"What do you mean… my memory is tampered?"
"It's a possibility," Kitsune said, her voice unwavering. "And we can confirm it…"
I frowned, feeling unease settling in. "How do we confirm it?"
She looked at me, directly into my eyes and asked, "Misaki, how old are you? A rough estimate will do."
"I'm about 4.5 billion years old. We were created alongside the creation of the world, right?"
Kitsune's expression hardened, her suspicion deepening. "I think my suspicions were true…"
My heart began to race. A strange feeling crept over me, as if some buried truth was starting to reveal. I couldn't shake the sense that what she was saying might indeed be true.
"Misaki, the only spirits created at the birth of the world were Amaterasu, the god of the heaven and Gaia, the mother of Earth."
Her words hit me like a hammer. "Then what am I… if not one of the first spirits?" I whispered.
Kitsune didn't hesitate. "Let me tell you how this world was created, according to our Queen. This story includes the spirits, humans, and even the origins of manifestations."
"this is the story of Creation," Kitsune summoned a scroll in her hands. Then she start to read its contents.
4.5 billion years ago, two nameless gods roamed the early Earth. At that time, there was no sun, no moon—just a barren, lifeless planet adrift in the vast universe. These two gods, who deeply loved each other chose Earth as their home and sought to turn it into a lively paradise.
The two were not powerful beings. They were entities with one extraordinary gift: immortality. They decided to bring life to the desolate Earth, but they couldn't. This reason pushed to create a life. The female god gave birth to their first child—a ball of radiant white energy. Although the child had no physical body, the gods didn't lose hope. They began channeling their boundless energy into it.
Years passed, and their sacrifice bore fruit. The energy began to take form, transforming into an infant boy. They named him Amaterasu.
The nameless gods observed their son as he grew, noticing his immense reserves of energy. One day, they approached him with a request.
"Amaterasu," they said, "can you create a massive ball of energy—one that can light up this dark world and anchor it in place?"
Their son agreed. Harnessing his immense energy, Amaterasu created a gigantic, blazing orb, far larger than the Earth. He called it the Sun.
However, the Sun's proximity caused Earth to melt, turning it into a fiery inferno, a ball of flame that continuous to melt. Realizing the harm his creation was causing, Amaterasu acted swiftly. He placed the Sun far enough to keep Earth warm and stable without destroying it. To maintain balance, he created additional celestial bodies—planets—to guide Earth's movements and ensure its proper rotation.
But the early Earth remained inhospitable. It was a red-hot mass, unfit for life. Amaterasu, aware of his limitations, turned to his parents.
"I cannot breathe life into this place. I ask you to create another entity—one capable of nurturing life."
But she warned her parents. "Like me, don't create this new life out of immense energy. Instead, create it using a massive life force."
Heeding their son's advice, the nameless gods used their own flesh, brimming with immense life force as being a part of an immortal body, as a catalyst to create a second child. Unlike Amaterasu, this being emerged fully formed—a woman of unmatched grace and vitality. She introduced herself:
"I am born of your flesh and blood. Give me a name, and I will fulfill your wishes."
They named her Gaia and asked her to bring life to the planet.
Gaia, brimming with life force, set to work. She enveloped Earth with asteroids, which melted and solidified into layers, forming the planet's crust. The molten core of the old Earth became its heart, sustaining it from within. Gaia then created water to cover the surface and began enriching the land.
The two nameless god were amazed and showered Gaia a mountain of praises. But Gaia responded.
"This planet is still not enough to host a life."
The two nameless gods stuttered, and watch Gaia to do her miracle.
Out of Gaia's grace, volcanoes venting the heat trapped below, and a protective layers of air that shielded the planet from appeared.
"Volcanoes will vent the heat beneath while these layers of wind will embrace and keeps this place safe, like a lovely embrace of a mother to his child"
Gaia weathered the surface, creating fertile soil and covering it with lush vegetation and trees. Her efforts transformed Earth into a paradise.
"These green lives, which I named tress and plants, will produce a fresh breeze of air, allowing life to furthermore thrive."
"Soil will enrich these plants of mine, sustaining their needs through seeping the rich substances that this surface have"
But Gaia's work came at a cost. Exhausted, she turned to the gods and said, "Forgive me, but I can create no more. To continue would mean the end of my existence."
The nameless gods embraced her, thanking her for her creation. Together with Amaterasu, they vowed to maintain the world Gaia had built.
Kitsune finished reading the tale and turned to me. "This is how our Queen taught us the world was created, Misaki. Is this the same as what you remember?"
I delved deep into my memories. The story she recounted was indeed the one our Queen had shared with me long ago. I nodded slowly. "Yes, it's the same."
Kitsune's eyes sharpened. "Then pay close attention to what comes after the story of creation. This is where things will be different—where you claim that you've been created."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
She exhaled slowly, she looked at my eyes. With a serious tone, she said...
"I believe that this point in the story is where your memories and the truth part ways."