UNC001E

**START**

**ESPAÑOL**

**The Restart.**

Next to that vast ocean of cyan blue and amethyst, on the border with the beach where the waves lapped the sand, the girl let herself be caressed by the warmth of the waters. With her long brown hair waving in the breeze and raising her blue eyes to the sky, she could see in it a glorious glow. It filled him with a feeling close to the most mystical ecstasy imaginable. He was witnessing a cosmic dawn, thousands of suns appeared on the horizon forming a spiral galaxy and progressively darkening the three moons of the planet.

-It is beautiful. All this beauty. - I thought. - What is it, though? Who am I?

            So it was. In spite of all those wonders that surrounded her, little by little she became aware of herself and her loneliness. Where was she? she didn't know, who was she, either, the only thing she could remember clearly was a name...Maray. The rest of her memories were lost in a haze of confusion. Who had put her there? She decided she had been there forever, maybe her parents, the gods, those supreme creators of existence, left her in this place for some reason.

-Yes, that's what I remember. - She said to herself. - They are the architects of my being. Perhaps there were others, at another time, but I am not able to remember them. Just as I don't remember myself. I did something, I was someone different, I know that, I feel it inside me... but I don't know what it was. I don't know when it was either. If it ever was...

        Immersed in these reflections, she looked down to see herself in the reflection of those waters and her nakedness did not surprise her, nor was she cold despite the dawn; soon, the light of the nearest suns would eclipse the faint glow of the most distant ones in that world without shadows.

- Has everything been like this since the beginning of the Cosmos? I can perceive that in part yes, but, on the other hand, something tells me that not entirely. That there were other beings, that I myself existed in another way in some distant place and time. Why do I know all this and yet I don't know who I am? - She wondered once more, repeating herself in a whisper. Maray... I am the being so called. But am I the only being who knows that I exist? Am I the only being who dreams of others? Am I merely the only being? And if there was only her, who had created her?

-This is so big that perhaps there are others like me..." She mused as her hair swayed in the cool breeze. -

             Then, another idea began to make its way into his mind. She knew that she had no reason to stay there and that she had to look for someone, although she didn't know exactly who. She began to walk slowly along that endless beach of white sand. Sensations ran through her, passing through her and losing themselves in that vast, endless expanse. She looked inland, the sand itself stretching as far as the eye could see. Among that boundless virginal expanse that no one seemed to have ever occupied, Maray felt free as the wind and began to walk faster and faster with an enormous feeling of happiness. She then ran with her arms outstretched and her mane still waving in the soft sea breeze. The young woman seemed to float in that atmosphere of supreme calm and well-being. Only the gentle rocking of the waves broke the silence and accompanied her in her aimless wandering. The girl looked around her and soaked in the vision of that swarm of lights and colors that studded the skies, while contemplating the rising of several moons over her head. And in the midst of that contemplation she thought she realized that she was not alone.

-No, I am not. - she said to herself. - And somehow I know that I have never been....

          And she realized that her parents in heaven would surely be watching her, as she herself was watching the fruits of her creation.

-Watch over me and send me a sign. - She concluded. -

          That suspicion began to take shape when in the distance she heard a whisper pronouncing her name, she paid closer attention advancing towards the source of the sound and soon it became more audible.

- Maray, - an unknown voice called her from that distance, making an effort to look she could glimpse a silhouette, the girl ran towards it and could distinguish it more and more clearly. - Maray...

Once she reached a distance of a few steps she saw that it was another being with an appearance very similar to hers, but substantially different, naked like her. Maray remembered that he belonged to the other sex, she could easily see it, for the attributes of that individual were evident. Now it came to her mind. That being was a man, she was a woman. She had no idea how, but she knew it meant something. Or at least it had significance at that time and place she remembered nothing about. For his part, he, too, was watching the girl by running his eyes over her and seemed very pleased with what he saw. He was just a little taller than she was, with short black hair and blue eyes....

- Maray," repeated the boy in a calm, quiet voice, "it's good to see you....

- How do you know my name? ...- she asked surprised-. I don't know who you are.

- I was alone and I thought that I was the only being that existed. And then, in my head, a voice repeated your name without stopping..., it said to me. Go and look for Maray... I didn't want to be alone anymore, so I obeyed that voice.

- Where are we? - asked the young woman with the same surprised expression - Who are you?

- My name is Alex. That's the only thing I can remember, the rest, if there is anything else, remains very dark inside me.

                   She looked at him with a curious look and at the same time full of questions. It didn't take long for her to start expressing it and asked him.

