A Path of Destiny

Before time itself was born, before the sun and the moon cast their light upon the world, there was nothing. Only the empty, the desolate, the eternal nothingness. The land Vitárboris.But in the midst of this endless void stood a single being: the Tree of Life.

This tree, ancient and radiant like the sun itself, carried all the wisdom of the world in its roots, all the power of the world in its branches, and all the beauty of the world in its golden leaves. Yet it was alone, and in its solitude, it wept tears of longing that no one heard.

Then, the Tree of Life gathered its endless power and created the first life: An Elf. Tall and proud as the forest’s proudest trees, with eyes shimmering like the tree’s own leaves, long pointed ears to hear the world sing, and fangs sharp as the night wind. Her skin was pale as ivory, her body light as the wind, and yet she bore a strength worthy of even the mightiest mountains. She was the Tree of Life’s immortal daughter, there knew no age. She would never fade, never bend to the passage of time. The Tree of Life gave her a name: Eryndor.

But the land Vitárboris was barren. There was no lake, no river, no sun or moon. No flowers grew, no mountains rose to the sky, for there was no light and no darkness. Only the sand stretched out into the endless nothingness. For two thousand lonely years, Berthador wandered through the barren land until her heart no longer could bear the silence.

She turned to the Tree of Life and begged for life, for something more than emptiness, more than nothingness. And the Tree of Life heard her. Its branches shook, and from its bark fell five diamonds, each created from Berthador’s own soul:

The green diamond – for her strength and stubbornness.

The red diamond – for her wildness and rage.

The white diamond – for her laughter and joy.

The blue diamond – for her thoughts and wisdom.

The golden diamond – for her life force, the spark that set everything into motion.

Eryndor accepted these gifts and shaped from them, four others, like herself: Vaelion, Sylvaris, Lirael, and Elowen. Two brothers, two sisters, each a part of her, each carrying one of the diamonds. And one diamond she kept for herself, now they all could create life and matter togehter.

Together, they stretched their hands to the sky and created the sun and the moon, they created the earth, the sea, the wind, and the fire, they let the forests grow, the rivers flow, and the grass dance in the breeze. They created day and night, warmth and cold, rain and clouds. But most of all, they created life.

Man was the first thinking being – a mortal, round-eared creature, which Berthador found fascinating in its fragility. For them, she created a land where they could live and flourish. Then came the dwarves, short and sturdy, laughing and strong as the mountains themselves, and they too received their own kingdom.

But Eryndor wanted to create something more. Something that would never die with time like herself. She created the Vampires – chalk-white, black-maned, fang-bearing creatures with skin like granite. But this gift demanded a price: Blood.

The five had to give of their own life giving blood, to force them into the world.Then the Vampires was created, but there did not went long time until the vampires got thirsty and needed more blood, to keep up there immortal life. When the vampires turned to humans and dwarves to quench their thirst, Eryndor rose in anger and threatened them with annihilation. But she understood their hunger and created rivers of blood so they could drink without killing.

As nature began to wither under the creations’ hands, they created the Nymphs, guardians of each element:

The Voltas-Nymphs for the skye and gravity.

The Lundrlauf-Nymphs for the plants.

The Fjördgyrn-Nymphs for the earth.

The Elfe-Nymphs for the electric.

The Isejo-Nymphs for the Ice.

The Ignus-Nymphs for the fire.

The Ventys-Nymphs for the wind.

The Unda-Nymphs for the water.

The Ysilvëa-Nymphs for the souls of all living beings.

But still, Eryndor sought for more life. She created the Werewolves, mighty warriors who became wolves by night, and the Moonfolk, a lineage of wise and proud beings bound to their mighty wolf-brothers and capable of speaking to nature itself. Berthador also created witches and wizards, spiritual magic-wielders who lived for hundreds of years. And then the Valkyryss– brutal, wise, wild and flying. They created Centaurs, Soss and Shadekins, Leonins, Sirens, Blazeborne, Melodiras and Empyreans. They created much life and along with that, peace and hope.

Finally, the five created their own kingdom: Eryndor Aeltharion Eryndor, where each of the five ruled their own land, united by the diamonds.

But humans saw the power of the diamonds and were seized by greed.A man stole them and tried to create life, but he was not like the five. His creation was not beautiful – it became the orcs, horrific and wild, and they immediately turned against their creators and all living being. Humans were slaughtered, and without their diamonds, the elves were no longer god-like. The fives, hearts were broken after theyre own creations, betrayed them because of greed.Eryndor fell. Vaelion fell. Sylvaris, Lirael, and Elowen fell.

When the Tree of Life, saw her own daughter fall in battle, she vanished in grief and rage. This world did not deserve the Tree of Life.

The five heirs gathered the holy diamonds and bound the orcs to a land they could never leave.

Humans were sent away, taken to another world, far from Vitárboris – a barren, infertile land of sand and stone. But Vaelion’s son could not bear to see them die, so he gave them one last miracle: he gave them Earth, where forests grew, rivers flowed, and the sun shone. 

The others unknowingly placed humanity into this lush world. They believed humans would die as they deserved, and after fifty years, they checked in on them, only to find not the dead humans they expected, but a lush, beautiful land where humans lived. They turned toward Vaelion’s son, knowing what he had done, and together, in their anger, they…

Bertha slammed the old, leather-bound book shut with a snap. A chill ran down her spine – this story always gave her goosebumps. She could never bear to hear the end about the elves and their lost kingdom. Never dared to hear what happened to Vaelion’s son. Even though it was just an old bedtime story for children.

She stood up and stepped out of the library, on her way back to the orphanage. Her only home.