Once, long ago, before the Old Gods quarreled, before the death of the ancient Dragons, before the starfires were lit in the night sky, our world did not exist. Chaos, with her Heart that burned like the Sun, was at peace with Order, whose Soul shined with Mercy and Light, and Balance, High Judge and Voice of Truth, had no quarrels to mediate. All was good and peaceful in the universe among the three, and the Old Gods flourished in this time of calm.

The creatures of Chaos scuttled about and made their mischief and had such fun in their dark world. And the children of Order, in their paradise of light, busied themselves with song and cheer and all sorts of merry things. Balance looked on and saw that all was well and good in the universe, and so the tapestry of time was woven with the threads of peace and happiness.

But one day, the curious Chaos peeked into the world of Light, and the suspicious Order looked down upon the world of Dark. And upon seeing how different each of them were, the first thing they thought was that the other god was wrong in her rule.

Chaos issued the first challenge. "Darkness is the only true way for life to be!" she claimed, and demanded Order rectify her silly mistake.

But Order maintained her position. "Light pierces the darkness and shows the way to truth," she declared, and commanded Chaos to change her ways.

The situation became only more hostile as time weaved on, and the children of Chaos and Order prepared to go to war over who was "right" and who was "wrong." The Old Gods were fearful that the peace they maintained for so long was about to fall apart before their very eyes. So Balance stepped forth offered a proposal. "We shall create a new world, born of both Darkness and Light, of Fire and Water, and there we shall see once and for all which force wins out in nature." Confident that their aspects would rule over the other, Chaos and Order agreed to the terms and all the gods pitched in to create this new world.

Order gifted to this world the Sun and the Moon, bringing Light to the world and its inhabitants. She gave the world its rivers and seas and the rain which brought forth Life from the soil. To its people she bestowed courage and kindness, hope and strength, and to its scales she gave Unity - empathy and sympathy, friendship and community for all her people to find strength in one another, when their own strength failed. From her place at Balance's side, she made her land, and she named it Cosmius.

Chaos blanketed the world with Night when the Sun did not shine, giving its people shelter in darkness. She gifted Fire to the people of the world, as well as curiosity and ambition. She taught the people how keep secrets, how to lie and cheat, and to its scales she gave it Discord - greed and selfishness, the way of the thief and the cutthroat, seeing value only in that which earns power and prestige. From her place at Balance's side, she made her land, and she named it Atarius.

Balance was the one who mixed everything together. She set the boundaries of Night and Day, she presented the world with Earth and Wind to govern Fire and Water, she created the cycle of seasons, and she gave the people reasoning and morality. Because of her everyone is born with the same capacity for "good" as they are "evil." And so she set the scales equal, and high above the other lands, she created her own nation which floated in the sky, and named it Trutinius.

The gods looked upon this world and saw that it needed someone to rule it - lesser then a god, yet still greater than a human - and so by their design, House Harmonia was given life, and they were set upon the throne of the world. Together, they cast one last prideful glance at their favorite creation, and all decided they were satisfied.

And that is how Pantonius was created.

“Why didn’t the gods just talk things out?”

Regina Sophitia was not expecting such a simple question from a six-year-old, and simply stared at her son with a frown. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to just make a whole world just so they can stop arguing,” Arco agreed, chiming in to assist in making Leon’s point. “Isn’t it easier to just talk about things?”

“The gods... are beyond our comprehension,” the queen finally decided to say, keeping the answer short and hoping it would satisfy the curious little boy. “They have ways of doing things that no mortal could ever understand. You would do well to respect their methods, Leon.”

“That’s a fancy woman’s way of saying that the gods can be just as stupid as humans are,” Alim laughed, giving the boy a pat on the head. He stopped laughing when he saw the look of horror on his wife’s face. “What?” he pouted. “It’s true! Us Pyrrhai know it better than anyone! Half our country burned because of the whimsy of a fickle god.”

“You said we were their favorite, didn’t you?”

The family’s attention turned to the quiet, careful little princess, who had listened so attentively, and pondered every word. “Yes,” Sophie told her with a soft smile. “Pantonius is the first world the gods worked together to create. There’s more magic in our water and our forests and our air than anywhere else.”

“Then why did they start to ignore us?”

Once again, her children were asking things she didn’t know how to answer. As Sophitia paused to consider her response, Sonia pressed her question. “You said there’s more magic here than anywhere, so why doesn’t anyone know magic anymore? Why did everyone forget? Where did the gods go? Where do the demons hide? Why don’t the fairies play in our forests anymore? Where did the magic disappear to?”

