//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: In the beginning // Story: Eternals // by Shaslan //------------------------------// Eternity. Darkness without end, time without time. In the formless void dwelt creatures beyond comprehension. They did not act, but simply…were. They had no beginning, just as they would have no end. They had always been and would always be. Nor did they think, as we know thinking. There were no sensations to enliven them, no stimuli to provoke reflection. They merely existed. In this void there dwelt two such beings, much like the others. But as their endless present stretched on, finally, something changed. They became aware of one another. The two began to communicate. The greater one spoke to the lesser in soundless, lightless, wordless ways. Yet the lesser understood and replied, and they reached out blind and limbless to each other. Their strands of thought flowed as one, seamlessly intertwined, and they spoke only of one thing: their existence. They were aware of themselves, and of each other, and dimly of the other beings far in the distance, but their thoughts ended there, because that was all there was. nothing else reached their awareness, simply because there was nothing else to be aware of. I am a thing in existence, and so are you. Eventually, after many exchanges and acknowledgements of this thought, a new thought came to them. Before you, there was only me. Alone. It is better this way, together. Now there was more to think of, more to do. The two beings discovered another new concept; enjoyment. They were glad of this new state, glad to share with one another. After another long period of time it occurred to them that they were not alone in the way the other beings still were, uncomprehending and merely existing, and they were glad of this too. To be alone was to be static. In their constant conversation, new things arose. Eventually, there came a sort of language between them. It was merely emotions and shared impulses, but it allowed them to express their final and most important realisation; that there was nothing in existence at all but them, the other beings, and the vast, endless dark. It would be better, they at last decided, if there were more. They deliberated for a long time on what the more could be. All they knew was the empty dark and its opposite — themselves. They were not the void, and thus it stood to reason that they would be able to make something else that was not the void. They felt that if the void were an emptiness in which they hung, their grand new thing should be the what the void could not be; a something, a somewhere, a place for them to be in. So they thought a while longer, they gathered their strength, and when they were ready, they pushed. Past the limits of their minds and their reality, and they broke through. They created something new. It was roughly similar to what had gone before — incomprehensibly vast and blank, and all empty — but it was not the void. They could feel how very different this was. It was a place. They stretched out their tendrils and their enormous, immaterial bodies, luxuriating in the feeling of it. For they could feel this space around them in a way that they had never felt the void. The void had been absence of everything, but this smooth velvety darkness wrapped them in its folds and gave them more sensory input than they had ever known before. As before, it took them untold eons to adjust to this new state of being. As before, they shared their slowly-forming thoughts about everything they were experiencing. The many little fragments of feeling eventually coalesced into a question. If we have made this, what more can we make? The greater being thrummed with an idea. The lesser fluttered its ghostly form with anticipation. We have made one thing which is not the void, said the greater. Let me try to make a new thing, an opposite thing from the first thing. The lesser understood; the first thing they had made, the vast soft darkness, must have an opposite. Something small and bright and fierce. Something to complement the dark space and exist in this place with the two beings. The lesser being eagerly pushed forth its power once more, lending it to the greater to supplement its own power, and the greater being shaped from the darkness a small, flickering sphere. The orb was golden and burned with a light like nothing the two beings had sensed before. It was tiny compared to them, but it was so beautiful that they huddled themselves around it, twisting eagerly over and under one another to be closer to it. The lesser being thought a while longer, comparing the gentle embrace of the dark and the brave brightness of the golden sphere, and then shaped its own sphere, smaller, weaker, glowing a soft silver-white, to better complement the endless night. The greater being vibrated again with approval. The two spheres were so different, and yet so alike, and the perfect partner to the other. Just like us. They gazed enraptured at what they had wrought. Their minds had conceived of the lights, imagined them, but to sense them in reality was astounding. They poured more of their power into the spheres, strengthening them, helping them grow. They hummed and throbbed with their happiness, and their song carried far across the dark reality they had made, and beyond. They did not realise it, but another being heard the