- Do you think there will be more like us or will it be just the two of us here...?

- I haven't seen anyone in as long as I can remember being here.

- Have you been here long? ...- It was her inevitable question. -

- As long... as I can remember. - It was the forceful answer from him who nevertheless added. - Although they've always been the same for me, and just a moment ago they were the same.

- There is only sand and sea," said Maray while he knelt down and played with the sand between the fingers of his hands....

- There is not only sand and sea," Alex corrected her, informing her hopefully. - Beyond here, there are green meadows and trees whose tops can't be seen to end in the height...

-It must be a very beautiful place. - Said the girl with an illusionary gesture. -

-Yes, it is, it's very beautiful. - He agreed with a smile. -

- Take me there! - she asked him as she stood up quickly -.....

- Follow me..." Alex indicated her and she turned around and started walking, Maray caught up with him until she reached his height and they both walked along that immense beach. -

Little by little and almost imperceptibly, the perfect white sand began to be marked by rocks, each time larger and larger. These in turn began to be tinged with a greenish color and as the terrain changed they could see the first clumps of grass. They walked inland, at last the sea disappeared from their view and the huge meadows with the immensely tall trees that Alex was talking about appeared along the path. The meadow was covered with the colorful diversity of thousands of flowers, each one of them seemed to exhibit itself before them competing to be the most beautiful. Maray looked in wonder at that display of color and wanted to sit down and rest to recreate herself in that beauty. She was not in a hurry, there was no such feeling in reality. Alex sat with her and they both inhaled a delicious mixture of the aromas exhaled by those plants as a whole.

- And all this, who put it here? - asked the girl. -

-The gods. - He affirmed without hesitation. -

- And who are these gods? - His interlocutor wanted to know. - Our creators, perhaps?

-I don't know. - The boy admitted. - I have never seen them, and yet I know they are there. They watch over us and observe us.

Maray nodded involuntarily, she had had the same impression. Something or someone they could not discover was nevertheless guiding their steps, protecting them, although that very concept, that of protection, paradoxically seemed strange to her. Although that very concept, that of protection, was paradoxically strange to her. What did it mean? In a way she felt safe and happy, but on the other hand in her heart there was a longing that she was unable to define. It was as if something was missing. Something that made her want to know and, above all, to know herself better. However, she was puzzled. If these gods were there, and she felt they were, what would they want from them?

- Would they want us to do anything? -the young woman wondered. -

-Maybe they wanted us to meet. That's possibly why I heard their voices. - The boy conjectured. -

-And yet I didn't. Or maybe I did. -She corrected herself by lucubration. - Maybe they were already in my thoughts.

Another detail that went unnoticed was that they were neither hungry nor thirsty, despite walking for so long... or had it been so little, they didn't know where they were going or where their course would lead them, they didn't really care about that. And what were those strange sensations? He thought he remembered that, at some previous moment he had come to know their meaning, now only those words remained as if they were an echo that was ready to be extinguished.

-I like this. It is beautiful and I feel harmony. - Said the girl, who was as surprised as she was amazed. - I don't know what it is and yet I feel very attached to it.

            And Maray lay down on that natural carpet of greenery studded with other beautiful colors of what she thought were called flowers. The two main suns of the planet, blue and yellow, were already at their zenith, the remaining ones, reddish in color and with a much fainter glow, had passed it some time ago, giving the horizon an amber hue full of gleams of light that studded it with dozens of different colors.

- When I want to think about where I come from I cannot. - She declared reflectively- and I know that I come from somewhere, that I wasn't always here, although sometimes it seems so to me. I miss something, but I don't remember what.

- The same thing happens to me," Alex corroborated. - Many times I think I'm trapped in a dream and that when I wake up I'll go back to the place I came from. But sometimes I think that this place is the dream and this is my reality. Sometimes I even believe that I myself am a dream of another being.

-Perhaps we are the dream of the gods, who are in turn dreamed by others. - Conjectured the girl. - And all in an endless cycle.

             Her companion listened to this with a gesture of deep meditation and in turn sentenced.

-Or it may be that we ourselves are our own dreams.

She nodded, although that sentence seemed really strange to her. In any case, she did not know how to respond. They let some time pass in silence, watching the clouds parade by with their capricious changes of shape. Could they remain like that forever? In any case, what did forever mean?

-We could be here and appreciate all this, it's beautiful..." sighed the girl. -

-Maybe, but there is something that tells me that we have to move on and discover other things. - Replied the young man. -

               For a period of time that they could not specify, both remained observing everything and looking at each other. Finally, Maray stood up, eager to continue on the path of discovery.

