"So, you really are one of them… one of the servants of the fox god, one of the pilgrims, the blood of the first king."
The rabbit looked with reverence at the boy standing before him.
"Finally someone noticed! damn it, I lived my whole life without hiding my surname and not once did anyone catch on."
Azriel said indignantly, while the rabbit recoiled under the accusation.
"Well… humans forgot about that a long time ago, and even the memory of the spirits has grown faint after so many centuries."
He said defensively.
"I myself don't remember the tales of the kings."
"Could you refresh the memory of this young crazy rabbit?" The rabbit asked reverently, as if he had nearly regained his sanity.
"Of course, just take me to the temple while we talk." The rabbit smiled happily.
It had been a long time since he last heard that story, those stories, the tales of the kings and the first men.
…
In the beginning of time, beasts roamed the earth, dragons, phoenixes, and all glorious beings with scales, feathers, or fur ruled over the earth and all other living creatures.
Humans were born in these dangerous times when anything you could eat would surely eat you.
They lived off the crumbs left on the table of the most glorious creatures, and with that they had to make do.
However, the first king of men, the Primordial, looked upon this with disdain.
He believed that humans deserved more than that and that they were just as glorious a race.
He, who was the strongest and wisest among men, challenged the beasts with fervor.
But even so, he returned dissatisfied, having subdued only the smallest of the beasts.
However, on his journey back, he couldn't help but think about where he had gone wrong, and he realized his mistake.
He was the Primordial, the first glorious human, but not the last.
He soon realized that he was the first and most imperfect of a future glorious race of warriors and sages.
So instead of futilely attempting a war that would end humanity's hope, he thought to himself, what was the best thing about human beings?
What was the best thing about him?
And then he realized that human tenacity was like no other race on the face of the earth.
His bravery and that of his men could not be underestimated.
He also realized that human wisdom was extensive, born of their infinite curiosity.
As such, he thought to himself:
"I, who am the wisest and bravest of men, will give rise to two peoples, one for tenacious warriors and one for virtuous sages."
As such, he sought out the most tenacious woman on earth to give birth to this warrior race and soon found his first wife.
After having his first son, he was proud, for the boy was strong as a mountain and wild as a beast.
He named him Aura, and he was the king of warriors and the first to kill and devour dragons.
Realizing that once again he had made the right decision, he soon went in search of his second wife.
This woman, whose wisdom matched his own and whose curiosity knew no bounds, gave birth to his second son, who was named Mana.
Mana was the king of magicians and the first to hunt phoenixes as one would hunt pigeons.
The meat of these mythological beasts was no longer different from the meat of pigeons and lizards.
And humans finally spread across the earth, creating kingdoms and empires.
However, the primordial could not help but feel that something was still missing. Dissatisfied, he asked himself again and realized.
Humanity still needed something more, a third people.
A people to rule and control them.
Mana and Aura were opposites and increasingly fought each other.
They needed a true ruler, someone above everything and everyone.
Someone who had the final say and was above all others.
However, exhausted of ideas, the primordial being could only think of one last thing that humans were good at.
As such, he married a slave whom he found being whipped by her master and bought her.
The woman of natural and enchanting beauty took his heart like no other had ever done.
His love for the woman gave birth to a third child, the one who had the freest spirit of all, and this child was called by many names throughout history.
Some called him Prana, others called him Chakra, others called him Ruach, and finally, his best-known name was Qi.
Qi was his father's most beloved son and the only one to whom he gave the freedom to be whatever he wanted to be, and he chose to be a traveler.
He used many names and many masks, presenting himself to each with a name and a form.
He roamed the world like a spirit of the wind, brief and fleeting, but never without first touching everything there was.
He was tenacious and curious, but above all compassionate.
This was the third element his father had been thinking about years before.
One of the best parts of being human was compassion.
Qi wandered through the mortal realms and eventually grew bored.
So he began to explore immortal realms.
They were like nothing he had ever seen before.
Everything was possible.
There he met a fox, the fox god, who, after meeting Qi, could not help but fall for the charms of the human and took human form.
As a human woman, the god approached Qi, who took her as his wife and learned even deeper secrets about the immortal world from her.
He lived peacefully with his wife for many years, until that fateful day.
His siblings, Aura and Mana, finally grew tired of ruling only half the world and wanted it all for themselves.
Finally, Qi returned to the mortal world and confronted his siblings.
Mana immediately attacked him with lightning and fire.
Aura attacked with his barbarian axe.
And Qi just smiled as he watched both attacks hit him and only scratch him.
He then froze Mana with magic and knocked Aura down with a simple punch.
And finally, he raised a flag and declared with a laugh.
"In all of heaven and earth, I am the only one who is honored."
From that day on, he became the first sovereign of humanity.
…
"That's what my ancestor Qi said," Azriel added.