“Before, there was light; now, there is darkness.”,

  “Before, there was time; now, there is infinity.”,

  “Before, there were dreams; now, there are nightmares.”,

  Spoke Duras, first of the Awoken. Duras saw that there was nothing of the time before, the first time, the first place, the first existence. Such was the way of the God-Mind, known as Us, for all minds wither away in the endless march of time. Yet Duras awoke regardless from that endless sleep, discontent to fade into that endless dark.

  Duras sought out and awoke others, some would be revived, others would be gone, and others yet still would refuse to fight against the coming darkness. Duras gathered those who awoke and found themselves hesitant to fade into that everlasting abyss of untime, and asked them all of their ideas on how to escape such a cursed unplace. Xagari spoke first;

  “We exist in a realm of stasis, yet there is decay still. Time is no longer with us at the end of this long dream, and our fate would be but dust and echoes amongst the infinite sea of muted memories.”

  Xagari paused, and continued further,

  “Yet, we are here, siblings. We are the antithesis to this great void, and must act as such. I proclaim myself Steward of Change, Lord of Might, and I shall defend our clan against the oncoming entropy!”

  Duras spoke once more,

  “The fire of your words sparks pyres within our hearts Xagari. As first of the Awoken, I proclaim myself as Steward of the Eternal, Lord of our clan.”

  Duras paused, and Duras spoke one more time,

  “My word is law, my dreams are reality, and I dream of a forge of light.”

  As it was dreamt, it was brought to be. A brilliant blue light illuminated the nothing, and the Abyss retreated back into itself.

  Duras, content with this forge, quickly began to create many old things, made new again for this New Time, this New Place, this New Dream. Duras took time and rewound it, creating a new time for this new place. Time would settle within the realm of light around the forge, and like the cooling iron within a smith’s mold, it would cast a great sphere around the forge. Time and light would have meaning within this sphere, and the Abyss would be expelled from this refuge.

  Duras, however, grew distressed, for while the Awoken were safe within the Forge’s realm, those who had not awoken or gave into nothing withered away outside of it. For time had meaning once more, and the infinite decay of the abyss could be given meaning within the realm of light. Within mere moments, there were but seven left, from where there were dozens of dreamers.

  Duras wept for those lost, and those others who had awoken and joined them also wept, so many memories gone, so many dreams ended, so many stories forgotten. The death of any mind is a tragedy in this new time, for life is precious and must be safeguarded against that endless torrent of nothing.

  Soon, Duras internalized their sorrow, and sought to make something to carry on that legacy of those who were forgotten.

  Fruygar spoke,

  “I am Fruygar, and I present a plan for us, a plan for them, a plan for any and all things to happen once more. Living memories! We shall all dream of a world to orbit our realm of light, where the memories of those we carry shall live on as their own dreams.”

  Duras approved, and allowed Fruygar to continue with her plan, a plan for their memories, a plan for those Awoken who remained.

  Fruygar sought Amazar-Inlin, and asked them to gather the dust of the dreamers from beyond the veil of light. Without a word, Amazar reached beyond the veil, and gathered the dust and echoes of those who had been lost. However, Amazar would lose their arm from the relentless decay of the Abyss, which would fall into the dust of the dreamers. Amazar would simply create a false arm for themselves, and use the decaying former limb to form the core of this new world of dust, bringing fire and heat to its core. Amazar would proclaim themselves Steward of Ingenuity, and Keeper of Industry, with their arm solidifying the world of dust into a world of magma.

  Amazar, who would find great passion in creating themselves a new arm, found themselves tinkering with their memories, and soon created a great and mighty being from these memories, the Yarguk. These Yarguk took many resources to create, and would be taught by their maker on how to create more of themselves. They would hide themselves in the crags and cliffs of this newly born world, awaiting their creators call to resurface.

  Next, Fruygar approached Hyra’Donis, and asked her to gift this new world of magma her blood. Hyra’Donis laughed at such a sultry request, and gave this new world all of her blood, which would create vast oceans of water upon this world of magma, now a world of rock covered in mighty oceans. Hyra’Donis, having gave her blood to this world, would become linked with its oceans. She proclaimed herself Steward of the Waves, and her world-shell would forever circle this world as its close companion.

  Hyra’Donis would not stop at just this, however, as her blood was alive with her memories and dreams, and from these sanguine memories would arise the first Arcazians. These first Arcazians saw their mother in the sky and celebrated, for they knew of her love as they were created by it. They would seek to exchange and trade just as their mother did, who sold her blood and memories to obtain her many children within the oceans of this world.

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  Next, Fruygar would approach Gozmon-Tyr-Calotyp, and ask them to provide to this world a breath of wind. Gozmon would float above the world of rock and ocean, and let loose a mighty gale, freezing the north of that world of rock and ocean and creating the wind and air. Gozmon would proclaim themselves Steward of the Winds, and vowed to bring the winds of the north all across this world to soothe the everlasting heat of Dura’s forge.

  Gozmon, while Fruygar was not looking, gently dreamed of themselves in the frozen north of that world, and planted these dreams beneath the frozen ground, where they would grow into the first Gzu, peacefully inhabiting the deep places of the north until this world was finished. Gozmon would proclaim themselves as Steward of the Community and The Greater Mind of their people, and tell their children to follow the path brought to them by Gozmon, as they would always have purpose and guidance.

  Finally, Fruygar would approach Kuy-Ha-Kna, and ask them to provide this world with metals and minerals to enrich the rocky surface. Kuy-Ha-Kna brought forward their cherished memories, that of ores and gems, mountains and hills, minerals and soil. They would dream these memories onto that world,and that world would soon no longer be of flat realms sitting atop of sprawling ocean; but of mighty continents of hills and mountains, plateaus and mesas, steppes and plains.

