The Aether - Contest Entry
Prologue; Myth
The first definition of Myth is a legend; typically including supernatural beings or events that is seen as an early explanation for a natural phenomenon or occurrence.
The Second definition; A widely held, but otherwise false belief.
"Do you really think they'll believe this?" The male asked, looking over to the larger creature. The scrolls around them were filled with ideas, concepts that never went anywhere- and concepts that went too far. Some of them covered the windows, blocking out the view of the marble columns and gold carriages outside. The older creature held onto the other's shoulders, almost as if he was trying to motivate him forwards. "If they do, I believe this may be your elder power. Besides...you are young now, but when you get older this might be the only way an elder like you can have a following. After all, Au-delà, what do you do when it comes to dreams?"
The young one sighed, grabbing his shoulder with his large metallic hand and sighing. "I...Make stories that people can believe...endings of problems that...don't exist." The older one nodded and continued. "Exactly, Au. And do you know how many lambicorns do that already? Billions, maybe even trillions- you've seen the stores full of scrolls! You're an elder, my boy- you need to make yourself truly worthy of that title. Think about it; The Fae elders, they have the lineage across centuries and the ability to use magic for trickery and chaos. The Ocean elders, they control magic of the waters and keep the land people alive- and not to mention the young dream deities, pure beings of nightmare and dream. Surely that strikes fear into others. You cannot be a respected elder if you cannot drive fear into a lambie that would dare to defy you." Another pause, and the smaller one picked up one of the quills he had dipped in ink, continuing to write. "But...what if someone finds out... that this is all a lie?"
"They won't Au. Not for a long time. I know what these people are like, and I think it will be far into the future before they denounce whatever you write. Now, think- if you had to have anything, if you could be anything you wanted- what would you be?" Au-delà thought for a moment, tapping his quill slightly against the bowl of ink, Until- suddenly, it came to him, his eyes opening upon realizing just how far he could go with this if he really could make himself into anything using this story. "I'd want to be god." He was greeted with a smirk, full of sharp teeth- almost sensing the pride coming from his caretaker. "Then write, Au. Write about how you are god- and if we're right, then people will believe it."
Act One; Exist
In the beginning of existence , there was the All-Mother, a creature beyond comprehension that took it upon herself to create all we know. She created the stars, she created the first galaxies, and she created all that is beyond our knowledge. She cared for her creations like a mother would to her child, however- after centuries with her new world she found herself become overcome with loneliness. Despite all this light, all these creations, and all this wonder she had created, she found herself beginning to cry. The stars were silent, the galaxies emotionless, and the beyond did not answer when she called it by name. Her tears created sorrow, and that sorrow from such a powerful being created beings much like herself.
From her pain she heard crying, finding she had brought new creatures into existence, small orbs of life that wailed and cried out into the darkness of space. These orbs would grow, becoming the first gods of the world, and the first four sons of the All-Mother. Brīnos, god of the vastness, Stjärna, god of wonder, Xīngxì, god of bonds, and Au-delà, the god of the outer darkness. The All-Mother filled existence with more creations, thinking of her children and what they would make of her land. Though most of her sons grew, The All-Mother grew worried for Au-delà. His brothers quickly grew and became wise enough to control what their mother had made for them, but Au-delà stayed small, his orb gone silent while it glowed a pale blue light. The All-Mother was fearful, had she done something wrong? Had the orb lost it's spark of life? The All-Mother shared these worries with her sons, watching as they gathered around her and Au-delà's orb. The thought that she was cradling a lifeless orb she had failed, it stuck in her head and tears began to fall from her being once again.
Time passed, and the All-Mother's family grew, and with every new child more creations filled existence. She had not given up on her sweet child, though Au-delà's orb had been quiet and cold for all this time, The All-Mother had hope that one day the orb would grow, and that Au-delà would finally be able to see all that existence now had to offer. His orb was curled up in his mother's embrace as the All-Mother created something far different than anything else. The Youngest of the All-Mother's children, The Goddess Elämää, had wished for the ability to create much like her mother, and the All-mother agreed, creating small worlds scattered across the infinite plains of existence, all for her children to decorate and create as they wished. The creation of such a thing took a great deal of energy, even for the All-Mother, but as she wished for sleep, she felt warmth return to Au-delà's orb, and blinding light radiate from it.
