Once, when the world was green and wide, there lived three brothers. They were the sons of the Great Emperor of All the Lands, and so they were rich and comfortable. But for all their wealth and splendour, what they longed for most was adventure. So it was that they set out one day, with their bags packed and their goodbyes made. They intended to travel across all the lands, so as to take in all of their future Empire, and to have adventures like in the tales that had been read to them, passed down by years of scholars.
The first brother was strong and proud, and showed no fear of any living man or beast. He was tall and wide, and carried a great sword of polished iron, given t him by the chief of the Great Hill-Tribes for victory in battle. The second brother was wily and cunning and cruel, and could outwit any living man or beast. He was small and wiry, and carried with him a pack of cards so as to confuse his enemies, given to him by a travelling trickster whom the second brother beat in a game of Guessing. The third brother was humble but brave, and loved all living men and beasts. He was of an average build, but proud in the jaw and noble in stature. He carried with him at all times a necklace of platinum and diamond, made for him by a shamen of the mountains after the third brother saved him from a bear. It was said that the necklace allowed him to talk to all beasts of the field and all birds of the air.
The three brothers came after a week and a day to a great mountain. Its heights were shrouded by great clouds and its flanks were steep and covered with loose shingles, small and sharp. The three brothers tried to climb over the mountain, but were stopped when the Mountain Spirit blew them back with a mighty gust of wind. Then they tried to go around the mountain, but found their way blocked by the Forest Spirit, who barred the way with great fir-trees. The three brothers argued for a day and a night as to how to get over the mountain, but they could not come to a decision. Finally, they decided to get over the mountain by their own ways.
The first brother sliced down a tall oak with two strokes of his sword, and fastened a granite shard to the end, so as to make a huge axe. With this, he clove the mountain side into two halves, and he cut his way through the mountain with huge swings of his mighty arms, and came out into an enormous cavern. There, he met the great Rock Spirit, who embodies the mighty strength of the Earth. The Rock Spirit challenged the First Brother to a dual by sword and fist. The First Brother, being proud and easily challenged, accepted, and the two clashed their mighty strength in the caverns beneath the mountain. They fought backwards and forwards for hours, until the FIrst Brother was nerly exhausted and was on the point of collapse. He thoguth to himself, [i]What can defeat tEndless Strength?[/i] And then it came to him. Taking his great sword, he drove a huge rent in the floor of the cavern, and drove the Rock Spirit backwards and into the hole. There, he fell down into the deepest bowels of the Earth, and remained there for all eternity; for the only thing that can defeat the Earth is Time, and Time is what the Rock Spirit would have the most of, down in the dark caverns beneath the world.
The second brother, for his part, climbed halfway up the mountain, and there he called upon the Mountain Spirit.
"O mighty spirit of the mountain, who blew us over with his great breath!" he called, waving his hands in the air. "I demand to play a game of riddles with thee, who has defeated me once! It shall not happen twice."
The mountain spirit was infuriated, and came down to the slopes of the mountain.
"Who dares call upon the mighty Spirit of the Mountain?" he roared, blowing his mighty breath all around. "I accept, although thy audacity shall be the end of thee! If you win, you may pass. However," he laughed, "if by sunrise tomorrow neither of us is victorious, then I shall have thy bones for a necklace, and thy blood for wine, and they flesh for evenmeal!" With this, he took human shape and sat upon the mountain slope with the second brother. The two clashed their wits all that night, but neither came out victorious, for although the second brother was cunning, the Mountain Spirit had beaten many a man at Riddles. Finally, it came to nearly sunrise, and the Second Brother had run out of questions to ask. He cast around for something to challenge the Mountain Spirit with, but could think of nothing. Then, he came up with a devious plan.
"O mighty spirit of the great mountain, I have but one riddle left" he said. "Here it is: What do i have in my pockets?"
The mountain spirit was outraged. "That is not a riddle, insolent human!" He boomed, and cast rocks down all the mountain's slopes.
"Nevertheless, you must answer it, as we decreed." said the second brother, quite rightly. "You have three guesses."
The mountain spirit sat down, grumbling.
"Very well! My first guess is air." Said the Mountain Spirit, who had heard this question before. The second brother laughed and shook his head.
The Mountain Spirit was bemused; normally that was the answer.
"Very well! My second guess is "Darkness"." he said, thinking that he had truly got the second brother. Again, though, the second brother laughed and shook his head. The Mountain Spirit was very confused, as this was normally the only other answer.
"Fine then! My final guess is "Nothing"." The second brother rolled onto his back with laughter, and shook his head.
"Foolish spirit of the stony mountain, your eyes have failed you! For you see," he said, standing up and twirling around, "I have no pockets!"
The Mountain Spirit was so angry that his voice cracked the top of the mountain. He raged and roared until the earth cracked and the clouds fell. Finally, he came back down onto the mountain.
"Very well!" he said. "You win, insolent one! You may pass. But if I ever see you again on my mountain, then you shall pay the price for your trickiness!" And with that, the second brother passed.
While all this was happening, the third brother was busy around the edge of the mountain, gathering herbs and spices. For he was learned of the ways of the plants and the trees, and knew how to appease the spirit of the forest.
