Before the Old World there was the Preworld, and in the Preworld there were only three Elements: Earth, Water, and Sky, and one dweller who had roamed those ranges – Dash, the mischievous Raven. Earth, Water, and Sky loved their lives, but Dash didn't. He was bored and constantly frustrated. He dug in the Earth searching for worms and bugs but found none. He flew above Water looking for some fish, but to no avail. He rose up in the Sky in hopes of finding anything, something – and found nothing.

Desperate, he pleaded with all three Elements,

“Why, why are you so empty? ˮ

The Elements were surprised to hear that. “Why would we be otherwise? ˮ they asked.

“Well, aren't you bored? There is nothing here! No food, no hunger, no rapture, no fear, no danger, no safety, no light and no night. Don't you think it's terrible? ˮ

“No,ˮ said Elements, “We are good and happy as is. Why do you say all these things, Dash? What do you want from us? ˮ

“I want everything! ˮ Dash cried. “I want... something! ˮ

The Elements did not respond to that and only looked at each other. Disappointed, Dash croaked and flew away. He flew for sixty-four days until he reached the end of the world. There, he squeezed through the gap between Earth and Sky and got out into the outer world. He then flew up to the top of the Sky and started jumping on it.

“Why are you doing this, Dash? ˮ Sky asked, amused.

“I want something! ˮ Dash croaked out and kept jumping. He jumped and jumped until the Sky shattered and from the cracks flew lights and started to fall down. Earth got terrified: she screamed and twitched and tried to run away, but lights captured her and set her on fire. Water, on the other hand, liked the lights. She embraced them and accepted them, and let them inside her. When lights entered Water, they changed into silver nuggets. The biggest of those nuggets then got together and formed an egg. That egg then surfaced on the water and from it hatched Ulnad.

At first, Ulnad was tiny, but in four days he had grown big – so big, his arms reached the Sky and his feet made whole valleys in the Earth. He stretched his hand into one of the cracks in the Sky and caught the mischievous Raven.

“Why did you do all this, Dash? ˮ he asked the bird.

“Why wouldn't I? ˮ Dash answered saucily.

“You've made a mess! ˮ

“But that's good. ˮ

“What good is in the mess? ˮ

“Well, from this mess came you to life. Aren't you good? ˮ And Ulnad pondered on that and thought so deeply he weakened his grip and let the Raven slide out. He tried to catch him, but Dash flew off.

Despite all that, the mess had to be dealt with. Ulnad took one of the silver nuggets, ground it in his palms, and sowed the silver powder on the part of the Earth that was not captured by the fire. Weed grew up on it – Ulnad gathered it and weaved a web, with which he caught all of the fires and tied them tightly into a ball and threw that ball onto the Sky. This was how the Sun appeared.

Then Ulnad went to Water. He deepened his web once and retrieved a bunch of silver nuggets. He pressed them into a ball with his bare hands and threw it onto the Sky Plane, too. This was how the Moon appeared. Ulnad then threw the web again and retrieved even more nuggets. He threw the web up, and they all flew across the Sky – this was how stars appeared.

Then he drew water with his palms and threw it at the sky to put out the lights that remained there. Some water got onto the Sun and turned into clouds and fog, and some water went into the cracks and remained there.

Finally, Ulnad put back together pieces of the Sky, sealing the cracks with clay. One of the cracks, however, was so big that even though it was sealed, the groove remained, and it remains to this day in the sky, filled with heavenly waters – Sky River we call it.

After all the repairs were done, life in the world went on. Son of Water Ulnad was allowed by Sky to dwell in its plains, and he had been dwelling there ever since. Meanwhile, the mischievous Raven Dash continued roaming the lower plains and hills, and he wasn't bored anymore.