Sibling Rivalry - A Tale of the Beginning

This is a recreation of the Cosmogenesis wherein I have taken a great many
liberties and a great deal of artistic licence. It is how I imagine things to
have gone, and is quite unlikely to be accurate. That said, I have tried to be
true to the spirit of History, if not the literal fact. It is also my first
attempt at writing a play, so I will beg forgiveness for any slight I may
inadvertently make to the craft of playwright within these pages.

May Mother Night keep you, dear reader.
Amani
 
List of Cast:
 
Yudhe - The source of all things.
Dynara - Yudhe's Daughter of Creation
Magnora - Yudhe's Daughter of Destruction
The Unnamed Son - Son of Yudhe's Spirit
Kethuru - Souless Creation (very minor role)

 ======================
Act I - Daughters of Yudhe
Scene I - Within the Void
Cast: Yudhe, Dynara, Magnora
 
 
The curtains part, revealing the stage filled with darkness that is deeper than
darkness. It is both heavier and emptier than darkness. It seems to draw in and
absorb any light within the theatre, making the shadows deepen and dampening
even the sound of the audience's breathing.
 
A single note trembles through the void, shattering the nothingness and
bringing about something. The sound, which invokes a sense of burgeoning
awareness, coalesces and takes a shape around the spark generated by the
shattering of nothingness.
 
Enter Yudhe forms from the spark created when something shattered the void of
nothing, in a bloom of light and sound, which fills the void.
 
Yudhe looks about, taking note of the difference between the something that is
Himself and the nothing that remains of the void. His expression falls, dimming
the flowing light and muffling the ringing chord of music that surrounds Him,
when He notices that He stands alone within the void.
 
Yudhe: I am all of creation; the beginning and the end.
 
Yudhe: (pauses, a thoughtful expression on His face) But this cannot be.
Creation is too big to be so constrained and I have no wish to exist alone.
 
Yudhe closes His eyes, His form dissolving to resemble the Spark of creation
once more. The light flares and the music changes. The deep, rich tone of Yudhe
is joined by a new sound, dark and discordant.
 
Enter Magnora is formed from the splitting of Yudhe's own Spark, taking the
shape of a Daughter. Her form is dark and seems to draw in the light surrounding
Yudhe.
 
Magnora: (peering unhappily into the nothingness surrounding Them) Father, I
hunger greatly and there is naught in existence but You and I.
 
Yudhe: (examining His new daughter closely) You have taken the void within
Yourself, Daughter. Your nature is to consume and bring an end to things. This
is not a bad thing, but there can be no end without a beginning. Alone, You are
as yet incomplete.
 
Yudhe once again closes His eyes and reverts to the form of the Spark. Again,
the light flares and the music changes, a bright and lively chord joining the
symphony.
 
Enter Dynara is formed from the splitting of Yudhe's own Spark, taking the
shape of a Daughter. Her form is bright and pulses with life.
 
Dynara: (eyes lighting up as She takes in the nothingness around Them) Father!
There is so much potential in this emptiness. So much room for things to grow. I
wish to fill this space, Father.
 
Yudhe: (nodding with satisfaction as He viewed His newest daughter) You have
taken the will to create within Yourself, Daughter. Your nature is to bring
things into existence, to create. You are the beginning to Your Sister's ending.
Together, you complete the circle.
 
Exit Dynara stepping out into the nothingness, Her clever fingers already busy
shaping a small pocket of reality with a world at its centre.
 
Exit Magnora following Her Sister, watching for the chance to consume as the
hunger within demands.
 
Exit Yudhe silent
 
The Curtains close.
 
=======================
Act I - Daughters of Yudhe
Scene II - The Edge of Creation
Cast: Dynara, Magnora, Kethuru
 
The curtains part, revealing the Edge between Magnora's realm of nothingness
and Dynara's realm of creation, where stray objects often drift, forgotten by
their Creator and waiting to be consumed. Odd shaped planets and empty, twisted
pockets of reality create a surreal landscape against a backdrop of emptiness.
 
Enter Magnora holding an asymmetrical shape and peering at it, a disconcerted
look upon Her face.
 
Magnora: Sister, what, exactly, is this supposed to be?
 
Enter Dynara carrying several squirming things in Her hands.
 