song. Or rather, it became more aware of the two beings’ song than it became of the one immutable fact of its own existence. It listened to them for a long time, hovering halfway between the void and the place the first two had made, and slowly it began to turn its coils towards their voices. The two beings were shocked when they heard the voice of the Other calling back. It stunned them both into silence, and they curled protectively around their two orbs as they considered what they should do. The Other came closer, its call growing louder as it sought them out. They were at a loss as to what course of action to take. Never before had this happened to them. In all their endless time in the void it had only been them. The voice of the Other felt alien and wrong. Another unprecedented thought came to them. We do not like this Other. They rejected its unfamiliarity, and the song they now sang to the Other rang out with hostile warning tones. The cry of the Other fell silent, and though they listened a while longer, they soon returned their attention to their precious new lights. But of course, the Other came again, unable to stay away from the lure of something besides endless existence. He came into their smooth, glossy darkness and tried to commune with them, but his voice was too strident, his thoughts too excited and wide-ranging, and impatiently they rebuffed him. He had not dwelt with them since before time began. He was not one of them, and they wanted none of his help. Before his grasping tendrils could reach for and jeopardise their newly-flickering sun and moon, they acted. We shall shut him out. They pushed him away, past the reaches of their dark and empty space and beyond, shoving at the limits of their realm until there was no void left. All of a sudden, it was gone, when nothing had ever been sudden before. They could not sense the Void anymore; they would have paused to be shocked, but there was no time, and the Other was reaching for their reality once more. They had filled the void, and there were no other beings within their sphere of hearing. Just him. Quickly they built vast impenetrable walls around their reality that he might not return. Shields of their making and their devising that none but they could unlock. Let me SEE, they heard him grumble as they shut him out, and though they noted with surprise his grasp of words, they did not answer. He was no match for their combined strength, and after a long, long pause in which they waited and listened, watching their lights kindle to life, they felt him begrudgingly push out his own power and create his own realm of empty space, as they had done so long ago. Good, they said to each other. That will keep him occupied. The other beings, only ever distant hums at the edges of their consciousness, were gone at last from their perception. Most importantly, the Other was gone too and they heard him no longer. In the new silence there was only the two of them. They sang louder in their triumph and satisfaction, and bent their attention once more upon their little universe. The lights were wondrous, and the golden and the silver orbs flowed around each other in an endless dance as much like the exchange of their thoughts as the two beings could make it. But they knew they could do even better, create something even more beautiful. They made the third thing round and flat and wide, so that all parts could be lit by their shining lights. It was pleasant and harmonious work. The ground was carefully formed and shaped by the greater being, and the lesser covered it in places with a fantastical substance that gleamed blue in the light of the sun and glowed dark and deep in the light of the moon. She spent millennia balancing the waters with the moon, so that they would ebb and flow and respond to her gleaming silver light. The cyclical pattern pleased both beings as much as the orbit of the sun and moon had so long ago. The greater being played her immaterial tendrils over the water and thought long and hard about what she could fashion to complement it, and then began her finest work of all. Living organisms sprouted from the water and stretched their leafy limbs up towards her sun. Their rocky grey world became lush and green as the greater being spread the plants out from her sister’s ocean across the land. The lesser being, meanwhile, undertook her own great work, crafting countless tiny versions of her moon and scattering these new stars across the sky heavens around them. Once the greater being had finished her forests and her plains, the lesser being added some silvery plants of her own and shaped more constellations in the stars around them. The plants lived and grew and died, and like the cyclical, harmonious movements of the heavens and the seas, satisfied the sisters greatly. All worked as one, like they did, moving together, just as they themselves did. For countless eons they were content to perfect their planet and its living green mantle. Then the younger turned to the elder. Would it not be better if our plants could do a little more? What do you mean, sister? I mean their cycle does not complete. The pattern does not end. The water functions; it flows into the sky and the sea, and from it comes the plants. But the trees and the grass do not nourish anything. They do not further the pattern. The elder saw that her sister was right, and once more she ran