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This is not really a story, more of a depiction of the history and legends of Sira, Realm of the Flames.
I hope you enjoy it, feedback is appreciated. Rated G</center>

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(°¸.·`«Part 1»`·.¸°)
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In the beginning there was only One. This One wasn’t time, not space, light or darkness, neither good nor evil. This One was Ara, so called in Empira, the language of the ancients – ‘What creates’. No words can describe this One. Since no time existed, there was no beginning, and there will be no end. Time itself is transient, as Ara created it. Ara is the force, the energy, which creates all things. Only allegory can describe this being.

According to the gospel of Ethesia, Ara is a heart. The blood running out of this heart each time it beats shapes our world. Four times has this heart beaten until our time. The first beat laid the foundations of Time (Ana), the invisible and untouchable arches under which everything else takes shape. The second beat built Space (Esa), the visible and touchable walls and floors. Ara created Ana and Esa as manifestations of itself, but also separated them, like the rays of the sun and the sides of the sphere. They are one, but still not.

But still there was nothing inside the Hall of Time and Space. It was absolutely empty, pure and unspoilt. Not even darkness filled this hall since the creation of light had not yet taken place. But when Ara’s heart beat for the third time, the Eternal Fire was created, the source of all life that can be seen, heard, smelled or felt. Ara blessed the fire and named her Ela. Ela was Ara, as pure as One itself, but visible, audible, perceptible, a materialization of Ara which our senses could comprehend.

One demanded Ela to dance. And Ela danced. She danced like innumerable auroras through the great Hall and the embers left behind her became a world called Sira – Paradise. Then Ela entered her world. She took the remaining embers and shaped statues of creatures with them, ten times ten times ten statues she made. She placed them in a row, then split herself into ten times ten times ten parts which filled these statues, these shells, with fire and gave them life. These creatures became Avatara – ‘Those who came down’. At that very moment Ela gave life to the Avatara, the Eternal Fire ceased to exist in its pure form. Ela became Avatara, individuals, beings which created their own ideals and opinions. With their thoughts the Avatara could shape their lives, their assets, even their own fires and souls. Uniformity became diversity.

The world of the Avatara remained pleasant and peaceful throughout the First Age, the length of which only those who lived through it truly knows. But peace was not to endure forever. As time paced, differences between the Avatara were more and more evident. Soon the Avatara split into two different fractions, each one fundamentally separated from the other in terms of moral and theory of life. With time hate grew in between. Eventually, differences became so elementary Flame itself changed color and shape. One nature of Ela became Yahela, the Hot Fire, golden yellow. The other became Suezela, the Cold Fire, blue as frost on a pine tree.

So came Tar-Sur, the first Grand War of the Avatara. It was greater than any word we have to describe greatness. The powers let loose were so huge much of the world that was Sira was destroyed and drifted into the Great Nothing. But the battles continued, and it wasn’t until Ara itself intervened that the First War ended. The One saw the wounds on his world that the Avatara had caused. Sira itself was about to collapse, as the very foundations of Ana and Esa were damaged and threatened to crumble. And so came the fourth beat of Ara’s heart.

This time a wind blew through Sira. It was a tearing wind; it ripped apart all light. It was a crushing wind, shattering the walls of darkness. It was an invincible wind. The Avatara who were not killed by this event – which later was named Aracelaci, the Cleaning – threw their weapons on the ground and fell on their knees to this all-powerful wind. They expected nothing but obliteration.

But the wind that was Ara was also a merciful wind. Ara did not obliterate its children. It decided to let them divide and conquer as much as they sought, but only within the boundaries of Ana and Esa. They were never allowed to touch the pillars of Time and Space, the very first things One created. The verdict of Ara was Law; it was the Father of all Light, and all power rested in its hands. But it was also a good Father, and good fathers let their children live free as long as they follow the rules of the father.

The remaining Avatara swore to obey the words of Ara. Then Ara left this world and the Avatara to fight their earthly wars, but before it left it promised to return to Sira the day after the thousandth thousand day from Aracelaci. The Flame that ruled everything in the Hall at that time it would take, and shape when its heart beat for the fifth time. From this beat an even more magnificent world would emerge: Ura – Perfection. This Ura would then remain until the last hour of all hours was struck and gone and the Great Hall of Ana and Esa fell down.

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Very LotR esque, but different enough not to make me annoyed. Well written.

I agree I like it!

