Prologue:
Long ago, before Neopia existed, there was nothing. Time and form had not been born, and chaos could undo nothing. It was in the midst of this nothiness that the Fae, known as Faeries now, appeared. The Fire Fae created the rocks that support all, while Illusen cultivated the rocks into soil, and bathed the world in fauna. The Water Fae Nereid cried tears for the parched land, creating the life water we drink and sail. The Space Fae slowly orbited Neopia, her mind calling forth the stars and other cosmic deities. A Fae of the desert, Nuria, and a Fae of the snow, Taelia, worked together to shape the air and sky blown by Psellia, producing the warmth of spring and the bitterness of winter. Queen Fyora stretched her arms over Neopia, and commanded the first Neopians to arise. As a final task, Jhudora undid her cloak and settled shadows upon the land; the same shadows some Neopians choose to cloak themselves in today.
Thus, Neopia emerged, and with Neopia a multitude of minor Fae arrived to carry out the Great Faes' tasks.
It was quickly discovered something was missing. Though the elements of the world existed, none of them were in harmony. Bits and pieces cannot exist as a whole, unless a balancing matrix is there to support them. It was this balance which had yet to be found, and without it Chaos and Disorder quickly rampaged across the land. They tore asunder all, quickly ripping through the Faes' work. The Faes' were at a lost as to what to do, for they could only create more of the elements of the world.
When all seemed doomed to eternal strife, and the blood and tears of the first Neopians poured freely across the land, it is said that their misery gave rise to one of the most powerful forces in the world. Upon the ground where the first Neopian body lay fallen, the first Flower of the Evening grew, and bloomed. Its petals glistened with silvery luminance, and its stems and leaves dripped with the dew they were composed of. From within the flower, a small baby Fae laid huddled against the night air, clutching Balance to her chest. All were overjoyed, for Chaos and Disorder was quickly conquered, and the elements restored and made whole. The little Fae was named Fae of the Dusk by the Neopians who discovered her, for it was in the evening when the flower bloomed.
Despair soon followed joy when it was discovered the Dusk Fae was as mortal as any of the Neopians, and all feared the consequences of her death. Disorder and Chaos waited eagerly on the horizon as the fae child grew and her hair grayed. Tears from Nereid fell in a heavy downpour as the Dusk Fae retreated to her birthplace, and lay among the descendants of the first Flower of the Evening. Silence quivered the air, and despair discolored the winds. A murmur breathed past the Dusk Fae's lips, and her spirit drifted away on the Winds of Nothing. The fae's body crumbled into ash as Disorder and Chaos pressed forward into the land. The Great Faes strained to push the disarray back, their wings drooping as they felt the hopelessness and futility of their efforts. The Flowers of the Evening drew their petals into themselves.
One Flower of the Evening bloomed, and a child Fae laid huddled within the petals, clutching Balance against her chest.
It is said that since this time, whenever one Dusk Faerie dies, another blooms from a Flower of the Evening to restrain Chaos and Disorder. This, unfortunately, has never been verified, as it is said that very soon a Dusk Fae established a village amongst the Flowers of the Evening, protected by the most skilled and trustworthy Neopians of the time. The village was hidden away, as none know what would result from a Dusk Fae's immature death. Those who have attempted to find this village, and are whispered to have succeeded, have never returned.
Roberta sighed as she turned the page. While interesting, that had been the most unrelated piece of literature she'd ever seen in a book. She'd found it claimed as the prologue to a book about Fire Spell Variations from Mystery Island. She attributed the oddness to a bored author. Sighing again, she bounded past the bookshelves and large tables of the Brightvale library and ran down the corridors of the castle. She hoped King Skarl and the company from Meridell would arrive soon.
