It is said that, in the beginning, there was chaos. A shifting madness of black sea, within which, swam undulating masses of ancient horrors. This sea is the sentient concept of primordial chaos given form. It is from this chaos that all of creation was birthed.
From this sea of horrors, a thin pale arm of the first humanoid poked above the frothing waves. Despite the sea’s fury, the arm was unswayed by the push and pull of its currents. No one can say how much time had passed before a second thinner arm breached the waves. Together, they emerged from the black sea’s depths, revealing two figures. A man with long silver hair and gray eyes, his build rugged and handsome, yet nude. Beside him stood a slender, spritely girl, her hair twice as long, reaching her ankles. Her features were similar to her brother’s, yet softer than a mother's caress of a newborn babe.
Despite their apparent bare forms, they embraced it without shame. For shame was not a concept at that time. They only knew their names, having just been born into this realm. Elara turned to her brother and tilted her head. “Elros, do you know where we are?”
Elros craned his neck, using his height advantage to see as far as he could. “I’m afraid not, sis. As far as I can see, there is naught but boundless black sea. There are the occasional islands that form, but they vanish in moments.”
Elara pondered this for a moment, her mind racing. What could this mean? Are we the first of our kind? Then, why do I sense life all around us? It makes no sense, wait, what even is sense? I should ask Elros. She turned, paced around Elros, and poked him in the side.
“Wah! What are you doing, Elara!? That felt weird.”
Elara giggled at his reaction and asked her question. “Brother, do you know what sense means?”
Her brother furrowed his brow as he considered her question. “I believe it has to do with the concept of feeling, like how I felt your poke just now. Why do you ask?”
“Because,” Elara replied, her voice filled with wonder, “I feel something deeper, something beyond just touch. It’s like the world is speaking to us, urging us to understand it. But what does it mean to understand? Wait, I think sense can also mean perception, maybe?”
Elros nodded, intrigued. “Perception... that sounds right. It’s how we interpret what we feel and see around us, isn’t it? But what are we meant to perceive?”
That was when Elara sensed life growing closer when a massive black mass of tentacles and an intimidating presence appeared behind her. “I believe I can answer that.”
Stolen novel; please report.
Its voice was a deep echoing rumble, yet it had a familial air to it. “First, let me welcome my newborn brother and sister. You can call me Ic'thyggurh. To answer your question on what you are meant to perceive, according to our mother, it is the world, the past, present, and future.”
“Past, present, and future? Can you tell us what that is, uh... Ec’thigruh?” Elara tried to be respectful, but for her to pronounce such a complicated name was asking the impossible.
Ic'thyggurh’s many tentacles undulated gracefully as it regarded them. “The past, present, and future are threads woven into the fabric of existence. The past is the foundation from which you rise, shaping who you are and the choices you make. The present is the moment you inhabit, where your actions can ripple through time. And the future…”
It paused, allowing the weight of its words to sink in. “The future is what you create, a canvas yet to be painted by your hands. Each choice you make shapes the world around you, echoing through eternity.”
Elara's eyes widened. “So, we have the power to create our future?”
“Indeed,” Ic'thyggurh replied, its voice resonating with authority. “But remember, with that power comes responsibility. Your actions will weave the fate of not just yourselves, but of all beings born from chaos.”
Elros exchanged a glance with Elara, the weight of their potential settling between them. “Then let us understand this world together, starting with what lies beyond the horizon.”
With that decision made, Elros turned to proceed. Then paused when he noticed what his sister was doing.
Elara had skipped around and climbed Ic’thyggurh’s body and was now perched atop its head. Her voice filled with excited glee as she declared with an air of pride, “Forward, to the horizon we go!”
Elros could only shake his head and look apologetically at Ic’thyggurh. However, what he saw was not annoyance, but a reverent expression on its face as it did as it was told. Why? This is so odd, but what is odd? Why does this scene make me feel uneasy?
As his mind raced, he didn’t even notice Elara reaching down to him. Elara tilted her head, feeling worried for the first time as she watched her brother’s face darken. She didn’t understand why he stood there in silence for so long. So, to break this uneasy air that was beginning to form, she jumped down and onto her brother's back. Tugging at his cheeks and bringing her head close to his face, “What’s got you so stuck in time? No more boring thinking! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Elros snapped out of his thoughts, a faint smile returning to his face as he gently pried Elara's hands from his cheeks. “Alright, alright, no more boring thinking.” He looked up at Ic’thyggurh, who seemed to hum with an ancient power. “Lead the way, Ic’thyggurh. Let’s see what this world has in store for us.”
Ic’thyggurh moved forward, its many tentacles gliding effortlessly over the black sea. Elara and Elros held on as the ancient being carried them toward the horizon. The waves of the chaotic sea churned and shifted around them, but the path ahead seemed to clear as if acknowledging their journey. Throughout all of this, it never once crossed the twin's minds to ask, why could they walk on the sea’s surface?