'Who are the Primordial Deities?' In the Mortal Realm, those who hear this moniker ponder this question. For they, the Primordial Deities, are beings of myth, whose stories have faded into obscurity over the aeons. Their existence is known to the very few humans who have encountered them over the last century. Popular names such as Marchioness Atalante and King Dolion Sapphire are among these few humans. But even they do not understand who the Primordial Deities truly are.
In their 'birth' order, the Primordial Deities are The Primordial God of Space, Orion; The Primordial Goddess of Time, Horatia; The Primordial Goddess of Creation, Kartara; The Primordial God of Destruction, Aridam; The Primordial Goddess of Life, Gaia; and The Primordial God of Death, Azrael. Though listed in this order, they were never truly born—they simply existed in a white expanse of nothingness, known as The Beginning.
Kartara, who had grown bored of the sheer lack of entertainment the heavenly realm offered, birthed the major and minor gods, filling the white expanse with angels, gods and other divine beings such as seraphim and cherubim. The Beginning had grown more vibrant and the six siblings had become more jubilant. Especially Azrael, who had found joy in an emotion he had never felt before—love. Peace and tranquillity reigned supreme like a monarch over the heavenly realm, bringing to the hearts of the divine beings joy and serenity. But alas, peace and tranquillity are evanescent, like a flower in a vicious storm. For warmongers and revolutionists washed away the existing peace and tranquillity with their cries of anguish. A revolt ensued against the Primordial Deities' rule and a war raged for centuries. The ageless beings, who had been entertaining the prospect of war, dealt with the revolution with relative ease. The revolutionists' leader, The God of Music, Lucifer Morningstar, was cast from paradise and sent to a realm Orion created for those revolutionaries—The End. After the battle, peace ensued once again.
Aeons after that war, Azrael, who had lost the love of his life, proposed the idea of creating a 'universe' separate from the heavenly and demonic realms. This inspiration came from the God of Death's new lover, someone he knew would not betray him, as he had been betrayed before. She was his beloved, a goddess he saw as the embodiment of beauty. One he believed was his destined lover. Improving on her vision, Azrael spoke to his eldest brother, Orion, and he was intrigued. With the help of his siblings, Horatia and Kartara, Orion created the theoretical 'universe' Azrael and his partner envisioned.
After witnessing the potential of this 'universe' her twin brother spoke of, Gaia waved her hand. Curiosity and inspiration sparked, leading to her breathing life across the universe aeons after it had cooled. She had pondered the question, "What if life could flourish in this 'universe' my siblings created? Living beings that breathe air, sleep, eat, live... and eventually die." And as she envisaged, flora and fauna, of all diversities, were created after she waved her hand. Though she marvelled over her and her siblings' creations, one planet stuck out like a supernova in the darkness of space—a planet, named after her, Gaia. With its shimmering projection in her hands, Gaia mused, "This will be the cradle of my greatest creation. Beings who seek knowledge and power, ever-evolving and inventive. I will call them 'humans'." A gentle smile graced her lips as she envisioned their potential.
Kartara's brow furrowed and her voice inflected as she asked, "Humans?"
Gaia's eyes rolled to her elder sister and her jovial expression, like her eyebrows, fell. "Yes, humans," she repeats, her voice calm and steady. "They will be the crux of this new realm."
"If they are intelligent, immortal and desire power, would they not go against our rule? You've not forgotten about Lucifer, have you?" Kartara glanced over the table and studied Azrael's expression.
He noticed her stare and gifted her a bright smile. "She's right, Gaia," he agreed. "If these 'humans', as you call them, are so inventive, what will stop them from trying to surpass us Primordial Gods?"
"I don't think they can ever surpass us, but if it bothers you all, I will give life to mortal humans. They will live for but a century and be much weaker than creatures from the heavenly and demonic realms. They will be capable of spiritually evolving if they put in the effort to garner knowledge. The humans will not have the ability to learn, let alone master divine life energies such as aether and nether, but will have a new life energy known as mana. Mana will be less powerful than aether and nether, which answers your concern, Azrael. As for your concern, Kartara, I will birth magical creatures called elves, fairies, spirits, gnomes, dwarves and many others who are as intelligent but more powerful and more faithful to us Gods. Their devotion will be unwavering and they will serve us with their utmost."
