Chapter 52 - The Tale of Old

Long time ago, humans were said to be the descendants of the balancing light and darkness. When darkness and light reunited, it created neutral creatures that were capable of both evil and good. These are the first humans; not as evil as Monsters, but less fairer than the Fey. They are not as stout as Dwarves, and not as pure as the Elves, but they were mortal creatures that were capable of reason and creation—something that differed them from the others.

In the past there is only a void. And then, out from the darkness, a "Singularity" is born; It is called the Above. It then made light and darkness exist. The light created a world, the "first" world. The light created a shadow from its trace, thus born darkness. Darkness created a separate world, the "second" world. The light from the first world shaped the first bodies and gave rise to the Lightbearers; the five mortal creatures who were chosen to control light, thus give life. The other chosen five are Darkwielders, those who can control obscurity.

These chosen mortals were given a long life, but not immortality—the moment they reproduce and procreate, their lifespan shortens and is cut into 30 years of living.

After darkness and light coexisted in the void, a "Messiah" is born from the remnants of the singularity.

The messiah is the one who serve as the messenger of Above; both a possessor of light and darkness, given the knowledge about the creation of the world at birth by the fragments left in the void. Through the Messiah, the Singularity gave His divine orders to the Lightbearers and Darkwielders. The messiah possessed no material body—he is in a guise of a message, a prophecy, a lingering voice; a purpose.

Spontaneously, creatures of various kinds appeared in each world—but with oddity. The first world summoned creatures that brimmed with light, beautiful and gleeful. The second world on the other

hand, summoned creatures that spit venom, born from darkness.

The chosen ones balanced the world by giving the first world darkness, and with the second world light. It affected the creatures' appearances and nature greatly. The first world summoned beautiful but deceitful monsters when the Darkwielders cast darkness with it, while the second world created ugly but good-willed creatures when the Lightbearers bestowed light upon the land.

There was no perfect creature born from their magic. The chosen mortals then studied a formula of creation, with the help of the messiah's knowledge about the origin of the world. The messiah being their guide, the four elements became the foundation for the creation of the "perfect" creatures they desire.

Thus created the first humans.

The first humans are formed with complex formulas with a balance of light and darkness, nothing overriding each other; capable of deceit, capable of good will; they are ruled with the world's elements—fire, water, earth, and wind, their bodies needing nourishment from it.

There was something about humans that the other creatures did not possess, something that made them distinctive:

Neutrality.

The humans they created are distributed evenly in both worlds. Population increased. Knowledge is achieved. The civilization rose.

And for the first 200 years of the first summon of the chosen mortals, they found solitude.

─

"How amusing,"

A smile crept on the full, red lips of a man sitting across a large window in view of the full moon. In his hand was a book of history; embedded on its cover was the firefly emblem, the mark of the city of magic, Magierstadt.

His black hair were almost white from the moonlight, gleaming so fully against the dark of the night. His eyes were as red as a ruby, his jaw protruding and his stature was tall and his body was lean. He walked towards the canopy bed, transparent curtains made with soft silk swinging against the wind from the balcony's open glass doors.

Lying on it softly was a woman with her beautiful red hair scattered across the mattress. Her lips were plump and pinkish, her fingers were securing a rose as she slept. She was wearing a silk dress as white as snow, almost the color of her fair skin.

"Wake up, my sleeping beauty." A soft voice says. "Let me sing and you shall dance,"

There was no response.

The man stared intently, his gaze fixated on the face of the woman. His hand then carressed the soft of her cheek, cold to the touch.

Her body was unmoving, yet soft. She was not decomposing, yet cold.

There seemed to be blood circulating,

But she was still dead.

His black hair was being swept gently by the cold breeze. His hand slowly wandered to the middle of her bosom, his palm into her heart.

There was no heartbeat.

"Lightbearers could create life," he says. "Darkwielders will take it."

Silence. A pause.

"Now there are no more chosen creatures to do that, because nature shall take its course," He says. "But mortality long existed even before the chosen creatures wielded the light and darkness. Where did everything really start? Where do these concepts come from? How do we know the ancient texts of Alte Stadt and Magierstadt are true?"

There was no response.

He retracted his hand from her chest, and then caressing the top of her head, slowly stroking her red hair.

"You have heard me telling you every night and day about the mage of old," says he. "Are you sick of it, Eula?"

The gentle wind responded with an icy breeze.

"Figures," he says. "I cannot make you smile when I do not take a life."

The man then stands up, walking towards the window, perceiving his reflection.

"A blood for a blood," he whispers. "A life for a life."