Chapter 1: Endless Chasm

In the beginning there was Shadow.
It was still, dark and obscure.
From Shadow sprouted desire;
the desire was for recognition.
Desire matured into ambition;
ambition had great strength.
Strength sustained Shadow,
and Shadow could act.

Shadow first created air;
then it made water and land;
then an assortment of life forms,
to govern each stratum.
Shadow sowed seeds,
seeds of desire, in all creatures;
desire to sustain, to procreate,
and to appreciate Shadow.

Then they acted, driven by desire.
Actions brought about effects;
effects transpired in pairs.
One of each pair fulfilled desire,
and the creatures called it Good;
The other defeated desire,
and the creatures called it Bad.
The kingdom was hence divided!

Good was rewarding; it was adored.
Bad, disappointing, was unwelcome.
And then a new ambition was born:
To acquire all that was good, and
to ward off all that was bad.
The renewed ambition had great strength;
Lust and fear shaped that strength.
And the creatures proceeded to slay!

And so it is that the very monarch,
the undeniable supreme veracity,
concealed by greed, fear and pride,
still remains dark and obscure.
Flanked by the twin kingdoms,
Shadow expands into a cavity;
into an endless chasm that
creates, sustains and consumes.