Mythos: The Unification

Mythos: The Unification or Mythos 0 is the prequel to Mythos: The Sword of Echoes. It follows Draid's father, Chaim, journeying through the Holy Land to track down three prophets and stop a great deluge from occurring. The story features Abrahamic mythology.
==Characters==
Chaim
Khaled
Abraham “Abram” (The Snake)
Solomon “Salomo”
Muhammed “Mahmud” (The Eagle)
Jesus “Joshua” (The Lion)
Naval Soldier
Elohim
Amira
Draid
==Text==
Three holy prophets were first born at three different times. The first was the Snake, who stood for magic and adorned a six-pointed star. The second was the Eagle, who represented strength and bore a crescent moon. The third was the Lion, who was wisdom and carried a cross. After several reincarnations passed the three have at last been reborn into a time when they must unite.
	Residing far from this event, Chaim is a native-born Cypriot of Israelite descent. He has decided to visit the land of Palestine in hopes of learning about his heritage. Chaim had his kopis amongst other things packed up as he would soon take a ship across the Mediterranean.
	Upon arriving on the shores of a village in Israel, Chaim had realized he couldn’t afford to buy a horse. As he wandered out of the village and into the vast kingdom Chaim noticed a row of horses in front of a tower. Jerusalem was far away so Chaim stole one of the horses and rode off.
On the way to Jerusalem a man by the name of Khaled asked Chaim where he was heading. Khaled told him that “the Snake” is visiting the holy city around now. Chaim made it to the city of Jerusalem. Guards at the city’s entrance prevented Chaim from getting in, but blending in with a group of monks got him through.
At first the city looked deserted, until Chaim saw a huge crowd up ahead. He went there and gently pushed his way through the people. What everyone was watching appeared to be the Snake, about to enter a temple. No one dare go in with him but Chaim, who the Snake accepted to come with.
As they walked into the temple Chaim spoke with the Snake, who revealed his name to be Abram. He said the purpose of venturing into the temple was because a king who passed away thousands of years ago supposedly told Abram to visit his tomb, which is found in the temple.
Upon arriving in the room of the king’s grave was something incredible: a tall herb was growing right on the top of the king’s tomb. The plant was like none ever seen and believed by Abram to be special in some way. Chaim and Abram decided to eat some of the bud of this illusive herb.
After waiting a few minutes Chaim and Abram suddenly felt different. The atmosphere around them was of a thicker density, colors changed, noises sounded wider, and there was an overall sense of good feeling all around. Still, they felt extremely hungry and took more bud from the herb, which the tomb it was on started illuminating.
After eating a little more of the herb a spiritual being arose from above the grave. He said his name was Salomo. He forewarned Chaim and Abram of a coming flood as punishment for the sins of man, and that the only way to prevent it is if the Snake reunites with the Eagle and the Lion. The only other piece of guidance given was to go to the city of Damascus.
Upon exiting the temple an earthquake shook through Jerusalem. The city evacuated and Chaim looted a sling and stones from a weapon shop. He and Abram escaped on Chaim’s horse. On their way to Damascus what looked like a sandstorm chased them. It was in fact something chasing the two that was kicking up the sand. The thing inevitably caught up with the horse’s speed and appeared in front of Chaim and Abram. It was a giant warrior of greater size than Chaim and Abram combined. The Snake claimed to have predicted seeing this fighter, which he said his name was Goliath.
Chaim crossed his kopis with Goliath’s long spear. The giant was capable of keeping Chaim’s blow at bay with his shield as well. With his newfound sling Chaim flung a rock at Goliath’s head, dropping the warrior’s shield and making Goliath loose his guard. Chaim cut his spear in half, grabbed the sharp half of it, and threw it at Goliath’s chest, killing the fighter. He collected the spear he threw and got closer to his destination.
Upon entering the city of Damascus was witnessed a man preaching about divine retribution, but was getting little attention. Chaim and Abram approached the preacher, whose name was Mahmud and claimed to be the Eagle and a prophet. Although he was reluctant to do this Mahmud proved he was the Eagle by calling forth his winged creature, the Buraq.