- Let's go look for someone! There have to be more people, this world is so big....

-It could be so, but I didn't hear anything but your name. - He said. -

-I didn't hear yours, and yet here you are. Why shouldn't there be more creatures like us? Maybe they are looking for someone else too. - Conjectured the young woman. -

           He nodded and, persuaded by that argument, seconded her. They continued walking, this time more hurriedly, but nevertheless full of confidence and tranquility; they simply had a great desire to find someone else there, in all that enormous expanse they could not be alone.

-It would be a lot of wasted space, don't you think? - Maray asked his companion. - If all this were here just for you and me.

-Of course, although, on the other hand, it would be a proof of the power of the gods. - Said the boy, affirming thoughtfully. - What if there were an infinite number of places like this with beings like us wondering the same thing?

The young woman nodded, although she did not take long to answer.

-Well, it could be like that, but I would like to find others like us, in order to know more.

          Alex shared that desire, the two continued walking through that beautiful place and their steps led them to the shore of a pond of clear water. The reflection of both of them was clear in that natural mirror that was only altered by the softness of the breeze. They noticed a warm sensation, something seemed to emerge from the water, a figure that seemed to be made of an infinite number of drops that rolled into the lake. Maray wondered if it was another being just like them, trapped there without knowing where it came from. Alex approached with a few timid steps towards that sudden apparition.

- Who are you? - He asked her, showing curiosity, but not fear. -

The figure took human form, it was of the same sex as Alex, but tall, very tall. Both of them must have barely reached his chest.  Her hair was of a dark reddish hue. Her eyes looked like two huge puddles of rust-colored earth forming ripples, as if someone had thrown a stone into them. He looked at them both with those eyes questioningly, then sketched what looked like a friendly smile. Maray also approached him and said with a tinge of hope as he introduced himself to her and his companion.

- I'm Maray and this is Alex. Who are you, are you like us?

-No, I am not like you. - That entity answered with a soft and serious tone of voice. -

- In any case, maybe you can tell us where we are..." She ventured. -

- You are everywhere and nowhere - was the enigmatic answer of that being. -

- Since when? - asked Alex in turn.

- Since the beginning. - That figure replied sharply. -

- And when was that? - Maray asked. -

-It was, will be, and is, an eternity or an instant ago. It depends on the point of view. - The creature answered enigmatically. -

- You have told us that you are not like us, but you have not yet told us who you are. - Alex insisted. -

          That being came completely out of the water and seemed to take a few seconds to think about the answer, as if it would have been too difficult for his interlocutors to understand. At last he spoke again, only to say.

- I am your light. The One who will light your way.

- And what does that mean? - Maray interjected, bewildered - Don't you have a name?

- My name is Luzbel - answered that figure, fixing those two powerful eyes on the girl. - And I am here to offer you to follow my guide.

- Which path is that," Alex wanted to know with a rather naive tone. -

- The path of light..." smiled Luzbel again, "if you want to follow it... in that way you will reach enlightenment.

- And that will help us to answer all the questions we ask ourselves? - Maray asked him. -

- It will," said Luzbel emphatically....

- Then, could you answer us who we are and what we are doing here? -Alex interjected. -

-I could, yes, but I prefer that you find out for yourselves in due time.

- I have some memories," said Maray with a dreamy expression, "of things that may have happened to me or maybe I have only dreamed, I don't know... names and places that I don't know what they mean. Stories past or perhaps yet to happen.

- Names? - repeated Alex who looked at her in surprise. -I remember names too...and places and events, but it's the same with me as with you. I don't know if they were realities or dreams, possibly they were stories from some other time.

- Those memories were preserved for you. And it was so for a reason. You were chosen," declared Luzbel to unveil them, "chosen for the Recommencement. You do not remember, but you lived in a different time and place.

- Do you know what happened in that time and place," asked Maray very interested. -

- I was in that time and place, as I am here now, I know what has happened, but not what will happen. That is something that you and others like you will have to create?

- Then there are more like us! It is as I supposed! - Maray exclaimed, visibly excited, asking-..... where are they?

       Luzbel looked around him, he scanned the landscape with a wide movement of his head.

- They are everywhere... - he assured - and they are also looking for others, but in order to meet them you must follow my instructions.