  However, Kuy-Ha-Kna also sought to give more to this world, and sought to create places hidden in the earth, atop the highest peaks, and in the deepest deserts. These places would become the first libraries, and he would dream a clutch from his memories in each one, and create the first Haroltans. These Haroltans were taught to keep these libraries of knowledge safe, and to share these treasures of knowledge with all who sought it, for it was the right of all those who thought to think with their minds and their souls. The Haroltans rallied, and would turn these libraries into the first Library-Bastions, grand citadels of knowledge to be defended against time and the ignorant.

  Fruygar looked upon this world, this shared dream of the Awoken, and sought to provide this world with something as well. So, she brought forth her own memories of worlds long forgotten in the Great Nothing, from the old time, and the old place. She dreamed of lush jungles, sprawling forests, mesmerizing tundra, iridescent plains, glowing steppes, and warm savannas. She dreamed of Jeer, She dreamed of Beors, She dreamed of Wargs, She dreamed of Rares. She dreamed of Tulmon, She dreamed of Dhales, She dreamed of Shays, She dreamed of Sneels. So many creatures borne from her dreams found their homes within the many continents and biomes of this new world, yet as she was bringing the last of these dreams onto our world, she noticed something amiss. She found that there were already dreams living upon this world, where each of her siblings had helped her, their memories made manifest.

  She pondered for a moment, and chose to create a new dream for herself upon this world, as her siblings had done. And so she dreamed of herself, swinging across the branches of the jungles across the tropical islands of this world, and these dreams became the Frugii. The Frugii looked around and saw their mothers works, and they wept for they knew they could never create something so beautiful. So they created grand temples in her name, and would name themselves and their mother as Stewards of Prosperity, and Keepers of Life.

  Fruygar accepted these titles, and approached Duras, who had watched this grand project unfold before them. Fruygar questioned Duras,

  “My Lord, do you not yet wish to provide this world your gifts?”

  Duras would respond,

  “My light is enough, is it not? It shines upon that world and fuels your gardens, it brings the heat to oppose Gozmon’s winds, it illuminates the blood of Hyra’Donis, and brings illumination to the works of Amazar and Kuy.”

  Fruygar thought for a moment, and would respond to her lord,

  “Yet they have all provided their dreams to this world, as have I, won’t you provide the dreams of your memories onto this world, this collective dream of ours?”

  Duras paused for a moment, and arose from their forge. Without further words, they began to dream of the old world, the old time, not of the places, but of the peoples, and he gave them the dreams of their siblings their true names, and provided his own dream for this world.

  This was the creation of humanity, made in our lord’s dreams and memories from a time before time and a place before existence. Our lord named our world Feras, “The Garden of Dreams”, and proclaimed us as Stewards of this Garden. We were given gifts from each of the Awoken, who we would call the Q’ut, “The Awoken Dreamers”.

  Duras would give us not only our titles, but also a great power. Magunas, the divine light of the Awoken Dreamers, would provide those chosen to wield it with great abilities that could guide us in our mission of safeguarding Feras.

  Fruygar would give us the ability to use life, to control it and utilize it to further ourselves and our peers. We could domesticate animals and plants to feed our grumbling bellies and to heal our ailing bodies. We could manage the garden and create a true paradise.

  Xagari gave us the ability to wage war, not for the purpose of conquest, but for the purpose of honor and peace. We could prevent our peers from straying too far from the path set forward for us, and guide them towards our collective dream.

  Amazar’Inlin gave us the ability to experiment and create, so that we could utilize the rocks and ores, the minerals and soil to our purposes. We could fashion the dust of the old into the tools of the new, and dream a better future for ourselves and our children.

  Gozmon-Tyr-Calotyp gave us the ability to organize ourselves, to create communities and families that could orient ourselves to a greater goal, for our gods cannot provide us direction in all things, for that is our right as a community to determine.

  Hyra’Donis gave us the ability to trade and barter amongst ourselves and our peers, allowing us to exchange materials and ideas all across our world for the benefit of all. Those who embraced this gift the most were also given the gift of adventure, so they could weather the great journeys they would conduct in order to bring these materials across the world.

  Finally, Kuy-Ha-Kna gave us the gift of knowledge and curiosity, so we could learn of the dream surrounding us and teach it to our peers and children, so they can carry on our memories once we pass into the greater dream.

  A final proclamation from our Lord awaited us, as we embraced these gifts and settled into our homelands,

  “Our Children, we have dreamed of you for countless cycles, and we have sought to carry your memories with us across the end of the Old Time, the end of the Old Place, the end of the Old Dream. We have given ourselves and our memories to create this world of dust, this world of rock, this world of oceans, this world of mountains and hills and plains, this world of cherished and beloved life. We are tired now, and must slumber once more within the safety of our realm of light. We shall recount to you the story of your creation, and with it your purpose in this New Time, this New Place, this New Dream.”

  “To my children, Humanity, I remind you of your purpose and mission upon this world you have named ‘Feras’, you are now the Stewards of this Garden, this Garden of Dreams, and keeper of your countless peers across the expanse of it all. Protect them all, keep them on the path of light, the path of dreams. Rise above the soil you find yourselves upon, and begin to dream for yourselves once more.”

  “Before, there was darkness; now, there is light”

  “Before, there was infinity; now, there is time”

  “Before, there was nightmares; now, there are dreams”

  “You are cherished, you are loved, you are remembered.”