"Why not make the humans' devotion unwavering?" questions Orion.
"I want them to choose."
"Choose?"
"I want them to choose devotion. They must not be blind puppets as the other races are but puppeteers who will stand above the other races as respectable leaders. Leaders who worship us of their own free will. For that reason, I call them my ultimate creation." She turned to Kartara and Azrael, and asked, "If I take these precautions, will that ease your concerns?"
Kartara's furrowed brow still questioned her younger sister's creation, but Azrael, seeing as he could not refuse his sister's pleas, said, "If these humans revolt, Aridam and I will end them as we did the revolutionaries," reassuring Kartara and acknowledging Gaia's plan.
And so, the mortal and immortal creatures Gaia envisioned were created. It started with pairs, before developing into hundreds of thousands in a few ten thousand years. As though it was a foreboding scepticism, it was not long before the humans revolted against the gods' rule. Heathens, revolutionaries, the enlightened, whatever you wished to call them, rebelled against the gods' rule through nefarious means—they committed unforgivable sins. After several million years, the diverse human population started warring against each other, with the victors colonising the land of the defeated. The mass genocides that took place were one of the inhumane behaviours humans adopted. Enslaving the defeated population became a popular trend among the high nobility of the time. These slaves, at first, were human but soon developed into an inclusive mix of demi and non-human slaves after long-term disputes raged between humans and non-human races.
Gaia's mouth stood agape and her body trembled as she watched over the humans' horrendous development. Tears welled in her eyes and she threw herself on her younger brother, desperately pleading, "Azrael, please... I was mistaken. Humans are... horrendous creatures." Her tearful plead prompted Azrael, who supported Kartara's scepticism not long after the humans' creation, to journey down into the Mortal Realm. He, who had no interest in human activities, wanted to survey the humans and judge them fairly, through his own eyes. And it was this journey that made Azrael love humanity more than any other god in the heavenly realm.
"I can't," he said to Gaia, turning his head to the side to avoid contact with her tear-filled eyes.
"You... can't? What do you mean you can't? Did you not say you and Aridam would rid the world of rebellious humans? Are you saying you cannot fulfil that promise?"
"I am."
"That's..." Gaia struggled to find the words as she was more confused that Azrael refused one of her requests. She instinctively knew Azrael would not budge, so she turned to Aridam, pleading, "Brother, please! If Azrael will not do it, will you?"
Aridam was overcome with conflict. As he stared down at his sister's glistening eyes, he could sense the non-verbal, desperate plea oozing from Azrael, despite the God's calm demeanour. "I... I apologise, Gaia," he said, gently pushing her back, "I cannot fulfil that promise. Azrael pleaded with me before this meeting to spare the humans. He made a promise with Orion and me that we will not destroy the humans until he has given up on them." He glanced over to Azrael, who sighed, relieved, and smiled. He turned back to Gaia and said, "I assure you, if Azrael gives up on the humans, I will not hesitate to destroy them. Since that is the wish of my dear sister, I will comply. But I ask, on Azrael's behalf, for you to wait patiently. Who knows, maybe the humans will outgrow their sinful behaviour."
They did not. For hundreds... No, thousands of years, the humans only became more sacrilegious. Aridam wondered if the potential Azrael saw in humans existed because, from his perspective, they only exist to destroy. They destroyed more brutally than he, the Primordial God of Destruction ever did. Aridam's scepticism grew larger with every passing hour. And so did Azazel, a minor god, vassal to the Primordial God of Death. He would voice his objections about the humans to his lord, Azrael, but Azrael would not give up. This growing sense of rage at being ignored built up in Azazel and the minor god eventually sought help from the other Primordial Deities. The coalition between the minor god and a Primordial Deity led to Azrael's persecution from the heavenly realm—eventually leading to various events throughout the Sapphire Kingdom.
Using the Seal of Yahweh, Azazel sealed Azrael's divine powers but what was the outcome of this? What happens when the embodiment of Death does not exist? Let me ask you this: What happens when Death does not exist? That is a question Azrael will soon find the answer to.