The Creation Myth

Langston got up to make himself some tea. He retrieved another cup and offered it to Ansel who refused.

"I found that listening to a story while drinking tea is one of the best experiences in life. I highly recommend it."

"Alright. I'll give it a try." Ansel said.

Langston poured both of them a cup of tea. 

"Green tea has always been my favorite. Are you a tea person?"

"Mint tea." Ansel simply replied.

Langston looked at him with a hint of compassion in his eyes. Mint tea was also commonly known as the poor man's tea. Most people who drink it do so by default. Drinking good tea was not a cheap activity. Langston poured a decent amount of honey into his beverage. 

"Wow, you like it very sweet." 

"It keeps my mind sharp. Do you want some?"

Ansel shook his head, declining the honey. Langston put it back on the table and took the first sip. He closed his eyes as he savored the tea. Ansel also tasted the beverage.

This is really good. I've never had such a good tea before, in this life or my previous one. I understand why he likes it so much. I could get used to drinking this. Ansel thought.

"How is it?"

"Exquisite," Ansel replied, taking another sip. 

Langston nodded; a faint smile appeared on his face.

"There is finally another person here who can appreciate good tea. Boone doesn't get it. She would rather consume those alcoholic beverages."

"The answer to my question, Mr. Langston."

"No need for the formalities anymore, Beausejour. Just Langston suffice."

"Alright. You mentioned starting from the beginning. What is the beginning?"

"The beginning of our lives. Do you know how our world and life came to be?"

"The Supreme Being, the Maker of All. That being is responsible for all creations according to the common knowledge."

"Indeed. Do you know how?"

"Everybody does. There is a section in Haidara Tome telling the tale. The Great One, which is another name for the Supreme Being, tamed the Chaos in the universe. Numerous worlds were created as a result. Ours was one of them. But it was too wet. The quasi-totality of it was just water. 

The Supreme Being flattened a few worlds on the brink of destruction and used them as soil to form the crust of our world. But the land was very hard and could not be manipulated nor was it fertile. The Great One then used saliva to soften the crust by spitting on it. The land thus became fertile. Trees, plants, and vegetation began to flourish. Utilizing the soil, the Maker of All molded figurines of various shapes and forms. 

The Supreme Being gathered gases from the far reaches of space and ignited them to explode. The fire from the explosion was gathered to form an immense furnace used to bake the molded figurines. Then the Great One took a single breath. The Supreme being inhaled the majority of the impurity in the world and exhaled on the creations. It is called the Breath of Life. From that single breath, Giants, Dwarves, Dragons, Phoenixes, animals of various sorts, other beings, and us humans were born."

Langston nodded before adding to the tale.

"The genesis of all the beings marked the beginning of the First Era, also called the Apocalyptic Age. It was a very dark period. The creations of the Supreme Being fought among themselves. It was an age of perpetual wars. The naturally weaker beings were obviously at a disadvantage. Also, the battles between the stronger beings were damaging our world. The Great One knew they would fight themselves to extinction. 

Therefore, the Maker of All acted. The Supreme Being infused a speck of Wisdom into the beings. Moreover, they were separated. The most powerful ones were sent to other places. The weaker ones were left in this World. Some beings deemed unfit to be in our realm were sent to a place called l'Audela, also known as the Soul Realm. This marked the end of the First Era."

Ansel nodded.

"Then the Second Era began."

"Indeed. That Era also started with conflicts. The Supreme beings noticed that the most powerful creations were becoming more and more powerful. Their rate of progression far surpassed the weaker ones, in particular us humans. Even animals were getting more powerful than us. 

Four human siblings pleaded and begged the Great One to aid them. For 365 days, they relentlessly cried for help. They pleaded to the Supreme One that humans were also beings created with all the others, and they shouldn't be left to die out because they were weak. They asked the Maker of All the reason why humans weren't as powerful as the others. Do you know what happened then?"

"Humans were granted more wisdom, and the four siblings became figures known throughout the ages," Ansel replied.

"That's the story fed to the masses. But the real one isn't as simple as that." Langston said, taking a sip of tea.

"Really? I studied many ancient texts, and they all confirmed that story."

"You studied the texts made available to you and the public. Before I tell you the real story, bear in mind that it falls under your confidentiality agreement. This is sensitive information that's been hidden from the public for a long time."

Ansel nodded.

"The Supreme Being granted an audience to the four siblings. They asked the Being why humans were so weak. They learned that when the Great One used saliva to make the land fertile, a part of the Maker of All DNA was absorbed. When making the creations, a fraction of the Supreme One genetic code was transferred to them. The creations with the most power happened to have a higher concentration of it, thus having such powers. 

