Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Many of the Ancients started to view their creations, from god to mortal, as selfish parasites. Realizing mortals could not coexist with the land, and that the Primals were becoming unbalanced under the influence of the mortals, the Ancients decided to take back what had been given. They decided to cleanse the realms. But the Primals rose, working alongside the mortals, and the Ancients fell. And while some went to places of rest, others remained behind to ensure balance, becoming the Arae—the Fates.
And evolution continued.
The first Primal fell in love. And the Arae started experiencing emotions, as well. This worried the Fates. They feared those feelings could be used as weapons, so they intervened, hoping to dissuade others, and committed one of their greatest mistakes.
They made love the Primals’ true weakness.
But it was too late by then. Another Primal had fallen in love. And another. Eventually, the Primals began feeling other emotions. Joy and sadness. Excitement and dread. Hopefulness and bitterness. Empathy and jealousy. And, of course, love and hate. They began to live, and like with all beings that have choices, some became corrupt, uncontrollable, and obsessed.
And what the Ancients had dreamed so long ago continued to play out despite their interference. The balance of the realms grew increasingly unstable as the Primals fought amongst each other, but they were always nothing more than skirmishes—never all-out war.
Never anything that threatened the very fabric of the realms.
Until now.
First on our journey of discovery, let’s start with the Ancients…
Note: Some of this information was given in the glossary, but if you did not use that before accessing this file, it’s reiterated and expanded upon here.
Ancients:
Fallen stars that created the realms and rose to walk the lands, eventually splitting their power into creations of their flesh—the Primals. As time wore on, they became fed up with the way the Primals, gods, and mortals took care of what had been given to them and decided to cleanse it all. The Primals joined forces with the gods, mortals, draken, and their ancestors—the dragons—to battle them.
Arae/The Fates:
The Fates, Ancients who remained behind to ensure balance, made of pure eather, just existed for the longest time. Eventually, they took mortal form. They worried about what they couldn’t predict and the unknown/unseen possibilities. But nothing worried them more than unbalanced Primal power. They wanted to have something in place in case a Primal needed to rise but there was no Primal of Life to Ascend them. Obviously, one foresaw what was to come, but none foretold that the very thing they created would bring about that which they tried to prevent.
Enter the Star diamond: a conduit powerful enough to briefly store and transfer embers both volatile and unpredictable in their raw and unsheltered state. It was unearthed from deep within the Undying Hills, and removing the diamond made the land uninhabitable. The Arae erupted half the mountain to find The Star, and the heated rock and gas irrevocably changed the landscape.
Created by the flames of dragons that used to inhabit the realm of the gods long before the Primals could shed joyous tears—which also present as diamonds—it was the first of its kind and known for its indestructible strength; irregular, jagged beauty; and silver sheen.
It’s actually a petrified Ancient.
None but the Arae were supposed to know of its existence. While The Star has many uses, possibly the most important is the storage of embers for a transfer. But only an Arae or a Primal has the kind of power needed to force such a thing.
After the events surrounding Sotoria (detailed below), a Fate gave The Star to Kolis, but it is unknown who or why. He used it to trap Eythos’s soul and kept it at the top of a gilded cage made of the bones of the Ancients. Sera eventually rescues it, sets Eythos free, and then uses it to store Sotoria’s soul.
Now, let us regress just a bit and speak a little more about the Primals, shall we?
Primal Gods/Goddesses:
Appearance: They look like mortals, but their preternatural appearances vary.
Abilities: Only ten Primals can tear open the realms. Some Primals can taste emotions. All Primals can shapeshift. They can be bonded to draken in their Courts and are thus able to call on them in times of need. Most draken see it as an honor, but some Primals force the bond—like Kolis. They have the ability to heal and can sense magic. They are able to gain access to memories during feeding. They can shadowstep, which is using eather to will themselves wherever they want to go. If in the mortal realm, a Primal’s essence can affect the moods and minds of mortals and the environment. They can also power electricity.
Biology: Shadowstone won’t kill them unless they have been weakened by love. The bones of the Ancients can put them into a years-long stasis if used to wound. It was always believed that Primals could not have children with mortals. They age like mortals until about twenty years in, then the process slows to a crawl. Primals can go quite some time without nourishment, but if they go too long, they become, well…primal and primitive. It takes a lot to scar their skin, and salt must be added immediately to make any ink stay. Primals are virtually endless. The minute they are born or Ascended, their essence begins to change them. They can light fires and move incredibly fast, but it’s powered by will and not thought. Bone chains and cells can hold a weakened Primal. They will go into stasis if the body is overwhelmed and it needs to heal or recharge; if they do, roots grow and cover them for protection. When Primals fall in love, they develop a graeca, which is a word in the old language meaning love or life.