Dynara: (moving to Magnora's side and peering over Her shoulder at the object)
Oh, I thought to create a planet inside-out.
 
Magnora: (a non-pulsed look on Her face) Inside-out?
 
Dynara: (with a regretful nod) Yes. It did not turn out well, as You see.
 
Magnora stares at Her Sister a long moment before opening Her wide mouth to
consume the misbegotten planet in one bite.
 
Magnora: Why do You create such things, Sister, if they mean so little to You?
 
Dynara: (looking up from the squirming masses in Her hands to blink in
astonishment at Magnora) How shall I know how a thing will turn out until I
create it, Sister? You do not realize, because all You see are the failures, but
I have created things of great beauty in this way.
 
Magnora: (petulantly) I should like to see the beautiful things as well.
 
Dynara: (laughing) Oh no, Sister! I cannot let You do that. You would eat all
of My favourite things! Much better that You stay out here and eat the things
that should never be.
 
Magnora's eyes narrow and she peers sharply at Her Sister. Bitterness stirs
within Magnora's eyes and is completely ignored by Dynara, who's attention has
returned to what She holds in Her hands.

Magnora: (curious despite Herself) What is it you have there?

Dynara: (Her voice heavy with resignation) Another failed experiment. I keep
trying to make them in different ways, with different shapes, but they all come
out the same. Empty.

Dynara opens Her hands a bit and reveals several small creations. Under the
fathomless gaze of Magnora, the creations tremble, huddling closer together.

Magnora: (pulling back in surprise) They move?

Dynara: (nodding eagerly, a pleased smile on Her face) They live. That is my
new experiment. I've grown bored with planets and moons and suns and planes of
reality. I have decided to turn My hand towards creating Life and I have
succeeded. To a point.

Dynara (shifting the creations into one hand and gesturing with the other) They
are flawed however. Terribly flawed, and I have yet to work out how to correct
the issue.

Magnora (peering closer again, a doubtful expression on Her face) They do not
look terribly flawed to Me. They are alive, are they not?

Dynara (sighing with exasperation) They are, but do You not see, Sister? They
are empty. They do nothing but feed in an effort to fill this emptiness. I have
tried to create them in such a way that they are not so empty, but still they
have this emptiness.

Magnora (Her eyes widening slightly) They are as I am.

Dynara: Exactly so.

Magnora: (through clinched teeth) Do You think Me so flawed, Sister?

Dynara: (laughing and waving Her free hand dismissively) Do not be silly,
Sister. It is Your function to consume that which should not be. Which is why I
have brought these to You. I fear for My creations with them running loose. You
will take care of them for Me, yes?

Magnora: (eyeing the handful of creations thoughtfully) Yes. Of course I will,
Sister.

Exit Dynara smiles happily before handing the creations to Her Sister and
vanishing from the Edge to return to the First World where Her next batch of
creations are incubating.

The creations stare up at Magnora, the Destructor, in despair, for though they
are not whole, they are alive and no living thing wishes to cease to be.

Enter Kethuru moves forward from the group to address Magnora.

Kethuru (hiding nervousness behind bravado) Will You consume us then?

Magnora: (a dark smile twisting Her lips) No, indeed, Little One, I shall not
consume you. My Sister takes Her abilities for granted as well as My own. I am
not one of Her toys to do with as She pleases and now, neither are you. You will
be My own Heralds and will feed by My side and together, We will show My Sister
that She does not control the whole of the Universe.

Magnora brings Her hand to Her face and blows gently, scattering Her Heralds
throughout the nearby landscape of discarded creations. Each one descends upon a
forgotten planet or moon or into a pocket of reality and begins eating, growing
stronger with each bite taken.

Exit Kethuru silent

Exit Magnora silent

The curtain closes.

============================
Act II - The Son of Yudhe
Scene I - At the Center of the Universe
Cast: Yudhe, The Son

The curtain parts to reveal a field of stars. Bright twinkling lights within a
sea of darkness fill the stage. One star seems much brighter than the rest and
it moves closer, revealing that it is not a star at all.

Enter Yudhe coming to rest within the inky blackness, dotted with stars. He
appears careworn and tired despite His greatness.

