JINX/Prologue

The prologue to *JINX*.

When the first consciousness emerges in the *JINX* universe, twin gods are given life in a plane called the Collective Unconscious. Their names are Scuro and Chiaro, and learn that a higher authority called the Council of Mind has given them special powers, which allow them to interact with astral bodies from the lower Material World. However, Scuro begins to abuse this power and plans on conquering whole universes, to the worry of Chiaro.

## Plot

“Think about it, Chiaro,” grunted Scuro, his mouth carved into a sharp crescent, “The divine authorities who reside above this plane, the Council of Mind, has given us these powers for a reason. They want us to conquer the planes below. Why else would the astral bodies of Material World, such lesser beings, ascend to our domain? They’re ours for the taking.”

Chiaro glared at her brother with disdain, her limbs growing tense with each absurdity he spat out. Her eyes did not move for a minute, then proceeded to speak her mind, “The Council of Mind recognizes the potential of humans. They were given the power to imagine so they may gather truths beyond their world, something even you and I can only imagine. We are the gods who will one day help them find their truths—that is what I believe the Council wishes, and your desire for absolute control shall be your downfall.”

The astral air remained still as the twin gods stood their ground, not once did their cold stares break. Scuro was the first to call off their argument, scoffing at Chiaro before ascending into the starry void. “Well, if you aren’t going to assist me, then you can stay here for eternity. You and I know that you have lots of power, Chiaro. I know you’ll change your mind some day.”

Once Scuro was gone, Chiaro woefully sailed down to the lowest level of the CU, the Stardust Grounds, burying her face into her arms. Between her glass knees, she looked down to the galactic abyss beneath the Grounds, observing the innocent, vibrant Material World oscillate on a multidimensional axis. As Chiaro sulked at the border between planes, hundreds of astral bodies drifted up to the Collective Unconscious in preparation for their ritualistic examination. Pale white shapes swiveled past her like dandelion seeds, unknowingly floating towards the god who would decide their fates. The glistening silhouettes of elderly humans, whose minds were rich with knowledge, were on their way to an eternal hell within Scuro’s core. Chiaro could not help but cry, knowing her brother was on a path of darkness, one he refused to turn away from.

Hundreds of thousands of years later, Scuro still had not ceased his abuse of the astral bodies. By simply existing in the Collective Unconscious, Chiaro learned that Scuro’s contact with the bodies altered their physical counterpart's dreams, manifesting in what came to be known as “nightmares” in the Material World. She could feel it in the air – the psychological anguish humans faced every single day, all caused by her demented brother. On occasion, a few hundred bodies were able to avoid the terror, as Scuro sometimes overworked his powers to the point of fatigue. Chiaro became aware of this when she heard Scuro's groans from above, while the astral bodies promptly sank back down to the Material World. She had not seen her brother since the debacle all those millennia ago, and she had stayed on the Stardust Grounds the whole time.

Oliver
Nora
Clay
Stella
Niami
Louise
Coral
File:Chiaro portrait.pngChiaro
Scuro
File:Cassietta portrait.pngCassietta
File:Tanz portrait.pngTanz
File:Loon Molly portrait.pngLoon Molly
KYRO