- What directions? - asked Alex. -

- Are they here? I don't see anyone else. - Maray said in an unsure tone. -

- You are not yet sufficiently evolved in spirit perception. And many things are still hidden from your senses. It is normal that you hesitate. - Answered condescendingly his interlocutor who added with an affable tone. - But that can change.

  Luzbel gestured to them with one of his hands. They both watched in wonder as an orchard sprang up seemingly out of nowhere. Large, tall trees sprouted instantly, carpeting the expanse around them. Their interlocutor then approached one of them, with shades of gold and silver, and took a strange fruit in his hands. That exotic delicacy gave off a very pleasant aroma and he offered it to his companions to eat.

-The fruit of knowledge and science, all knowledge and understanding are enclosed here. Eat and you will have no more doubts. - That being declared. -

           Alex and Maray looked at each other in bewilderment. They hesitated to accept. However, when the girl made up her mind and was about to take it, there was a golden glow, and between it materialized the body of another being with the same appearance as Luzbel, but this one had white hair and eyes of a golden color. He looked at the young woman with sympathy as if he had always known her and only warned with a tone between condescending and cordial.

- You must not eat from there, Maray. That is a fruit only reserved for the highest Gods....

- Who are you? - asked Alex with surprise. -

- I am Asthel - replied this new being. - I am sent by the Creator and I travel all the worlds to check the state of his creatures.

- Then you say that I should not eat it," interjected Maray, "but Luzbel is offering it to me, who should I listen to? -

- To me, of course," declared Luzbel confidently. - I give you the possibility to stop being alone. The only thing you have to do is to eat of this that I offer you and you will have the capacity to do whatever you want.

- That is not true," Asthel intervened without any abruptness, to explain to his bewildered listeners. - All it will do is turn you into humans, beings who do not enjoy the happiness you have now. Look at yourselves, you are pure beings in this recommencement, you only dedicate yourselves to contemplate the beauty of the work of the great Creator without worrying about anything. Although in your conscience you know that they exist, you do not suffer for what desires and sorrows really are. You have no pain or sorrow, nor are you aware of the passage of time, nor do you need nourishment. But all that will change if you eat of that fruit.

               The two looked at each other in surprise, in fact those words did not say anything to them?

- Sorrows, desires, sadness, food? - What do these things really mean? Is it something we should know? - Maray wanted to know. -

- And why would they change just for a simple thing like eating a fruit? - Alex asked, feeling confused. - I don't think it's such a big deal.

- It is not as simple as you think," - Asthel said. - Before you is the ability to choose, that symbolizes the fruit. Reject it and you will choose well.

- Do not listen to him," Luzbel insisted, "accept and you will be as happy as the Creator. You will know the answer to all your questions and to all the mysteries of the past and the future. Isn't that what you were looking for? ...Eat and it will be given to you.

- It is better to seek your own answers," Asthel interrupted him. - Think that if the Creator had wanted you to know them, you would have no need to eat any fruit, for you would already have them in your possession, and indeed you do. There is no teacher who can teach you what you have always known. - He said, arguing. - What is really beautiful is to rediscover everything you already know.

- Have you eaten it? - Maray asked, observing Asthel with great attention. -

- I don't have that need," answered his interpellant with a frank smile, "and neither do you. To reach enlightenment one must pass through a path, and it is in that path where the real interest lies, even more than in the goal itself.

-It is meaningless. - Rebutted Luzbel, sentencing with a rhetorical question. - Why bother to walk that path when you can already reach the goal?

           Alex and Maray looked at each other puzzled. The arguments of these two beings sounded equally convincing. Who to believe? It was clear that both were far above them on the scale of knowledge. Yet they held diametrically opposed positions.

-You are wise and you say you have not eaten of that fruit. Then you can attain enlightenment without eating it.

-That's right. - The questioner nodded. -

- Did you eat it? - Alex asked Luzbel. -

-No. - He had to answer, who clarified. - And I have never said that it is not possible to possess the arcane knowledge without eating it. What I assure you is that, if you do it, you will save eons.

- And why would you want to save time, when that is precisely what you have in greater abundance? Think that it is always better to acquire something with one's own experience than to give it away without knowing the effort it took to obtain it. - Asthel termed. -

- Why should you make the effort? - Luzbel objected. - Should you bother to do something when you don't have to?

Maray and Alex looked at each other without understanding, he was the one who wanted to know.

- What is to make an effort?

It was Asthel who now smiled and sentenced.

-That is precisely why, if you do not know what effort and sacrifice to obtain knowledge means, it loses much of its value. Many times the most important thing is not to arrive but to walk the path so that you can enjoy what you see while you walk it.

