On the Decaying Mountains peaks, The Black Abyss Cliff was the most dangerous of all regions in all the known terrestrial planets within the Ring Galaxy. The Black Abyss was often called the Primordials Necropolis. Many mighty, ancient creatures have either jumped, fallen, or have been pushed towards the cliff's endless darkness, none-had survived, it has always been a certain death sentence.
On the edge of this cliff, a black-haired, grayish-blue-eyed man sat cross-legged, peering at the cliff's Abyss, playing with a small black fireball between his fingers. He seemed human, perhaps in his late twenties, the short trimmed and stylized goatee beard added few years to his charming appearance. He was no human, though, but a Primordial black-feathered Phoenix.
As all myriad of creatures matures and augment themselves with Source energy, regardless of their species or kind, they gain the ability to stand on two feet and appear to be a member of the Intelligent Races. They do not choose their appearance or what race they bear a resemblance to, just like their birth appearance; it is entirely out of their control.
The black-haired man was far from his home, on foreign land and planet, hoping to be the one that manages to solve the Black Abyss Cliff puzzle. Great yet to be explained mysteries were the one thing that always attracted the young sage.
The black-haired man sighed and looked around at the tops of the Decaying Mountains. Nothing grew or allowed life to thrive here; hence the Decaying name they were given, any effort to plant or grow anything here will end in futility. Just like no one knew where the Black Abyss led to, no one knew why the Mountains peaks were denied life.
A giant ancient rock stood to the left of the black-haired man, under its shadow, sat a small limbless human child on a comfortable pillow with her eyes closed. The child had a faint blue hair and a tiny frame. Numerous brilliant crystals producing an ethereal blue light adorned her head like a little crown. Around her neck, a Perfect Lapis Lazuli sparkled brightly.
The black-haired man faintly smiled; a hint of pride flashed across his face the more he gazed at the small child. The little one meant a lot to him. She was his first disciple, and the first creature to lay her full absolute trust in him without question or complaints. It was significant to him because when he took her under his guidance and care, one of the first things he was forced to do was to remove her limbs to maintain her withering frail life.
The fabric of space, a couple of meters behind the black-haired man seated position, ripped open. Two humanoids walked out of it gracefully, and the spatial tear corrected itself and closed immediately. The seated man did not look behind him. He instead sent wisps of his Source to inspect the newcomers, to sense their prestige and pure nature. The moment his Source energy touched the taller and the oldest of the two, the black-haired man abruptly stood up, patted his fine black clothes clean from all the dust it had collected, and turned around gently.
With his left hand behind his back and the right one closed fist over his heart, he bowed slightly and spoke. "Duke Amon Enigma Black-Sun of the Phoenixes clan greets his royal majesty."
A chuckle, then a laugh resounded on the mountain's peak. Amon raised his head to look at the two newcomers. One appeared to be a white-skinned old man with a long silver beard, a bald head, and two elongated ears that resembled elves' ears. The other was a veiled little girl. By humans' size to age standard, she appeared no older than thirteen. What caught Amon's attention the most was her slit pupils and blue like the clearest lake irises.
The old man approached Amon and patted his shoulders, still chuckling, then he spoke. "If your ancestor of a fossil hen knew you bowed to me, I wonder who would she kill first you or me, young Phoenix sage."
Amon faintly smiled. "She adores me too much. I don't think she is capable of blowing hot air in my direction in worry that it might discomfort me. If someone is going to get roasted, it would be you, your royal majesty. Besides, it was she who taught me how to act in the presence of a monarch, a Dragon monarch, no less."
The old Dragon, in the form of an ancient male elf, smiled. "You may drop the formalities and address me as all Primordials do, the ancient one has been my title and name for many eons now."
Amon tried his best to hide his apprehension, awe, dread, and great emerging respect from the ancient one, but he could not. How could he, when he was just a young Duke, standing in front of the oldest living monarch in their entire Galaxy.
"Come, my child, introduce yourself to our young Primordial sage," said the ancient one to the little girl accompanying him.
The veiled girl gracefully walked a few steps forward, then curtsied towards Amon. "Duchess Abigail Twin-Moon of the Dragons clan greets his highness Duke Amon of the Phoenixes clan." Amon returned the little Dragoness greeting with a nod and a frown at her veil. He was, after all, aware of the Dragons' customs and why a female Dragoness would wear a veil, revealing only her eyes, ears, and hair.
"Curiosity must be killing you. You can't help it; all Primordial sages are the same; they can't leave anything be without trying to understand it." Said the ancient one.
Amon looked at the old man and nodded. "She is too young to be engaged to anyone. We Primordials don't partake in arranged marriages this early. For her to be already committed, as the Dragons veil's custom indicates, it means something significant is at play here, perhaps a political upheaval on the way. It is more astonishing since she is your majesty's direct descendent from her noble surname. I know no one alive to be worthy of such commitment among your honorable clan or the rest of the Primordials clans."
The ancient one nodded in satisfaction. "You are wise and intelligent, indeed. It is no wonder your ancestor has claimed you as her son and became your second mother. You are correct. No one alive is worthy of my descendent, but soon one will be born who is a good fit for her. She decided to wear the veil when I informed her that her future husband would soon inhale his first breath."