Yudhe: (sighing deeply, causing the closest stars to sway) My Daughters are
frustrated, each for Their own reason and it wearies Me. I would sleep, but
things cannot be left as they are now. The balance is tipped too far one way.
Magnora and Her Heralds would eventually outpace Dynara's creation with Their
consumption.

Yudhe: (thoughtfully) I cannot blame Dynara for wishing to create Life. It is
My own desire for the same which She is endowed with. Her creations will never
be whole as She is making them however and She only adds to the numbers of
Magnora's Heralds this way.

Several stars are created and consumed over the eons in which Yudhe hovers
amongst them, contemplating the dilemma of how to maintain the balance between
His two Daughters while also allowing Himself the rest He desperately wants.
Finally though, Yudhe decides.

Yudhe closes His eyes and once again, His form dissolves, revealing the Spark
of Creation. The light flares again and a fourth note joins the symphony of the
Universe. Yudhe creates a Son from this soft, stately music. He does not bother
giving His Son a form, for the Son has taken Yudhe's own Spirit within Himself.

Enter The Son hovering next to Yudhe, insubstantial as air.

Yudhe: (speaking softly, already half asleep) Go to Your Sister, Dynara and
show Her what to do.

The Son: (complete understanding in His whispered tone) Yes, Father.

Exit Yudhe fades into the darkness, and into a deep sleep, the song of His
creation only a whisper through the stars.

Exit The Son goes off in search of His Sister.

The curtains close.

===================
Act II - The Son of Yudhe
Scene II - The First World
Cast: Dynara, The Son

The curtain parts to reveal a misty vale. A starry night drapes the sky above
and seated on a rocky outcrop is Dynara. The Mist swirls around an insubstantial
shape nearby.

Enter Dynara holds a small object in Her hand, her fingers smoothing out the
finishing touches on its shape.

Dynara: (glancing up from the object and towards the insubstantial shape in the
mist) There, she is ready now.

Enter The Son shifts toward Dynara.

The Son: (His voice a whispering sigh) As I showed You, Sister.

Dynara closes Her eyes, Her face tight with concentration before breathing
softly onto the object. With Her breath the small creation springs to Life.
However, it is apparent that the new creation is flawed. Dynara sighs,
disappointed, as she places the newly created Life into a nearby creche.

The Son: You almost had it that time, Sister. Do not try so hard.

Dynara picks up the next small object, her fingers quickly giving it shape;
smoothing edges and adding textures. She closes Her eyes again, but this time
Her face is serene. She once again breaths gently onto the small object in Her
hand, this time a gentle pulsing light travels along her breath. When the object
springs to Life, She opens Her eyes. This time, the success is just as obvious
as the previous failure had been.

Dynara: (flashing a brilliant smile) It worked!

The Son: (His soft voice sounding quite satisfied) It worked.

Dynara: (delighted) To celebrate, I shall design a new shape for My Lifeforms.

Exit Dynara begins fashioning a new object with five points; two arms, two legs
and a head.

Exit The Son silent.

The curtains close.

=============================
Act II - The Son of Yudhe
Scene III - Within a Creche
Cast: Magnora, Dynara, The Son, Yudhe

The Curtains part revealing a swirling expanse of cloud filling the stage. As
the vapour shifts and eddies, bright points of light are visible. There does not
seem to be any significant difference in any direction, creating a slight sense
of vertigo.

Enter Magnora moves though the clouds, Her eyes fixed on a disturbance further
away but fast approaching.

Magnora: (a predatory grin spreading across Her features) Ah, they have found
another.

Magnora watches eagerly as the specks draw ever closer. The one in front and a
significant but dwindling distance from the rest appears to stop and sling a
volley of light towards the pursuers. The pack scatters, but reforms and resumes
the chase, driving the leading speck directly towards Magnora.

As the speck draws ever closer, it begins to resolve into a star-like shape.
The beings giving chase are much more varied in form; some are oddly beautiful
and some horribly grotesque. Far too late, the star-shaped being notices Magnora
looming ahead and tries to slow, but the Heralds press from behind and there is
nowhere to go.

Magnora reaches out and grasps the unfortunate being, drawing it in and
consuming it in one bite.

Magnora: (chuckling appreciatively) Well played, My Heralds! Well played!

