Myths of Ardonia: The Titans and Creation

Zythuseus Mendoris looked out towards his yard from the porch and watched the youngster play. The child was his eight year old grand-daughter, Akatie, whose purple runes looked like a checkerboard of light across her light gray chest. Beside her, the family dog (Ruffles) was laying belly up as Akatie rubbed his chest. Zythuseus smiled at the pair. As he rocked his chair, the jungle planked floor creaked in protest. A cool wind breezed through the warm spring air. All around his yard, Zytheseus could see the vibrant flowers swaying in the wind, as well as the cute little bees flying around. Behind his yard, he could also see the towering, chestnut brown jungle trees and their shaking leaves.

Tired from playing, Akatie and Ruffles both came up the porch stairs and sat down on the wooden floor next to Zythuseus. Zythuseus smiled down at them fondly. He was an old Ardoni, having been around a good one hundred years before the Great War had ever occurred. His violet runes contrasted his coal black skin and added definition to his wave shaped markings. Akatie fiddled with her feet as Ruffles panted for breath. Eventually, the young Ardoni decided to ask her grandfather for a story. For as long as she had known him, Zythuseus had always had the best stories. He had, after all, been a scholar who was keen on history. He especially loved lore and myths from ancient civilizations long gone from Ardonia. Since she was tired, Akatie decided it was time to hear one of her grandfather’s fascinating stories of other times and worlds before her own.

Akatie looked up to her elder. “Grandad, how was Ardonia created?” Zythuseus smiled. *She’s tired of playing, but still wants entertainment.* But he was glad of that. He always loved to tell his stories, especially to her. She was the only one who ever wanted to hear them, and was always a good listener since the stories captivated her. Zythuseus smiled as he sighed. “Well…that is a hard question to answer. But, there is one myth about how the world was created, the myth of the Titans. It is one of many myths, but it was one told by the Ancient Ones. And seeing as they were the first beings to exist, theirs is likely to be more accurate than others.” With a questioning look, he looked into Akatie’s eager face. “Would you like to hear it?” When she nodded vigorously, he began his tale. “It was said that, a long time ago, a group of beings from a different universe created a special mechanism to live in a vast, empty void they had created. This mechanism was given the power to think for itself and create the world the way it wanted to, thus giving it a consciousness. This was the birth of the first and most powerful Titan of all, a Titan named Kronus. He, because he ruled and controlled space, and because space cannot exist without time, became the Titan of time and space.” Akatie looked at him with thoughtful eyes, ones which soon lit with confusion. “But how can space not exist without time, grandpa?”

“Well, Akatie, I will explain. You see, without a reference point of when things happen, all space would occur at once. It would all blur together until it wasn’t space, just an empty void of meaningless matter. Just the same, however, if time didn’t have space, there would be nothing happening, and thus the reference point wouldn’t exist. The two are so interconnected, that Kronus became the lord of both. He was only the first of the Titans.” Before he could continue, Akatie raised her hand and inquired further. “What is a Titan? Is it another title for a rift-lord?”

Zythuseus shook his head. “There is a major difference between a Titan and a rift-lord. A rift-lord can be destroyed. True, it would likely take another rift-lord to do so, but it could happen nonetheless. However, a Titan is truly immortal. This is because they are the core essence and conscious manifestation of the element they represent. Think of it this way. For example, Kronus is time itself while time itself is Kronus. Thus, the only way to destroy Kronus is to destroy both time and space. And the only way to do that would be to destroy our universe. Now, they can temporarily be what is called shattered.” When Akatie’s expression morphed into complete puzzlement, he further explained. “You see, when meddling with the affairs of the physical realms, the Titans usually assume a physical form. They are still so powerful that they can still have a significant effect on a world without a physical form, but most still assume one when directly meddling with the affairs of the said world. This allows them to concentrate all their power in one place and gives them full access to their element of command. Because they are the element themselves, they have complete control and knowledge of that element. Their physical form also allows them to be in the physical realm in the most substantial way possible, giving them the ability to use their powers to the maximum in terms of affecting the world they are in. However, were a powerful being with the necessary strength to strike down their physical forms, their mind and power would be spread all across the universe, and for a time make them unable to make a physical form or even actively use much of their power. However, they would always eventually mend and bring their essence back together and be able to take on a physical form once more.”