He assembled a totem of thyme, ginseng, garple, kap-kap leaf, and wild mountain elm, and placed it in the ground in front of the forest of pine around the mountain's edge. The spirit of the forest came forth, and took the totem to be his own. He was very much pleased by the offering of the third brother, and gave him shelter under his leafy canopy. However, while the third brother was sleeping, the Forest Spirit came down and placed leaves tight around his mouth so as to suffocate him; for the Forest Spirit was jealous of the Third Brother's knowledge of plants, as the Forest Spirit only knew the ways of the great, slow pine, and the oak, and the red-wood that towers above all other trees. However, the third brother, who knew the ways of all men, had expected the attack, as the spirits are not much different to us humans, and covet all things beyond their power. He immediately used two rocks to create a spark that ignite his totem, for it was made of the flammable leaves of the forest. The blaze tore through the forest, and burned the Forest Spirit and all his mighty pines to dust. But the Third Brother was protected by the Shamen's blessing, and so he survived the flames, and walked around the mountain.
So it was the next day that all three brothers met around the other side of the great mountain, and continued their journey onwards.
The Three had many other adventures besides the Mountain Passage, abut finally they came to World's End, at the Edge of the world. There they found the Dead Canyon. It is said that at the end of the Canyon lies incalculable amounts of treasure that cannot be taken by any great man. Nonetheless, the Three Brothers were determined to find it and take it. They made their way into the Canyon, and were soon lost among the twisting passages and dark caves that lay therein.
Eventually, they had to stop for the night, and so they found their way to a small cavern that was cut into the side of one of the great walls of the canyon. They lay down, and were soon asleep. While they were slumbering, a dark spirit came upon them, and gave them nightmares. The First Brother dreamed of a strength so insurmountable that not even he could defeat it. The strength drove him downwards, into a pit full of darkness and fallen pride, and endless, taunting voices that dug at his soul and degraded his spirit.
The Second Brother dreamed of a will that could perceive all things, and could see through all tricks. Despite his best efforts, the Will could see into all his tricks and wiles, and then cast him down into a pit of eyes and minds, forever to be seen and always watched.
The Third Brother dreamed of a great, wild beast that could never be tamed by a man or woman. It hunted him and stalked him, and, although he tried to calm it, it eventually drove him down, down, into a pit of darkness and despair, forever to remain.
Finally, the Three brothers woke and, disturbed by their dreams, made off down the main part of the canyon. It grew darker and darker as they progress,d and te canyon became thinner and thinner, until eventually the three were walking in single file, the First brother leading and the third keeping watch behind.
After a day of travelling, the path was nearly pitch black and the Three Brothers were very weary. Finally, however, they reached a widening in the path, at the end of which was a cave. The three were heartened greatly, and stepped forward towards it. As soon as they did so, however, a great fog came down and shrouded the way. The three brothers were wary, and did not approach. They debated for an hour, and then their debates turned to arguments, until all three had their weapons drawn and were facing each other. Finally, the First Brother stepped forward, and said,
"I will step through this fog, for I am invincible and fear no danger."
And so he stepped into the fog, and immediately the Dark Spirit took his bones and reaped his flesh, and burned him to ashes; for so is the fate of the proud and wilful and violent, as they will become so lost in love of themselves that they see nothing else. The two brothers were stunned, but the fog cleared, and they decided that they had no choice but to go on. They proceeded down the canyon, their hearts burning with desire for the treasure that lay within the cave. And then in front of them, a great wall rose out of the ground, and it was covered in symbols and signs. The Two remaining brothers were bemused, and their debates again turned to arguments until the two were grappling on the ground. Finally, the Second Brother stood up, and said,
"I will solve the puzzle on this wall, for I am unmatched in wit and guile."
And so he stepped forward, and arranged the symbols on the wall until they made a shape to his satisfaction. But as soon as the last piece was in place, the Dark Spirit drove out his wits and boiled his brains, and turned his eyes to stone; for so is the fate of the cold-hearted and tricky, for they will always play themselves into a trap of their own devising.
The Third Brother was stunned, but he decided that there was no turning back by this point, and so he continued.
He was within touching distance of the cave mouth, when abruptly before him fell a great darkness, and within it he saw his defeat in battle. But he said, "I need not pride, for I know my place in this world."
Then within the darkness he saw a thousand men and beasts perishing, and their bones rotting and turning to dust, and the world crumbling. But he said "I heed not this warning, for the endtime is not for men to know."
And then finally within the darkness he saw himself on his deathbed, and his spirit fading and the life going from him. But he said,
"I fear not death, for it is a natural part of life."
And so the darkness passed, and the Dark Spirit revealed itself to be the Spirit of the canyon, who tests all men who wish to seek the treasure.
"You have passed the test, braveheart," he said, "for you are noble of stature and kind of heart, and you do not hunger for glory or riches, and you know your place."
And with that the Third Son went forward into the cave, and found beyond it a treasure above all others; the treasure of love, to have and to hold forever onwards. And so he came back to his Empire, and reigned for five score of years and three, until finally Death came to him, and they parted as old friends.