Maray observed Asthel then, meditating on his words and she nodded. And as she reflected it was as if the knowledge of certain words and situations were returning to her memory. She had felt something beautiful when she ran along that beach, glimpsed the skies and walked along those paths full of plants and flowers. Besides, she felt something familiar in that being of light that induced her to trust him.

- I won't eat it," she declared with conviction, "I don't think I need it....

- Think about it," replied Luzbel, offering it to her again with one of his hands. - You won't have another chance...

- Maray, maybe we should eat it - said Alex doubtfully -....

- I know you won't - she answered, strengthening her criterion - trust me...

         Alex nodded, without knowing why he trusted Maray and declined Luzbel's offer, seeing himself defeated, he did not insist anymore. He only turned to Asthel and reproached him, although in a cordial way.

- He had almost convinced them. Why did you interfere, brother?

- You know the rules, they must be able to choose, you were only offering them a way?

- I thought they already had the Creator's warning not to eat..." said Luzbel, somewhat disconcerted. - I limited myself to fulfill my task.

- This time the Creator will do it differently. Your previous success rate was too high, so maybe it will even things out a bit. You deserve at least to have it explained to you what the consequences would be. - His interlocutor kindly explained. -

- Well, then I guess we'll see each other often - smiled sportily his colleague and then said also to Maray and Alex. - I must go now, you are going to follow a different path than the one I had offered you, goodbye.

             Luzbel disappeared suddenly leaving Alex and Maray surprised, she turned to Asthel asking with a gesture that expressed a great confusion.

- Which path should we follow?

- That of ascension," answered Asthel, "you have passed the test of selection at the beginning of this Cosmos and you have earned the right to evolve. You will be vested with the power to create existential planes and worlds. You will be the parents and custodians of many peoples and guide them along with others like yourselves.

-But how will we do this? We don't even know what we have to do or where to go. - Maray asked. -

-I already told you. - smiled his interlocutor, reiterating. - You simply forgot all the answers. Now you will remember them and be able to pass them on.

- And when will that be? - Alex interjected in astonishment. -

- From now until the end of time in a gradual learning process," answered this being of light. - I must leave you now and you begin your work.

- Will we see you again? - asked Maray. -

-Surely. The day will come when we will be together again. - Asthel smiled and disappeared just like Luzbel. -

   Maray and Alex looked at each other in surprise, they were no longer naked, they were wearing strange clothes that seemed to glow in a thousand colors, they had long tunics that fluttered moved by an imperceptible breeze. They both smiled and in their minds reflected at last what they should do. As Asthel had promised, a great knowledge had come over them.

-Our task will be difficult but rewarding, arduous but beautiful. - He affirmed. -

- And part of this revelation is that we do not have absolute knowledge. - Maray declared. -

- It is true. We will have to progress up the cosmic ladder in our turn. And show others further down the ladder the way so that they too will be able to ascend. - Alex said. -

-We must first learn to be worthy to teach. - She agreed. -

           And so they did, faithful to what Asthel told them, they gained wisdom and understanding and set about their task. After that passed the eons of time that passed for the two of them as very peaceful moments. They themselves became parents of a being they called Kail, also evolved and pure. And after this one a second daughter came into existence, Ishir.

-The children of our love will be the reflection of our desire to create life and goodness. - Alex affirmed, looking at the little ones. -

-And they will be other guardians who will take care of this world and guide the creatures to come. - Maray said. -

And it was during that moment that happened what Asthel had predicted, from their plane of existence they contributed to other places in less elevated dimensions to illuminate planets that were filled with life. Maray was indeed happy to begin the creative work they had been entrusted with. She sang with a harmonious and sweet voice and enjoyed being surrounded by those pure and dreamy creatures that inhabited those places. And she didn't really remember where those lyrics came from. Alex seconded her by making the melodies that accompanied those songs sprout. And both Kail and Ishir in turn were happy listening to their father's music and their mother's beautiful voice.

***Falling in love, saying goodbye***

***With a vow that this is the last unlove.***

***Even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind***

***Will eventually bloom***

***The summer rain that began to fall***

***Gently furrowed beyond my tears***

***Images that resemble memories***

***Autumn drama resumes***

          As intermediary of the Creator the goddess was able to bring forth life with a simple pat. Bringing into finite dimensions the most varied beings and places her imagination harbored.

***Why have I suffered?***

***Almost the same blows so many times?***

***But even so, I will probably fight again.***

***That's one of the mysteries of life.***

     And Alex endowed all creatures with a connection to themselves and nature....