her tendrils through her sister’s life-giving ocean. From it came small things, almost too small for the vast sisters to perceive, that crawled and lived and died much like the plants they fed on. These little things spread, and with the encouragement and aid of both the sisters they changed and evolved to become many kinds of things that walked and ran upon the land. The younger sister took a special interest in the creatures that dwelt within her sea. She gave them silver scales that shone like stars, and to some special creatures she gave little orbs that glowed like the moon. Some of the creatures preyed on one another, and though the sisters had not anticipated this, they knew that this helped to complete the cycle, the harmony. Nonetheless, they made sure to curb the spread of these more hungry creatures, and with gentle alterations made them limited in their numbers. The living creatures grew and changed, with the sisters reaching down to help. They corrected imperfections, smoothed things out, and nudged them to create the most harmonious, melodious patterns. They looked down with joy upon their creation. They watched for millennia, enchanted by what they had made together, lighting it by turns with their beautiful sun and moon. The little creatures became stronger and wiser, and working together like the sisters they built tiny things upon the surface of the sisters’ planet. The two sisters approved. What coordination this was! What harmony! They breathed their power into the world, watching the beautiful patterns it made. The most special of the little creatures learned to wield small fragments of the magic, and the sisters witnessed this with delight and granted them more magic, more power. Time passed, and the little creatures on the planet journeyed across it. The sun and moon lit the earth in what seemed like quick flashes of light to the beings. The sisters watched their lands, the plants and forests flickering across it like water, occasionally stretching down a tendril to reshape a mountain or an ocean, or nudge a civilisation this way or that. Never more than the most gentle of touches. Finally, the lesser being broke the silent exchange of thoughts with a more pointed statement. Sister, look. The greater undulated a little closer. What is that? I…do not know. It is not of our making. The sisters watched as the strange speck on the land spread. It was black and purple, pulsing at the edges with its wrongness. It was tiny, minuscule, and yet it perturbed them greatly. I shall wipe it clean, the lesser being stated decisively. She brushed her power across it, the briefest of touches, but with enough force behind it to rid the little planet of the imperfection. But gentle as she had been, it was more power than either of them had ever used before on the surface of their world. A direct intervention where before they had only nudged and guided. The blot was gone, but to their horror they saw the ripples of earthquake throbbing across the continent, waves spilling out across the planet to smash with great force into the other lands. No, no, no! The two beings were as one in their panicked cries, and they crowded close to their little creation, desperate to help but now terrified to touch. After what seemed like an age to their agonised minds, the motion finally ceased and things returned to how they had been, though the lines of the impact now spread across the planet. The little creatures crept out from the crevices they had fled into and their populations began to recover. I am so sorry, sister, the lesser being said, sadness and frustration equal in her thoughts. I made the wrong choice. It is alright; I would have done the same, the greater being said, though they both knew that deep down she would not have. It is alright, after all. They both sought to reassure each other now. With time we can guide things back to the way they were and correct those imperfections. The question of what the blot had been remained, but it was a question neither of them knew the answer to. They chose to focus instead on fixing what had been broken. All went smoothly for a time. The little creatures on the damaged continent replenished themselves and began to use their magic in ways the sisters could feel — they paid tribute to the sun and the moon, and they worked hard within the patterns the sisters had created, darting among the clouds in the stratosphere and toiling in the rich soil. The sisters grew more and more absorbed in their work on this continent, and bent close to observe the burgeoning little civilisation, when the lesser being felt her sister grow still. What is it? The greater being did not answer, but the lesser could feel in her thoughts what she had perceived, and her own motion ceased as she took in the horror of the situation. On another continent, one as yet untouched by disaster and carpeted in a smooth green mantle of plants and filled with thriving little creatures, was another imperfection. Bigger this time, much bigger, a jagged purple rip in the world, pulsating with hurt. They turned to one another in horror. Another mess within their harmonious and ordered world. And how could they fix it this time? A blot so big would require an even more powerful touch to remove it. They knew they could not risk that this time. Not when everything was going so beautifully, had evolved into such gloriously complex