Chapter 14: 14: The Tales of Erli, The All Ancestor
Deep in the sprawling Cretan mountain range, an abnormally grand cave lay peacefully shrouded by an eerie mist. Within this cavern, a vast room exuded the scent of long-forgotten hearth. The walls were constructed from brownish-red bricks, smelling like old age. The floor was of dark wood. It softly creaked under the light weight of red cushions. An equally red carpet made from fur was strewn on the floor. The animal from which it had been made was not normal as seen by the small aura that gave it a protective nature.
Six young deities sat on this carpet. Their presence was scarcely noticeable amidst the dimly lit chamber, only soothed by the fireplace on the other side of the room. They were happy to be there, as shown by their calmness which was unlike what Rhea usually experienced.
The Titaness reclined on a dark chain at the end of the room, not far away from them. Her golden eyes, filled with gentle bubbles surveyed her audience, while a slight omnipresent smile played on her lips.
"What story is it this time?" asked Hera, the same smile on her face. Today was her favorite day of the month. Not only would she be dispensed from any type of lesson, but she would also hear an interesting story from her mother.
It had now become a ritual, Rhea would count, her children, tales once every month. This was a day of rest. However, these stories served as much more than just entertainment. They enriched their knowledge of the boundless omniverse; each story was carefully selected by Rhea, believing them vital for their future.
This time, on her lap, rested a leather-bound tome. The cover was of an inky blackness and adorned by gibbous, greenish waves. The title was etched by golden, glittering letters, akin to an eerie luminescence: "The Tales of Erli, The All Ancestor"
She unveiled the book before their eyes, showing them its first page. It seemed to whisper of eras gone by. The aged page was tinted like caramel yet smelt of vanilla. This book held various representations, something scarce.
In a corner, almost hidden within the dapple of the paper, the author's signature "Enigma" revealed itself to Hades' keen eyes.
The room fell into pure silence for a fleeting moment, till the sound of Rhea fluttering to the second page came entrancing those who heard it. The headline discreetly showed itself "First Chapter"
She breathed in before reading out loud the book that Gaea herself had gifted Rhea when she was still but a young and naive Titaness.
"Erli's story began in the Third Era, a forgotten time when one could feel the very tension in the building blocks of the omniverse. It was a time in between two wars that shaped the very cosmos. The traces of The Dateless War were still present, yet it was also the time of a new beginning.
The omniverse had just been born. Endless new possibilities were constantly blossoming, one of them was the three sisters that materialized. They had no parents and held a power thought now unachievable.
The three sisters were Morwen, the personification of Death, Fiora, the personification of Life, and Erli, who was considered as the link between both sisters. She was the transition between life and death and later on considered as mortal life.
Erli was a tall woman with claw-like hands, the long-pointed ears of elves, full and luscious vibrant lips, copper eyes, pallid skin, long silver, waving horns, and straight, silver hair that slowly morphed into a cloak of mist.
Even though other beings roamed the cosmos, the sisters felt alone. And boredom was dangerous for beings of their power. Fortunately, they did not wish to start any conflict because of pure ennui.
However, one day an idea blossomed inside Erli's mind as she gazed at one of God's creations. It was one of the empyreans that had survived the deadly Dateless War. Empyreans did not have common features and were all vastly different from one another. The most prominent feature of this one was its three small white wings that replaced its ears. Another was its face which was glued with a golden cross with turquoise glowing eyes on each end.
A new life seemed to gleam in her eyes as she took her sisters' hands and then chanted. "Life is blessed when death is cherished."
Following her will, a myriad of small orbs were born. They were called Life Seeds, the first possessor of "true life", one with death at the end.
She smiled before telling them, "Now wander this strange omniverse, my children."
The seeds vanished like comets before finding a home. A few went to faraway realms, others fell on the Celestial Bodies that surround Terra. However, many of them fell on Terra, the omniverse' very center.
Those Life Seeds hid in the depths of those realms/celestial bodies until time passed and two eras came to an end. And as the Cosmic Bells rang announcing the beginning of the Fifth Era, the Life Seeds blossomed into conscious beings.
They became the progenitors of various races that now inhabit Terra. Those races grew in size until they created civilizations. Rulers, who were the strongest of their races, had taken the lead. However, with all the powers they gained, greed grew. It was not long before those civilizations would wage wars with each other.
Those various, small wars transformed into a global one in which countless died. It was called the Forgotten War, for the record of this war soon became erased from mortal's minds. Like this came the fifth era to an end. The Dragons "won" this war and became known as the strongest descendants of Erli.
Rhea took a small break before fluttering to the next page, "Chapter Two", however, the chapter was missing. A multitude of pages seemed to have been torn as if the following content was not destined to fall under the hands of gods.
***
As you may have noticed, the second part (when Rhea begins reading) is of a worse quality. I wanted to make it more fairy tale like without long descriptions, repetitions, uncommon words, etc.
I am trying to do some world building, I thought such a thing would be a good idea, however, it'll be a one time thing and the next really worldbuilding will be done through dialog probably. I hope you didn't find this chapter too boring.
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