In long-past time, amid the eternal darkness of chaos that lies beyond the beyond, there was the Great Truth. And the Great Truth chose to be, and it was.
And the Great Truth grew vast and fecund, and its fecundity abounded that it would be as good soil.
And from the Great Truth thus sprang the Oak of Hannari, the Tree of Ages as a gilt sapling.
So nourished was the Sapling in the soil of the Great Truth that the Tree of Ages grew tall and vast, its branches spreading across the heavens and filling all the void and chaos until chaos was no more.
In these days, when the Tree of Ages was mature and of proper age, it began to bear forth fruit, and its fruits were many and wonderful.
From the branches grew the stars and all the bodies of the heavens.
From its branches then grew the earth, from whence all life is sprung; thus from the Hannari Oak is all life sprung in the seed of its fruit.
From its branches then grew the gods, and the gods were many, and beheld the earth and the heavens, and adored them so.
And from among them they gave Dai-Yel, He of the Highest Branch, dominion over the sun, that he might guide its path across the earth and warm its good lands.
To Marellia, She of the Farthest Branch, they gave the seas, that the creatures of earth would travel far, and to her pay tribute that their voyage be safe and their nets be filled with fish.
And among all the gods and goddesses they divided all things in heaven and earth, and they were glad in this.
And the earth was fertile and fecund, and all was good with it. And the creatures of the earth did multiply, and were glad in their progeny, and the generations of life upon the earth became many in the long centuries that came.
And thus it was that for a thousand years, no creature died; all was life and birth, and all things that walked the earth were immortal as the gods.
But from the earth there came a cry from amongst its creatures, saying, “My gods, my gods, do you not see? All is fertile and fecund, but there is no more room amongst us! We live, and we multiply, but behold, our sons and daughters would devour their own from hunger!”
And it was then given, from among the gods, to Balilikei, He of the Lowest Branch, power over all creatures; and all creatures were made mortal and impermanent, that new life might grow in their stead.
Thus were given to Balilikei a pair of shears forged in the belly of a star that is called Broad Light, that with these shears, upon the appointed time, the threads which held the lives of all creatures would be cut and their spirits released from the earth.
And to those who died in the favor of the gods was given a place of rest, and to the shade of the Tree of Ages they were led to rest for all time. And from the tree would fall the finest of fruit, that all their days in its shade would be well.
Wherefore it was given to the brothers and sisters of Balilikei, Dai-Yel, and Marellia to forge into the heavens their likenesses in the stars, lest the creatures of earth forget them and be lost forever unto their favor.
Thus in the stars the heavens bear witness to the gods, and the Great Truth has held fast to them as its own.
