Before empires rose,
before thrones claimed names,
there were three who watched the world unfold.
The First—Bringer of Light.
She carried warmth in her hands
and left echoes of sunrise wherever she walked.
The Second—Bearer of Shadow.
He spoke in silver tongues
and wore ruin like a crown.
And the Third...
was not named.
It neither spoke nor moved—
but always watched.
A presence beneath silence.
A breath behind time.
---
The First looked upon the world and saw beauty.
The Second saw only weakness.
And so they struck a wager—
not with fire or blade,
but with will.
Let those who walk the earth choose.
Let them rise, or rot.
Let them create meaning—or drown in it.
No chains.
No commands.
Only freedom.
---
The Light laid down compassion,
etched into starlight and prayer.
She gave them dreams wrapped in thorns—
reminders that hope must be earned.
The Shadow offered temptation,
dressed in power, pride, and hunger.
He promised they could own the world,
if only they dared to break it.
And the Third?
It said nothing.
Yet where it passed—
flowers wilted slowly.
Mirrors turned cold.
Time bent, not from power…
but from watching.
---
It does not sway.
It does not strike.
But it endures.
A still presence in all things forgotten—
in every silence after a scream,
in every vow broken under moonlight.
Few notice it.
Fewer name it.
None understand it.
But it is always there.
---
One day,
a soul will walk between light and shadow,
bearing no title but their own.
Not to rule. Not to serve.
But to endure.
And when that day comes,
when choice is made beneath a bleeding sky—
the wager shall end.
---