THE CHRONICLES OF THE ZENITH

  Extract from the Canticles of the Zenith : The Genesis of Light Reserved for the High Priests of the Order of the Sun

  Let no profane eyes gaze upon these sacred truths

  Verse I — The Primordial Harmony

  In the beginning of time, there existed neither light nor absolute darkness. Two divinities reigned over the celestial vault: Solar?s, Guardian of Day, and Nihibell, Lady of Night. In their shared wisdom, they governed the world according to an immutable order, and humanity prospered under their shared watch.

  When the divine star declined toward the horizon, the lunar goddess arose, and in her benevolent shadow was born universal rest. The light of the Sun God inspired the building of magnificent cities where wisdom and virtue reigned. Under the veil of the Moon Goddess, men found appeasement, the sweetness of dreams, and rest for weary souls.

  Nothing existed independently of its opposite: day dispensed labor and clarity, night offered respite and necessary introspection. Thus was the Age of Harmony, where light and shadow danced in a perfect cycle, eternally renewed.

  Praise to the balance that was, before the fall came.

  Verse II — The Corruption of Hearts

  But human hearts, in their native weakness, grew weary of the radiant purity of Solar?s. They began to lend their ears to the whispers of Nihibell, for under her discreet reign, she revealed what the light kept hidden.

  Hear this truth: the night was never truly silent.

  In the darkness, buried desires awakened. Unspoken passions took root in the secret of souls. Men, once united in concord, began to covet what did not belong to them. Where day brought justice, night awakened ambition. Where light commanded virtue, shadow whispered the forbidden.

  And in this complacent obscurity, evil took root.

  At first, it was but a slight shadow: a poisoned word exchanged between brothers, an oath betrayed in nocturnal secrecy. But soon, the darkness spread like a plague across all the earth. Men yielded to the Goddess's promises, who offered them what Solar?s refused them in his wisdom: power without constraint, pleasure without consequence, strength without honor.

  Woe to those who listened! For what she offered was poison disguised as nectar.

  Verse III — The Age of Decadence

  The wise became deaf to reason's calls. Kings forgot mercy and justice. Once radiant cities sank into debauchery and discord. Under the growing influence of the Lady of Night, the most fragile souls were devoured by their own desires—and what man nourished in his corrupted heart took form in the real world.

  They were called the Abominations: creatures born of inner corruption, fashioned by the darkness lurking in every human being. They wandered in the night, seeking to spread their taint where divine light no longer penetrated.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Blood began to flow in torrents. Brothers rose against brothers. Children renounced their fathers. Where order and peace once reigned, entire kingdoms collapsed, reduced to dust, swallowed by the growing shadows.

  Thus was the prophecy fulfilled: When shadow rules the heart, the entire world becomes an abyss.

  Verse IV — The Descent of the Guardian

  Seeing humanity teetering on the edge of the final abyss, the Guardian of Day descended from the heavens. He traversed the devastated earth and witnessed with his own divine eyes the extent of the corruption. He heard the pernicious whispers of Nihibell in the minds of the weak, stoking their darkness, offering forbidden gifts in exchange for their souls.

  Then, in his infinite wisdom—and with cosmic sorrow—Solar?s understood that he could no longer share the celestial vault with her.

  To save humanity from its own corruption, he fought her in a divine war that set the heavens ablaze. Ten thousand celestial knights stood at his side, and their brilliance was so great that the mountains themselves bowed down. After the victory, in an act of ultimate power, he brought down the Eternal Zenith.

  He fixed his star at the summit of the sky, where shadow could no longer grow, and sealed Nihibell in the Abysses of the World, beyond the heavens and mortal lands. In his infinite love for humanity, he removed from men the source of their temptation.

  He banished night forever.

  Thus was born the Day without End, in the glory and sorrow of divine sacrifice.

  Verse V — The Price of Redemption

  But such an act of salvation demanded a considerable price.

  The sacred bond that united day and night was broken for eternity. And Solar?s, in his terrible love, took back what was given to them at the beginning. The Inner Knowledge, that invisible link which united the mortal soul to primordial forces, was torn away forever. What once flowed freely in the world's veins became mute and inaccessible. Thus, each generation would bear the weight of its ancestors' transgression, forever deprived of what made them the true children of the gods.

  The earth began to die slowly, deprived of natural balance. And in the shadow of this lost balance remained something—an echo of past darkness, an invisible wound in the very heart of the world.

  Before returning to his celestial dwelling, Solar?s chose one among mortals: Thérion the Veiled, King of Solheim and First Guardian of the Sun. To him, he entrusted the forbidden knowledge and the sacred order to purify the world of all traces of the Moon Goddess's whispers.

  Thérion gathered the Just and the Strong from all nations. Under divine blessing, they founded the Watchers of the Zenith, solemnly swearing to protect the world against inner corruption. They hunted the Abominations in their last refuges, destroyed ancient texts bearing the mark of night, and delivered to purifying flames the heretics who still dared to pray to shadow.

  May their sacrifice never be forgotten. May their vigilance remain eternal.

  Verse VI — The Eternal Watch

  Since that day, the Order watches without rest.

  For if the light were to weaken... If the sun were ever to leave the zenith... Nihibell would return. And with her, universal corruption.

  Remember this sacred truth, you who read these words: Night is never empty of threats. And if shadow returns one day, the heart of men will become once more its most terrible sanctuary.

  Let he who reads these words engrave them in his soul and remain vigilant. May the Light of the Zenith protect us forever from the darkness that prowls at the world's edges, awaiting the hour of its return.

  So be it, now and for eternity.

  Exhortation engraved at the gates of the Index of Solar?s

  Year I of the Day without End