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"Beginnings are simple. This has been a truth I experienced, a truth I have witnessed time and time again through my long life.
I don't know how my egg was formed, nor how I developed inside the egg. I do know that when I hatched my first sight was the vast emptiness of space and the darkness of the Black Star that kept me warm in its presence. I fed off the energies of that Black Star as I grew, don't ask about the length of time I aged, as time was a foreign concept. Let alone one that is taught...
I didn't have a parent of any kind to teach me anything, I simply relied on pure instincts.
Then my instincts urged me to fly from the Black Star until I came to this glimmering trail of moving balls of lit up gas. How or why this trail existed is another matter I hadn't pondered; I simply accepted its presence and that I was to follow the direction of the flow.
It wasn't long before more trails appeared and weaved into this growing path for me to follow. Others soon joined me, and I felt a connection to them, as if I saw them as my siblings, my family.
I could see their wing colors were different from my own dark wings and I was entranced. Colors held no name to me then, but I knew theirs was different and I thought them beautiful.
We didn't communicate verbally, instead we communicated with our wings, our tails, our claws, our entire essence of self and learned from each other. We learned we all hatched in similar ways but from different stars.
Soon the flow of these little gas lights came across our first galaxy, and we trailed away to explore what this new Star held. This was when we first learned about planets with ecosystems and the smaller planets that circled the larger planets. We found more Life on these planets, from oceans to landscapes and even curious creatures that thrived in the provided environments. Some planets even being pure gas or pure ocean and still Life found ways to thrive in this galactic system.
We left that galaxy as we realized there weren't any sentient beings like ourselves. I am unsure how many galaxies we explored as we followed the Star Streams, as we call it now, but eons ago this system we’re in now gained our attention.
Shortly after our arrival, a Sentient being flowed into existence from the star, or the Sun as you call it here. This being was different from us as she didn't hatch from an egg, she just simply came into existence fully formed and filled with knowledge that we didn't hold at that time.
She taught us verbal communication, taught us to call her Atlia, and we taught her our natural skills. She taught us how to tap into our Astro Powers and we taught her of the Star Stream. She taught us how she couldn't travel the Star Stream for she came into existence for a purpose.
Then she requested we assist her with her purpose, to let her guide us in using our powers together to create Ov'Rea.
Gemma, the Dragoon of Lands, gathered the various floating rocks together and worked hard to form the terrains. Rafferty, the Dragoon of Waters, found a way to draw water into the deep trenches of the terrain and with Zara, the Dragoon of Nature, they brought to Life of all manners of Flora, Fauna, and various methods of minerals that form your rocks and precious metals and stones. Some of these required Elio, the Dragoon of Fire, powers to come to life. Elio filled pockets in the terrain with flames that turned the minerals into what you call lava, and soon after became volcanoes.
The volcanoes were destructive at first but then we watched as new Life came to thrive and weather began to form. Gemma even pointed out how some of their looser terrain began floating above or on top of the ocean and more Life came to form. Those terrains even started circulating in a single line around the planet, forming what is now called Circ’Balteus.
Zeru, Dragoon of Spirit and Lucian, Dragoon of Light, both turned to me with excitement as they wanted to join in on the work. We noticed how the Atlia’s star lit up only one part of this new planet with nothing to ignite the sky on the darker, which caused severely changing temperatures and in turn made Life that much harder to thrive. Zeru was the one to suggest Lucian and I work together to solve this solution, for we found out later why she made this suggestion.
Lucian and I then drew one of the larger floating terrains further into the sky and with our powers combined we created what you now call Lu’Moonar. We then sent this piece of rock that glimmers in the darkness to spin opposite of the Atlia’s star so that it can reflect the starlight and shine to the surface. Thus creating Day and Night.
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We all then started this planet to dance around Atlia’s star in a slow pattern so that it could draw close on one side and further on the other, thus creating your seasons and a sense of steady change.
The Goddess looked upon our work and turned to Zeru with an outstretched hand, stating there was to be one last thing to make this planet perfect for her galaxy. Zeru took Atlia’s hand and held her hand out to Zara until soon we all formed a circle together.
She gathered all of our Dragoonic powers together and began the process of bringing to Life that which will tend to the planet in our stead so that we may best govern this world. The Elves, Humans, Hu’Ani, Hu’Aqi and the Hu’Avi all came to be created and each were Blessed with skills to aide in their works of caring for our newly formed planet Ov’Rea.
