Elements

 

As dawn lit up the edges of the Otherlands, Ninhil, breathtaking beauty of darkness, squatted at the edge of the Pond; the frozen edge. Just as light crested the horizon, xir wings unfurled with a force sweeping across the earth behind xem causing dirt mixed with flakes of snow to swirl in mini spirals upward. The movement left a tremor in the ground, also seen in small ripples under the ice in the Pond. Ninhil left xir wings out, feathers fanning currents in the air of the Otherlands. If there were witnesses of Ninhil's daily routine, their breath would be taken away by Ninhil's beauty. Beauty, cold and dark, leaving an impression in one's mind, similar to the feeling created from seeing the Pond.

Most visitors thought it was a lake as it was a bit larger than the ideal size of a normal pond. Especially compared to the other water bodies in Otherlands, the Pond was large. What most of the inhabitants of the Otherlands didn't know, the Pond was the source of Water energy in this realm. It was the creation of the Pond and the energies used which spurred the creation of the rest of the realm. And based on the creation and the creators, the Pond was a two-sided coin. Frozen was the Pond on the Winter Lands side while the other side was the perfect summer day at the pond, complete with water lilies, dragonflies, fairies, and other water creatures.

Ninhil stood up and began to walk out on the hard, frozen Pond, xir mind wandering a bit. When the Pond was created, the creators didn't try to divide the realm. Somehow the lands did that all by themselves. And this caused beings to be confused by the Otherlands. They viewed Summer Lands as the land of warmth and joy, while the Winter Lands were of cold and fear. The center of each land was as the words and ideas implied, but as is the nature of all things – Nothing is as it seems, ever. In all of existence in this realm and others: chaos and order stood separate and entwined. Just as Ninhil and xir siblings were bits of both their creators; Chaos and Order.

Ninhil placed xir hand on the frozen cover of the Pond where shallow water meets the deeper water, to create a layer of clear light blue over a deeper dark background. The top layer reflected everything in truth except for Ninhil. The face staring back was the one others saw. A surreal image of outstanding beauty creating a classical face of an ethereal form. Eyes twinkled with sparks, reminding one of their first love's glance. A mouth leaking promises of blessing. All framed with hair looking so soft, beings yearn to reach out to touch it when Ninhil passes by, though few would ever try. Ninhil's anatomy moved in a way to prompt desire and destruction. All of xir essence both attracts and propels others. Moving them in ways, like a leaf in the wind, or water.

Looking down at the Pond, Ninhil knelt on one knee. The ice was cold, deep bitter cold with the soft silk sheer of the very top layer. As xe spread out xir hand, keeping it as flat as possible so Ninhil's energy could feel and move below the surface. Ninhil sends a bit of xirself down through the ice to the water levels of the Pond. As it traveled through the whole Pond, xir wings shifted from the beautiful obsidian feather wings to the true jagged bone, so thin it seemed like black smoke twisted to create a shape. As xe poured xirself into the Pond, into the bits which made up the water. Ninhil's elder self emerged.

Before any of the Otherlands were created, chaos and order only existed, swirling, battling, layering in the now and nowhere space. For a moment, time stopped and the battle ceased; and four beings emerged. Beings of magic, chaos, and order. Beings created with all, with nothing, and with no purpose. Non-sexed, raw material waiting to become something more. Ninhil was first pulling in pieces of molecules, bits of things creating motion, temperature, and touch. Ninhil created xirself with a body and pinions to allow xem to fly and control air, stellar winds, solar winds, and gaseous winds. Ninhil was just Air till other creations gave names, titles, and power.

From the maelstrom emerged xem siblings: Kimbazi came next, pulling bits of air to create water, in its many different forms. Water is the binding of all, slowly becoming the most powerful essence of existence. It flows through all, except Ninhil, Kimbazi through water became connected to all. Upon self-awareness, this caused ecstasy, despair, and agony within her. It drove Kimbazi insane and she was lost in the Otherlands. Merging back and forth from one form to another till Kimbazi settled as a creature of deep and dark, cold and dying. Kimbazi, the mother of all water creatures, the great Leviathan.

Following Kimbazi came the Twins, joined together in soul and matter. Only to eventually separate. Together they created worlds, systems of matter pushed together and connected by water. Oya, bearer of fire; fire both life and death, creation and destruction, protector of Ki. Ki, the being of soil, rock, and nature. Of them all, Ki was the most stable, compassionate, and creative. And Ki enjoyed all of their creations. These were Ninhil's siblings: Kimbazi, Oya, and Ki. Ninhil knew where Oya and Ki were but not Kimbazi, who xe had been searching for since the creations of the Otherlands.

