The Creation (at least as the Raeglythans tell it)
Once, in the beginning, there was nothing. The universe was simply a void, without any light to break through the dismal blankness, or darkness to disturb it. Then, in one fateful moment, a speck of burning matter appeared, and it moved.
Something within the speck was stirring into awareness. Suddenly, without warning or premonition, the spark exploded into a bright flash of crimson light, spreading its dense matter out into the void and replacing it. In this burst of energy, Chaos was born. She threw herself into the first fiery light to be cast over the Universe, and roared with all her might, "I am!"
Chaos was the spirit of flame from which she was born. Wild, untamed Chaos ran and played for countless millennia amid the newborn universe. She fused protons, neutrons, and electrons with each other and created the stars. Around these blazing glories of hers, she created harder matter, and these balls of stone she called planets. The Goddess spent her time throwing atoms together and laughing at the explosions, or seeing exactly how fast molten lava could carve through a mountain, or watch as gravity pulled stars together.
Chaos enjoyed herself, running around by herself in the universe, and she was sure that the boundless fathoms of space would never have any mistress but herself, Lady of Flame and Fire. However, on one of her planets, a few stray atoms and molecules joined together, and there was Life.
Where Chaos had come into existence with a loud bang, Life entered as though on a sweet song. Life was a gentle, caring Goddess, a stark contrast to her sadistic, whimsical sister. She was Good and Lawful, where Chaos was, well, Chaotic.
Life's original domain was a few mere microbes on one planet, but her boundaries grew without limits. Over many years, Life shaped and molded her creatures with loving care until they were beautiful. Life was full of love and compassion for her creatures, which danced and sang all over the universe.
At first, Chaos had been angry at this mishap of hers which had been conjured into existence by her own unruly elements. However, as Life's creations grew and thrived, Chaos became amused by them and by her Sister. Chaos threw flames and lava at Life's creations, recreating her havoc on the planets, now calm and cool and no longer bubbling rocks of magma. Life soon found out that Chaos was destroying her creatures, and they argued bitterly over this. Chaos was stubborn and possessed a fearsome temper, but Life was emboldened by love for her creatures and did not fear her Sister (much).
To solve the problem, Life summoned all her power and called another being into existence from her own aura. Her new sister was Nature, a matronly Goddess who soon began working her charms over Chaos's handiwork. Between Life and Nature, Chaos was subdued into a forced submission. She instantly took a loathing attitude towards both of the Benevolent Goddesses, and vowed revenge.
The planets of the universe were teeming with the combined forces of Life and Nature. With Chaos's reign diminished to only a few star systems and no other limits to Life and Nature, the universe was overrun with creations. Generation after generation after generation of animals grew and thrived, but never died. Try as she might, Nature could not provide enough vegetation for the herbivores, and all the carnivores had been stolen by Chaos and held in her domain. Life saw this, and, being the Lady of Light and Order, knew it would not do. The animals lay suffering, starving, and being trampled by their own kind, but never being put out of their misery. Together, Life and Nature agreed that something had to be done about it, and, bracing themselves for a fight, went to see their brooding Sister Chaos.
Chaos did not want to listen to reason. No matter how Life and Nature tried to explain the destruction to Chaos, it made no difference. Chaos saw no reason to help the powers which had forced her into the background, until Nature revealed to her that creating another dark Goddess would allow her to become powerful again. And high on the list of things Chaos loved was power.
Chaos and Life pooled their powers, and from Life's Lawful qualities and Chaos's Dark ones, a fourth, final Goddess came into existence. The new Goddess was cloaked in night and hidden by shadows, and she was called Death. Chaos instantly thought her boring and suggested they try again, but Nature said she was just the addition the family needed.
Death set things right in the universe. This was the order Life had sought to attain, and she was pleased. Nature was pleased as well, for things grew better when there was a system of balances in place. Even Chaos was glad, for now she had a sibling she could try and relate to.
In time, all creatures were born, lived, and died, only to be born again. Life wove the threads of life, Nature cared for them, and Death cut each strand with silver blades. Chaos ceased her brooding and returned to merrily doing her best to tangle all the threads.
Together, the Goddesses formed a new realm for themselves, called Ellara. Each had a domain. Life ruled over Auraeria, Death over Tyrzenor, Nature over Fremoth, and Chaos over Raeglyth. The goddesses lived within their own palaces in their own realms, but saw each other often enough, and together they shaped the lives of mortals.
~~*~~
"Lir katé, zet hachesi, ik hoka zeit sentra Dela Chasentrdela vanccawiu Ai'lara*," the Raeglythan mother finished telling her cubs, then launched into a lengthy praise of their voreia chesat.
Their Goddess, in the meantime, was feeling a little less than grand at the moment, as her troops had failed to secure the piece of Fremoth she wanted for herself, for the third time that month. Feeling the need for a little encouragement (and, though she would never admit it, a few good ideas), Chaos called in her Dark Sister Death.
*"And that, my children, is how our great Goddess Chaos created the Universe"