Review Summary: The might of beauty and the beauty of might, described in ten segments.
From the first shimmering sweep, that enticing musical sigh, a creature is born. It is graceful, holding immense strength that belies its willowy frame. Rather than cry, as most newborns do, it sings its first note in a pure, supple tenor.
Eventually it grows tired of the universe, being bound by the restraints of a physical form. Suddenly it disintegrates, becomes energy that inhabits an ethereal plane. It explores its newfound possibilities, roaring triumphantly and leaping through the dimensions.
And yet, unease remains. Try as it might, it cannot escape the currents of time. Cold drops trickle through - they are unpleasant memories of emotions, mortal limitations, that were thought to have been long evaded. The creature laments, the air vibrating with disquiet.
Its sorrows having been sufficiently channeled away for now, it departs once more on its transcendental journey. It is unaware that it is only burrowing into its remembrances, which have taken on new colours. In its short-lived moments of joy, it dances - and the stars scintillate along to the routine.
Sombreness settles in once more. The creature escapes from its own mind, but promptly lands in a dreary purgatory. Storms bear down endlessly, the heavy raindrops falling in a consistent rhythm. But then a distant whisper appears. In a persuasive, soft voice, it reminds the creature of its power. Ah, power, power! Where better to exert it than in the tyranny of Hell, whose fires rage just beneath the surface? From purgatory it descends further.
The creature seizes the ashen throne. Here, it shall reign. Or will it? In the fury and static of the underworld, it is unaware of the presence of another consciousness tangled within its incorporeal being. The remnants of joy and serenity banded together in a desperate bid for survival, and now they see the opportunity to take over.
Their pact, however, also involved sadness, whose influence was necessary to overcome the maniacal lust for power. Nonetheless, the sedation is successful and the creature falls into a state of slumber. First it dreams of bygone days, tinged blue with nostalgia. But visions of the future also unfurl, revealing struggles yet to come.
The creature awakens, having discovered the bittersweet taste of wisdom. For the first time in its life it muses, slowly turning over thoughts and examining their undersides. Knowledge and experience transform into understanding.
With wisdom comes increased self-awareness. A certain thrill comes from the newly acquired rush of perception, though it is tempered by a cool intellectual detachment. The creature freezes over a planet with nascent life in an attempt to test out its capabilities, and is then rewarded with its first experience of guilt. It has learned that it has much to learn.
Eons pass in nine blinks of an eye. Living beings have emerged and perished in countless cycles, each imbued with tiny amounts of cosmic energy. Now is the era of humans, lifeforms of great curiosity and a penchant for destruction. An observer scrutinizes the celestial waltz, and ponders about the burgeoning species. Perhaps they, too, will come to know endless light and the infinite corners of the universe.
