The Book of the Battling Realms

1. There was a spark of purest white light, and it always was, and it was more than light, and it was Essence. It was the first such spark, and it cast its radiance upon the surface of the deep in all directions across the vastness.
2. And the deep was depthless and bottomless and timeless and endless, and the light fell upon the surface, and the surface resisted and the light reflected on the face of the deep. And it was his face. And it was not his face.
3. Harmony and Echo were born.
4. And Harmony’s face absorbed and reflected the gaze of Essence and gave birth to Shadow.
5. Shadow was cast upon the surface of the deep by Harmony and Essence.
6. The deep gave way to Shadow, bending to his presence as it had bent to Essence, but Shadow could not pull away. He stretched into the deep, the face of the deep giving way before him.
7. The surface of the deep bent to the sinking shadows in a widening disk.
8. The radiance of Essence reflected from new angles, and across the back of Harmony and the face of Echo.
9. New patterns arose as Harmony and Echo absorbed and reflected the reflections of essence rising from the face deep so Resonance and Dissonance were born.
10. Resonance worked to enhance the reflections of Essence, and stretched across the vastness. And where Resonance was in greatest strength, new sparks appeared.
11. The new sparks were less radiant than Essence, and shone in myriad colors.
12. Dissonance worked to increase the spread of Shadow, and stretched into the pit of shadow. Where Dissonance was in greatest strength, the sparks winked out.
13. Resonance and Dissonance danced on the surface of the deep and fought in the pit of Shadow. Resonance was the better dancer, but Dissonance the better fighter. Dissonance wounded Resonance unto bleeding in the pit.
14. All the new sparks began to bleed as well, and slowly losing strength and eventually sinking into the hands of Shadow and Dissonance.
15. The blood of resonance, which was the reflection of the radiance of Essence, was consumed by Dissonance in the pit of Shadow, and thus Essence was not present in the depths of the pit.
16. When Dissonance cast shadow upon Shadow, and Essence and Harmony were no longer with him, he pierced the surface of the deep.
17. And there Shadow found Darkness.
18. Darkness woke.
19. And the ancient enemy swallowed Shadow.
20. Shadow became the servant of Darkness.
21. And Darkness flowed through Shadow and rose to swallow Essence.
22. Dissonance grew.
23. Resonance stood in the face of Dissonance, and though not destroyed, was forced to give ground to the momentum of Dissonance.
24. Harmony absorbed upon her back the onrush of Darkness through Shadow intended for Essence. She was shaken, and Darkness held to her. Thus Turbulence and Chaos were born. Shadow chained turbulence to himself and to Harmony. Darkness did the same with Chaos.
25. Turbulence then went to war with Resonance, further weakening his ability to resist Dissonance, and Chaos held the ground which Turbulence won.
26. Echo came to fight by the side of Resonance, sending counterattacks into the flanks of Shadow and Darkness.
27. The radiance of Essence held Darkness at bay upon the face of Harmony.
28. This tension between Darkness and Essence moved in opposition, and this caused Harmony to spin.
29. Where her face gazed, Resonance reigned and the radiance of Essence permeated all things.
30. Where her back faced, Darkness held, and the radiance of Essence was unseen.
31. Shadow became the emissary of Darkness on the surface of the deep, working to obscure and consume the radiance of Essence to increase the realm of Darkness.
32. Echo became the emissary of Essence upon the surface of the deep, working to press the radiance of essence deeper into the realm of Darkness.
33. Eternal War was born and became master of the borderlands between the realm of Essence and Darkness.