***To fall in love, to give it all***

***With a wish for this to be the last heartbreak.***

***Even the cherry tree, swaying through time***

***Will eventually bloom***

***In the rotating seasons***

***My shoes are wearing out, more and more***

***Let go of the tension in your shoulders***

***Then you can seal the past somewhere***

***From here, they're probably not too far away***

***Landscapes you haven't even seen***

***I want to get over the incessant pain in my chest***

***And be closer to you***

***I've wandered once and I've come back***

***Always looking for the blue sky***

***Falling in love, saying goodbye***

***With a vow that today is the first good day***

***Everything, even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind***

***Gently stretching towards you***

***I love you, I love you, it can't be helped***

***That has nothing to do with this***

***(Sakura Drops. Hikaru Utada, credit to the artist)***

- Would that we would ever be this enlightened and wonderful! - Wished the girl. -

-Yes, watching over all creatures. - Her brother agreed. -

-Of course you will. - Alex assured them both. -

-Mother. - Ishir wanted to know. - What is pain? You said it in your song.

-I really don't know, daughter. - She admitted. - I seem to remember that a long, long time ago, I knew. The same with words such as nostalgia or sadness...they must have meant something important, but I've forgotten, I know what they mean but I don't remember having experienced them.

-I don't understand what that word means either, suffering. - Kail added. -

-Perhaps it is that beings like us cannot be able to experience such sensations. - Alex conjectured, adding prophetically. - But the Creator is going to imbue life into other entities that may be able to discover what that means. At least, that was revealed to us. And someday, it will be you, my children, who will be charged with bringing entire worlds to blossom in this same manner.

            Ishir then looked at some of those worlds and was pleased to see the beauty and goodness in them. However, he felt that not everywhere in the cosmos was like this. And he asked his parents.

- Are there others like us who do the same?

-There are, but they don't do the same things. - His mother told him. -

-There are beings who were like us in the beginning, but who strayed from the path of light. - Alex added, explaining. - They were not given the power to create worlds and in their bitterness they tried to make amends by damaging the works of others. Therefore you must be vigilant. When you create life and it is filled with spirituality, see to it that it remains pure. Although our antagonists will try to corrupt the work we have done.

-For by virtue of our power, we will put an end to them. - Kail intervened. -

-No my son, we are here to heal and create, not to destroy. - Maray answered serenely. - Every cosmic cycle involves a balance.

-Then how can we help these imperfect creatures to protect themselves from these others? - The young warrior wanted to know. -

-With valuable lessons and guidance. But in the end it will have to be those material and finite beings in these limited space-time dimensions who choose which path they wish to follow. - Alex warned him. -

                  And so it came to pass. After many eons of evolution, creatures in their own image appeared, thrived and disappeared, created great civilizations that were forgotten like dreams. Some managed to rise to a higher level, others fell into the pit of iniquity. And indeed, both Kail and Ishir also devoted themselves to watch over those strange and weak entities they called mortals, since their time on those lower planes was very limited.

-It is difficult for them to resist temptations. - Ishir said, when he saw with regret how the interference of those fallen beings spoiled not a few of his works. -

           Many times, she and her family made efforts to create paradises for those mortals that were replaced by sometimes inhospitable places, where those finite beings had to fight and tame other wild and even dangerous beings, who, in the beginning, had been as pure and meek as themselves.

-I don't understand, father, mother. - Young Kail, already looking like a handsome brown-haired boy with an incipient beard, declared at the sight. - They would have everything their limited experiences could possibly crave. Why try to take away each other's happiness? The strongest attack and destroy the weak. Should we allow it?

-My son, we have already warned you. It is the work of Luzbel's creatures. - His mother told him. - They tempt the mortals and they have the power to choose. We cannot go against that. These are the rules that our gods instilled in us.

-That's right. - Alex affirmed, adding with regret. - And that takes them away from the true path. However, even if it does, we cannot avoid it if we are not required to do so.

-But some of these creatures have manifested themselves to men without being required. - Ishir denounced. - 'Why can we not do the same?

- In that case, if men are threatened and Luzbel's servants do not abide by the rules, we can help them. - Maray agreed. -

-Mother, I would like to come down to the humans and show them some of our wisdom. - Kail asked, pleading. - Just giving them consciousness does not free them from the evil influence of the dark creatures.