All the gods surrounded the All-Mother, having heard the sound of crying and expecting to see another clutch of gods be brought into existence. Xīngxì was the last to arrive to the meeting, only to see Brīnos and Stjärna close to the All-Mother, close than any other god. The All-Mother noticed the last of her first-borns arrive, and her voice rang with happiness through her tears as she spoke. "Xīngxì, it has finally happened. Au-delà is alive, born into this reality. Come, I wish for him to see us when he opens his eyes, much like I wished all those years ago." Xīngxì needed no more explanation, rushing to be with his brothers, and witnessing the galactic clouds swirl around a small head, eyes closed peacefully in sleep. Au-delà was no longer a name of sadness among the gods, but a name of hope, and a name of life.
Act Two; Earth and Sky
Au-delà grew up quickly, much like the other gods- though while still in his youth, he couldn't help but notice how out of place he felt. All the other gods had purpose, they had something they controlled, something they had power in, but the young Au-delà did not have something like this to himself. He did not know what he could ask for in order to fulfil this need for purpose, as he saw that the All-Mother had made much already, filling the realm of existence so thoroughly. There was no empty space, and even if there was, he would have no idea what he would ask for.
Instead, he wandered around existence, visiting his siblings and seeing what they did, what their purpose was- hoping that some sort of realization would come to him. He first went to his eldest siblings, asking a simple question to the trio; "Why do you feel so content with what you do?". There was silence for a while, but answers began to come out. "I create all the wonder in existence, from the stars to the swirling colors of the galaxies, before I found my purpose, color was dull- and I believe that all our family is grateful that I've made existence brighter." Stjärna said, moving to show Au-delà the bright colors that made up his magnificent mane. "I create space, there is no limit to existence because of me and mother- we both work together to expand the vastness of existence, and I know mother is proud of me." Brīnos added, looking off into the distance of space.
Xīngxì was silent for a moment longer, feeling the others begin to look at him, waiting for an additional response. The god sighed, speaking with a bit of sorrow in his tone. "I create nothing, but I pull together the bonds that keep existence together. All that there is must have balance in order to be stable. I feel pride in my purpose, because I know what would happen if I did not fulfil it. However, I believe it may be safe to say that these answers are not what you were looking for." The younger god nodded, and Xīngxì continued on. "You feel as if you do not know what you are meant to do...I had feared this before. Because you hibernated for so long, perhaps it simply was because you were not ready for existence. Your purpose did not exist yet. And when you arose, a new creation had been made by mother. Perhaps if you wish to look into it more, go talk to Elämää. See what she is doing, and see if you can help her in any way." Au-delà responded, "How will that help me find my purpose?" the response was soft spoken, followed by his elder brother softly putting a paw on his head. "I cannot tell you now, but I beg you to trust me."
Au-delà found Elämää looking at a small sphere, all while happily grabbing small scraps of space and seeming to mold them together. The god asked the other what they were doing, only to be greeted with a large smile and a cheery voice from the goddess. "Oh, greetings Au-delà! I did not expect you to be coming to see me! As for what I am doing, I am working on my biggest project yet! Or, well, the biggest project as of recent. I will admit, the species living on the planet five lightyears away from here was a pretty big experiment..." The goddess looked up, seeing the confusion on Au-delà's face. "Planets? S-Species?" He asked, his face contorting even more as his confusion increased. "Oh, yes I apologize- I should explain." The younger of the two laughed before carrying on.
"You see, Mother created these things called 'planets' for me recently! They're small pieces of elements put together into spheres, and they're dotted all across existence! Most of them fall in the galaxies that paint the skies! As for what a species is...well, I should just show you!" And show she did, taking a small piece of space and molding it in her hands, softly squeezing and pulling the space in order to create a form. The form was a small four-legged creature, with a large horn and a large muzzle. "I make them out of these parts of space! They're going to live on my planets, hopefully I can find a way to monitor them after I put them on there...I've already made a few based off of myself and some of our brothers and sisters. This one kind of looks like you! But that was just an example so-" Elämää moved to toss the figure into space once more, only for Au-delà's hand to grab onto the other. "W-Wait!" He yelped, his voice turning nervous once his sister turned towards him. "I...I like it. Do you...think you could add it into this planet you're working on?" The goddess laughed softly in response, putting the figure in the other's hand. "Only if you help me build it!"
The two worked together on the planet for a long while, though it never felt like a chore. Au-delà had never felt like this, had never felt so comfortable with something he was doing. It did not feel like he had the entirety of existence on his shoulders like some of the others, but instead...he was just a youngling, playing a game of creating stories with his sister. And on the day that the planet was finished, it had become time for species to be added, and for the timeline of the world to begin. Elämää happily showed off a species, it looked much like her, tall, two-legged, and with a flat face. "I've decided to call them humans! My first thought was to call them MiniElämääs, but humans sounds better. How about you, Au?" The god thought for a moment, looking to the original figure that he had been given so many years ago- and all the versions of the same creature that he had made as well. "Well I...I don't know, actually. I'm kind of clueless on what I should call them..." Elämää nodded, letting herself think for a moment before an idea hit her. "OH, I know! What about we let them name themselves! I've been working on how these species work, and I made them have free thought! Surely when we put them down they can name themselves!" Au-delà smiled, nodding happily.
