When this land was young and the Divines were still deciding how to reign over their beloved peoples, the moon still belonged to the goddess Lyrinth.
Lyrinth was the second youngest of the seven Divines and twin to Hubris. On her 7th birthday, like all of her siblings, she was given a land and power to rule over. Her gift was the seasons, the moon and she later became the goddess of peace.
Lush forests with babbling brooks nestled between breezy meadows made up the bulk of her domain. Her kind heart filled it with all manor of creature to create an ecosystem that completely balanced itself.
But her creation was not complete until she made her own people. They were the thing that was missing from her little paradise.
However, Lyrinth saw how her sisters' creations were powerful and long lived. How they fought at the behest of every Divine's feud—until destruction was the only thing they seemed to be capable of. It made her hesitant to create a people that would just become pawns in their game.
And so, she decided to create something different. Creatures like her forest, welcoming and filled with balance. It would be their mission to help the other people of Sylrainth to be peaceful.
Thus, she created the humans. Lyrinth gathered the ideals of her soul and made them from the same stuff as her animals—creating the first and only non-fae race.
The humans were short lived, small and appreciated everything around them. And they were everything her siblings creations were not.
For the first few generations, Lyrinth kept them confined to her forest. She loved them fiercely as their provider and protect as she lived among them. As she knew them, the humans knew her.
For a time, everything was perfect, but as all children do, the humans desired their freedom. All their lives, they heard stories of lands outside of their forests and now it was time they see them.
Lyrinth was of course reluctant to indulge their desires, but she was eventually swayed. For what mother could deny her children of all they wanted?
Slowly, she started allowing her humans to venture beyond the protection of her domain.
First, they met the Zantians, whom were quite welcoming as they were also a young race trying to navigate the new world.
Next, they stumbled upon the Draconyx. Their meeting was civil, but strained. The dragons didn't particularly like anyone who wasn't among their people.
Disaster finally struck when they met the Dravati.
The fae that Karis created were arrogant and all powerful. As fickle as the wind, Dravati could take any form they pleased and as the most powerful race, all fae were slaves to their whims.
So naturally, the Dravati harbored closest ties to the Elves. It was those such ties that doomed the humans.
When Dravati discovered the existence of the magicless humans, they were overjoyed and welcoming. They even decided to throw a party in their honor. Sparing no expense, it took place in the grand palace of the Dravati fae. They ferried every human to their Isles, showering them with jewels and silks and lavish clothes.
It looked as if the party was planned to last a month with the amount of food and pleasures that were amassed.
Representatives from all races attended and formed bonds with the new race of the adored goddess of the moon, the seasons and peace. In fact, they were all quiet on board with the humans being enforcers of her peace.
Despite the Elves disliking everyone but the Dravati, they were also quite accommodating. Trade routes were established, and every city agreed to allow humans through their gates—rare as there existed no cohabitated cities in this era.
Late into the week, when everyone was thoroughly drunk off of Dravati wine, a drunk human woman fell and was caught by a Draconyx. Blood welled as his claws accidentally snagged her delicate skin.
Fae gasped as they glanced towards the commotion. Red blood—not blue blood. Red—the blood of animals. Red—the blood of lesser beings. Red—the blood of non-fae.
Disgust contorted his features and exposed his fangs as the Draconyx dropped the girl. Outraged cries filled the air and everyone spoke at once.
A Dravati faea shouted over the din as she stormed forward, "What is the meaning of this? You dare lie to us? "
The human girl balked at the rage rippling glinting in her eyes.
Coming to her defense, gentle elven hands picked the girl up from the floor and shielded her from view. They cooed softly to calm her as another elf checked the scratch.
The leader of the elven representatives stepped forward and announced, "These creatures are now under our protection." Shock rippled through the crowd, but he blazed on, "I understand all of us are angry. We have been tricked, but I assure you it is not the human's fault. They're only animals. They can't truly understand what they've done."
With those three words, humanity's fate was sealed.
As animals, they fell under elven protection because of their gifts to bond with the lesser creatures. Humans were now seen as nothing more than pets.