-So do so, but do not show them more than a very small part. They must learn for themselves. They would have no merit if we give them that for free.-And yet the servants of the evil way do so. - Ishir objected, already in the form of a beautiful young woman with albino hair and golden eyes. -

-Because they are just that, evil. They turned away from absolute truth and progress on the ladder of knowledge because of their impatience to have it all at once. That's not how the Creator intended things to be. - Alex explained to his daughter. - And they do not give mortals true knowledge, but a false appreciation of it. What Luzbel intended to do with us many eons ago.

-Then the material beings are helpless against them. - Kail lamented. -

-Not entirely, we can grant them some powers. - Maray smiled compassionately as he witnessed the suffering of those beings during the successive centuries. - Give them tools to prosper and increase their scale of knowledge. Therefore, you can occasionally make contact with them and, always in a fleeting and brief way, illuminate their path.

-And when they are wise enough and strong enough to lead unaided and ascend in enlightenment, our interference must cease. - Alex warned them, indicating. - From now on we will divide that task.

-So be it, father. - Kail agreed. -

  So each one focused on different aspects so that those incipient beings would not be totally helpless before the designs of evil. Maray assumed a role close to that of a mother, trying to help them in everything related to life and the bonds of union, love and harmony between them, and their relationship with the plane of the spirit, as well as prayer as a means to express and make contact with the gods. Alex, gave them knowledge about healing and medicine, some basics of what humans would later call magic and arcane knowledge, also music as a form of expression and connection with higher dimensions. For their part, the children wanted to get even more involved. They felt what could be called a special affection seeing how finite and fleeting the existence of those beings was in the dimensional plane they occupied. Kail grew up adopting the appearance of a robust and powerful man, with brown hair and golden eyes, who instructed them in defensive techniques of all kinds, mental and physical. For her part Ishir adopted the role of goddess of the sun and the moon, illuminating mortals with her light and guiding them from a metaphorical as well as literal point of view, in the affection for nature and animals. Appearing at times with that appearance she had of a beautiful and slender young woman with long silver hair and eyes of the same tone as her brother. In the likeness of her parents, she created a world called Magnamund, and in it, together with her brother, Like her parents, she created a world called Magnamund, and in it, together with her brother, she brought about the appearance of human creatures. They had to oppose other beings of darkness who fought to take over those worlds on that physical plane they had created.

-Our rivals are always trying to destroy our works. - Ishir lamented sadly. - And they seem to have the upper hand. Mortals are so easily corrupted by them and their wiles.

-That's because, in the short term, it is much easier to destroy or ruin something than to create it. - His mother, who nevertheless qualified it with encouragement, replied. - However, in the long run, creation and balance always prevail, daughter. Remember that and you will not lose heart.

-Yes, because this is a cosmic game that is played in many different places, planes of existence and times. And it is given to us to observe and intervene sometimes in some places and moments. - Alex added. -

-And there are always mortals who resist and whose goodness prevails. That really makes the envoys of evil despair. - Intervened Kail who, smiling, commented to his family. - Although when I introduced myself to them for the first time, they must not have understood my name well. Some call me Kai. And I didn't get them out of that mistake.

-And they worship us as almighty gods. When we are only slightly more evolved than they are. - Ishir confessed. - How far they are from knowing what the true scale of enlightenment is!

-The same as us. - Maray answered, evoking with a quiet voice. -And many times I dream of instants of another time and dimension, of other universes and existences, in which I was as finite and mortal as they were. Perhaps it was like that and I evolved. Or maybe it's just an illusion.

-That's what happens to me. - Alex admitted. - Only the Supreme Demiurge knows what the absolute truth is, which changes and flows for us, with a multitude of names.

-Even the gods they worship have many different names. We and the evil ones are sometimes confused and called by many different names. - Kail pointed out. -

-And so it must be. To come to an understanding in that regard is a task for those creatures alone. We cannot walk that path for them in the same way that no one walked it for us. - Maray said to his children. - Now, we are going to look at certain moments of what they call their history, in some of those planets. At certain times we can and will have to intervene, but at others we won't. And how will we know when to do so?

- And how will we know when to do it? - Ishir wanted to know. -

-My daughter, you will know. - Alex assured him. - Just as you knew how to create this world, with the powers that the Creator, in his infinite wisdom and love, endowed you with.

-Like my sister, I too hope to be able to discern the right moment. - Kail affirmed, adding not without some trepidation, a feeling he had begun to experience since the envoys of evil appeared. - The servants of darkness are becoming more and more numerous. I wish I could expel them so that they would no longer corrupt the humans.