The siblings argued about how unfair it was. The Supreme One revealed to them they could also gain great powers if they added part of the DNA to theirs. They asked how to achieve such a task. The Great One explained they would have to figure it out on their own. However, they were imparted along with other humans more wisdom and ingenuity. 

After a long reflection, the siblings came to the conclusion they needed to kill powerful creatures and absorb their DNA to increase their own concentration of the Supreme Being's DNA. But killing those creatures was an onerous task. They implored the Great One for help.

The Supreme Being mentioned they may find clues in the tablets written about all things created. He allowed the siblings to read one tablet each. The knowledge in those tablets was information only privy to the Supreme Being. With that knowledge, the siblings were able to find ways to acquire the DNA by using things and beings created by the Great One. 

The siblings agreed not to reveal the information they read. However, they shared the methods they found to gain powers with a small portion of humans."

"Why not share it with all humans?"

"Some said they were afraid these powers would destroy humanity if they were to be wielded by all. Others said they feared the possible risks individuals take when attempting to gain and wield such powers."

"So that's how Genomers are born."

Langston nodded.

"Only the four siblings can take credit for it. After they gained power, they decided to put the knowledge from the tablets they read into writing. They could not understand all of the information they acquired, but they hoped other humans, and maybe future generations could make use of it. The siblings created the Heretic Scripture."

"The Heretic Scripture?"

"Yes, until this day we haven't found it. However, there are tales of men who came by it. Beausejour, if you ever find clues about the Heretic Scripture, you need to let us know immediately, no matter how insignificant it is."

"Ok. I'm assuming the four siblings are the founders of the four great guilds."

"Yes. From the eldest to the youngest, Adil, Enoch, Casimir, and Selene.

"Adil, the Warrior. He's the founder of the Sky Dragon Guild. Enoch, the Wise, created the Wise Sphinx Guild. Casimir, the Rebel, founder of the Temple of the Exploding Sun. And finally Selene, the Dream, founder of the Phantasmal Guild." Ansel added.

"There were also the first Genomers and the main figures of the Second Era. Other figures appeared and created their own guild in the Third Era. For instance, the Inventor Club was created in the Third Era. As you know, Wilem Von Shroeder was one of the main protagonists if not the main one of the Fourth Era. And we are currently living in the Fifth Era."

"So that's how the Genomers came to be. What about the risks of becoming one?"

"As I mentioned before, one becomes a Genomer by consuming a mixture containing DNA information of the Supreme Being. Each mixture adds a specific codon to one's own DNA. The higher the codon number, the higher the grade of the mixture. The first danger is related to the initial concentration of the Great One's DNA in the body."

"What do you mean?"

"Humans, like other beings, were made from the soil containing the Supreme Being's DNA. So it shouldn't be surprising to find a trace of the Great One genetic code in us. Through trials and errors over time, we've learned that some people would die right away if they're injected with Genomers' mixture. Their cells would self-destruct, and death occurs within minutes."

"What makes those people die?"

"After many experiments, we realized it was related to the percentage of lymphocytes in the blood. A healthy human has between 25 to 33% of his or her white blood cells that are lymphocytes. That percentage needs to be at least 35% to avoid death upon consuming the mixture. Some people have naturally a higher percentage of Lymphocytes, so they'd be fine."

"What about the other risks?"

"Each initial codon mixture was modified a little to contain an ingredient boosting the lymphocytes level by 5%. So most people taking it wouldn't die right away."

"What about someone with a natural count of less than 30%?" Ansel asked.

"They would die."

"There is no test to find that out?" 

"There is, but it's very expensive and unreliable. You would have to do the test a hundred times to be confident about the results. Even wealthy people cannot afford it."

"So basically, anyone aiming to become a Genomer is gambling."

"You can see it that way. You understand the reason why it is not something open to the public."

Ansel nodded.

"Are there other risks?"

"Adding a new codon to your DNA is essentially changing it. There could be some severe side effects on the body and mind. People had gone insane or presented physical deformations or both. If anyone loses their mind, they need to be put down immediately."

"Why?"

"They pose a great danger to others. They become mindless killers."

"I see. How often does it happen?"

Langston looked at him for what seemed like an eternity before replying.

"Often enough." 

Ansel swallowed hard the tea in his mouth.

"There are also some people naturally gifted. They were born with abilities. It's nothing major though. However, those people need to be extremely careful with the Genome they choose."

"Why?"

"They need to choose something related to their natural abilities. Otherwise, they will be more prone to severe side effects. Furthermore, once you consume your first mixture and add a Codon 1 to your DNA, you must continue consuming mixtures for the particular Genome you start with."

"It's more dangerous than I originally thought."

"One must have a strong mind and a powerful willpower combined with a decent amount of luck to be able to walk far on the Genomer's path," Langston said, finishing his tea.