Chapter 11: The Music of the Cosmos

A thousand years had passed since Inar created the concepts of man and woman. During this time, the primordial world flourished even more. The first rudimentary societies emerged; groups of creatures learned to build shelters, communicate with more elaborate sounds, and create tools for hunting and planting. Life was no longer mere instinct—now, it carried the spark of consciousness.

Yet, Inar was deep in thought.

Sitting on the steps of her Lunar Temple, she watched the planet below. The surface spun gently, with oceans shimmering under the moonlight and forests swaying to the rhythm of the wind. Life followed its cycle, but something felt… incomplete.

And then, she heard it.

A melody.

It was soft, gentle, melancholic, and mysterious. The notes seemed to come from some distant point, echoing through the void. Inar closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint its source. The sound did not come from the primordial world. It did not come from the stars.

It came… from the smaller moon.

— "Lior." — she whispered.

Inar rose to her feet. She did not need to fly. She simply took a step—and in the next instant, she was beside her brother, in the neighboring temple.

Lior stood at the center of a circular courtyard, his back to her. His hair flowed like a living mosaic, shifting between the golden hue of the sun and the silver glow of the stars. In his hands, he held something new—an elongated object, crafted from dark wood, with delicate strings that vibrated as he ran a bow across them.

— "What is that, brother?" — she asked, captivated.

Lior stopped playing and turned to her, smiling.

— "It's a violin," he said. "An instrument."

— "Instrument?" — Inar frowned. "This concept… where did it come from?"

— "From tools," he explained. "You created the concept of tools, remember? I simply… played with it. Instruments are tools with no practical purpose. They exist to express emotions, to echo what words cannot."

A shiver ran through Inar's essence. She looked at the violin, then at her brother.

— "And what were you expressing?"

Lior gazed at the sky, thoughtful.

— "The universe." — He ran the bow over the strings again, playing a few deep notes. "This sound… it isn't mine. It belongs to the universe you created, sister. Listen closely."

Inar closed her eyes, letting herself be guided by the melody. The sound of the violin intertwined with something else—a distant whisper, a barely perceptible vibration. She delved deeper. The cosmic silence was not silence at all. There were gentle voices, faint echoes, pulses of existence.

The universe was… singing.

— "What is this?" — she murmured, fascinated.

— "Life," Lior answered. "In the stars we created, in the planets born from randomness. Life is emerging. I can hear it. They are not like the beings of the primordial world… not yet. But they are there, growing, trying to find their way."

Inar fell silent. The music wrapped around her mind and heart. She saw visions of distant planets—some covered in endless oceans, others crowned with crystalline mountains. She saw life blooming on these worlds, fragile and curious, just as it had in the primordial world.

— "They need something," she whispered. "They need… guides."

Lior stopped playing, surprised.

— "Guides?"

— "Yes. Not like us. Not as powerful. But beings who can help the life of these worlds grow, evolve, understand the cycles. Beings who carry a part of us."

She turned to her brother, eyes glowing.

— "Gods."

The word was spoken, and it reverberated through the cosmos. The concept was born in that instant. Gods: beings molded from creative essence, endowed with the power to guide, teach, protect, and, when necessary, challenge their creations.

Lior smiled, fascinated.

— "Amazing, sister. But… I thought we would visit all these worlds ourselves, teaching their creatures as we did here."

— "We will visit them," she assured him. "But we will not be their guides. We will be their stories, their myths, their whispers in the wind. Every planet will have a connection to the primordial world. And through that connection, their creatures will be able to reach us."

— "How will we create this connection?" — he asked, intrigued.

Inar did not answer immediately. She stretched out her hands and let her essence flow. Translucent threads emerged from the moon, like invisible roots extending through space. Each thread was a thin line of energy, reaching for a specific point—planets that showed potential for life.

— "These threads are…?" — Lior leaned in to observe.

— "Currents of Aether," Inar explained. "An invisible network connecting the primordial world to all others. Every planet inhabited by life will be touched by this web. And through it, creatures who develop enough intelligence will feel our presence, even if they cannot see us."

Lior ran his fingers along one of the threads. He felt a soft vibration, like an ancient whisper.

— "And how will the gods use this connection?"

— "I will embed the knowledge into their essence," she said. "They will instinctively understand their role in maintaining balance. They will be able to touch this web, sense the flows of life, and interact with other worlds. The primordial world will be… the center of everything."

Lior whistled, impressed.

— "Sister, you always think big."

Inar laughed.

— "Of course. We are the creators, remember?"

She extended her hand and, with a gesture, began forming the first gods.

From the surface of the moon, luminous figures arose. They were larger than mortals, but smaller than the creators. Each was molded with unique characteristics:

1. Thalira, Goddess of the Tides – Blue-skinned, with hair made of ocean foam. Ruler of the waters and their cycles.

2. Orion, God of Storms – Silver-haired, with lightning-filled eyes. Guardian of the sky's balance.

3. Selanis, Keeper of Shadows – A slender figure, shrouded in mist. Protector of night and mystery.

4. Veyra, Lady of the Harvest – Strong-bodied, with a warm smile. Keeper of fertility and growth.

5. Klyos, Guardian of Time – Golden-eyed, with an hourglass embedded in his chest. Observer of ages and change.

Lior, excited, joined in and created more:

1. Zalaris, Lord of the Winds – Unpredictable, with translucent wings.

2. Ignari, Mother of Flames – A living fire in humanoid form.

3. Elyra, Goddess of Songs – Born to spread the harmony of the universe.

The gods hovered before the siblings, awaiting their purpose.

— "Now, the final touch," said Inar.

With their hands joined, the creators channeled part of their essence into the center of the temple. The energy coursed through the moon's surface, entered the Aether network, and spread across the universe.

— "Every planet connected to the primordial world will have its own gods," Inar declared. "We created the first. The rest… we leave to randomness."

Lior laughed.

— "I bet it will do an incredible job."

— "It always does," Inar agreed.

They watched as the Aether currents expanded, reaching distant stars. The sound of Lior's violin still echoed in the air, intertwining with the whispers of growing life in the cosmos.

— "Brother," Inar said after a long silence. "What do you think these intelligent beings will say when they learn they were shaped by our ideas?"

Lior lay on the silver floor, gazing at the stars.

— "I think they will call us legends. Dreams. Invisible creators."

— "I like that," she whispered. "Invisible creators."

And so, on that quiet night, the Aether network spread through the universe, connecting distant worlds to the primordial world. And the first gods awakened, ready to guide the life that would soon fill creation.