-That term servants of darkness, as well as humans, was inspired by the Creator himself. - His mother commented sharply and sentenced. - I know how much you would wish to protect them, even from themselves at times, but, as we have told you, my son, humans must be free to act according to their own wishes. And so it must be. And we should reduce our interventions to a minimum and wait for their requests for help.

         The others accepted this. They finally decided to let those beings have more independence and develop. As Maray said, several eras of diverse humanities on multiple planets followed one after the other. Some reached greater heights of development and prospered more than others and in all of them the game of good and evil was repeated more and more alien to the minds and understanding of these simple beings. However, despite this simplicity, Maray, Alex and Kail, were surprised and the latter even proud of them, when they saw them able to leave the world where they were born and expand to other planets of the Cosmos, thanks to his growing wit and intelligence, without counting too much on the help of superior beings such as Alex, Maray, Kail or Ishir...

-That's a very interesting story, Mom. - Said a boy of perhaps seven or eight years old, tucked up to his nose. -

-That's right. - A brown-haired woman smiled and stroked the boy's hair as she added. - But it's time for bed now. Tomorrow you have to start your classes.

-I don't know. Do you think I'll do well? - mused the little boy with a tinge of fear and doubt.

- My boy, I'm sure of it. It will be a great day. You'll see how well everything will go. - She affirmed, offering him another comforting smile before sighing and saying. - Now go to sleep, I have to say good night to your brother?

- Isn't he going with me? - the boy wanted to know. -

-No, honey, he's not going. - Sighed his mother, who seemed to say this with sadness, although she soon recovered herself to smile and justify. - He's still too little.

-I don't think daddy likes me to go. - The boy commented. -

- He will be very proud of you, when you learn all the disciplines and become a great master.

- Are those the disciplines that the great god Kai taught the men? - the boy asked with visible interest and excitement. -

-Yes, honey, the same, you'll see. - His mother assured him and with a firmer tone she insisted. - Now go to sleep...

The little boy nodded, on the one hand, he was tired, but on the other hand, he was also nervous, so much so that it was impossible for him to fall asleep. He thought about those stories about the origins of his planet and life. His mother had read them to him since he was a child. Although he already knew how to read, he preferred her to tell them to him. It was a way of having her there, by his side. He suspected that now he would go and tell them to his younger brother, but he wasn't that interested in them. Well, all the better, so he could be with mom more time. So, seeing that his mother was getting up from the side of the bed where she had sat to tell him about it, he wanted to ask.

- And the gods are there? Mother Maray, father Alex, Kai and Ishir?

-Of course they are, my dear. - His mother affirmed. -

-Well. - He mused with some sadness. - Some kids at school say they don't exist, that they are myths to explain things.

           His mother shook her head, even shading her face, and declared.

-I feel sorry for them and for the parents who tell them such things. Remember, son, the gods watch over us. Even for those who do not believe in their existence.

- And if I believe in them, will they help me? - the boy asked. -

-Of course they will. - His interlocutor assured him. -

-But I'm afraid of the dark gods, those who didn't follow the path of light. I do NOT want them to come after me with their Hyalgasth," she mused, covering her chin. -

His mother smiled warmly at him, stroked his light brown hair and said, "As long as you are a good child, and trust in the gods of light, darkness will never prevail.

-As long as you are a good child, and trust in the gods of light, the darkness will never prevail. And we also have the warrior-monks who will teach you. That is why it is so important that you learn everything you can to become a great Master tomorrow and be one of those who will protect our world.

-Once they almost killed them all. - The boy dared to say. -

-But it wasn't like that, one of them managed to escape and became very strong, he reestablished the order of the Kail and defeated the lords of darkness. - His mother reminded him. -

-Yes, it was the great Skarn Dailin, which is how they say Lone Wolf in Someres - Agreed the little one. -

The interpellated smiled, not in vain that was her mother tongue, although already more serious, she insisted.

-That's right, honey. That's why you have nothing to fear. Now sleep, and may Ishir and his mother Maray, together with his father Alex and his brother Kail watch over your dreams....

            And at last the woman got up, and after kissing him on the forehead, she tucked him in and said goodbye.

-Good night, sweetheart....

-Good night, mom. - the child said -

-Lights out. - She ordered. -

    Everything went dark, the door opened and the woman left the room, softly the door closed and the boy closed his eyes and slipped into the depths of sleep, ready to start the next day with a great adventure that would change his life more than he could have ever dreamed.

**NEXT**

**ESPAÑOL**

**START**