Chapter 1

Our glorious god, Anima, was created by cosmic energy that appeared in the blackness of the world. He gathered a form and the first thing he did was to create this Plain—his first home. For a hundred years, he had walked this land alone without complaint, but Anima grew lonely. He had created animals like the bird and fish and the cama and sevral cat. But he was still lonely.

Tearing apart each of his four arms, re-growing them, and removing them over and over again a little more than 100 times! 100 limbs laid on the ground as Anima took some energy and scattered it across the limbs. Soon, the limbs grew into beings called women, but they were lifeless and ugly. So then, Anima took one of his two hearts, splitting it up 100 times and placing it inside the chest of each woman. They then became beautiful and full of life!

All the women were beautiful and they all looked alike, but not green like our god. The only difference between them was their personality. But there was only woman who Anima took to be his favorite, prized, chief wife. For this woman he had taken in had a bright personality like the sun, tranquil as the two moons, and as relaxing as calm river water flowing. She, who Anima called 'Amethistus' after the gemstone, Amethyst, which she had found in the dirt and sand, had always entertained him with songs and dances. How he love her.

Anima had always given Amethistus the best of the clothes and jewels. He would always spend most of his time with her, neglecting his other wives. By the time Amethistus conceived 50 children from Amethistus, the women couldn't take the jealousy any longer. They decided to wear the same clothes as Amethistus and learn to sing and dance as she, acting as she. Anima couldn't tell anyone apart. He began to love them all equally and conceive many children with each wife.

Amethistus missed how Anima favored her the most, so she changed her clothes and ate a lot until she was just a bit pudgy. Anima began favoring Amethistus once more, being able to tell her apart from the others by the difference. The other wives began to become neglected once more and changed their clothes and gained the same amount of weight as Amethistus. Once again, Anima couldn't tell them apart. Amethistus had cut the fat from her body and burned it in a fire. Such a bold act not the other wives could do. Some decided to starve themselves a while to lose weight while some gave up and found beauty in the little weight that they had on their body.

Anima saw the scars on Amethistus body and told her apart from the others—scars that the other wives couldn't bear to place on their body. Anima was tired of their silly little game. He created Heaven where he and his favorite wife can live together in peace. Anima had also taken away the other wives' immortality and the children's immortality conceived by those wives as punishment. He left his children conceived by his favorite wife behind on this Plain to rule the land and watch over the other members of the family. The other members of the family had to obey and serve the children of the favorite wife. They had to entertain them with dances, songs, and other luxuries. Some wives didn't want to obey the children of the sister-wife they envied so much, so they took their children and travelled to many parts of the Plain to live in while the others stayed behind and obeyed.

..

In our land, Gemma, that is the story we are told growing up. The story that explains how the world began and how the Plain became populated. The story explains why the Basileus and his royal family were left in charge. But, it also gives many more reasons on how our dances and songs formed.

Our songs and dances were from Amethistus which the other wives had learned and passed on to their children as well. Everyone can sing, but only the women are allowed to dance because it was Amethistus and the other wives who danced for Anima's entertainment.

Only a few of us are chosen every four spring seasons to be performers for the noble classes and for the royal family. They must be virgins so you won't be impure and not taint the sacred dances of Amethistus, for we are unholy mortals, left behind to be punished. Only when we die we can go to the Sky. We must be unmarried, so we will have fewer temptations. You must be a good dancer, for Anima only wants the best to be entertained by him and his favorite children. You must leave behind your old life to start a new one for you can't have any distractions or impurities from your old life.

Many people of the land say that you would be a fool to wish to be a dancer. Dancers of Anima are nothing but servants with viewer freedom than peasants, despite living a "better" life than the villagers. But I, like the few, wish to become one of Anima's dancers.