Enter Dynara appears through the mist, hurrying. She comes to a sudden halt
when She sees Magnora and Her Heralds however. She takes in the tableau before
Her for a moment before slumping slightly.

Dynara: (Her voice heavy with dismay) Sister, what have You done?

Magnora: (with an unconcerned gesture) Nothing untoward, I assure You, Sister.

Dynara: (outrage colouring Her tone and expression) Nothing untoward? You have
consumed My children, Magnora! They were not for You or for those misbegotten
creatures You cling to though You should have eaten! They were Mine!

Magnora: (a smug grin crossing Her features) You have said many times, Dynara.
It is My function to unmake what is made. Besides, You have others hidden away,
I know.

Dynara: (strides toward Her Sister) It is Your function to consume what should
not be, Sister, not to consume all You come across!

Magnora: (eyes narrowing) That is Your interpretation of My purpose, Dynara.
Yours. But You do not rule Me and I shall not bow to Your whims. I shall feed as
I wish and I shall keep or consume as I choose.

Enter The Son of Yudhe appears as a thickening of the mist swirling about the
bickering Sisters.

The Son: (His whispered voice at once soothing and firm) Sisters, be still.
Your fighting is pointless as You are each acting according to Your own nature
and are each necessary to the balance of the Universe.

Magnora: (ignoring Her Brother) I shall continue to feed upon Your new toys,
Sister, because it pleases Me to do so. I will consume them all. Though You
might try to hide them, I shall find them even if I should have to unmake all
you have made to do so.

Dynara (also ignoring The Son's words, a horrified look upon Her face) You
would do that, Sister? You would unmake the whole of Creation simply on a whim?

Magnora: (bitterness lacing Her words) It is no whim, it is My purpose to
unmake what is made. I do not know why it concerns You so, Sister, You can
simply make more things to fill the void I will leave.

Dynara stares at Magnora with wide eyes which suddenly narrow.

Dynara (spiteful triumph in Her voice) You are a jealous thing, dear Sister. Go
on and consume all that You wish, it will never be enough, will it? Does it
hurt, knowing that You will always be empty, with nothing of Your own? Even
those so-called Heralds you cosset are naught but My cast-offs and there shall
never be more of them. Never. I will fill the Universe with My creations and You
will struggle in vain to fill the void within Yourself.

Dynara: You are empty inside, just as those misbegotten things you cling to
are. You are Our Father's flawed creation! His mistake before perfecting the
technique, just as Your 'Heralds' are mine before Our Brother showed Me how to
create Life with a Soul.

The Son: (placing Himself between the Sisters) No, do not do this.

Magnora: (Having gone pale with shock and a touch of hurt as the verbal volleys
strike home, She flushes with rage at the end. Her eyes blazing and Her voice
cold) Perhaps it is the pitiful nature of Your creations that is the cause of My
continued hunger, Sister. Perhaps I shall feed upon a worthy meal and discover
if it is so.

Magnora leans forward and opens Her wide mouth. She latches onto the
insubstantial form between Herself and Dynara and begins consuming Her own
Brother. The mist boils as The Son struggles to break free of His Sister's
deadly grip, but it is in vain. Ignoring both His and Dynara's cries, Magnora
continues to feed until Yudhe's Son is no more.

Exit The Son silent

At the moment the last of The Son's essence vanishes down Magnora's gullet, the
Universe shudders, tilting impossibly. The symphony of creation, whispering
between the stars, dissolves into a jangled cacophony for a long moment before
resolving itself with a noticeable difference; where there had been four chords,
there were now only three.

Enter Yudhe appears in a flash of light and sound, a wild and despairing look
upon His face as he glances from one shocked and horrified Sister to the other.

Yudhe: (His voice capturing the very essence of sorrow) My Daughters, what have
You done?

Exit Magnora silent

Exit Dynara silent

Exit Yudhe silent

The curtains close.

======================
Act III - The Great Silence
Scene I - The Edge of Creation
Cast: Dynara, Magnora

The curtains part revealing an empty void which fills the stage with the
darkness of nothing. The emptiness is broken by two things. The first, a smear
of light and shadow which forms a sort of horizon in the far distance and marks
the edge of creation. The second, the forms of Dynara and Magnora who hover
within the void.

Enter Dynara silent.

