Dud Sea Scrawls The Writing, clearly, is not on the wall!

In the beginning, there was an all-encompassing, all-engulfing nothingness. A great cleaving of this nothingness then occurred, out of which was born the beauteous Urna. She cast a magnificent light and brought forth a miniscule egg. The egg grew and grew till it ruptured with a thunderous sound, and thence emerged the heavenly twins: Shamishilik and Dumara.

The pale, terrible Shamishilik was elder by a fraction of an instant. Tall with a pinched face, a flowing golden beard, quick to take offense and rise in anger, he was instantly enamoured by Urna. Urna however, was drawn to the younger Dumara, who was dark and handsome, with long black tresses, and a winsome smile. And so it was with him that she mated, to bring forth the land of Urna, with its trilling birds and colourful flowers, the brilliant rainbow and the gushing waterfall, the sweetness of honey and the warmth of the sun. Their angelic daughter, Nimoshana was also brought forth with this consummation.

Wrathful and burning with vengeance, Shamishilik kidnapped Nimoshana and fled from the world of Urna and Dumara. He vowed to create his own world, and with Nimoshana, brought forth fiery dragons and slimy snakes, voracious crocodiles and shrieking bats – the terrifying world of Shamishana.

Promising an inconsolable Urna that he would bring back her daughter safely, Dumara pursued Shamishilik into his awful creation. Undaunted by the horrible creatures that circled him viciously, Dumara called out to his brother.

“Come out, O Shamishilik! I come in peace. I come at the behest of our Urna, beloved to both of us. She cries unceasing for her daughter, Nimoshana. Will you not come out, O elder brother, and talk to me?”

Shamishilik came out of his castle, a menacing towering edifice.

“What should I care if Urna weeps, Dumara?” he sneered. “Why are you not by her side, collecting her tears, and drinking them like holy water? Begone, or I’ll have you pounced upon and torn to pieces!”

“Shamishilik, wait! Do not be hasty. Do you wish to incur the wrath of Dumara? You have seen only my goodness; be warned that I can be your match!”

“You – my match?” Evil laughter filled the air. “If you want Nimoshana, come and get her yourself. This is my last word!”

“Shamishilik!” Dumara’s thunderous voice reverberated, and even the circling beasts paused in fear. “I will give you one last chance. Give up Nimoshana now, or prepare for battle!”

It was inevitable. The mighty twins roared and clashed like giant elephants, as all the worlds watched in fear. Blood flowed unabated, turning the sky scarlet and the earth crimson. For twenty-one days and twenty-one nights, the brothers battled each other fiercely. They left behind a trail of death and destruction, smiting anything or anyone that came in their way. They were evenly matched, neither yielding an inch, neither slowing down, or showing any signs of weariness. A sorrowful Urna watched, anguished by the sight of such discord in her young and beautiful world.

Then on the twenty-first night, a great light appeared in the skies. The weary warriors paused, looking up in astonishment. It was Nimoshana.

“Stop now, Shamishilik and Dumara, stop now. Your battles are meaningless, for I belong to no one. What do you fight for, bringing death and destruction to all the worlds? You Dumara, you love me as your daughter. You Shamishilik, you love me as your consort. But all this love has made you blind to the havoc you are wreaking. Fie upon such love! I reject it. I free myself from all these bonds. I, Nimoshana, belong to no one, I belong to no one…”

A brilliant flash blinded the onlookers, and Nimoshana disappeared with a mighty clap of thunder.

The Nimoshana battle, as it later came to be known, ceased. Shamishilik retreated to his world, filled with sorrow. Dumara and Urna swallowed their grief, and set about restoring beauty to the world of Urna.

Shamishilik however, still thirsted for vengeance. He now had a double wound that needed to be soothed. Dark and devious plots he spun, sending his demoniac creations every now and then to splinter the peace in Urna. They were defeated time and again by Dumara, infuriating his elder brother even further.

“Father, be not disheartened. I have a plan.”

It was Akoriwaka, Shamishilik’s first-born.

Shamishilik looked at him in askance.

“Father, Dumara is alert, always on the lookout for the creatures you send in. Whether it was Gandroli, the dragon, or Plasgrodna the giant python, they were all unusual creatures. Easy to spot, easy to isolate, attack and slay.”

“What are you suggesting, Akoriwaka?”

“Simply this, Father. Let us silently attack this time, from the inside. No creatures. Let us create a man who looks like he is one of them; who talks, walks, and behaves like one of them; only, his mind will be ours. He will quietly infiltrate Urna, attract the discontented, organize them, and then slowly cut away at the very roots of Urna. It will be done so quietly that even Dumara will not notice.”

“Akoriwaka!” Shamishilik’s eyes gleamed with an evil triumph. “That’s a masterstroke, my son! You are a genius!”

And so they set to work, and when they were finished, they decided to call their creation, Brafok.

“Go forth, my son Brafok. Go into the land of Urna, and sow our evil seeds for Dumara to reap!” The evil master ordered, and Brafok bowed low.

“As you will, my master, as you will.”