In the endless and violent chaos whose ravenous emptiness continually spawned and destroyed things both terrible and innocent, survival for a short time was all that could be hoped for. Creatures without form battled and consumed each other, feeding the universe’s perpetual wastes. However, in this chaotic time, two dared to wrest their souls from the clutches of eternity.

Z’a’zriek and A’b’racis sought to devour the souls of their brothers and sisters together. They consumed all that lay in their path, souls and stars alike and when there was nothing left and the universe lay bare, they turned upon each other, intending that only one should be left to rule the emptied wastes.

They warred and rested and warred again. Centuries passed as they raged across the cosmos, the blood from their open wounds causing stars to spill out into constellations. The beads of their sweat became planets and soon the cosmos were once again strewn with a chaotic beauty. Exhausted and knowing neither could win the fight, Z’a’zriek and A’b’racis looked back upon their path and the beauty they had created stole the bloodlust from their beings.

Such beauty deserved life, they thought- a life which would be free to flourish without the chaos of The Before looming over it. Yet, so long as they existed and rampaged through the galaxies the threat they would grow bored with peace and return to their ways would be ever-present. And so they made a pact to forsake their power and descended upon an unremarkable planet.

Z’a’zriek found love in the waters and lands where she swam and lay and cared over the growth of its inhabitants. Her patience taught tortoises not to hurry through their lives, her passions taught lions to roar. Over time her skin took on the brown shades of the earth, her eyes the murky blue-green of the waters and her hair the impenetrable black of shadows. Z’a’zriek’s body took to the curves of lapping waves and rolling hills and she chose for herself a feminine voice whose sultry calm belied dark capacities.

A’b’racis took to the skies. He soared in the air, showing the birds how to fly and the thunder how to light the night. His joy created auroras and his sorrows caused rain to fall. His body took on the slenderness of a slight breeze and the strength of a storm, his skin the porcelain of clouds and his eyes and hair the brilliant silver of lightning. Z’a’zriek began to warm to his tempestuous nature and A’b’racis came to understand her steadfast ways. They watched over each other in this way and aeons passed.

The planet aged. Rivers changed course, continents broke apart and shifted and the wonder of the skies which had once been so fascinating became mere routine. Z’a’zriek and A’b’racis watched it all pass with growing indifference. This indifference slipped into their minds and into their souls until eventually they forgot one another, forgot where they had come from and worst of all, forgot that to lose hold on themselves would bring about terrible consequence for this planet-home of theirs.