Guardians of the Balance: Prologue
The concept of a universal balance is nothing particularly new. Indeed, many of the philosophies humankind holds to this day were formed on the basis of two (or three, or more) cosmic forces that are perfectly balanced, holding each other in check, locked in a never-ending struggle for domination. In particular, it is the foundation for the classic battle between the forces alternately called "Good and Evil" or "Light and Dark."
There is one version of this belief, embodied in an ancient story passed from generation to generation, down a bloodline that, over the ages, has produced many famous (and infamous) historical figures, including warlocks, kings, sorcerers, and scholars. Many of those who have heard this version of the story have said that those who tell it proclaim that it is not merely an old myth, however fanciful parts of it might seem.
According to this legend, when the universe was brought into being untold ages ago, two distinct, powerful entities were created with it. The original creator of the story, his or her name lost over the centuries, called these "Light" and "Dark", representative of their preferred forms; Light took the form of vast galaxies, clouds of brightly burning stars; Dark existed as the seemingly endless void, the darkness that comprised the bulk of the Universe. As natural opposites, the Light and Dark were, from the beginning, constantly engaged in struggle. The Dark, preferring the blackness of empty space, focused all its efforts on extinguishing all light in the Universe. The Light retaliated simply by creating an ever-growing number of stars, forming spectacular constellations and spirals, ever-changing patterns shining through the darkness. The two forces, Light and Dark, were equals, neither able to overwhelm the other.
As time passed, the Universe matured. Planets formed from clouds of interstellar dust, and eventually, over millions of years, habitable ecosystems developed. Here and there, pockets of sentient life developed, evolving, creating their own societies, blissfully unaware of the cosmic battle being waged all around them.
However, the two forces eventually took notice of them, and began utilizing them as merely another set of tools in their inventory. The Dark, in particular, enjoyed creating havoc by empowering beings and setting them loose to demolish all in their path. The Light, to counter this, raised up great champions, powerful and noble, to stop those who would cause needless destruction. In this way, for many centuries, the two powers contended with each other through their chosen avatars. Through their actions, many legends were written, passed down. However, one stands out among them.
A powerful sorcerer sought the reasons for the endless conflicts among his fellow kind, and in his search stumbled upon an ancient artifact upon which was written an unfamiliar language. He spent months searching through the world's libraries and archives for any clue as to the origin of the strange dialect, but found none. Just as he was about to give up, however, he received a strange vision in his sleep. When he awoke, he could remember what he had seen in his dream as clearly as if it were inscribed on his mind, and he immediately wrote it down on a parchment. When he had returned to his home, he compared the artifact to what he had wrote down...and found that it was indeed the language he had been unable to translate.
The origin of the artifact, to this day, remains unknown. The text written upon it told a story the sorcerer believed to be the answer to his life's question: the story of the Balance. Before his death, he passed the story on to his son, with the instructions to pass the story on to his own children, and to have them pass it on to their own children, so that it would never be forgotten. The sorcerer's son, realizing the story's importance, dedicated himself to the Light, vowing to defend the Universe against the forces of the Dark, who craved its destruction. He gathered a small group of his most trusted companions, and together they became the first Guardians of the Balance, a line destined to combat the powers of the Dark, to maintain the Balance against those who would try to destroy it.
This volume chronicles the adventures of a most unlikely group of saviours, beings chosen from many walks of life to become the Universe's champions against the forces of the Dark, who would destroy it: the Guardians of the Balance.
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Author's Notes: Hmm...always wondered how long it was going to take for me to get this story started. Well, here goes nothing, I suppose. It remains to be seen how many different worlds, characters, and storylines I'll be able to keep in the air all at once; I guess I'll just have to find out by writing them. My basic outline, as it stands right now, features characters and/or settings from no less than eight different series, books, and movies. I intend to include more by the time this whole thing is over...assuming it ever IS. Projects like this tend to develop a mind of their own sometimes, so it might be a bit difficult to predict where it might be heading at times, even to their own authors. Well, enough mindless banter...I've got a chapter to write!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations featured in this story, unless explicitly specified in the applicable chapter(s). With those exceptions, all characters and locations belong to their original creators, copyright whenever. This is most definitely a non-profit fanfiction work. Thanks for reading!
Addendum: Visit the official Guardians of the Balance website (linked to from my profile page) for background info, extras, and insight into the creation of this series!