Author's note: This story is written as gijinka and there is a bit of genderbending that will make more sense later on.
In the beginning there was Nothing; and when he became aware of his self the universe came sprawling into form. The Emptiness echoed with the sounds of loneliness, and from his tears there shimmered Light. From this glimmering warmth there shone visions of Hope, and she dreamt forth a great Fountain. It frothed and bubbled with joy, spreading its power throughout the cosmos and giving birth to Peace.
Their tranquility lasted for ages uncounted, until suddenly there came into shape mortal beings; tiny fragile things seeking meaning and purpose. The benevolent gods sought to aid these creatures in any way they could, leaving Zero to seethe with jealousy.
It was then that Death made his presence known, sweeping across all without distinction. None know when he was truly born nor if he was ever born at all. He simply was. This necrotic god soon allied himself with the disgruntled Zero. Together they declared war upon the other gods and their people; and from this war there arose a new evil...
The Fountain of Dreams had become dreadfully still as of late; its waters laden with dark secrets and unspoken horrors. Mirage, the goddess of hopes and dreams, was busy staring at the worried expression upon her reflection's face. The stars in her golden eyes, normally glittering brightly with joy, had dimmed to a tired grey. Her blonde hair was still rather disheveled from warding off the hoards of Dark Matter and Skullies trying to destroy the Fountain, and her bright red robes were torn in a few places. It was clear the war had weakened her considerably, but it was not in her nature to simply give up. She was the embodiment of hope after all, and mortals needed her now more than ever.
"Ever since the war started it just hasn't been the same..." she thought to herself, carefully dipping her fingers into the Fountain, "All the joy is gone and something terrible has taken its place. This can't end well for any of us." Without warning the water turned an inky black and the goddess pulled away with a startled gasp, her grip tightening on the Star Rod in expectation of a fight.
The strange darkened liquid trembled and began to sputter angrily. It spat in waves made entirely of all manner of insects and arachnids, spilling forth onto the ground in a writhing mass while others burst into the air in a flurry of vile buzzing. From this great black mass arose a figure who was like a living whirlwind, her cold starry eyes holding a barely contained fury as they rested upon the elder goddess. She looked exactly like Mirage, only with blue hair and black eyes filled with large blue-pink pupils.
"Who are you?" asked Mirage, trying to remain pleasant despite the suffocating aura radiating from the other.
The newcomer floated down onto the ground, paying no mind to her invertebrate children being crushed under her weight. The raging tornado around her body began to subside, revealing a rather amorphous mass of darkness underneath. Slowly, it shifted and changed, imitating an anthropomorphic body like the one that the pale skinned woman held. It seemed this new being had no true shape of her own and was simply mirroring what she saw.
Mirage knew that this being was likely a new goddess of some kind, born as a result of the current war. An embodiment of the frantic battle they all waged; the harshness of cold reality and the howling desire to survive.
"..Fear."
