The Black Clock of Chu to the south was a regular source of contemplative entertainment and wonderment for the Gods of the Glorious Palace of Cho. Every view into the chuʔ was breathtakingly spectacular, as if one were looking into a massive crystal ball holding the entirety of a clear night sky.
From within the Black Clock of Chu, five Young Gods, arranged together in the formation of a square cross, gazed out impassively, with benign expression, at nothing in particular and at no one in particular.
For a God of the Palace of Cho, gazing upon the Young Gods within the Black Clock of Chu momentarily extinguished all thought of desire’s fulfillment.
Gazing past the Young Gods, further into the chuʔ, lights and shapes of various colors laced throughout the starscape within the chuʔ, swirling and streaking in discernibly regular patterns.
What the Gods of the Glorious Palace of Cho had no way of knowing is that, since the birth of the choʔ, even before the arising of the Glorious Palace of Cho and the First God, Ohepa, light radiating from the choʔ had poured steadily into the chuʔ. And, as the light of the choʔ entered the chuʔ, living replicas of the choʔ arose within that light-bathed chuʔ.
Following a flash of tremendous light of indeterminate duration, Ohepa and Hocho arising in chaʔ began flooding the brilliant white chuʔ with billowing clouds of black choʔ-space, bound together by etheric energy. The Glorious Palace of Cho abruptly unfurled.
Not long after that, Ungoba and Rucha arising in chaʔ gave rise to gravity within the choʔ-space of the black chuʔ.
Not long after that, Agimu and Alcha arising in chaʔ gave rise to friction within the choʔ-space of the black chuʔ.
Not long after that, Ikuwo and Nichi arising in chaʔ gave rise to magnetism within the choʔ-space of the black chuʔ.
Not long after that, Ezhati and Zeche arising in chaʔ gave rise to electricity and surface tension within the choʔ-space of the black chuʔ.
Thus, the goings-on in the Glorious Palace of Cho and the various relationships among Gods therein formed a basis for the arising of an ocean of cosmological phenomena inside the black chuʔ, leading to the formation of choʔ-matter, choʔ-aggregates, and choʔ-arrangements, inextricable from the etheric energy coursing within and radiating from the living replicas of choʔ.
As New life was arising in the Glorious Palace of Cho, so within the Black Clock of Chu, etheric energy coursing through a multitude of distinct, etheric-amplifying choʔ-arrangements of choʔ-matter gave rise to the first choʔ-aggregate life.
This first choʔ-aggregate life trembled precariously and lived only momentarily before being absorbed by another choʔ-aggregate life possessing slightly different etheric-amplifying choʔ-arrangements than the first. Not long after that, a third choʔ-aggregate life consumed that second choʔ-aggregate life, dimly perceiving an influx of new etheric energy from the feeding. And on it went..
Each choʔ-aggregate life that arose at that time was a being in its own right: mortal and unique in place and time. When choʔ-aggregate life dissolved or was consumed, its emergent consciousness simply faded back into into choʔ-space.
This early choʔ-aggregate life knew nothing of mortal fear. However, it did know desire–and its desire was fairly simple: to feel its own amplifying choʔ-arrangements of choʔ-matter vibrate with etheric energy in choʔ-space; To feel the visceral joy of living.
Over time, choʔ-aggregate life became more complex in congruence with the evolution of life in the Glorious Palace of Cho. As the five First Gods in the Endless Chambers of Cha discovered the delight of mating and of offspring, choʔ-aggregate life discovered the first choʔ-arrangements facilitating asexual reproduction.
As the five Mother Gods began holding the disc of chiʔ and the five Father Gods began holding the staff of cheʔ, choʔ-aggregate discovered the first choʔ-arrangements facilitating sexual reproduction.
With each New God born in the Palace of Cho, subtly different kinds of choʔ-arrangements arose in the choʔ-aggregate life, which would lead in time to speciation.
As choʔ-aggregate life evolved, so did its relationship with desire and its fulfillment: where delicious food once appeared in abundance to simple choʔ-aggregate life, evolved choʔ-aggregate began needing to hunt for food that would yield nourishment.
Where simple choʔ-aggregate life could once sit and vibrate, feeling the joy of etheric energy coursing through itself, evolved choʔ-aggregate life appeared to move more often, due to environmental turbulence, or a vague sense of danger, or some other desynchronizing noise within its various acquired arrangements.
Where simple choʔ-aggregate life could once have a need or want met as soon as it arose, evolved choʔ-aggregate life increasingly appeared to not enjoy such conditions within the black chuʔ.
“Edjoi,” Ohepa spoke, gazing with a beneficent smile upon the glowing, newly birthed, newly named, New God.
As the first and only child of Niru and Laze, Edjoi had an uncommon heritage among the multitude of New Gods.
It was highly rare that the disc of Ungoba joining the staff of Ikuwo would produce offspring, yet Niru arose.
It was highly rare that the disc of Ezhati joining the staff of Agimu would produce offspring, yet Laze arose.
It was highly rare that the disc of Laze joining the staff of Niru would produce offspring, yet Edjoi arose.
And it was highly rare how balanced Edjoi soon came to hold both disc and staff, possibly second only to the legendary Ohepa–whom Edjoi would come to look up to like an heroic third parent.
It was also highly rare how much Edjoi would come to struggle with what was an increasingly common condition among the New Gods–a diminished capacity to evoke that which would fulfill one's wants and needs, one's desires.
This condition would express itself in two kinds of way–first, one not receiving what was wanted or needed; and second, one receiving what was neither wanted nor needed.
An afflicted New God might wish for pleasant light and find the resulting light too dim. Or another afflicted New God might wish for soft food and receive firm food. Or yet another afflicted New God might wish for rigorous coupling and be engaged soothingly instead.
This condition did not have a known name, because Ohepa did not name it. On the rare occasion when a New God would mention the discussion this condition to Ohepa, Ohepa would remain convinced that this kind of discussion was simply some novel way the New Gods went about fulfilling their own desires.
And so, the family circles of the five Mother Gods in the Stately Villas of Chi to the west would help each other out, teaching their children insights on how to intuit what others might need or want. And how to provide for them.
And so, the family lineages of the five Father Gods in the Great Manors of Che to the east would help each other out, teaching their children skills on how to ask others for what they might need or want. And how to return the kindness justly.
During Edjoi’s maturation, Edjoi spent time in both Chi and Che, learning the Intuitions and learning the Fair Askings. And over time, Edjoi did somewhat develop skills and abilities to solicit from others that which often would fulfill Edjoi desires.
However, for Edjoi, some greater, looming, nameless desire remained, seemingly unsatisfiable by the New God practices that Edjoi had heard and learned and taken to heart.