“But it hasn’t disappeared, has it?” The Majati swooped in to assist his floundering wife, placing his hand over his daughter’s heart. But his words were for all of his children. “Arco... You were born a spirit of the wind, a son of the northern sky if ever there were one. You’re going to be a hero that legends will sing of, my son. I know it. And Sonia... I don’t need to tell you anything about magic. You’re the first mage to exist in the world in centuries. You know how special you are. You know a greater destiny awaits you than a crown.” Leon didn’t get any words of encouragement. He wasn’t like his siblings, magical and mystical and special in every way. He was mundane. But he still felt the same warmth and pride that glowed in his brother and sister, and he was happy.

“Magic doesn’t exist as it used to, it’s true,” Alim admitted, sitting back with a sigh. “But you’re proof that the gods haven’t disappeared. Living proof that there is still greatness in our world. And isn’t that exciting? Don’t you think it’s fun to look into the future and not know what’s coming?”

“I think it’s awesome!” Arco cheered, his father’s speech causing his heart to race with excitement.

“I think it’s scary,” Sonia answered flatly, and Leon nodded in agreement. Seeing how unenthused his siblings were caused Arco to lose a little steam, grumbling about how boring they were. Alim laughed.

The number 1 is Shi’s number. It stands for unity and peace. One people, one whole, one right, one soul. Shi’s ideals revolve around being one and the same, with everyone standing together in harmony and fellowship, and everyone reaching for the same goals. It’s an exclusionary ideal as a result, and only those who fit that image are welcome in her "perfect society.” While it’s difficult to convey this in the story, it’s a common theme that characters who act alone are strong and sure - and they always, almost dangerously, think that they are right.

The number 2 belongs to Hyrr, and it represents conflict and chaos. There are two sides to every conflict, two forces fighting in every war. Unlike Shi’s idea of unity and harmony, Hyrr knows that if you get two people in a room, they’re not going to be the same, and they’re not going to agree on everything. Despite the number’s evenness, by its very nature it is off balance and one will vie for power over the other. So Hyrr says that you should be the one to win and come out on top. Find victory in all your battles, be strong no matter the cost. In the story, it also happens that twins and sets of two are often divided - Malta and Maude are sisters who have drifted apart for their disagreements, Nayuta betrayed Nyla and left her to die for her own benefit, and then of course you have Shi and Hyrr themselves, who almost never get along and wage wars so fierce that they shake the very foundations of the universe.

That leaves Tal with the number 3, which is a number of balance and strength. The fact that it is an uneven number lends to its evenness - you can’t have a democracy with an even split, and often 3-way wars end at a standstill. The triangle is also the strongest shape, used in bridges and construction, for its ability to support itself, and lend strength to all sides. In many ways, this is Tal’s philosophy - strive not for unity, but for balance and strength. She is an impartial judge in her sisters’ arguments, siding with whoever is best for the whole, and her followers form tight-knit communities that support each other and walk in peace.

There is a fourth Mother Goddess for the fourth number, but that number isn’t the number 4 - it’s 0. A number that is cast out or forgotten, excluded from the whole. It belongs to Chro, the Goddess of the Void, and this number manifests as a symbol through sets of four that push out the fourth member of the group, just as Chro herself is forgotten and ignored by her sisters. Notos is reviled by her fellow Wind Gods, Saadi abandoned the Earth Gods to live on her own, and Dion is the one royal hero who is outside House Harmonia.

There is still a fifth number, technically: Infinity. It’s the number of the Magistrasa, all-creator and Goddess of the Universe. In a few ways, everything always goes back to her, and since she is every number, her symbol can be found just about anywhere.

Shapes are another big part of the symbolism that shows up in the story - namely the circle. It is worn most often by gods and their servants, and it represents “divine perfection.” Interestingly enough, newer gods have come to reject this symbol and reject the idea that they are perfect simply because they are gods, choosing instead to wear the triangle - Tal’s symbol of strength and unity.

As mentioned before, the triangle is not a symbol of perfection, but of balance. Every side supports the other, and it’s made into a strong shape able to hold its weight, and the weight of those around it. Most often it’s used as a good luck charm, because its three points are meant to stand for each of the Mother Goddesses, and to wear it would mean invoking the protection of all of them. Even Chro is included - sort of - as her point can be said to be the very center of the triangle. It might even be interpreted that the Magistrasa’s presence is in the whole entire shape, so there’s even that.