With that decided, the two gods released their new species into the world, from plants to dinosaurs. Birds to fish. Elämää's humans, placed in the green earth of the planet's future, and Au-delà's creatures, placed in a realm higher than humans, birds, and plants; The Dream World.
Act Three; Mistake
When Au-delà returned to Elämää, another, large figure was with them. Though confused, the god got closer-only to be pulled into a large hug by the creature. "Ah! Of course! You must be my creation!" The creature chirped, a feminine voice leaving them. Au-delà looked over to his sister with worry, only for her to giggle softly and attempt to explain- not without whispering slightly first. "Just...go along with it, okay? I do not believe she has the mental capacity to understand that she is not the most powerful creature of her species yet. We...have a problem I need to tell you about." Au-delà sighed, laughing slightly and hugging the other creature in return, only to walk over to the goddess and begin whispering. "What is this thing, and why are they calling me their creation?"
"Well..." Elämää began, tapping her fingers together nervously. "I may have accidentally given them...too much sentience, some of them became gods of their species and uh...they may have accidentally thought they created us instead of the other way around. And...before you get too mad, It's not only you who's having this problem! In fact...I'm kind of glad you only have to deal with one." Elämää then pointed a bit away, and when Au-delà turned, he witnessed a large group of creatures who looked at lot like Elämää, talking among themselves. "That's not even all of them for me. I uh...don't wanna really talk to them though, Zeus especially can get a bit violent. Au-delà growled, looking off into the distance and not making anymore eye contact with any creature around him. "Well, what are you going to do about this? We can't just let these lesser beings treat us like children, and imagine if mother saw this! Especially after all she has been through with us!"
"Brother! It will be fine. I'll...find some solution to this before anything becomes dangerous. I promise you." Elämää reassured him, smiling nervously- only for that smile to turn into a frown as she watched the god turn around and walk away from her, the bright light of a creature following after him, almost in a worried fashion. Elämää sighed, looking back to her world and beginning to attempt to fix what she had done. While she worked, she watched the gods of her creation annoy her siblings, and though worry came from her siblings becoming annoyed with the creatures, more worry came from those who went along with it fully, almost seeming to accept them as another parent. Surely, this was what Au-delà worried about...and for good reason it seemed.
And at once, a loud scream filled the air- not one of tears, not one of sorrow- but one of anger. The beings of existence surrounded the location of the scream, minor gods and real gods alike. Elämää burst through the crowd, especially so after she heard the sounds of distress among the group- but that was less obvious than what she could see in front of her eyes. The All-Mother was gone, and when she looked to where she would have been, she saw Au-delà, hunched over a small, weak scrap of pure light. Though his voice was muffled, she could still hear him cry, and watched as he clung to the light. "Mother....Mother I am so sorry...Please come back..." Elämää moved forwards, almost as if trying to stop the minor god that had followed the mourning god to the middle of the circle. However, she could not reach them before she heard the feminine creature speak softly. "It is alright my son...I am here"
Act Four; Rage
Elämää backed away, fear filling her eyes as she watched what began to unfold. Au-delà growled, claws digging into not only the light in his hands, but into his own skin. His clouds lost their color, becoming as black as the blanket of space around him, and his eyes, dripping into dark red. His voice was dark, the sound of his voice seeming to shake existence around him. "You...You are NOT my mother! You are not even above me- MY SISTER CREATED YOU IN MY IMAGE YOU PATHETIC CREATURE." Every being backed away, watching as Au-delà dropped the cloth of light, slashing the minor god with his large clawed hand, staining it with pure while energy. The creature then began to melt, almost as if it was succumbing to the darkness of space. His head snapped towards the rest of the group, his eyes now fully darkened into a deep red.
After a small moment of silence, his jaws unhinged, letting out a piercing scream. He could not see or hear through his own rage, only feeling the universe around him begin to grow even colder, and once he had let out all his voice could muster, he collapsed. He laid on the ground, desperately clinging to the scrap of pure light. When his eyes finally opened, all of his siblings were gone, and so were the other gods. In a panic, he called out for them in the vastness of space; but got no response. He searched all over, going back to where he would always see his siblings, but to no avail. They all had vanished, and Au-delà was alone.