Enter Magnora silent.

Dynara: (looking weary, her tone forlorn) Sister, We have searched the whole of
Creation for Our Brother and have not found Him. Do you truly suppose We shall
have luck in the Void?

Magnora: (looking just as weary) As You say, Sister. We have searched all of
Creation with no result. Thus, we must find something within the Void.

Dynara: (scanning about, a doubtful expression on Her face) What You say makes
sense, of course. But, I confess the scope of it worries Me. How many eons did
We search every planet, every Plane of Existence together. They were finite and
the Void is not.

Dynara: (her voice growing small) What if there is nothing to find, Sister?

Magnora: (waving that notion off with an impatient flick of Her hand) If there
is one thing this debacle has taught Me, Sister, it is that We are each of Us
part of a Whole. A piece is missing, yes, but not destroyed, for the Whole still
exists.

Dynara stares out into the nothingness of the Void, Her expression still
uncertain. After a few moments however, She nods. Her shoulders straighten and
She turns toward Magnora.

Dynara: (speaking firmly) You speak wisely, Sister. I have allowed the failures
thus far to make Me forget this truth. Let Us continue Our search. If it should
take still more eons, then it shall.

Dynara: (after a moment's hesitation) You should lead the way, Magnora, as this
place of no-thing is as Your own nature. I trust You to keep Us from becoming
lost Ourselves.

Exit Magnora stares at Her Sister a moment before inclining Her head and
turning to lead the way into the Void, Dynara a step behind.

Exit Dynara silent

The curtains close.

===================
Act III - The Great Silence
Scene II - A Tear in Reality
Cast: Dynara, Magnora, Yudhe

The curtains part, again revealing the complete absence of all light that is
the Void. There is a strange object in the emptiness, however. A spot of true
darkness within the void; black on black which should not be visible, but
somehow is.

Enter Magnora crosses through the Void, leading Her Sister through the
emptiness in Their endless search. She stops abruptly when the spot of darkness
catches Her eye.

Enter Dynara peers past Her Sister at the spot which blocks Their way.

Magnora: (glancing over at Her Sister) Dynara, is this one of Your creations?

Dynara: (shaking Her head as She edges toward the dark place) No, Sister. I
have never ventured this far into the Void, nor have I ever created anything
such as this. I am not even sure what it is.

Magnora: (sharply) Do not get too close, Sister.

Dynara nods absently, but She does not cease in Her approach toward the strange
phenomenon. As She gets closer, She reaches out a hand toward the dark place
and, once again ignoring Magnora's shout of warning, She touches it.

Magnora (hissing angrily as She jerks Dynara away from the object) You fool!
After eons of travel with You, You still manage to make Me question Your sense,
Sister.

Dynara (Her voice dazed, but unafraid) Be easy, Sister. There is no danger
here.

Magnora: (peering closely at Dynara) No danger? You could tell this by touching
it?

Dynara: Indeed. I know from whence it came as well.

Magnora: (impatiently) Well?

Dynara: Do You remember when You swallowed Our Brother?

Dynara: (offering Her Sister a sad and apologetic smile) Of course You do,
forgive Me.

Magnora looks away, but waves Dynara on, urging Her to continue.

Dynara: Do You remember the way the Universe shook? The way Reality tilted?
This is the result, Sister. It is a tear in the very fabric of Reality.

Magnora: (staring with new curiosity at the tear) Here in the Void?

Dynara: (shrugging) Nothing is still a part of Reality, Sister. Touch it.
Perhaps You will be able to glean still more from it.

Magnora stares at the tear for a moment longer before reaching Her own hand
toward it. After a moment's hesitation, She lays Her hand upon the edge of the
tear and gasps sharply. Her wide eyes dart back and forth as if She is watching
some mystery unfold before Her.

Dynara (Her voice urgent) Sister? What is it?

Magnora: (Her voice distracted) You are right, Sister. This tear was formed
when the Universe shook. And more, this is where Our Brother has gone. Ripped
out of Our Reality at the moment it tore.

Dynara: (breathing the word) Truly?

Dynara reaches out and touches the tear as well, wishing to see what Magnora is
seeing. The moment Her hand touches it, there is a bright flare of light from
the tear and both Sisters stiffen. An image forms within the darkness of a field
of stars in inky blackness.

