Vestal Phases

PROLOGUE: Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, there was no time. 

In fact, there was nothing.

You wouldn't have seen a black void. There was no void. There was just nothing. There was so much nothing I can't even describe it to you, because you are not nothing.

But then, suddenly, for apparently no reason at all, there was something.

This something was a gigantic burst of energy and light. And as it spread into the nothing, a whole lot happened.

Growth upon growth upon growth. Division by multiplication— that was the way of this immense, busy blob of energy expanding into the nothing.

Atoms compounded into elements which compounded into stars and comets and asteroids and planets and all sorts of shit.

This went on for awhile.

Then, in one particular galaxy, near one particular star, on one particular planet, biological organisms formed. All kinds of them. Billions. Little cellular meat machines, all with varying degrees of cognitive ability. They scurried and swam and flapped all over the surface of this one particular planet with its perfect temperatures and protective atmosphere.

After some time, one particular breed of these organisms developed to the point they became self-aware. This self-awareness made them think they were special-- that all this something was created specifically for them.

They invented something they called "technology". They used it to manipulate their environment, to harness the energy of the infinitely-expanding blob they were a part of.

And as you can imagine, shit got totally cray after that...