Highlander: The First Ones
Prologue.
In the beginning there was four, from different corners of the planet Earth. Each of us had a unique knowledge given to us by some unknown force with the purpose of guiding a young humanity towards a future far different from the one we now exist in, we failed. Mankind has fallen onto a path of war and hatred against itself in a way that we could no longer guide nor control. Myself and my brothers eventually tired of the constant failure of humanity, left for a sanctuary deep in the mountains of Italy. Only one of my brothers stayed on to assist humanity in a way it had wanted, WAR!
The paths we where to guide humanity on were an equal path of knowledge, religion, art and conflict. As each of us carried the distinctive seed to guide humanity along the right path, each of us was known by his own power, I am the Scholar. Charged with guiding humanity along the path of study and knowledge.
It was my brother, the warrior that changed the nature of the immortals from teachers into the war like butchers that you know, many years before recorded history, my brother accidentally killed our brother the artist in a conflict. The first quickening was born as its power was transferred to the victor… well not all of it. He was banished by myself and the priest from the sanctuary, doomed to walk the earth for the duration of human existence.
During his travels across the planet he was shocked to find more immortals, younger and with knowledge that echoed his own. In a jealous rage he killed the young immortals in a bid to take all the artist's power for himself, yet the quickening divided once more. With each quickening, three more young immortals where created, eventually giving up with the quest for his ultimate power he began to hunt the last remaining two brothers. After 100 years of travel he eventually caught up with our priest brother and took his head. Once again the quickening divided, yet my warrior brother had changed instantly. He would no longer take a head on holy ground, it is believed that the priest's soul now protects all holy ground from immortal conflict, with the fall of my brothers I left humanity as a teacher and began too seek the answer of why we are truly here. After almost 400 years of travelling the world on foot, I happened upon a small abandoned monastery in Tibet.
Holy ground, a place where I was safe from mankind's passion for war and death, and the constant conflict of my immortal children. For thousands of years I immersed myself in study and silent meditation until an unusual feeling of pain rippled threw my body, I could not find an explanation for this until the doors opened and a man entered with sword in hand. I had to act quickly, with focus and determination I stood facing this unusual man.
"There can be only one"
His language was unusual, his words where alien. Somehow I had to interact with this man, I had no idea what to do, the more he communicated with me the more I learned his language. Now I knew what to do… slowly I looked deep into his soul and saw echoes of my fallen brothers in his eyes. Shock overcame me as I knew what he was, a violent new immortal hunting and killing his own kind for sport. As I began to speak in his language my words echoed in his mind as his sword lowered until it fell to the ground, quickly I moved behind him and the next thing I was standing over him with his sword in my hand, ready to strike… hatred overcame me, as he looked up with fear in his eyes. No I had to stop myself instead of taking his head, I plunged the sword deep inside his left leg and through the wooden floor beneath him as he screamed in pain and eventually fell into the darkness of unconsciousness, again I immersed myself in silent meditation until he awoke, eventually he became my student, until the time came for him to leave as a changed man.
"My name is Methos, who are you?"
"A name, what is a name?"
"A name? a label… a form of identification that is only yours…"
"I do not understand"
"My name is Methos, people call me Methos… what do people call you?"
"I do not know… I have not met another for many sun rises"
"How many?"
"The stars have changed places in the heavens over 3'000 times since I arrived here"
"3'000 Years? You've been alive that long sir?"
"Longer…"
"How long have you drawn breath sir?"
"Since before mankind has existed as you know him"
"That is not possible…"
"Nothing is impossible, you see in the beginning, there where only four of us"
"Four of mankind?"
"No, four of what you call immortals, it will take too long to explain my son"
"I have time"
For the next five hours I explained to him the truth, and he explained about the immortals, my children are killing each other in some twisted game for what he called the prize.
"Then why remain here, when you alone can change the rest of us into the immortals we are supposed to be?"
"It is not my time Methos, soon… you should leave this twisted game and stay hidden, you see there is another of my kind… if he finds you, you will surely die. Remain here, you are safe and protected from him and the others like yourself"
Not heeding my warning he left for a world of murder, war and hatred, if I could have gotten threw too him, then perhaps I am not the failure I thought I was after all.