Amon's eyebrows twitched. He hated the Dragons' fervent belief in fate and destiny, born from their close connection to the law of Time. "Another prophecy?" Said Amon with a hint of scorn.
The ancient one flicked Amon's forehead. "You sound like your fossil hen. She, too, disregards my clan prophecies as mere Dreamers' senseless babble. We are no Dreamers, we are Dragons, and Time has always been one of our supreme laws. You don't see us Dragons try to explain to you Phoenixes fire laws or dismiss them as cheap fireworks, no?"
Amon sighed. "Forgive my rudeness, your majesty. I'm a product of the house I was raised in."
The ancient one shrugged. "Nothing to forgive, I got used to your ancestor's insolence long ago, she gets a free pass for her unreasonable beauty."
Amon smiled. "Yes, her beauty, it has nothing to do with the fact that she can barbeque your old bones before you could force her into nirvana."
The ancient one scowled and looked at his descendent. "You hear that, my child? They dare even say that we Dragons are the most arrogant."
Abigail shook her head. "Stating a fact does not indicate arrogance, grand ancestor."
Sighing in defeat, the ancient Dragon looked at Amon's disciple under the old rock who remained motionless with her eyes closed. "I heard the rumors, but I did not believe them, you indeed did remove your first disciple four limbs. What could have possibly forced you to do so? This goes against the Phoenixes' gentle and generous nature."
Pain flashed across Amon's face, but he quickly hid it away. "I did it to save her life. Her four limbs were dying and decaying. They would have killed her."
The ancient one observed Amon, unconvinced that Phoenixes had no cure for whatever ailed her. If there was indeed no other way, a Phoenix-like Amon could have gifted her with nirvana. It is not something to be awarded lightly, but Amon was her master, and the relationship between master and disciple is no different than a parent and their precious child.
Amon turned around to look at the Black Abyss, unwilling to explain himself further. It involved matters and secrets that should not be discussed with outsiders, and he'd rather instead carry a dark stigma to his name than disclose his student's and clan secrets.
"What has brought your majesty here? Forgive me, I know it is your planet and territory, but I thought your clan and the rest of your planet's inhabitants have long given up on trying to understand this vast, antique puzzle that is the Black Abyss Cliff." Said Amon, changing the subject from his disciple to something else.
The ancient one walked to stand next to Amon, gazing at the Black Abyss. "My child had never seen the Black Abyss Cliff before, so I brought her here to have a look. Your known presence made the matter more exciting since we could pick your brain about it before you, too, give up on trying to understand the cliff's secrets."
Amon crossed his arms. "Giving up on such a great mystery? Never. The more I observe the endless darkness beneath the cliff, the more intriguing it appears to me. Look, not even your realm's twin great suns, which are right above it at noon, can illuminate it."
The ancient one nodded. "It is like those unseen massive celestial bodies at the center of our Ring Galaxy. Light cannot illuminate them; do you think there is a similar celestial body down there?"
"A black hole, you mean? No, if I thought so, I would have visited your clan's palace and domain to ask you to evict the planet immediately. A black hole is the cosmos way of showing us how insignificant all living beings are to it. A human scholar once said black holes are where God divided by zero. We cannot stand anywhere close to one. It would crush us to our most basic fundamental building blocks with no hope of ever escaping its gravitational pull. If a small black hole is growing down there, then your entire realm is doomed. Thankfully it is not the case here." Said Amon.
"Then how do you explain the apparent similarity? Light does not appear to be able to illuminate either, and both are a certain death sentence." Said the old Dragon.
Amon stretched his hand, kindling a giant, slowly spinning black fireball. "The darkness aspect could perhaps be explained the same way my unique black flames could be justified. Fire emits light, yet mine emits darkness. This matter should have raised feathers in my clan, yet neither my mother or ancestral mother paid it too much attention, they instinctively knew, as strange my flames appear to be, they are still part of the universal fire concept and law.
I do not claim there is a black fire down there, we would have felt its heat after all, but something perhaps similarly unique, emitting powerful darkness or denying light from escaping it."
The ancient one frowned and ran a hand through his long beard. "Then what do you think is truly down there? A spatial portal, perhaps?"
"If you could answer a question of mine, I can affirm my speculation and answer you." Said Amon.
"Ask away."
"Has a monarch truly met his end down there?"
The old Dragon nodded. "I have personally used this cliff to execute a Dragon monarch in the past. Their soul tablet soon after crumbled in our clan's palace, indicating their death without a doubt."
Amon squinted his eyes at the Black Abyss. "Then I firmly speculate that there is a Prime Ethereal Treasure down there. What else could efficiently kill monarchs, Primordial monarchs, no less, like it is going out of fashion?"
"I see. Indeed, what else could it be but a treasure born in the same period as our universe?" The old Dragon put his right hand behind Amon and forcefully pushed him towards the Black Abyss.
Amon appalled, surprised, and horrified, immediately gathered his Source to fly up before he could no longer do so. However, the ancient one congregated his vast Source energy and pushed Amon down towards the Black Abyss mercilessly while standing at the cliff edge and gazing at Amon with profound cold eyes. It was not a fair contest; a Duke could never stand in front of a monarch; Amon's fate was sealed the moment the ancient one decided to push him towards the Abyss.
"And so, it begins." Said the ancient one while turning his back to the Black Abyss.