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The Fall of Vina

A Mortal's Delusional Dream

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The Creation

Darkness was all that existed. Nothingness was all that could be found. The void

before consumed all, for it was all that was.

This was an unearthly darkness. There was nothing that existed in this form. The old world had the light of stars, planets of rock and shoals of dust to fill the great emptiness. Never in the longest time had there been something where nothing was all that could be found.

Yet, here it was.

However, even this great darkness could not restrain the appearance of something more than the nothingness. A light flared into existence. While small and weak against the darkness, it still shone brilliant, forcing the void back.

The light revealed a cloaked form, floating in the midst of the empty field. Its face was completely covered in shadows, the light unable to penetrate its cowl. A hand emerged from beneath the cloak, clasping a leather volume in its hands. With an agonizing slowness it rose, the form holding the book in front of it as it fell open.

The pages of the book glowed softly, being overwhelmed by the light above it and the void around. Still, as it removed its hand, holding it over the book and pointing it to the land before, it glowed brighter and brighter. A soft hum, noticeable in the silence that was the emptiness, carried loudly. Unseen beneath its cloak, one firm word echoed from the figure's mouth, a command that reverberated with power.

"Barāqu."

Above the figure's head, the light floated far into the void, becoming a pinpoint of light in the nothingness above it. However, when it appeared to fade into nothing itself, it flared into life. The pinprick became a star in its brilliance, before growing larger and larger. Within moments, it became a blazing orb, casting brilliant colors into the air around it.

For now there was light, and the void was no longer empty. The air, while still unmoving, was burning with reds and yellows against the orange of the light. The further the sky stretched, the air changed colors, fading into the cool wet blue and purple, until it eventually faded to black once more.

Darkness had receded, and the void no longer consumed all. Under the hood of the cloak, the mouth of the figure smiled. Its other hand emerged, flipping the pages of the book until it reached the next page. This time, the volume glowed green. The page was not nearly as noticeable as before, even if it contrasted against the red of its cloak. However, its word was just as commanding as before, echoing firmly across the expanse.

"Ipiru."

The empty air below it began to shake, swirling together as if caught in some great storm. Clouds began to form together, taking a dark shape. However, they did not begin to thunder; they did not begin to pour. Instead, the clouds began to solidify, becoming dust. The dust eventually became earth, before compacting into rock.

From a single point below the figure, this firmament began to spread. Faster and faster the land formed from nothing, as far as the eye could see. The smile coated the figure's face still, as it saw what it had created. No other words were said as the flat lands began to grow, shifting into rolling hills. In the distance, mountains began to take shape, their craggy peaks rising close enough to the mountains to touch the burning light.

Even though it was yet possible, the figure did not settle down. Quite comfortable it appeared to be, its cloak shifting in the winds that had erupted during the transformation of the earth below her. As the minutes turned into hours, and the ground finished taking shape, the figure moved not one muscle. Once done, though, it raised its hand once more, flipping to yet another page. Basking in its blue glow, another powerful word left the figure's lips, echoing even louder now that the ground could echo it back.

"Reḫû."

Rumbles began to echo above the land as dark clouds began to form overhead. With rapid speed, gray wisps gave way to black puffs, which flashed with a sinister light inside their forbidding forms. The light that had been so recently created was blocked out by the great clouds. Only minutes after the figure had spoken, the bottom of the bank of clouds began to bulge.

Tears soon began to spill from the skies above the land, splashing upon the vast world below. They were few at first, sparse, quickly absorbed by the dry earth. These first few were eventually followed by twice as many, before being followed by twice as many more. Again, the amount of raindrops doubled and doubled again, until the entire land was onset by a deluge of water.

As water began to pool in the valleys of the land, the figure stood there. Its cloak quickly became drenched, even as the book protected itself from the water. Eventually, it leaned its head back and lowered its hood and cowl, exposing itself to the air.

Through it all, a smile lingered on her face.

As her long hair flowed in the wind, and the rain, she closed her eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of the rain on her face. Even as she did, one hand did rise up to flip the pages. The book shined again, this time an even darker green. However, for once she did not immediately speak, instead letting herself become drenched.

After hours of time, the rain eventually came to a stop. The water that fell from the sky stood still in lakes, running across the landscape as it carved channels in the freshly born dirt. As the figure came to her senses, she shook slightly in the cold. The great light in the sky had yet to shine once again, even if the black clouds were slowly dissipating. After a few moments, she did gather herself and issued one more command, her voice not wavering.

"Elēpu."

Nothing happened in the first few moments. Soon disproving the notion, though, was the shaking of the earth, as dirt began to turn itself aside. Small brambles began to emerge from the dirt, shooting up from the ground as they climbed towards the sky. In the span of minutes, what had been small twigs were turning into massive trees. Even then, they still grew, growing towards the sky.

Following the forest were small plants. Bushes began to form alongside the river, in places where the trees had decided not to grow. There. Tall grass soon followed, hiding the remanded of the ground in its yellow folds.

As the leaves began to sprout, nearly touching the feet of the figure floating, she smiled once more. Looking about, she searched for a particular spot of land that suited her desires. As her eyes turned, she eventually found what she sought. Pointing at a hill far away, next to which a river slowly lapped at its banks, she spoke one last word. As always, even if her hand shook, her voice was clear and commanding.

"Banû."

Once more, nothing happened at first, but a light soon appeared on the hill. The light expanded slowly as it began to take form. Lines began to appear, squaring off the sides as the light began to darken. Within minutes, a tan building sat upon the hill, looking out over the vast plains before it.

With a small sigh of relief, the figure finally began to move. The two hands placed themselves under the covers of the book, eventually clamping it shut. The moment its pages no longer glowed, she dropped in the air, crying out as she did so. The figure clutched the book to her chest, doing her best to steady herself. However, it proved too much for her, and she eventually sank to the ground below.

There she sat for minutes on end. The rivers babbled along as the winds shook the trees and bushes, but she did nothing more but breathe heavily, hunched over. After taking her time to recover her senses, she forced herself to her feet, standing as tall as she could.

As she did, her cloak drew against her front, exposing an enlarged stomach for the first time. Feeling the pull of the fabric, the figure looked down and smiled, her pale lavender hair draping over her shoulders. One hand freed itself from the book and lowered itself to rub her engorged stomach.

"I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you, little Istar." A tear formed from her eye and began to trickle down her cheek, identical to the water that still coated her face. "My first creation…"

She stood there for a few moments, admiring her form, and what was contained within. After a few moments, though, she sighed. Straightening her shoulders, she began to walk, her body shaking with every step. "Do not worry, little star. Your Mother Shinki will take care of you. Only a new creation is good enough for my first. And soon, we will have brother and sisters many to join you." Her smiled widened as her thoughts strayed.

"And this shall be our home. Our land. Our city. All just for you."

A/N Howdy all! Had this brainchild this morning, and I thought I'd throw it together and see how it read. Nothing too fancy or anything yet, and it shouldn't get too long. I'd be surprised if it got to 20k words with notes. Just a little series to freshen the palate and whatnot.

Any feedback would be appreciated, as always. It's not much yet, but the next ones should be a bit longer than this. And I'll answer any questions to be had. Until next time, take care!

Also, I hope everyone is doing well up north. I pray that you are doing well, and that nothing bad may befall you. See those of you up there when all has passed, and you are doing well again.