As I sit here, watching the child-sized, pitch black crystal, with the golden, somewhat burning eyes within it, I just listen. Humbled, yet interested, I take notes as the being's dark, echoi voice is sent straight into my mind through magic. My hand shakes as the being speaks, yet I dare not to stop, for he told me never to stop. He started with this:
"Before even the tiniest of stars would have been on the sheet of the dark sky at night.. Before the wind blew across the steppes and mountain peaks.. Before the first light would reach the soft skin of an elven, there was nothing. Everything was condensed in nothingness. The giant cosmos would be of void, and nothing more. Then, the condensed energies cracked the walls of the void, and with blinding lights burst forth, setting the sky ablaze. Wherever the energies flew, stars formed, planets were born, and so, the void was filled. From the condensed energies, however, nine beings arose, who consumed the leftover of the energies, and changed them, transformed them into something else. The mortals call this energy: mana. For them, it was life. The nine looked around the sky, which was a coincidence, not their making, yet they proud themselves with the thought how they made it. They smiled. Each of them was a towering giant, with skin and armor of pure light in the color of gold. They smiled on the universe they so believed was made by them, yet, they couldn't find a suitable place to call home. So, they made one by combining their strength, channeling their magical energies and forming a globe of rock. On the globe of rock, primitive life woke. Plants and trees in all shapes and sizes, beautiful fields of green and darkened swamps alike. Oceans and seas of blue, even dried sands. And they smiled, for it was perfect. So they shrinked, and started walking the world they made, the first thing they actually made. Wherever they stepped, whatever happened to them, changed the world in a way, unimagineable. Drachnul, the Ever-Shining, who resembled the most of a human, and who so humbly took on the title of God of God's, stepped on a sharp stone barefoot. Where he bled, the first humans woke. Tarrod, who shaped the mountains and peaks, who controlled the flow of magma deep beneath the world's crust, cut himself while climbing a mountain. As his blood flew down the rocky surface, deep inside the mountain the first dwarves were born. Sylvarin, who loved the lush forests, steppes and flowers, stabbed herself with a torn of a nightrose, a black flower, which has multiple white dots and shines in the dark. Her blood gave birth to the elves. Baltord, who resided up in the north, who loved cold climate froze the northest part of the globe, creating a field of ice. As he struggled, a drop of sweat dropped on the peak where he stood, giving life to the mountaintop living ogres, who prefer cold temperature. Tyzraman and Krobul tried to best their brother Baltord, so they willingly created their children: Krobul created the orcs, and Tyzraman created trolls. Since the two gods worked together to give life to their children, the orcs and trolls began to live close to each other. Garoblis and Refenyd shook their heads while watching the others. So much power, yet as many intelligence as newborns. Well, technically, they were newborns. Garoblis and Refenyd worked together to create life, but both of them had different views on how they should look like. Eventually, they ended up quarrelling and finished their creations separately: Garoblis made gnomes and Refenyd made the goblins. But Shur'lakh, probably the most sly of them all, carved caves in mountains, secretly leaving two kinds of children: one of them was known for their ferocity, size and just immense power: the dragons. The other children, he made for everyone to see, human-resembling creatures, but with scales and wings. Tails and claws. Arrogant, yet powerful, the draconis. As each of the gods created something purposely or accidentally, their magical reserves drained. Their shining began to dwindle, so they created two last things: the shining star of daylight, and the cold, pale globe of the night. Then, they asked their children to lend them some of their power, for they are gods, yet from creating so many things, drained their power. Their children began building temples and shrines for them, and there, they did as they asked: while praying for their makers, they let them drain some of their magical powers, so they can walk the earth longer. Days and weeks passed, when Sylvarin realized, that draining their children weakens them, and drives them into great hunger. So, the mother of all plants and forests asked for her brothers to gather, and think about a solution. The gods decided to create animals in all shapes and forms, so their children can eat them as well, not only vegetables. They created Forest Drifters, giant, lizards, capable of nimble and fast movements, even in the smallest places. Warfolgs, giant, four legged furry predators, who the orcs use as mounts. Shur'lakh released his dragons, but they were too powerful for these even. So, the gods banned Shur'lakh from creation, while the others finished their job as gods: from simple mouse through dogs and horses, all kinds of animal was created, but they also made giant guardians, who can fend off dragons, in order to protect the average from being preyed upon. In the seas, giant ship-swallowing Leviathans, in the deserts, Goundsnakes, who can eat a carriage in one bite, and for the steppes they made the Ogrons. Half-ogre half stone, the Ogrons are simpleminded giants, even bigger than the average ogres, with the only task embedded in their mind: protect the wildlife. As they finished, the gods would finally be at peace, or so, they thought."
As the being stops speaking, I look at him in the crystal. The voice somehow turns happy, as he continues:
"Because that's when I came. I am the Calamity. The Predator of the Void. I am Zelph. I was driven to this planet because it was rich in primordial energies. Finding that even the smallest flora emits these energies, I felt hungry. In order to get an everlasting storage of this sweet energy, I tried swallowing the whole world. Yet, the Gods stood in my way, even if they were too weak to withstand my power. They... Sacrificed the paradise they created: drained the world from the magical energies they imbued it with, yet they could only struck my physical body close to death. In order to finally beat me, they cracked and broke even the planet apart, trapping my very essence and body in a crystalline, then sealed back the world. Yet, it was seemingly beyond repair. The gods shed tear upon tear for their lost world, but they couldn't be broken completely. Shur'lakh thought out a plan to seemingly restore the world: alter the crystalline prison of mine to slowly drain the power I would regain in the years, so it would actually seep into the ground, revitalizing it. As a final stand, the gods altered my prison, but little did they know, my essence already seeped into Shur'lakh, and some of them. Their world started anew, their children regained their life, yet... Those who I corrupted with my essence, even their children became mine to command. Weeks later, the Gods left their physical, mortal shell, and created a spiritual plane, where they resided, until they banished the corrupted ones: Shur'lakh, Refenyd, Baltord, Tyzraman and Krobul. Five of the nine are at my command, along with their creation, Mortal. Their very essence covers my prison like curtains, waiting their return to the mortal plane, which.. Happened a few times already, if you know history. Now, this is all you need to know, about the time before times. Go, tell your friends in your so called 'cult', that Zelph is alive and shall return!"