Mother, equal to him in power but wielding the forces of nurture, change, and life.

The two beings did and melding their powers together, they created four children.

Solmara (Son) – A radiant, human-like being, a replica of his dad. Calm and cool headed.

Vorrak (Son) – This one was evil bearing the full chaotic weight of the dark seed. He looked extremely monstrous

Seraphis (Daughter) – A luminous and wise celestial maiden, a mirror of Xyphora.

Nyzzira (Daughter) – A feral, nightmarish creature, just like Vorrak filled with boundless hunger and rage.

Auranthos and Xyphora loved all their children, but Vorrak and Nyzzira felt alienated. They saw their parents favoring their more "perfect" siblings and resented them. After some time, they abandoned their family, retreating into the dark corners of the Void, where they would foster their own kind.

With their parents, Solmara and Seraphis shaped the stars, planets, and galaxies, constructing what's known now as the universe. But as time passed, Auranthos and Xyphora began to fade. In their final moments, they offered their life force to their two loyal children.

Thus, Solmara and Seraphis became the new rulers of the cosmos.

They gave birth to 11 divine children, who would later be known as The Primordials. But for Solmara and his sister, even though they lived longer than their parents were not immune to fate, they too, one day faded and passed their essence into their own descendants.

In the dark parts of the cosmos, Vorrak and Nyzzira bred their own spawn. These offspring were imperfect, lesser than the Primordials, yet still powerful enough to thrive. Over the ages, they evolved into an entire race: The Nether Kin.

For eons, they remained hidden, growing, evolving, multiplying—until the time came to strike. Their hunger for power and vengeance would lead them to conquer planets to defy the children of Solmara and Seraphis.

Thus, an eternal conflict began.

****

Dylan blinked. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

Then, after a long pause, he exhaled and rubbed his temples.

"Well… damn."

He leaned back, staring at the sky, or at least, what was left of it through the ruined structures around him. "So, basically, before there was anything, there was nothing and then bam, two cosmic seeds popped out of nowhere, fused together, and exploded like some divine science experiment gone wrong? And instead of just, I don't know, making a slightly bigger nothing, they created the literal first god, Auranthos?"

Dylan shook his head. "Man, if this was what Dimitri taught me, I might have paid more attention. " The thought of Dimitri made him sad for a moment. A dead look flashed across his face before he waived it with a smile like nothing happened.

He sat up straighter. "And then this dude, Auranthos, goes, 'Hey, I'm lonely, let me make a girlfriend,' and poof, Xyphora pops into existence, and together they make four kids. Two golden boy and girl types, and two nightmare abominations. Then the horror twins get all emo, run off into deep space, and make their own evil empire. Fast forward a few billion years, and now we've got a full-on cosmic turf war. Where is this war going on? Because humans have traveled around the galaxy and nobody is talking about seeing titan sized monsters and gods fighting. Well except these drawings on the wall."

Dylan sighed. "Yep. Makes total sense."

He let his head rest against the cracked wall behind him, processing the sheer insanity of what he had just learned.

Religion had changed so much over time. Most people had stopped caring about old myths, and the few faiths that still existed were mostly centered around philosophy rather than some supreme being. But this? This wasn't just a myth. It wasn't some made-up story passed down by generations.

This was real, the real thing

It overturned everything.

Every ancient belief system? Every theory about gods and creation? Completely off the mark. The truth was far more terrifying and somehow, far more sci-fi than anyone could've imagined.