The wind rustled past her again, flicking open the pages.
‘I saidstop.’
But her eyes went to the symbols … and she paused.
What sort of book could be powerful enough to get someone to lay down their own religion, to step aside from everything they’d ever known and believed in … and choose to follow the Acolyte instead?
Even if it led to death.
Even if it led to a journey across the Expanse, cold and alone and uncertain of what they’d even find on the other side.
‘One page,’ Ezer whispered.
The wind circled her in a cold embrace as she looked at the symbols.
And began to read.
At first, there was only One.
The One created time and space and a string of realms twelve in number, upon which were breathed the very first signs of life.
The pillars of magic: wind, fire, air, realm, and the Ehver.
The One reigned over all in peace.
But as time wore on, peace became lonely. So, with a great burst of power, the One called upon each pillar of its creation to breathe new life.
And soon were born the Five.
They were given control over the twelve realms, so long as they kept a single vow:
They would bow to the One for eternity.
For a time, all was as it should be. The One ruled, and the Five obeyed.
But soon, the Five began to grow wary of the One. All creation sang the One’s praises, even their own pillars of magic.
The Five longed for adoration, too.
A root of bitterness sprang up in them … and with it, they devised a plan to turn the One into the None.
Together, they gathered their power and created a new realm.
A thirteenth: a place of chaos instead of pillared balance, which they fashioned into a mighty cage.
They fooled the One into going inside … and sealed shut the door.
Without the One, the Five realized that they, too, needed worshipers, and so they gave of themselves to create something new entirely:
Humanity.
Lesser beings, weak and insignificant and meant only to serve the Five for all their days.
But the Five soon learned that humanity was restless, and even when the Five walked among them, Humanity complained. Humanity groaned.
Humanity was never satisfied with what the Five gave them, always hungering for more.
Over time, Humanity began to worship itself instead. They bowed to the strongest, the prettiest, the boldest.