With Chaim and Abram, Mahmud flew on the Buraq to a faraway city called Mecca. There were seen the Eagle’s followers fighting Arab “pagans” for a cuboidal structure surrounded by a giant mosque under construction. The Snake said that he built the structure, called the Kaaba, when he was “in another life”. These infidels were part of a tribe called Quraysh and were losing the battle against Mahmud’s army. The Eagle showed Chaim and Abram a grimoire explaining how defeating the “primordial creatures of the land, sea, and air” could trigger a covenant with the “lord and creator of the universe” at a hill outside of Jerusalem. This grimoire, however, stated that a battle between the three monsters at the end of the world is inevitable. The three started to fly the Buraq to where Mahmud thought the Lion might be.
After arriving outside of their destination, a city between Jerusalem and Damascus, the three dismounted before a monstrous four-legged beast. It was mostly covered in a plating as durable as copper. It bore horns, a split tongue, and only its head and legs were unprotected. The Eagle said that this was the primal beast of the land, Behemoth.
The monster lifted its two front feet and attempted to smash Chaim, who used this as an opportunity to roll under it, evading the feet by inches. The Cypriot then cut under the plating, dropping some armor off and exposing a furry coat. A spear to the leg made Behemoth fall down, giving Chaim a chance to climb up on its fur, go up to its head, and stab its brain through its eyes.
Chaim, Abram, and Mahmud entered the next city, Nazareth. Inside were seen people around a person apparently possessed by a demon. A man in a white cloak held out a golden cross, performing an exorcism. He was met with applause soon after successfully freeing the possessed man. The man approached Abram and Mahmud as if he knew who they were. He said that he was the Lion, and his name was Joshua.
Joshua joined Chaim’s group as a dark vortex was seen in the sky. He went with Chaim on the Buraq towards it and they ended up at the Sea of Galilee, where naval soldiers were preparing to fight something in the water that was disturbing nearby residents. Chaim decided to partake in this battle with what the Lion said was the creature of the sea, Leviathan.
Chaim boarded one of the small warships and was introduced by a soldier to a device which hurled a liquid that ignited upon contact. The substance was supposedly inextinguishable and could burn on water. The naval fleet set out into the lake and the waves started getting higher. A few lightning strikes hit the water near Chaim’s boat and an enormous sea monster with a long neck and tail came out, toppling over one of the ships.
Chaim shot the liquid fire at Leviathan, igniting it momentarily until it went back into the water. The monster than reemerged and ate people off of another ship. The fire was then aimed at the ship, which it would also go on to swallow, burning Leviathan’s interior. As it tried to hack it up it stayed above the surface, giving Chaim a chance to enflame the creature on the outside. The combination of burning both inside and out led to Leviathan’s demise.
Afterward Chaim’s ship came back to shore. The one soldier gave him a set of grenades filled with the liquid fire. On the way back to Nazareth on the Buraq, Chaim and Joshua noticed a hamlet burning down. They went down and found Khaled, who said he and others have raided this settlement of “unbelievers”, torched houses and destroyed a temple honoring an Arabian god of wisdom by the name of Nabu. Khaled gave Chaim a crossbow to aid him in the “fight against the infidels”. Chaim accepted the weapon but didn’t plan to use it to fight people.
Back at Nazareth Chaim and the three prophets heard a roaring thunder. They looked up and spotted a series of lightning strikes coming from the south. A giant shadow was also cast from that direction. The four followed the storm and ended up outside of Jerusalem. The storm was centered on a hill outside of the city. This hill was Mount Zion, the place where the covenant should occur. They ran up the hill and found the source of the lighting, Ziz, the winged beast of the sky.
Ziz was a gigantic bird of prey with a wingspan that was able to block out the sun. Its wings emitted electrical discharge, which it could send out it the general direction of its choice. Ziz ascended far above Chaim and cast a set of jolts down below. The Cypriot got out of the way as he pulled out his crossbow. In need of greater accuracy the bird flew down a bit and circled Chaim, still attempting to shock him. As Ziz did this, Chaim shot some arrows at its wings. Soon after a jolt finally hit, knocking the crossbow out of Chaim’s hands. At this time enough arrows were stuck in the wings that lightning would redirect to the bird as it tried to generate more. Two liquid fire grenades burned the feathers off its wings, and Chaim shot a stone at Ziz’s head, knocking it out.
