At the beginning of time, the Great Lord of the Sky created the world. Upon his command, the barren rock turned to precious fields of oats, vast forests, mighty seas, and the tall, proud mountains. Then, when the world was finished, the Lord realized that there was something missing in the world. For, though he was mightier than the seas and taller than the tallest of mountains, he was lonely. Without any living creatures, the world itself was a waste of effort. Thus, when all was prepared, he created the Onizards, humans, and other creatures of the world.
The Great Lord of the Sky loved variety, and so he made certain that the world was populated with many good elements. From the deepest part of the mountains, he created the Children of Fire, Onizards with the power to breathe flame. From the soil he created the Children of Earth, Onizards with incredible powers of healing. From the strongest gusts of the first storm he created the small but swift Children of Wind, and from the rain itself he created the Children of Water.
All seemed right in the world at first, but there was no light. The Lord had saved this for the right time, but without the light the Onizards could not see they were all the same race with different abilities. Demons amongst the various Children persuaded them to be heartless and cruel toward the other elements, and many unspeakable crimes occurred during that time that would cause the majority of modern Onizards to hang their heads in shame. In one terrible battle, the Children of Fire destroyed the homes and nesting grounds of the Children of Water. When hope for the Water Children seemed lost, and the last daughter of the Water Chieftain was about to be incinerated along with the rest of her clan, Senbralfi, son of the Fire Chieftain, threw himself between the two clans and sacrificed himself to save her life.
The Child of Fire had been the first being in the world to truly love another, and this did not go unnoticed by the Great Lord of the Sky. Instead of letting the young Onizard die, the Lord bestowed in him the light so desperately needed in the world, and he became Senbralni, the first Child of Light.
While Senbralni lived, all saw that he was a blessed Onizard, and they became united under his command. He guided them in building a new home where the homes of the Water Children once stood, and they built a new nesting location high above the ground. They called the new home the Sandleyr, and they called Senbralni the Leyrkan, heart of their home. The few who did not accept him were driven out of the united Onizard clan to be killed by the human tribes.
When all of his work was finished, Senbralni relinquished his physical form to become part of the sky itself. Though this new sun was a powerful source of light for half of the time of the world, it was not all of the light that had been given to Senbralni. The remaining light divided among all of the creatures of the world, though it did not divide equally. Most of it went to Senbralni’s four children, who became the new Children of Light.
It was then that they discovered their father’s secret, both a blessing and a curse; with the powers of Light came the power to feel the emotions and pain of all around them. Together they decided to divide their ruling duties, for none of them could handle their new powers on their own. Telgrasan and Marulsan ruled during the time their father was in the sky; Maraeni and Mebralni ruled when their father was not in the sky. This system of a Day Kingdom and a Night Kingdom worked well throughout the years to maintain order and stability in the Sandleyr. When one Child of Light died, his or her chosen heir would gain the powers of Light. The chain continued unbroken until Ammasan of the Day Kingdom died without naming her heir.
In the resulting chaos, Deybralfi, daughter of Ammasan, claimed the title of Queen and turned the Sandleyr toward a dark path. Human beings were captured and forced into slave labor for the self-proclaimed Fire Queen, and Onizards neglected to give respect to the remaining Children of Light, even going out of their way to avoid the Leyrkan of the Night Kingdom. Some would say that they even forgot how to love, for during that time there were no mothers tenderly guarding their eggs.
Throughout this, the saying of Senmani, a former ruler of the Night Kingdom, entered the hearts of those still loyal to the path of good Onizards: love will keep you strong, even when all strengths fail. Perhaps that can explain the strange tale of the Zarder.
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