This is essentially the creation story as told by a priest of fire in a short story that is still in progress. The short story connects to
Kronicle, (the novel I am also writing) because it is the story of a character who will eventually meet up with the narrator of Kronicle. This story is told to that character when she is feeling depressed. I will post the short story this belongs in when I have finished it but for now here is an excerpt.
“Once, long eons ago, when the world new in its creation, fire ruled the planet. The fire was so hot that the whole Earth burned with it, a smaller flame emulating the Sun. Agnor's strength on this planet was so mighty that no others challenged it. He took this power to the space around him, and his enemies of stone and ice which he saw he burned and added to his strength.
“But soon there were fewer enemies in the Earth's path, and Agnor tired of it. He had almost forgotten it entirely when he was visited by the mysterious father of the gods, Kaos. Kaos promised Agnor that he would be greatly rewarded if he relinquished his fiery grip on Earth, but the fire god was young and headstrong in his own plans of burning Earth to an ash. It was not until Kaos offered Agnor a chance to severely harm his enemy of ice that the fire god accepted. Since he was so mistrusting of Kaos, who is said also to be the father of all lies, he continues to this day to hold on to Earth's core, ready to bathe it all in fire again.
“For many long years the Earth grew steadily colder, and Agnor could feel the chill growing even from the planet's fiery depths. Great quantities of water boldly sat upon Earth's face, and Agnor raged at them from the Earth's core. Eons passed and a thick tangle of plants covered most of the Earth and swam in its water. Eons more and animals came to live in the great oceans of Earth, and then its rich variety of land. Many times the ice god threatened to destroy all the things that lived on Earth, but they were Father Kaos's creatures and he made sure that something survived every time. Eventually the ice and stone gods worked together to hurl a massive frozen boulder at the Earth's face in an attempt to once and for all end life. This impact toppled the order of life on Earth, but so clever are Kaos's plans that the asteroid only played into them, allowing true chaos to spread throughout the world and fulfill the promise made with fire.
“When the icy stone hit the Earth its impact caused a burst of fire which momentarily caused Agnor to again control the planet. Everything above ground perished, and even many in the great oceans were burnt. But deep underground in tunnels they dug with their own claws, our earliest and dimmest ancestors survived the fire and found themselves kings of a new world. It was during this age of fire that man was born into the world.
“As time passed Agnor grew increasingly disappointed with his bargain with Kaos. He had temporarily consumed the planet in flames again, but already the cold crept back onto its surface. All that had changed was the life on the planet. He sought an audience with Kaos to demand an explanation. 'Patience,” Kaos advised the fire god, 'for when I dip my hand in the stream of time, all things are possible.' So again he waited as the forces of the cold and wet built their strength.
“Infuriated by the slow attainment of his promised power on Earth, Agnor retreated to the planet's core to fume. Occasionally he could feel fire on the surface as the skies cast down lightning to burn to the fauna, but even this brought him no pleasure, such was the extent of his anger. He eventually became aware of a prolonged, if not very intense burning on the Earth's surface. Ascending to view the cause of this, Agnor discovered a tree which had apparently been struck by lightning and toppled to the forest floor. The tree was mighty and would surely burn for a long time, but there was an odd activity about the burning tree. Small, hairy creatures were poking at the flames with branches, sometimes accelerating the flames and sometimes dampening them. One of the creatures prodded at the flames until his branch also caught fire. Alarmed, he dropped it to the forest floor where it began to singe other plant life nearby. This greatly lifted the fire god's spirit, for such a curious creature would surely set the world ablaze again, fulfilling Kaos's promise.
“But years passed without the curious creatures reigniting the world. One day, when Agnor was again becoming impatient, Kaos appeared to him and beckoned him to the surface. 'Behold!' spoke the father of gods, 'For today I present to you the product of my interest on Earth. This thing which is the adaptable human will bring fire and chaos to everything they touch for so long as a single one survives.” Agnor looked again upon the curious creatures, and was unimpressed. Before he could voice his displeasure, however, one of the furry things started smashing rocks together while yelling at a small pile of sticks. To Agnor's amazement, this action eventually resulted in the creation of a small fire.
“'With your blessing, these people will live always with fire in their hearts,' spoke Kaos. 'It will pump through their veins so that they both create and destroy with it. It will bring them to new worlds, and they will always bring it with them. With these people you can melt your icy foe, for the cold has always been their enemy. Protect them and they will go far.' And so with the blessing of Agnor, mankind has survived and thrived, though we never forget our allegiance to the fire."
