A Kingdom Eclipsed by Moonlight - Book 1

Origins

Origins

There was silence before there were stories of children made of stardust and dirt on Earth. True, blessed silence.

It's the type of silence that rings in your ear, that scrapes at your teeth. It hums, this silence. Your entire body becomes finely tuned, straining for the faintest sounds. Maybe it should have stayed that way.

Before the Earth was bustling with life, it was once dark and vacant.

Empty and drifting in the great vacuum of space, the small planet had gone unnoticed by the ancient gods who ruled the galaxies for eons. Sifting through the weightless, choking silent universe, the alien gods leaped from planet to planet creating mayhem and devastation wherever they visited.

They were as beautiful as sifting stardust and as horrible as the gaping maw of a black hole. The ancient gods appeared as salvation and harbingers before they unleashed their powers. For millennia, historians have debated the choices the ancients may have made, argued against the possibilities of their cruelty, and the most devoted followers would cry out at any accusations of the Great Mothers and Great Fathers that helped shape our world.

It would disappoint them to know there was no premeditated course of action–they truly did as they pleased. The ancient Great Mothers and Great Fathers took, gorged, fucked, fought, and slaughtered without remorse.

Witnessing the birth of countless galaxies, planets, moons, and stars can shift the mindset of any sentient being. Rules and emotions become blurred after being present for every birth and death of a star, a sun, or a planet–you become detached, indifferent, and cruel.

Some call the ancient gods saviors, but in actuality, they were monsters.

There have been several ancient gods whose very presence shook the galaxy, but we will focus on six.

First, there was Kofi. He was arrogant as he was powerful.

Kofi hosted daily parties in his palace in the heavens. The skies would crackle and light up the sky with his booming laugh. Kofi loved to charm people–he would touch down on a planet, his beautiful black skin stark against the white-silver of his hair, and dazzle the people. It made it easier to slaughter them when they least expected it. Kofi did not care about the people of each planet–far from it.

Unlike her husband, Ai-Rue, was never able to hide her otherness. She was a beast. Her bloodlust never seemed to end for this goddess. The very air around her seemed to quiver in fear at the magnitude of her power.

The twins, Rift, and Abyss, were no better.

They were spewed from the bellies of Hell. Born from nightmares and the eternal suffering of the damned, Rift and Abyss were feared by all, even some of the ancient gods. But that did not deter Time.

Unlike the other ancient gods, Time came with life. Time existed as suddenly as the goddess was born–it was instant.

The last goddess, Amity, some would say she was the most sinister of all the gods. While Kofi charmed and cajoled, Amity would make the people love her. They were devoted to her before the Great Floods were sent. The citizens would erect statues and monuments in her monitor right as the meteor breached their skies. To those who knew Amity's sting, her name was synonymous with barbed words like hope and trust.

And the worst of it all, the goddess relished every moment. It was a thrill to her–earning the people's trust, their devotion–and watching the devastation on their faces, listening to the shrill sounds of their terror that made it worth it.

In the midst of the chaos and wild pandemonium in their wake, the ancient gods did make a mistake–they wanted to have children.

Abyss and Time were the only ones successful in their endeavors. When they would come together–the very cosmos shuttered. Asteroids eroded and dissolved, leaving behind a trail of tear-shape rocks as the union birthed the next generation of monsters.