The Otherlands were the first creation made, as their home. A place filled with substance, space, and imagination. Ninhil and xir siblings as they lived through time, created many different beings who also became powerful, almost as powerful as their creators. Then Kimbazi created mortals (beings of lesser powers and lifespans) causing the Otherlands to become all beings' refuge as mortals became too powerful. These beings began to create little kingdoms filled with those beings who wanted each of their worlds to stay the same forever. Still, there had been no warning that the mortals would be the bane of all.

Slip Borders, upon the Pond, were created allowing travel between realms. This is why Ninhil showed up here at the same time every day. The Pond was the conduit between the Otherlands and all of the realms Many immortal beings found living in realms with mortals excruciating, Kimbazi most of all thus why she fled the realms and went into hiding. And why Ninhil was now searching for her.

Ninhil's wings spread out as if to take off as xe sent xirself out through the Pond of the Otherlands. Unknown to all of the inhabitants of the Otherlands; the Pond was the heart of the Otherlands. Ninhail believed Kmbazi was here in the Pond down deep in the deepest parts, parts deeper than any other place in the Otherlands. The Pond fed into the ocean, the ocean where most of all the Otherlands water beings lived. Many of them were the oldest and the most powerful beings in the Otherlands. The truth though was the Pond was where the most fearsome and destructive legends resided.

As Ninhil shot more of xir energy into the Pond, feathers of iridescent black appeared on xir legs, traveling down to xir feet. Feet which quickly became cloven hoofs, dark and shiny. More energy leaving Ninhil's body to flow into the water stream of the Otherlands. A little more and scales of the same color emerged on xir torso layering up to xir neck and down to xir hips. Next came a leather-textured skin from Ninhil's shoulders to xir hands and out to ebony nails. Ninhail was black of space, blue black of the sky at the witching hour. One last push of energy leaves xir body to reveal xir head of smooth texture skin, oval eyes of blinding white similar to snow reflecting the sun. Silken substances, quickly like a line of lit gunpowder, moved to form long threads twisted into silver braids flowing in between xir curved horns down Ninhil's back. As xe pushed one last time, xir hair lifted to float with energy crackling, causing xir whole being to leave off the ice just a bit and shimmer with sparks.

Ninhil felt and saw xir energy run through the ice to the water and onto the earth of the Otherlands to carry bits of xem through all the parts of the water, land, and air. No sign of Kimbazi. Not a wave, not a current, not a tear, or even an echo of a shadow. Not one molecule of water had Kimbazi's scent. With a small sigh. Ninhil straightened up, looked to the sky, stretched back xir arms, took a deep breath in and on the out-breath, and in one flash changed back to a mortal disguise. This time xe chose a human woman with long black hair, a heart-shaped face, and no wings. A way to move through the realms, unseen as just another woman walking through the world.

Ninhil knew it was time to do the "thing", something xe had been putting off for so long. Xe would have to go to their birthplace and see if there was some kind of echo, a piece, just a little sliver of power belonging to Kimbazi. For Ninhil was sure, Kimbazi had decided to rebirth herself, to lose herself in the mortal realms to find some balance or reason for her existence. And if she couldn't, then to destroy every single thing including herself; as vengeance for the pain which was created from her being forced to exist at all.

Many believed fire and earth to be more powerful than water but the only thing more powerful than water was air. Air could use both fire and earth to subdue water. Things could not live without water or air while water didn't exist without air. Air bonded everything together forever.

Looking into the Pond, Ninhil moved the current below the frozen surface to bring up faces of beings living in the deepest depth of the Pond, seeing in their eyes the truth many beings refused to see, a war was about to occur. A family war to stop a greater war, A war between loves to save the Otherlands. Air would sweep through the currents of the Pond to the currents of all realms to stop the flood of despair and the wave of destruction water was beginning to bring.

Ninhall turned to look back towards the center of the Winter Lands, there was where xir heart was. where xir home was. Ninhil stared at that direction for one last long look then turned swiftly back to the center of the Pond. Xe stepped on the frozen Pond and felt the air in the ice reach towards xem. Ninhil pulled air along with xem and began to walk towards the Slip Border, as iced air swirled around xem, to follow Ninhil. As the air left the water, more water reached out to hold the air close, to freeze it, to imprison it. For one brief moment, all the energy froze, like the Pond, to show a land without energy, a plain land with a plain pond. No ice, no wind, no battling, and then all came back as the Slip Border opened up. Once more the Pond was frozen on one side and smooth, clear water on the other. That was the vision in Ninhil's head as she slipped out of the Otherlands through the Slip Border.