Cletanism is a small religion practiced by ancient Egyptians, that has faded in and out of importance. While many people consider us a myth, or a joke, I promise you! We are very real!
Apophis Cletanism, the subset of Cletanism I practice is rooted in a worship of the serpent god "Apophis." Much like his Egyptian counterpart of the same name, Apophis is the god of chaos. While we believe that it is currently sealed away in the Transmultiversal Subspace (i.e. "The Mirrorplex) it's our core beliefs that very soon, he will be released. And that to be spared by Apophis, means to fear, and to worship him.
Part 1: the true genesis
When the world began, there was nothing except her. A goddess of pure light: The Angel. She's said to be the last survivor of a world far superior to our own. She wandered this unknowable void for a millenia, before encountering THE PHOENIX. The Phoenix saw good in her. The Phoenix saw beauty in her. And the Phoenix presented to her his egg, and he said:
"Angel. There is good in you. This egg will hatch soon. It will hatch everything. What would you like this egg to hatch?"
The Angel thought for a moment. Before she said: "People. Flawed people. And good people."
And it was only then, that the egg hatched.
Part 2: pandora's box
The Angel and the Phoenix lived among man for many years. They guided us. Shaped us. And from them, new gods began to emmerge. The sandman would guide mortals through their dreams as he does to this day. There were spirits of life and of death, too. They lived in harmony. And then there was a serpent. Many call him The Demon. Many call him Apophis. Apophis led the Angel into a forest, and offered her a gift in a box. But he told her that if she wanted to open the box, she would have run out into the world, and show every single person what was inside.
And the angel did. And slowly, people began to become cruel. They started to hurt each other. New false gods began to spread, and because of these false gods, countries began to form, and because of these countries, there were wars, and because there were wars. There was murder.
Angry. The first victim of murder was so sad and so tired and so angry. Having been dragged into the cave of Nahm, he refused to die. As most slain people do. But a voice spoke to him from the cave, a voice that cannot be heard. The voice offered the man a chance to live again as an angent of vengeance. A spectre. The man accepted the deal, and began to shift, and meld, and change, into a being only known by a single letter: M. The first superhero.
When the Phoenix learned about this, he was furious. But when it was the angel, he got... sad. Who had tricked her? Who had decieved her? The Angel told her: It was Apophis! The Phoenix searched for ten thousand years for this demon, before finding him. He took him to the first universe, the void. Now a reflection of the vast multiverse that had sprung from the egg. And he kept him there.
And he said:
"Demon. You have done nothing but spread pain and torture. Nothing but hurt. What do you have to say?"
And Demon said:
Part 3: The end
The Phoenix was embarresed. After the Angel's death, The Phoenix decided to leave humanity to it's own devices. The humans who were once his equals were now, compared to him, mindless. And to intervene, to change that, would be accepting that notion. Something he couldn't do. Sandman grew fearful. Horrified by war, she hid herself. Only ever seen in your last moments as you fall fast asleep. Life and death hide, too. They met with the Phoenix only once. And they agreed that the three of them were far too powerful to simply do nothing. "So,"they said, "We will find champions in humanity. Hosts we can inhabit. And nudge."
But it is said that one day Apophis will be free. And all we can do is worship him. Pray that we will be spared.