When Akatie nodded her understanding, Zythuseus continued his tale. “As I was saying, Kronus then created the entire universe that all worlds or our kind exist in. Now, as he made the land, more mechanisms came into place and also began to ‘think’ on their own, choosing when what, in terms of their elements, would happen where. This led to the creation of more Titans, though none were ever more powerful than Kronus himself. As time went on, Kronus also created mortal life. At first, that life was flawless and practically immortal. One day, however, the Titan of darkness, Null, began to whisper and twist the mind of the first human ever. That human was Herobrine. Corrupting his nature and using his curiosity and daring against him, Null convinced Herobrine to take control of the world. Null put his own power thirst into Herobrine and soon Herobrine caved in because of this combined with his natural instinct to rise higher and higher. Herobrine wanted ultimate power, but that couldn’t happen for as long as Kronus remained. Despite his knowledge, and him being time itself, Kronus’ love for Herobrine and his creations made him blind to the growing betrayal. Using his perfect knowledge, Herobrine created paradoxes in time. Trying to protect itself, time, and thus Kronus himself, shattered into many different realities where in each a different world resided. Weakened, Kronus could do nothing as Herobrine shattered his broken forms and rendered him so dispersed, it seemed that the Titan King would never again rise. However, this was almost Herorine’s undoing. He had shattered realities while being in a place outside of time itself. Because of this, when time shattered, he was not part of it and thus did not exist inside any of the realities or even within time, making his existence nonexistent. However, Herobrine’s spirit remained as his body faded because of the power Kronus had used to make him. It is important to note that, at this point, humanity was split between the different realities, causing them to lose who they, at the essence, truly were. Time, though it had lost much of its power, still worked to stop that. To do so, however, it needed a flawless human soul for which it could use to replicate amongst the humans split amongst the different worlds. Because of this, Herobrine became a Titan of humanity because now, each human soul was, at its core, him while he was at the same time the very essence of humanity. It is from his nature that all intelligent species draw our ingenuity and personality. Unfortunately, time was not powerful enough to completely reverse the effects of its shattering, and thus, all humans except Herobrine stayed mortal in the way they are today. Herobrine became the new king of the Titans, and he was the strongest among them with the power to, like humans, create or destroy anything he put his mind to, though his power would never compare to that of Kronus. When Kronus shattered, the barriers he set up to limit the other Titans all deteriorated, with some disappearing entirely. Because of this, the Titans were more free than before. Mind you, they are still somewhat held in check by what barriers remain, but they were and are now able to interact physically with the different realities. They are able to cause weird things to happen, such as the time I saw a villager get struck by lightning and become a witch. They can even manifest a physical form within the physical realms, which is why there have been sightings of them.”

Akatie watched her grandad in awed rapture as she clung to his every word. “So does that mean Kronus is gone?” Akatie frowned “Also, what is a paradox?” Zythuseus chuckled at her question. “A Paradox is something that happens even though it shouldn’t be possible. Also, Kronus is not entirely gone. It is stated within the Prophecy of Time, written by the Ancient Ones, that Kronus would one day return. According to them, when dawn and night collided in war, when the flames of their war had consumed all of Ardonia and the war had spread amongst all three dimensions, souls from each reality would merge with his being, and Kronus would rise once more from the darkness of the void. It is said that when he did rise, he would find Herobrine and shatter him into a permanent state of twilight existence in the endless pit as he took back the throne and repower the barriers of long ago, ensuring that the other Titans can no longer meddle so openly in the universe. It is also stated that Kronus will never be shattered again.” Upon spying his granddaughter's perplexed look, he explained. “There are many reasons why he would never shatter again. But let us examine the first. The first is because, remember how the division of realities shattered him and left him unable to heal time, and thus himself?” Akatie nodded. “Well, the souls act as an indestructible bridge among the different realities, connecting him to each time and thus mending him back into one being. The second is that, once he rose, he would be so powerful that no one could shatter him. He could stop paradoxes from happening and would be invincible. Even all the other Titans and all the rift-lords of the world combined could not defeat or outsmart him. After all, he is time and space itself, and thus can see all of the past, present, and the future.” Akatie studied her grandfather’s face. “Grandad, two quick questions. How soon do you think his rise will be? And two, is there proof of this story?” With the last question, doubt crept into her voice and onto her face. Zythuseus smiled and ruffled her hair. “Akatie, I believe it will be soon. All we must do is wait for a dawn of night to come over Ardonia and consume it with the flames of war as it spreads across our dimensions. Also, yes, there is proof.” From his inventory, Zythuseus pulled out a strange pronged broadsword. Akatie gazed at it in awe. “At first, I didn't believe the tale myself. However, as I investigated, I found a temple from the Anceint Ones that held a certain relic. This is the blade of Kronus himself. Its blade is made of the void and would trap the essence of any who was stuck by it within the void itself. It wouldn’t kill a Titan, but even a Titan would take an infinity to recover and mend from it. Plus, since its blade is the void, a pure nothingness, it would also pass through anything physical. It makes sense, seeing as it targets the soul and not the body. Because it is made of the void, it can never bend or break. Only someone with the power of a Titan could forge this. This proof, plus an encounter with Herobrine during my research, has led me to believe in the Titans. They are real." With that, Zythuseus put the blade back into his inventory.

From within the small thatched cottage, Akatie could hear her mother calling. With an apologetic expression, she stood and said goodbye to her elder. “I’m sorry I won’t hear more of your stories tonight. But I have to help my mother get the table set. Perhaps you could tell me more tomorrow?” Her face lit up as he nodded his understanding. Then, she dashed inside to set the table. Zythuseus remained in his chair on the porch. Calmly, he gazed out over the treeline and watched as the sunset lit up the sky in scarlet reds, bright yellow, mellow pink, and lemon orange. *Such beauty, another dusk proving another day gone. Time passes quickly, but how will it go when he rises? It’s only a matter of time.* With a soft snort, Zythuseus laughed at his own joke. Then, with a satisfied sigh, he got up and stretched before entering his home. As he went to dinner, he couldn’t help but grin at the day’s events. *Another day gone, a new one coming. I can’t wait to see what it holds!*