In the beginning was the darkness, and the waters of Abyss. Then came the wind that moved between the darkness and the waters, and because the waters moved, Desire arose. This was the primary desire, pure and without material form; all worldly desire is a pale shadow of it.

Because Desire was an offense to Abyss, the waters rose up and consumed it. From this act arose the Moda, the mothers of reality. First came Era, the mother of earth, who survived the waters on an island of her own making. Next came Saeya, the mother of water, who survived Abyss in a clear, cool pool that protected her from the dark. Then Vana, the mother of air, who survived the waters in a cloud. Finally, there was Pyrrha, the mother of fire. When Pyrrha exhaled her first breath, the darkness was suddenly divided and light came into being. This is how the Moda first saw each other, and how they learned that they weren't alone in the shadows.

Together, the Moda each shed a single drop of blood to purify the waters around them. These drops turned to stone in the water, and these stones are called the Betali or Kerani, the original stones of magic. In that sacred place, Era spoke the first word, "Sela," which fell from her mouth and became the roots of Nightwood, the living tree upon which all worlds are grown, whose blossoms are stars in the sky. That place was called Selaria, the pure place, cradle of the first word.

Together, the Moda cultivated Nightwood, and upon its branches wove the worlds - land, seas, air, warmth. So sang the Moda:

The world is the world,
and we are its mothers;
all that comes will come from us, singing from our loom.

Their first world (Dima Res) failed, flooded by the waters of Abyss. Their second world (Dimera Res) lacked time and movement, so nothing could move towards perfection - this became the nation of the dead, once death came into the worlds. The third world, Diva Res, is the world of seasons, of time and imperfection. In time, the Moda would recede from that world and form another, and their children would do the same. And so was the cycle of worlds, each upon each, tending upwards towards perfection, until the coming of the Worldborn, who ruined everything.