Ever the supportive friends, the Dravati backed the elves claim and over the days that followed, elves invaded Lyrainth's forest, claiming the territory as an extension of their own.
The human goddess felt helpless. Any move she made could be seen as an act of war by the other divines.
Some humans were granted rights to stay in Wythium but most were not as lucky. Some were claimed by elves as their bonded creature and ferried away to Toth. It did not matter to them that humans had lives—had families.
Bonded animals were meant to live as lifelong companions to individual elves. No better than an extremely beloved property.
And humanity—short lived, magicless humanity could do nothing against them.
Lyrinth saw her people's distress and ventured out to do the one thing she could to do in the face of conflict—talk.
She approached Cyrina first, hoping this matter could be dealt with quickly. But no matter how much she begged, her elder sister only sneered that animals fell under her domain and her elves had every right to protect them.
So next Lyrinth approached her twin. Hubris was immediately sympathetic to her cause—his own people faced a similar prejudice because of the golden blood they bore. Instead of animals, Zantians were hailed as demons—unnatural creatures that were unworthy of the god blood in their veins.
Unfortunately, Hubris had very little influence. As the last born and the only male, his sisters often disregarded his input sighting the fact that their mother hated him.
While their goddess worked fruitlessly, her humans grew frustrated and restless. Lyrinth's efforts were viewed as cowardice.
Of the humans remaining in Wythium, some began congregating in secret meetings.
Their goddess was useless, that much was clear to them, so matters were to be taken into their own hands. The matters took place in a small, hidden village deep in the forest that had miraculously evaded elven control.
It was one such meeting that humanity's resentment reached a crescendo that had them hatching a foul plan.
A woman slammed her hand on the table their small coalition sat around, "We need to amass power for ourselves!"
The people murmured around her.
"Yes, but how?" One asked. Everyone sat in tense silence, completely at a loss for an answer.
"We beseech another Divine." The voice came from across the room and chairs creaked as everyone gaped at the new comers.
"But—that's unheard of."
The man stalked forward, companions staying by the door, and leaned his hands against the table the group sat around, "Do you want to continue to be slaves?" He looked each of them in the eye, "Peace does nothing. We need to fight and who better to help us than war herself?"
Word spread quickly between the small group of humans that lived outside of elven influence. More and more flocked to the cause. Despite the size of the force they amassed, they remained unnoticed by their goddess. She was too wrapped up in trying to save her people.
On a night whilst their goddess was distracted as such, a of humans ventured to the border that they shared with the goddess of war.
It was a moonless night when they finally made their move. Lyrinth was away and would not be there to suspect why several of her most trusted priests were venturing out on a night where her light could not guide them.
The stars seemed to stare as the group made its way across the forest and to the raging, snowy border that marked the territory of the Divine of War.
The summoning ritual they did has been lost to time, some say because Lyrinth wiped all summonings from memory to prevent such a betrayal from occurring again.
When the divine finally answered, she appears to them as a massive silver bear. They knew she could smell their fear.
The goddess's fang filled smile was terrifying as she listened to the human's pleading. They had hardly finished speaking before she said yes and was gone with a screech of wind.
Maybe this had been a mistake, but the deal was struck—bring the divine of war the moon and they could have any power they desired.
The priest were left up to the task of obtaining the moon. As Lyrinth's most beloved and trusted of her humans, only they could hope to convince her of their need.
Together they told her the moon would be used to show the other races the favor humanity had with Lyrinth. If humans could summon the moon, it would convince the world of humanity's importance and force the elves to regard them as equals.
Amazingly it worked—the loving goddess of humanity gifted one priest the ability to control the cycles of the moon and summon its essence at will. It's funny what a bit of desperation and unconditional love can do to someone's senses. Even divinity.
Temporarily was her only stipulation. As soon as the other races were convinced, she would resume her duties as the moon's warden.
Unfortunately, the humans wasted no time in betraying her. When she was once again called away by urgent matters between the divines, the rebels performed the ritual once more.
This time, the divine of war appeared as a small child—utterly naked but all bits covered by a mass of silver, curly hair.
