The First Kiss in Human History

Once upon a time on earth, about 50,000 years ago before kissing was ever a thing, there existed ten kingdoms in the world. Each kingdom was ruled by a gifted family; a family whose members were born with magical gifts that no other could ever have except received through the "touch of the gifted part". These gifts were sacred and gave each member royalty status in their respective kingdoms.

To prevent the abuse of these gifts, three laws were put into place.

The first mandated each family to rule with one collective mind. This meant one member's actions were recognized as every member's.

The second forbade the use of their gifts in any way for personal gain or selfish interests.

And the third enforced that defaulters of these laws were punishable by death.

Over time, five of these families were found wanting against this law. They were disgraced, tried, and publicly executed. After their deaths, their people were forced to mix with those of the remaining kingdoms. And so, there were only five kingdoms left; Salerma, Aspertis, Khadia, Sundfur, and Isporia.

The crafty people of Salerma were ruled by the Speaking family, a family blessed with the power of persuasion through speech.

The industrious people of Aspertis, ruled by the Craftsman family, were blessed with the gift of creation and handiwork.

The brawny but slow-witted Khadians, ruled by the Strong family, had profound human strength.

The prideful Sunds, ruled by the Knowledgeable family, were known for their vast knowledge about all the lands and beyond.

And the meek Ispors were ruled by the Healing family, with the gift of making the most miraculous medicines in all the kingdoms.

These five families used their gifts to help their respective kingdoms live through all the seasons of every year. These kingdoms were divided as each had independence and their resources were more than enough to self-sustain themselves. But peace reigned despite these divisions, until one day, news of a tragic war broke out.

For reasons unknown and utter disregard for the law, the Khadians, led by the Strong family, had attacked the kingdom of Aspertis, killed the Craftsman family and ceased all their well-crafted weapons. No Asper was seen alive after the massacre.

On hearing this, the Sunds sought to form an alliance with the remaining kingdoms to protect themselves against the madness of the Khadians, for they were very strong and hard to defeat on a battlefield. But the Speaking family and Salerms had already allied with the Khadians.

And so, the Sunds joined forces with the Ispors to fight against their new enemies. Sooner than later, the air got thickened with hate and the soil got soaked with the blood of millions of innocents. War became the new order and no one knew how or when it would end.

Decades passed, and one day on the same night, the Speaking family gave birth to a girl, and the Strong family gave birth to a boy. The girl was named Ariadne and the boy was named Levi. And they both grew to become children of opposing nature to their people, for over the years, the Salerms and Khadians had carved into their hearts the spirit of vengeance and savagery, but the hearts of these children were pure and full of kindness. Ariadne grew to become a peacemaker, a profession for people trained to settle disputes. Levi was bred to be a warrior and take over the leadership of the Strong family.

Known for her fiery persona, Ariadne garnered some fame within and across the land till it caught the attention of Levi. When they got introduced, they fell in love with each other almost instantly, sharing the same ideals of war and peace. They were betrothed and set to be the first marriage between two people of different kingdoms. But Ariadne and Levi shared one common ambition — to uncover what started the war before the day of their marriage.

Legend had it that one Asper survived the Khadian massacre and was living in the cold harsh wilderness far far away in the desolate mountains. With a passion to bring an end to the war, Ariadne convinced Levi to accompany her on the journey to find the surviving Asper. When they traveled far and wide and they had almost given up, they got to a glacier and were pushing through a harsh blizzard when they found a trail of footprints and blood stains on the snowfield.

The trail led to a cave and inside, they found the Asper lying dead on his stomach. He had been mauled by a wild animal of some sort. But he was alive.

Levi and Ariadne tended to the Asper, but his injuries were fatal. Before the Asper drew his last breath, he revealed to them a shocking truth:

The Speaking family members were the masterminds behind the Khadian massacre. They had sent out a letter to the Strong family, feigning worries of an alliance between the Aspers, Sunds and Ispors to take out the Khadian kingdom. When granted the audience, they used their gift to manipulate the Strong family into thinking that, in order to survive, they must take out the other kingdoms. To protect their supposed ally, the Strong family never revealed the Speaking family as the source of their intel. By the time the Aspers discovered the conspiracy, it was too late. Khadian soldiers had made their way through their gates and killed every Asper in sight, including the Craftsman family.

After the shocking discovery, Levi and Ariadne set off to their kingdoms to confirm the story, and even though it was still a dead man’s tale, they knew that if it were true, it would lead to the dreadful retaliation of the Khadians on Salerms and the public execution of the Speaking family. That meant Ariadne and her people were going to die for her family’s crimes. To the couple, this meant more bloodshed and the end of a very happy future married life.

When they both returned to their individual kingdoms, they searched for the truth. Levi found the warning letter sent by Ariadne’s father to his, and Ariadne learned of her family's motive for inciting the war — a convoluted plot to rule the whole world.

Ariadne arranged a meeting and revealed the truth to the Strong family but they found it hard to believe her innocence in the conspiracy. The Speaking family was arrested and tried according to the law. They were found guilty and sentenced to death. News of their crimes had reached the Sunds and Ispors who too wanted justice against the Khadians for the senseless killings of their people.

So the truth was out but the war was about to take an unpleasant turn for the worse.

There was only one last thing Ariadne could try — a real shot in the dark. On the execution day, Ariadne and her family were arraigned before the people of Khadia and were asked their last words. None had, except for Ariadne. To everyone’s astonishment, she asked if she could exercise her right to the touch of the gifted part. An act that a gifted person can use to pass on their gifts to another person, naturally their offspring.

Her wish was granted, and she asked for Levi to be the receiver. And so, lip to lip, she passed on her gift to Levi and asked that he used it to save her people and end the war in her death. Shortly after, Ariadne and her family were executed. But her act had dampened the spirits of all who came to spectate, her executioners feeling more guilt than gratification.

Levi took Ariadne's request in, reconciled his people with the Salerms and traveled to Sundfur and Isporia to discuss peace. Leveraging the uncovered truth with Ariadne’s gift, he was able to pacify the Sunds and Ispors. All the kingdoms decided to become one and a new law was written to bind them together.

Decades after Levi's passing, the people started performing the ritual of touching one's lips on another's during weddings to commemorate the great love that Levi and Ariadne shared.

Over time, the magic of the gifted families faded away and the ritual act was called a kiss, coined from the initials of the four united tribes — Khadians, Ispors, Salerms and Sunds. This went on to become the world's most universal form of displaying love and affection, and remains till today the global gesture that seals the union in a marriage.