She then created a system that would allow communications between us and those she will choose and even those not chosen with those chosen. Those opaque boxes that you see appear was that system, and she placed various protruding stones around Ov’Rea as central points of her network. She taught the bipedal races how the system works and to call her Goddess, we taught them how to use their powers, and when she felt everything was done, she relinquished our powers and stated we should all rest.
We were tired from all that work, and so we each found ourselves homes on this planet so that we could rest. When we awoke, centuries had passed for the bipedals and we emerged to find devastation across the lands. The races were at war with each other and we hadn’t known how or why this even came to be like this.
It would be the Atlia to inform us that it was my Dark powers that planted the seeds of all this destruction and as the others turned to me, I could say nothing for I know my Dark powers are not what would trigger such things as jealousy or greed but I didn’t know what would have planted such ill seeds.
She then offered for us all to join powers with her so she could create one last race that could rule over all the bipedals. Zeru refused, for the creatures already made have all our powers imbued within them and it should be up to us to go forth and teach them how to wield the powers responsibly again for surely during the generations of these creatures the teachings could have gone askew and caused all of what we saw. We all agreed with Zeru’s logic, for during our travels and interactions with the bipeds in finding out answers to our questions we could see there was still a sense of caring and fulfilling their duties to Ov’Rea.
Atlia rose above us then, pointing her finger at us and demanded we kneel before her for she is the Goddess of all the Universe and she was the highest power above us.
In our beginnings we knew there is a Being that gave all of us Life, born of Stars as we were, and when the Goddess spewed these declarations at us we knew in an instant it was all false. She was not the one that gave us Life, she was not the one that guided us to her star and we all decided to work with her for it felt like a nice change from our wanderings. We refused again.
The Goddess then held both hands up, palms facing towards us and thrice now demanded we obey her in creating this final race of hers that could correct the bipedals on some path of her own design, she didn’t go into details on this plan for she was too focused on making us bow and revere her. We refused thrice.
Angered now, she drew her powers from her Star and placed a Binding Curse upon us. It sent us back to our chosen resting places and forced us to remain bound until we give in and bow in servitude.
Funny, she forgot to include who we were to give in and bow to in servitude, which was where my loophole came in to play here in this land. I chose to serve those that walk my lands and provided a coin of vow to one of the Elves that proved to be a leader in return for yearly compensation. A few years ago that coin was mistakenly returned to me at the last Harvest Ritual.” Bahamut held up a coin pinched between his fingers with a smirk. The coin was certainly different because there was a symbol clearly engraved in the center. Lowering his hand, he looked back to the flames with a frown.
“When the Goddess cursed us, it reflected onto herself. She sealed herself into the center of Ov’Rea and it wasn’t long before we all realized those dark seeds within the bipeds came from the Goddess, for soon that darkness started invading the lands and became further worsened in the bipeds.
Before our communication lines came to be cut off, we all decided to choose a Warrior of each race to work together to seal away the Goddess’ darkness. We knew this would do nothing about those seeds in the bipedals but the Goddess’ darkness was the grander one to contain.
From what I can tell, our plan has worked and it somehow even became a tradition now for every five centuries. That system the Goddess created came to have it imbued as a bit of a power check for this world, clever of the Goddess to ensure the system automates in such a way.”
Celine had been cooking and listening to Bahamut’s rambling, taking in his words as this was a story not taught in any of her classes growing up nor talked about amongst the villagers. It was a lot to take in and she felt rather glad her cooking kept her occupied until the food came to be finished when he finished his tale.
“So the system truly is the making of our Goddess?”
“Yes, we only provided the powers for her to weave.”
Bahamut waved a hand and a table appeared between them, having noticed Celine needing a place to put the finished meal. Licking his lips, he leaned forward to smell. “This is such a delight to breathe in after so long of not having anyone cook for me! I always appreciated the yearly offerings but there were hardly ever cooked meals, so I had to cook myself.”
Celine chuckled as she plates the food in a decorative manner using a bowl for the vegetable soup on a plate with the cooked fowl then held it to Bahamut, “Frui cibum.” She took her own plate and sat back down, having a moment of listening to Bahamut humming in appreciation with his tail tip tapping in happiness. It felt delightful to draw such an emotion from such an ancient being with her simple meal, refreshing her desire to follow her dream.
“What will you do when I return to my village once my quest is completed?”
“What else can I do? My disavowed coin is here with me and I’ve nowhere to go, I can only remain here in my resting chambers.”
“You can’t leave?”
“No.”
“O cara.”
“O cara?” Bahamut raised his brow at Celine’s deeply concerned stare at him. “Do you know something?”