patterns. As they pondered, the blot spread further across the face of the continent, covering everything in its chaotic mess. It hurt their senses with its alienness. It was nothing like any of the things they had created together. The stench of a foreign reality rolled off it in waves, and the sisters reared back in disgust. It stank of the Other. They could see it in the ugly colours and the hideous, disordered way it pulsed and changed. It was just like his mind had been, too loud and too much. Their spirits sank. For all their walls and boundaries, the Other had somehow found a way to worm out of his own reality and creep back into their creation. Worst of all, he was now at the very centre, down on their fragile planet where they could not stop him for fear of injuring it further. The two beings bent their minds entirely to the question of what they should do. They spoke quickly and urgently to one another, but they were determined not to act again in haste. As they watched, the blot spread further. They crept as close to it as they could, their senses brushing feather-light against the planet’s surface, trying to perceive how he could make it reek of his presence and yet not appear before them. As they touched the epicentre of the chaos, shuddering at the alien noise and smell of it, they were shocked to find that they could dimly feel him. It was not like when they had dwelt in the void, with the distant hum of the other beings in the back of their minds, incomprehensibly far away. No, the Other was here, on the surface of the planet somehow, just as their tiny creatures were. But he was distant because he was so small. Somehow, somehow, their minds could not even grasp how, he had compressed and crushed himself into something small enough to walk the surface of their world in the way their little creatures did. He had forced his vast consciousness into something too small for the sisters to detect until it was too late, and now he was there, tearing open holes between their reality and his. What can we do, against this? wailed the lesser being. We cannot act against him without crushing everything. The greater being also felt like wailing, but fought to keep herself still and her emotions under control. We could start anew. Make a new reality, with even stronger walls. The lesser being bristled instantly, her mind becoming as spiky and bright as the sun’s rays. Sister, no! Nothing we created would ever match what we have achieved here. I love this creation, not a different one. You are right, said the greater despairingly. I could not bear to leave what we have made. But what else can we do? He is ruining it. The lesser being had one of the flashes of genius that the greater sometimes wished she could have herself. I have it! What is to stop us doing what he has done? What do you mean? We can do the same, the lesser being explained eagerly. We can go down into the world as he has. Crush our power down into a tiny form, like him. Then we could fight him and banish him again without destroying our little place. We cannot do that! The greater being’s rejection of the idea was almost instinctive. We are not little creatures like those that dwell down there. It would not work. But why not? Persisted the lesser being. He has survived! But he is so unlike us, the greater said, her resistance wavering. Different, perhaps, but still the same sort of creature. He was there before everything else just as we were. If he has found a way, so can we. The confidence in her sister’s thoughts was so strong that the greater being found herself believing it as well. But how would we ever fit ourselves into so small a frame? She brushed a tendril over some islands, careful not to touch the unpleasant area where the Other dwelt. The little creatures dwelling there were almost too small to perceive, the sparks within them so dim as to almost be invisible. She looked doubtfully at her sister’s blazing silver form, so iridescent with power she outshone the stars themselves. The lesser being looked down at the harsh, spiked ground where the Other was. He has tried to put too much of himself into the earthly form. He cannot contain himself. It was tearing the land apart. We cannot make that mistake, the greater being followed her train of thought. Three such aberrations would fracture the planet entirely. There must be another way. She paused, and then an idea came. We can put our power into other things, things external to the bodies we create. I shall put mine in the moon, said the lesser being immediately. As much as the planet had absorbed their attention for eons, nothing there had ever won the place in her affections that her first creation still possessed. The greater being fluttered its coils in agreement. Yes, and mine in the sun. And more besides in things we can take with us. How could we take anything? The lesser being struggled for a moment to conceive of the idea of not being here, on the outside, where they had always been. Little things, tiny objects like the tiny creatures. We can make them to store our power in, like the sun and moon, and send them down before we go ourselves. The lesser shivered in excitement, the vibration running all the way through her. Are we truly going to do this? Put ourselves down there on what we have made? Why not? The greater being was amused. It was your idea, sister. But all the same, even