"Have you brought it?" Her childlike voice was dead as the icy wing that bit their cheeks.
Wordlessly, the priest summons the silver of the moon and presents it. Before she can reach out and touch it, he snatches it away.
"Our deal?"
She smiles—a monstrous thing, "How could I forget? What is it you want?"
Two more humans stepped forward at the wave of his hand—snow crunching as they took one step into her eternal land of winter.
"We each ask for a different gift—"
"How greedy."
The priest shifted uncomfortably, "Goddess please. We beseech you humbly."
Every divine loves an ego stroke.
Taking her silence as a sign to continue, he cleared his throat, "Well, my people want magic. To be able to configure and manipulate elements like the Zantians."
The woman speaks, "My people want to be immortal. Our lives are too short in the face of all the fae."
The last human spoke, "We admire your fae greatly, goddess. Me and mine should wish to be like your Lyndrax, to shift into mighty beasts. Wolves are our chosen creatures."
For a moment she only regarded the assembled rebel humans silently. Then a small laugh, "You betray your goddess and this is all you can think to ask of me. How typical of mortals." She snaps her fingers and the wind screams, ripping wildly as it surrounds them all. "Very well, I gift you all you ask in exchange for the moon, as was our deal."
Suddenly prone, the assembled humans fell to their knees as light rushed through their frail bodies.
The tiny essence of the moon tumbled into the snow and rolled towards the goddess. Before they could recover, the Divine of war snatched it—and she was gone.
The ground around them seemed to turn red and as they looked up, they beheld the moon stained the color of human blood.
A screech of furry echoed through the forest, paralyzing the traitors—the cry of a goddess scorned.
Lyrinth appeared before them, eyes blazing golden with the suns flame. Her towering form sent a massive shadow over the lands, bathing the humans in darkness.
Her wrath shook the ground as she screeched, "What have you done?"
Mortality trembled before divinity. Some lay at her feet beseeching her forgiveness. One brave soul looked up, hands rising in plea, "P-please forgive us! We intended no harm... we only want to protect ourselves! To be—"
"YOU SPIT IN THE FACE OF MY GIFTS!" Trees splintered at the guttural roar from the Divine of the sun and peace but no longer the moon.
The man fell back, sobbing, "Please, please."
Disgust contorted her once kind features, "It's not in my nature to kill. So, instead I offer you a mercy."
Some sobbed their relief, thanking the goddess whom they betrayed.
A cold laugh, "Yes. Keep your ridiculous gifts—try to be more than what I made you. But know this, you will never again be my people. I curse every single one of you so you may never live your lives in peace—so your decedents suffer the exact same fate with no end in sight." She turned to the wolf shifters and practically spat, "To the ones who forged the idea to give Atenya my moon, may you be slave to it forever. You will turn beast every full moon and kill without abandon as you have killed my heart."
The full moon shone brighter at her word as if it still harbored some link to the goddess. Screams echoed as the bones of the shifters began to splinter.
Unbothered, again she turned, "To the ones that wished to be immortal and ungrateful for the life I gave you, your demise will be simple. You ever step foot in my sunlight again, and you shall burn. And the only way to sustain your false immortality will be through the blood of others."
The remaining humans faces filled with horror as some among them turned ashen as death and their eyes filled with starvation.
Finally, she turned to the ones clad in white, tattooed in her symbols—the ones who had manipulated her love for their own gain.
The goddess's voice was pure venom, "And to the ones I trusted the most—my priests, my first children. You can keep your precious magic, but you will never find peace in any afterlife. The second you die, your souls will be burned in the heat of my sun and slowly be torn to bits. Never to be reborn again."
Every single one of priests eyes lost its color until only pure, bone white remained. As if their very souls were already dead in their bodies.
Lighting cracked and struck the ground as she raised her arms, spreading fire and dividing the traitorous humans into the three factions: werewolves, vampires, and witches.
Lyrainth left as the screams started anew, growling echoing between them. Let the humans burn or rip each other to shreds. She would never care for them again.
It is said that as she left, Atenya's laughter could be heard echoing among the chaos.