I

Vyaaz, the Clever God, snatched up Their Net and saught after the dark woman. She hid in shadows so that Radiance could not see her, but Vyaaz could see beyond and saw her lyra darkening the air around her. Upon approaching her, They cast the Net and took her away on the wind. They raced across the sky and she struggled to break free.

“You do not belong here!” cried the Wicked God. They could not hear her voice or the curses she was saying. Something about sins against a song, but Radiance outshined her. Vyaaz tossed her out into the water for Meter to deal with her. The churning waves embracing her, and stowing her away like stolen jewels.

The dark woman knew Meter and honored her name, and she was blessed by Her. Meter’s waves turned the woman all the way to the Other Land, Her Secret and kept her safe there.

There she washed up on the shore of Vardiza, amongst her, she heard work being done. She sat upon the shore and looked up and saw that Radiance was far in the distance, and the light was different here but still teeming with life and abundance. There were four working and building a large vessel with various strange objects, bent, and bound to stone with string and sharpened to varying degrees. They saw her and One Dark one brandished a sharp object.

 III

The Other Pale one came forward and said this:

 You have no shape like a beast, your shape is lovely and well made.

 She looked to this one and knew Passion.

“O Pale Passion, I am a shape well-made and nameless!”

The Other Dark one came and said:

We know nameless things, we were once nameless until our names were given.

That Nameless one Named itself and gave us our Names,

We four are Sova the Wise who knows of Rites, Oeta the Judge who know the Law,

Ewyn the Hunter who is Passionate, and Ikyr the Herald who Reveals

Flesh-born of the Knoll and Meter-Born.

Variance had said “It is Law in this Place, Know Thyself!” 

The woman looked into the eyes of Diligence who was called Ikyr, and her name was revealed to her.

“I am a nota, something that is not itself, yet I am bound and shapeless like a lyra. I struggle for a name.”

Very well! Let us prepare a ritual for a name. Come to our Dwelling we shall honor the Once-Nameless and see what is done.

V

The woman entered the cave and she was dancing down its winding walls. She had not noticed she snatched up a flame or perhaps it was a light guiding her. She heard the drumming echoing louder and came upon a point where a fired had burned, her feet were wet with water which she found was trailing down the cave. She followed it like a thread, dancing on the water.

There she went deeper and found a chamber open up before her, in there a churning pool. At the edge of this Pool Chamber, there was a small vessel. She went onto the vessel carrying her darkness and the flame fastened to a place made for it. And she set out on the churning water.

The vessel spun and threw her into the water and she found herself in another chamber. It was bright here, the light was different and the Hiss was roaring, the Rhythm drumming.

The Mass appeared before her and Variance shined down to her as well.

Look who has entered Her secret chamber.

Behold, it is she who is Darkness

Who knows not herself

But Many other things

You nota know it is Law to know thyself!

Let it be known!

So she heard this and knew Variance.

“O Variance! How could there be such a wonderful thing like Radiance! The Other Light, but what is the Other, something that is not itself? It is not Radiance so it is Other! O I am overwhelmed with this but fascinated!”

VII

Oeta will guide you from this place,

You are to go in silence.

Have Ikyr proclaim your name!

You are to carve it in stone

Have Ewyn train you in the Hunt,

Go and hunt the Bull, they will show you.

Have Sova prepare the Rite,

You are to practice the Ritual.

Then you will be a sister,

Perhaps a mother,

 perhaps an old queen.

And you will join my Flesh-kin

On their journey, you are to Lead them,

As they Led you.

With that Oeta and Nolyra left the Secret Chamber and returned to the Dwelling Place in silence as the Knoll had declared. The Others were silent outside the Mouth and as the light of Oeta’s flame emerged from it they began their song again. Ikyr gave the stylus to Nolyra, and she marked her name on the Spire.

Behold! Nolyra the Shadow! Let her name ring true, let it be known! The Beyond wills it so!

Then after Ikyr, Oeta recited the Law and they all made preparations for Nolyra’s hunt.

Lyka trained Nolyra with the bow and a dagger so that she would be successful.

II

Say, who are you strange thing? Who has ensnared you like a beast and cast you away like bones? You are no beast!

The Dark Being came over her with a sharp object and cut away the Net. The woman looked to the being before her and looked into their gleaming eyes and she knew Wisdom.

 “O Dark Wisdom, The Clever God of Thyzal is the one who has done this. I was remembering my own self and causing things as I have always known. Then they snatched me up and carried me off across the Sky in that Net and threw me off into Her waters. I was churning like Her, so I honored Her and She blessed me with refuge on this strange land.”

A Pale one came forward and said to the dark woman:
That is clever, but wicked. Intention is the truth. The intent here is wickedness, so that be a Wicked God.

The woman looked in the eyes of this one and new the Law and Judgement. “O Pale Judgement, then that one be a Wicked God. That one is Vyaaz the Wicked.”

IV

Sova and their kin set aside the work and aided the nota up the mountain, to the Cave where they emerged. In the Mouth there was a garden, a cooking light and large spire with their names carved into it.

Here we remember our names, it is Law to keep track of these things.

Oeta sat by the fire and tended to it, there were many other fires like this. The nota had only seen this in Radiance and she asked what it was.

 It is fire, it reveals what is dark, but does not remove it. See how the flame dances?

Ewyn set an offering from the hunt before on the fire. Ikyr and Sova were shedding dried herbs and plants and wrapping them in bundles, which Ikyr tossed into the flame. The air was fragrant now and they began to rejoice.

The nota did not know their song, but found herself dancing and honoring Meter and then she found herself honoring the Once-Nameless and heard the rhythm and the Hissing from the Mouth of the Cave.

The ritual had the Nota Lyra spellbound and the hissing and drumming drew her into the cave.

VI

Then the Hiss replied:

 So, she knows another light, yet still not herself. Am I to be the one to name all these things?

Very well! Listen here, woman!

I am one who gives the Law

Oeta come forth, tend the Flame

Interpret this decree, Have her be a witness

A flame came from another opening and there was Oeta who started to tend the Hearth in the center of the Chamber.

You there, all encompassed in nothing.

A shadow on this Place, and a lovely thing.

I know shadows, for even I am one.

And so are you. But shadows take form

As we have done here

And we cause things to happen in new light

That is change, that is transformation.

It is True, you are a nota, that is a shadow

And you are a lyra, that is a soul

You are Nolyra, Soul of Darkness

You have your name, yet you are destined to be Boundless

That is our nature as I am never-ending.