Dynara: (Her voice quiet and awed) Sister, there is so much Life on the other
side of this tear.

Magnora: (Her own tone more practical, though not unimpressed) Truly. However
Our Brother does not seem to be amongst that Life.

Dynara: But He must. This is where He vanished to, He must still be there.

The two Sisters continue to search the alternate Reality for their lost
Brother. Some time passes before Magnora once again stiffens. The scene within
the tear changes as the Sisters search, revealing planets circling suns and
crawling with various forms of life. On and on the view changes showing more and
more strange places and creatures.

Magnora: (Her voice sharp in the silence of the Void and her eyes narrowing at
something ) There! I felt Him.

Within the tear, a planet is seen. The view zooms closer and closer to the
surface and seems to fly across the landscape of this foreign world as Magnora
searches for the touch of Her Brother.

Dynara: (watching the images fly by in the tear) You are certain, Sister?

Magnora: Yes. The taste of Him is familiar to Me since that day.

Dynara nods in understanding, not questioning which day Magnora refers to. She
watches as the flowing image slows and finally focuses in on a single creature
making its way through a field. The creature had a familiar star-like shape with
a head, two arms and two legs. It was joined by a group of other, similar
creatures at the edge of the field.

Magnora: (sounding confused) I do not understand. All of those creatures have
Our Brother's taste.

Dynara: (likewise confused) Even the very small one?

Magnora: (irritation colouring Her tone) They are all very small. Even smaller
than the creatures You create. And they are finite as well. Watch as time goes.
They cease to Live and their bodies dissolve in the blinking of an eye . They
are weak creatures I would not even deign to consume, and yet they are Our
Brother. It makes no sense.

Dynara: (considering Her Sister's words for some moments before speaking) If
each of them contains some part of Our Brother, then bringing a few of them here
would heal the wound dealt Our Father and Ourselves when Our Brother was lost.
We could go and retrieve some of them and place them on My First World which is
quite similar to this one they call home.

Magnora: (looking at Dynara incredulously) You are seriously considering this?

Dynara: (speaking defensively at first and then persuasively) It is a good
plan. We are not whole without Our Brother. You feel it too, I know You do. The
grief has not lessened in these countless eons of searching. It tears at Me,
tell Me You do not feel it.

Magnora: (Her voice soft and unable to meet Her Sister's eyes) I cannot. I feel
it as well.

Dynara: (nods and continues, her voice compelling in its intensity) If We bring
back Our Brother, even scattered as He is, I truly believe it will cure this
ailment.

Magnora: (after a moment of silence) What if We become scattered as well?

Dynara: (leaning back a bit, and after considering the question) Because We
will not be going through in the same way, I think. Forgive Me, Sister, but Our
Brother was sucked through the tear after having been consumed. His essence was
already dissolved, it makes some sense for it to have dispersed on the other
side. We will be going through whole.

Magnora: (nodding slowly) It makes sense.

Dynara: (Her voice quiet and sincere as she gazes at the image of the creatures
living, dying and reproducing themselves) We must try, I think, Sister. I do not
wish to go on with this sadness if there is a way to make it right.

Magnora stares at Dynara, understanding swimming within Her own eyes. Without a
word She reaches out to Her Sister. Dynara takes the offered hand and both face
the tear in Reality. After a moment's hesitation, they step forward as one and
vanish with a blinding flare of light.

Exit Magnora silent

Exit Dynara silent

Once again, Reality shudders and the Universe seems to tilt. Again, the music
of Creation dissolves into a discordant jangling noise. When it resolves again,
only a single subdued note remains, and already it is fading away. The tear
itself has sealed, leaving a noticeable scar in the emptiness.

Enter Yudhe appears with a dull flash of light, much reduced. He stares at the
scar in the fabric of Reality desolately.

Yudhe: (his voice barely perceptible) They have gone and have taken all that I
am with Them. There is not enough left of Me here to continue nor do I wish to
do so, bereft as I am of all of My Children and all of Myself.

Exit Yudhe fades from sight as the last lingering note of Creation fades away.
A silence descends which is oppressive in its completeness. The Universe seems
to settle into the quiet as a great creature might settle into sleep.

The curtains close.