she struggled to imagine what it would be like. To be part of the pattern, part of the cycle, rather than watching it from the outside. What would it be like? Very well, the lesser being pushed them forward. They were both conscious of the edges of the blot continuing its dreadful creep across their pristine world. We shall make these items and fill them with our power. Our strength is that we are together, and he is alone, the greater being mused. Her sister enthusiastically agreed. He cannot hope to face the two of us. Let us have these…elements we are creating represent our real strength. Our unity and the harmonious world we have made. The younger being was anxiously watching the blot, her coils skimming its surface despite the unpleasant flavour of the Other. Yes. Let us begin, sister. We cannot delay any longer. He is too strong for the planet to contain unchecked. Lend me your magic, little sister. The lesser being readily let her light flow forth to her sister, and the sun and the moon moved as one in the sky as they began their greatest work. The first element of our unity will be our greatest skill — our magic, our power. As the greater being thought, light flashed bright in the space between the sisters and coalesced into a vast cloud of power that roiled and sparked. The sisters worked together to crush it down and force it into a form tinier by a thousand times than what it contained. The greater being spoke aloud five more times, describing what they were, what they aspired to be and to do for their creations, and each time the sisters pushed forth a chunk of their own power and forced it into another tiny structure. We share our thoughts and are open with each other, our minds are as one. We shall never be what we are not. A second shining light gleamed beside the first. We will heal and help our little creatures and our beautiful planet. The sisters’ forms were slightly diminished, their vast bodies a little less vast. We will have faith that we can fix things, and we will not give up. The planet seemed to loom larger before their eyes as the fourth shining light began to orbit with the others. There was no going back now. We will give all that we can to this world we have made. With a wrench, another chunk of their power was gone. We will protect this place from the Other, and from anything else that might threaten it. Gasping now, they pushed the sixth and final piece of themselves out into the world. The sisters huddled a little closer together than before, their limbs more tightly enmeshed. They were much less than they had been, but the six elements shone so brightly it almost didn’t seem to matter. What now, sister? The lesser being turned uncertainly to the greater for guidance. Now we must send them down to the ground, so that we can retrieve them and use them to confront the Other without causing further damage. Had the lesser being a head, she would likely have nodded her fervent agreement. As it was, she nervously shuddered her assent. Yes, yes. But they must go where he will not find them. We will scatter them far apart. Drawing again on both their power, the greater being span the elements faster and faster around one another, only to finally send them whirling down, down, their thrums of power growing weaker and fainter as they each came to rest in their hiding places. Some in the sea, some on the land, some in the air. Whatever the condition of the body that the Other had chosen for himself, he was limited by size and his solitary condition, and the greater being was certain he would not manage to find their secrets. The two beings turned their attention to their first creations, the spheres. They pushed their magic outwards again. The greater being poured her golden light into the sun, and the lesser being let her silver-blue stream into the moon. As their power left them they were diminished still further, but the flux of power running from them to the sun and moon flowed no less fast, and the two spheres flared brighter than they ever had before. Finally, the greater being motioned a stop, and they moved through the empty space where their bodies had been to meet in the centre. At last, the moment had come for the final step. The sisters brushed their weakened tendrils once more over the dark place where the Other was. The stink of his dark power was stronger than ever and the clangour of his presence hurt their senses even more than before. He had not retreated. There was no other way. It must be done. Slowly, reluctantly, they disentangled their minds. They hung there for a moment, separate and yet together, looking at one another. We won’t get separated down there, will we? If we do, we shall find each other again. And then, as one. Let us begin. Forcing themselves down was much like creating the elements had been. Through sheer force of will they were able to compress their own fiery glory down, down, in and down, towards the planets surface. They reached for their tiny creatures as they went, feeling what they were, understanding their forms and nature more than they ever had from above, and took those shapes for themselves. They crushed themselves into these tiny bodies and sealed them, and the overspill of their power flooded out across the planet, infusing everything with their magic. The sisters fell, their minds fully torn away from each other at last, and everything went black.