I think that's probably all my text is saying, that creation comes first, and everything else follows, although there doesn't seem to be anything equivalent to the Hindu trinity. (I haven't read that far ahead but I'm guessing not.)

What you say is interesting, but an alternative way of looking at it is that manifestation (Vishnu) and destruction (Shiva) sounds like the outbreathing and inbreathing of Brahma(n?), something like involution and evolution. That's just off of the top of my head, not based on any text or source.

I agree with you that the positioning of the separation of the text is nitpicking. It doesn't make any significant difference, except insofar that it might suggest there is only one creation story.