gen one
Prologue Part One - The Beginning
5:48 PM
Long ago, when mankind was still
in its infancy, a legion of goddesses gathered every one hundred years at a sacred grounds to
oversee their creations. Some had long grown bored of their toys, and others
still had fretted. Their celestial children had lazed and laid barren for the last three hundred years. Given the
gift of eternal life and the blessings of the goddesses in the forms of foods
and entertainment, there was no real reason to work, or even live.
They had
learned to rely solely on the heavens for their livelihoods, and many of the
days that the goddesses had created for harvest and worship were wasted on
gossip and secular feasts. The land’s characteristically mellow weather became
a plague of its own, giving inhabitants the excuse to lounge and criticize
their very makers.
Sleep and throwaway pleasures of the flesh became many a person's pursuit as the days lazily drifted past, eroding at the goddess' patience with each disrespect.
And on the advent of the third gathering of the legion, it
was proposed that the land be swept away by flame, or flood, and a new
beginning be reached. Many agreed out of desperation - though only as to get back to their amusements, in the own flawed image of their very creations.
But as the final
preparations were made, a sole member spoke out.
“Punish man for their sins,” the
brave one known as Laetitia urged, “But spare them their lives. Allow me to
give them hope, and instruct them on the facets of living.”
Many who had
remained silent soon rallied behind the outspoken goddess, and others admired
her heart and courage.
The leader and the oldest of the
goddess, Dux, considered the proposal carefully. “Are you prepared to rectify
the chaos that will ensue from our rage? Can you bear the weight man will leave
on your shoulders?”
Laetitia nodded. “I have been
weaving a plan for these one hundred years, and will not disappoint you.”
Dux smiled faintly, grateful for the outburst in the usually orderly proceedings. “Very well. I
will leave it to you.” She motioned at her followers. “The rest of you know
where your work lays.” And they disbanded.
The first to release her wrath
was Eluvies, in form of battering floods. Naturally, before destroying the homes of hundreds, she took a few moments to appreciate the world her brethren had helped to create.
In truth, she would have loved to cut
down the humans with typhoons in retribution for their slaughter of her
beloved marine life (in the name of sport, no less!), but in keeping with her commitment to
the legion, merely destroyed their shelters. She ignored their screams of mercy in the far distance, content to take her place on the shoreline and listen to the peaceful sound of the lapping waves.
Goaded on by the success of her polar opposite and lover, the next to rise was Ignis. It only took a simple wave of her hand to
cut down the lovely parks that man had once spent many a lazy afternoon in,
returning them to their original dust. Her original plan was to scorch the very Earth, making last-ditch farming impossible. Yet she was fiercely loyal to the league, and instead laid among one of many land plots the Goddesses had long set aside for crops as her fires raged far away.
Man's screams as buildings were encased in flame meant nothing to her.
The destruction was only compounded by Spatia, Goddess of the Galaxy. Her medium had long been used to transport goods between the Goddesses and man, who had greedily gobbled up the treasures without so much as a proper thanks. Though she had a right mind to punish their creations for allowing her beautiful constellations to go unappreciated, she instead picked off the plots of land the others had ignored through her meteors, and did so all in the comfort of the Goddesses' home.
Some watched in disgusted awe at the Goddesses' wrath.
Others directly felt it.
And as the Earth fell, so did what morality the humans had left. Without their leisure activities to keep them occupied nor a steady supply of food from the Goddesses, many, for the first time, died. Some even leaned toward crime, roving the countryside in rogue groups to destroy homes and rob makeshift storefronts. Though they dared not mention it for fear of Dux's rebuttal, many goddesses began to secretly despise Laetitia. Whatever her plan was, it must have backfired miserably.
2 comments
You had me hooked from "Long ago, when mankind was still in its infancy..." Solid opening, eye-catching and engaging. The premise is intriguing and I can already tell this will be different from typical baby challenges. You did a great job visually creating the goddesses. I like how they are all unique looking and how their looks correspond with their powers or wrathful reactions to humanity. I'm looking forward to what Laetitia has in store for humanity.
ReplyDeleteYou have me hooked :) excited to read more
ReplyDelete