The clouds opened up and beams of light shot out from the sky. A deep voice came from above and spoke to Chaim and the prophets. The voice stated to be Elohim, the creator of the universe and its eternal lord. He was upset at the people who worship deities other than him. While Elohim acknowledged the existence of other gods and goddesses, he said that everything good, including other deities, derived from his energy, and that only he deserves recognition. Elohim warned that he will soon cause a catastrophic flood to wipe out this land unless people start honoring only him. He called this deluge “Mabool” and stated that he will make sure the “army of Babylon” will punish those in other lands afterward. Before leaving Elohim prophesized that far in the future, “a holy king will come and open up the seals.”
Chaim and the prophets rushed down Mount Zion. “On to the lands we must go to warn all”, said the Snake to the Eagle and the Lion. “Beg them to repent so they might be saved from the fury and anger that shall claim them.” The rays from atop the hill drew many to Mount Zion’s base. When they got there the Eagle preached to the mob, “Elohim’s rage is true. He urges you to awake. You have betrayed and worshipped pagan gods. You must awake your lost faith to be saved.” “Your empire will soon crumble and fall down”, said the Snake. “You are our brothers. Here our call this day: we come not to see your end, but to revive, we pray”, said the Lion. “Where did these four come from”, asked the crowd. “Surely these people are lying or jesting. Either way they are here to cause harm. You must be on your way, or else all hell will break loose!” “It’s all a matter of choice”, said the Eagle. “…though they really didn’t have much to choose from.”
Most of the mob left, but those who saw Joshua’s exorcism in Nazareth, Chaim’s battle in the Sea of Galilee, and some others listened. These people believed in the coming flood and agreed to help Chaim and the prophets build a ship to survive it. Work began on the vessel as Chaim and others searched for animals to take onboard. Along the way Chaim met a woman named Amira. A few months passed and the ark was complete. Everyone boarded as the clouds made the sky pitch black. Soon after the first drop of rain was seen it poured like no one could believe possible. With the ground saturated the water rose. The people onboard saw an ocean once was land.
The time for Mabool to pass was a tedious one. Some of the animals on the ship were kept alive, while others had to be killed for food. The ark was heading westward, but at what pace was unknown. The days stayed all black throughout the flood. Many people onboard felt anxiety and depression, but Chaim had Amira.
After 40 days Mabool had come to an end. The survivors ended up on an unidentified and uninhabited island. Everyone built a settlement. Chaim, Amira, and the prophets founded a clan to defend against the “army of Babylon” mentioned by Elohim. One day Chaim and Amira heard the sound of a hammer striking metal, which led them into a swampy cave. The noise ended and they found a magnificent glowing sword sitting in a pedestal. Breaking through the cave’s silence was a faint ringing sound coming from the blade, which echoed across the cavern. Chaim noticed an inscription on the pedestal, which read, “Whoever takes this Sword of Echoes, use it to fight the tyranny of Elohim”. Chaim took the “Sword of Echoes” and gave his kopis to Amira.
They took a step outside and saw the settlement being pillaged and burnt down by a number of small demons. The clan, with some effort, fought them off. Out of the smoke, flames, and human and demon corpses alike emerged their master. Chaim ran to Abram, Mahmud, and Joshua, who were all on the ground nearly dead. In the Snake’s last breath he said, “Abaddon must be rid of to halt the spread of Babylon.” The Eagle requested, “Please, end the extremism of my followers.” The Lion’s final words were, “When I return, so will you.”
Abaddon was a large demon wielding two short swords. Chaim pulled out the Sword of Echoes and set his other weapons aside. He slashed straight down in an attempt to slice the demon’s head, but Abaddon ran his blades against Chaim’s. The Sword of Echoes was pulled back and struck Abaddon’s leg. The demon thrust one of its blades downward at Chaim, who rolled away. Realizing its sword was stuck in the ground, Abaddon’s head was cut of with Chaim’s new sword. The demon was still alive, but lost its senses. The Cypriot cut it up limb by limb, and then stabbed its heart. Abaddon was dead, and Chaim and Amira survived.
After a few months Chaim and Amira had a child, a baby boy which they named Draid. They all continued to live on the island for five more years. After that time Chaim, Amira, and Draid at five years old built a boat for themselves to take across the sea in search of new lands. While sailing, a mighty storm kicked up and the three disappeared.
Category:Mythos