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<3
top banner by Coccinelle
I'll be back to visit, I promise!
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very good - you've used some wonderful imagery (i especially like the image of the beating heart - very striking), and there are some delightful phrases in there that are a real beauty to read.

i like the way you've combined various elements of fantasy and biblical tradition to create something new - it definitely feels original, but at the same time the associations it creates make it feel familiar enough that it seems it really coud be about our world.

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**MY BOOK**

~ proud to be a shieldmaiden for christ ~</center>

Thanks for the kind comments, I'll finish writing the second part today.

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(°¸.·`«Part 2»`·.¸°)
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At a ceremonious meeting in the centre of the world, the Yahelas and the Suezelas took an oath. They promised never to go outside the boundaries of the Hall until the return of Ara. The Yahelas and Suezelas came to the meeting as friends and equals, but left as bitter enemies. Ara’s last statement on Ura had spurred them to continue the fight, and neither side would rest before only one of them remained.

While wars were raging in the world of the Avatara, other things took place in other parts of Sira. Below the world of the Avatara (also known as Chila, or Sky), there was another world in the clutches of shadows called Oeos. Among the mortals this world is known as Earth.

This was the home of Amunara, the third people. They had also sprung from the creation of Ela, but not from the Eternal Flame itself. They were from the deep well of Darkness, Brothers of Shadow as they called themselves. As I’ve already told you, neither light nor shadow existed before the creation of Ela, but at the same moment Ela came to the Hall so did Shadow, Nara. Shadow is antilight, its negative mirror image and polar opposition. In the eyes of Nara, light is shadow and shadow is light.

A part of the Shadow was brought to life and became the people known as Amunara. They only answered to Ara itself and were not subordinated to light. Still, they were bound to the same oath the Avatara took and were thus forced not to touch the columns of Ana and Esa. Not that they would’ve ever had a reason to. The Amunara were peaceful and did not care for the wars of the Avatara. They were not enemies of Light but neither were they its friend. They simply had nothing to do with it. Their highest wish was to live their own life without a role in the history of Sira, but time would give them perhaps the greatest role of them all.

The two people of the Avatara created one realm each. The Yahelas called their kingdom Zaia, the Suezelas named theirs Zeta. These empires became what we refer to as Sun and Moon. The light that was ripped apart by Ara’s wind during Aracelaci became Sonos, stars, Lost Flames. The stars are no longer Avatara, they’re just light coloured by different thoughts that were thought long time ago. Thus some stars are yellow, red and warm, while others are white, blue and cold.

So came the Second War, Tar-Oro. This war lasted throughout ten thousand years. During these years, the art of warfare changed. Some Avatara used their fire to create creatures of great diversity. While this drastically weakened these Avatara, they had perhaps five or ten creatures at their command, servants with powers unimaginable by a mortal’s brain. Even if the Avatara who created them died, the creatures would live on to exact vengeance. These great beasts were called Tauroks.

Other Avatara used their fire to spawn numerous less powerful creatures – Serenta – which they flooded the enemy with. A Serenta on its own was relatively weak, but just like a million ants can kill an elephant, these beasts were powerful in combat if used wisely. If a Serenta died, its fire would return to the Avatara again for him or her to spawn a new one.

The Suezela had some initial success during Tar-Oro, such as conquering the great Yahela warrior Drachurim at the Clash of Amastris. But soon thereafter, internal conflicts among the Suezelas allowed the Golden Fire to strike back on its cold foe. Some great battles were fought on the frontiers of Zeta, almost all won by the Yahelas. Witnessing the decline of their empire, some of the Suezelas converted to Yahela, adding to the desperation that plagued Zeta.

At last Zeta was overrun and levelled with the ground. This became the end of Tar-Oro. But it was not the end of the Suezelas.

The remaining members of the Cold Fire separated and fled to different locations across all of Sira, constanly pursued by Yahelas. Some where caught and killed but most survived. These were people who refused to let their fire die and be forgotten, and although they would have to wait many years, the day when Suezela would rise from the ashes of Zeta would come – sooner or later.

So came the beginning of a long period of peace and cultural prosperity. The Yahelas continued building their empire and Zaia became more beautiful than ever. But the Sun wasn’t without its spots. After the end of Tar-Oro, the Suezelas who converted to Yahela and fought alongside the Golden Fire were persecuted, prosecuted and executed. In the opinion of the ruling Yahelas, these Suezelas had nothing to offer Zeta since they were and would always remain children of the Cold Fire in their hearts. True or not, all Suezelas in Zaia were killed on the ninety-ninth anniversary of Zeta’s invasion. Never before had so many Flames been dispelled as on that fatal day.

Many years would pass until this news reached the Suezelas in exile.

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