After he searched, he found himself going into a panic, he had no where else to search, at least he thought so at first- no galaxies or suns held any answers, and not even his mother could help him now. After the panic swept through him, he realized what he had been missing; The only place he hadn't looked was on those planets made for his sister. It was a bold move, perhaps even stupid- gods like him had the ability to change their size at will- but becoming that small to fit on such tiny pieces of land, water, and air? It was downright stupid- but Au-delà no longer cared. And in some way, he knew what planet he had to go to immediately. After all, those creatures that were based off of his siblings, they were all supposed to go on this...'earth'. So clearly, if he had to search somewhere- it had to be there.
It was said that as soon as Au-delà came to the earth, he began his search, learning more about the beauty and detail of the planet. However, admiring the landscape was not his goal- it was to find his family. His great descension to the earth was something that no doubt had witnesses, lambies who would tell the stories from the information they got from him while he still worried over his family. Some say that they see him wandering forests, searching for his sister and her creations; and some dare to believe them.
Epilogue; Truth Seekers
"You don't really believe that, do you? The first Lambies were made by Aurourae, everybody knows that as common knowledge, right?" The younger male argued, sitting next to his mentor as he continued to stir a large pot of glowing liquid. Abigor was silent for a moment, sighing a slight bit at the other's words. "Why yes, it's most common for lambies to accept that, it's very harmful for you to think that everyone believes the same thing. With how many elders there are in the world, who's to say that there aren't a hundred or so religions among lambies? Belief in Au-delà is just one of many." There was a pause, his paw going to grab a small book from a shelf. "I've grown out of religion personally, if you're curious, but when I was younger my family were great believers in Au-delà. Truth-Seekers, we called ourselves. Of course, for someone like me; it was more of just a belief but some lambies really do believe that Au-delà is the true root of all lambies."
"Truth-Seekers...I've heard of them. Isn't that the cult that overtook the dark forest way back when?" The pastel lambie asked, causing a loud uproarious laughter to come from Abigor. Draven huffed, watching as his mentor laughed out before eventually calming down enough to speak properly. "Ah, Draven. Cults are simply religions that the common man does not understand. And as for taking over the dark forest, that was a myth made by those who wished to hunt down Truth-Seekers. Yes, they had a camp there, my father even build the camp on this side of the forest, but we'd hardly say we 'took over'. After all, The Fae wanted nothing to do with Truth-Seekers, if I remember right...had something to do with being too busy dealing with a banished Fae Elder, but it's been so long I can't remember too clearly." With that, Draven was about to speak, but instead saw the book Abigor got before being put in his paws.
The book was bound in leather, with a metallic star on the cover. Draven hummed slightly, walking away wordlessly to sit at the table in the middle of the room. The book looked fragile, but it certainly wasn't- Draven found this out quickly once he opened it, feeling how strong the pages were inside of the book. The first few pages seemed simple, diagrams of what people believed Au-delà to look like based on their descriptions, a lot of them were similar, with changes in-between. And yet they all seemed to get the point across, an...almost skeletal looking figure with a mane of clouds, blinding eyes and front limbs that looked like skeletal hands. A Shiver ran down Draven's spine as he read, why did so many powerful beings have hands? It was so unnatural, and that was coming from a necromancer. In all honesty, the rest of the pages seemed like the ramblings of a madman, but honestly he wasn't expecting anything else. However, he had to admit that some of the things said in there seemed to make some amount of sense. Theories about summoning elders, to be more exact. It was odd, but it certainly seemed plausible.
Draven continued to read, up until he heard a small clink of glass on the table. He looked up, seeing that the lights in the house were now mostly turned out, and that the light of the sunset outside had become an abyss of darkness. Abigor stretched a bit, moving the glass of ice water closer to his apprentice. "I'm going to head off to bed, Perhaps I'll also call up Tsukareta, see how he's doing. When you're done reading that book just leave it over the fireplace, I'll put it back in the morning." Draven nodded, not many words being able to leave his mouth. "Oh, uh..Y-Yeah, Yeah sure. Goodnight." His eyes wandered back to the book quickly, reading over more of the theories about elders and summoning them; until he got to one page where his eyes lit up. Something in him became more interested than before, and though part of him wished for him to ignore it and move on, he knew that he had to investigate it...somehow. He looked around for a moment, making sure Abigor was truly out of sight, before moving his paw to softly fold in one of the pages to keep it's place, seeing as the main title became one of the only things visible from the page.
"How to summon Au-delà; Untested"