The Firstlings

MOTHER

He was born in darkness...

Unable to open his eyes.

He struggled to move but fell over, his frail body unwilling to listen as a cold breeze grazed his skin. Shivering, he urged his pudgy limbs to respond, feeling a deep craving in his center that screamed at him to move, as he needed nourishment quickly.

Forcing himself forward, he could feel his brothers and sisters stirring around him, struggling as he was. Adjusting to his new senses, the sweetest smell he could imagine washed over him. It was the smell of food—of Mother.

Mother called her children for the first time as her calm and loving aura washed over them. The cavern became a sea of chaos as screeches and whimpers filled the air. Her voice had sent them into a frenzy, causing them to crowd, clawing and biting, anything to be the first to make it to Mother.

But Mother didn't care about their greedy frenzy.

Watching her children in the gloomy cavern, she gleamed with pride. She would do everything possible to ensure their survival. Her aura wrapped around them as they fed, filling more than just their bodies. It was tempering them—both their bodies and their souls. It strengthened their bones, increased their senses and affinities, and empowered their souls, preparing them for the harsh environment they would be thrown into.

She would have them ready, as their survival depended on it. She connected with her children through their souls, using a Mother's bond, and began to impart her knowledge of the world, little as it was. Her children grew calm as their most pressing needs were satisfied as she snuggled against them in a loving embrace and began to wonder what their future could entail.

She had not always been this way or of the same species, having evolved after surviving the cataclysm. Although time was hard to measure within the tunnels, she knew that many seasons had passed since her awakening. When the world was thrown into chaos, her burrow had scattered in all directions, sneaking and fighting—anything they could do to survive, for the world was madness.

The land had rumbled and shifted, growing several times in size as a massive storm consumed the sky. Being one of the lucky ones to survive, she escaped into the sewers and discovered something extraordinary. She found a large cavern with glowing moss creeping along the walls. Sitting in the middle of the cavern was a giant crystal, growing up from the floor, almost touching the high ceiling.

At first glance, it looked like nothing special, but with her awakening came another sense. She could feel something inside her body and within the atmosphere around her. A dense aura surrounded the crystal, filling the cavern with a slight haze. The crystal called to her, and she craved to consume it, knowing it would increase her chances of survival.

She built a nest around the crystal and tried different things to extract its power. Eating it hadn't worked so well, leading to a few broken teeth and a bellyache. It worked, ever so much, when she circulated the energy in her body, leaning especially towards her center. Slowly building a vortex towards the center of her being, she felt a tug, and the process began to take little thought.

She cultivated and absorbed the power of the crystal, forgetting all sense of the world around her. The cells in her body became overflowing with energy, slowly undergoing a dramatic change. Deep within her center, something powerful had formed, taking shape over time. After countless cycles, when the crystal's light had started to fade and its power all but consumed, a jolt had shot through her body, causing her to spasm and flail, fading in and out of consciousness.

Then, something changed.

Her cells had broken down and been rebuilt, stronger and more efficient. She had grown several times in size, her fur shifting to a vibrant golden hue as it glowed faintly in the gloomy cavern. Her soul underwent the same changes, becoming extremely vast, with immense power swimming within its depths. She could feel that whatever was in her center had solidified, becoming far greater than it once was.

She was reborn into something different—something unknown.

But she had also discovered something even more shocking with her new changes. She had gained the ability to conceive at will, using a piece of her soul and energy reserves, and nurturing it over time.

So she did.

Looking down at her children, overflowing with love, she continued pouring her aura into every fiber of their being. She would make them more than capable of surviving in this world, hopefully finding a place in all the chaos. They were far different from her, as she had forced her evolution out of urgency for survival and the allure of the crystal, so it was incomplete.

Theirs was nurtured and complete.

They went through even more of a change than she had and were more human-like than she would have thought likely. Their paths would be far different than hers; of that, she was certain. She felt one of her children stirring and looked over to see that he was a little larger than the others. Looking closer, she noticed that the tip of its tail was missing, and she was overcome with joy.

She was proud of this one.

He had made it first by fighting tooth and nail, using all his strength. Placing her snout against his head, she breathed deeply, letting her aura wash through him as she was met with the plague of her existence. Scribbles and lines appeared in her vision, markings she could never make heads or tails of.

Ever since her awakening, they would appear randomly, bringing both good and bad. She was always unsure, but at this moment, she knew that her child had received a gift that only a Mother could give.

It was the gift of a Mother's blessing for her firstborn.

Swiping her ear, she dismissed the odd markings and continued nurturing her young, growling in annoyance, as a new set appeared. These made her pause, her heart racing, as they were larger and gave her an ominous feeling. But no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't make sense of them.

Sighing in frustration, she dismissed the markings, slowly falling into slumber with her children.

[Spell Integration Complete]

“Planetary Node Awakened”

[New Race Identified]

[Mother of the Firstlings]

"Your race is new, but the fight for survival is as old as Time."

[Unique Event:]

[Defend the Nest]

"Contact Imminent"