CHAPTER 14
The Trident
5 centuries before the war with the Rangers...
The Forge of Olympus blazed with fiery intensity, the sound of hammering and chanting echoing through the divine workshop. Hephaestus, the master craftsman, stood tall, his eyes shining with pride as he presented his latest creation: a golden Trident, its prongs shimmering with an inner light.
Zeus, King of the Gods, approached the forge, his presence commanding attention. He took the Trident from Hephaestus, feeling its balance and power.
"To the heavens, Hermes," Zeus said, handing the Trident to the swift messenger god. "Take it to the Celestial Armory, where it will be imbued with divine energy. Let it shine as a symbol of our power and protection."
Hermes nodded, his wings fluttering with excitement. "As you command, Father."
With a burst of speed, Hermes vanished into the skies, the Trident glowing brighter as it disappeared into the celestial realm.
In the Celestial Armory, the Trident was bathed in divine energy, its golden surface inscribed with runes of protection and strength. The Armory's guardian, Erebus, gazed upon the Trident with approval.
"This shall be the Black Trident of Asperia," Erebus whispered, "a weapon of legend, forged to defend the gods and the mortal world."
The Trident's fate remained unknown, but its destiny was sealed: to one day play a crucial role in the battle between light and darkness.
Chaos erupted in the heavens as Hel, goddess of death, unleashed her dark forces upon the realm. Her icy gaze fixed on the Celestial Armory, where the golden Trident lay. Erebus, the Armory's guardian, stood ready to defend the sacred weapons.
Hel's armies poured forth like a dark tide, their screams and clash of steel shaking the heavens. The gods, caught off guard, rallied to defend their home. Zeus, king of the gods, summoned the lightning bolts, while Poseidon unleashed the fury of the oceans.
Athena, goddess of wisdom, charged into battle, her strategic mind guiding the gods' defense. But Hel's power was formidable, her control over death and darkness fueling her assault.
"The Trident," Hel's voice boomed, "will be mine. Its power will ensure my dominance over life and death."
As the battle raged, the Trident began to glow, its runes pulsing with energy. Erebus knew he had to protect it at all costs.
The duel between Erebus and Hel shook the foundations of the heavens. The two enemies exchanged blows, their powers locked in a struggle that seemed to shake the very fabric of reality. In the end, Hel's mastery of death and darkness proved too great, and she struck down Erebus with a chilling scream.
As Hel's hand closed around the Trident, its golden surface seemed to shudder in anticipation. But as soon as her skin made contact, the metal began to burn her, its power reacting against the goddess of death. The Trident's color shifted, deepening to a rich, foreboding black.
Hel's cry of pain echoed through the heavens, but she refused to relent. With a fierce determination, she lifted the Trident from its resting place, its power coursing through her like a dark, intoxicating elixir.
With the Trident in hand, Hel descended back into the mortal coil, leaving Olympus and the heavens in ruins. The gods, wounded and reeling, could only watch as she vanished into the shadows, their sacred weapon now a symbol of her dark triumph.
The Black Trident of Asperia had been forged, its power waiting to be unleashed upon the world. The gods could only tremble at the thought of Hel's malevolent intentions, their own fate hanging in the balance.
Hel descended on the scene of death: the Battle of Camlann where Arthur Pendragon was slain. Lying on the ground nearly dead was a man. She walked towards him, the Trident slamming on the ground with it's power.
Mordred's eyes widened as Hel approached him, the Black Trident's power radiating like a dark aura. He felt its energy coursing through his veins, healing his wounds, and reviving his fading life force.
"Who are you?" Mordred asked, his voice laced with awe and gratitude.
"I am Hel, goddess of death," she replied, her voice low and mysterious. "And this," she held up the Trident, "is the source of my power."
Mordred's gaze fixed on the Trident, his mind racing with ambition. "Where did you obtain such a powerful artifact?" he asked, his eyes burning with desire.
Hel's smile was enigmatic. "I took it from the heavens themselves. The gods thought they could keep its power for themselves, but I have claimed it."
Mordred's thoughts churned with schemes and plans. He knew that with the Trident's power, he could attain godhood, surpassing even Hel herself. Unbeknownst to him, the Trident had already forever changed him, granting him invincibility, indestructibility, and immortality.
As Mordred's ambitions grew, so did his connection to the Trident's dark energy. He became a vessel for its power, his soul bound to the artifact. Hel, unaware of the Trident's true nature, had unwittingly created a rival, a being who would stop at nothing to claim dominion over the world.
The stage was set for a cataclysmic struggle, as Mordred, now a god-like being, began his ascent to power, with the Black Trident of Asperia as his instrument of destruction.
After 2 centuries, Mordred's return to the heavens was marked by devastation. His armies of undead warriors stormed Olympus, breaching its defenses. The gods, still reeling from Hel's betrayal, were unprepared for the sheer scale of Mordred's assault.
With the Black Trident's power coursing through him, Mordred overran the Celestial Armory, claiming the Erebus Gauntlet. The artifact, forged from Erebus's own essence, amplified Mordred's abilities a hundredfold.
Next, he seized the Seven Dragon Stones, ancient relics holding the essence of the primal dragons. Their combined power made Mordred nearly invincible.
The gods, led by Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena, rallied against Mordred. The battle raged across the heavens, with Mordred's dark energies clashing against the gods' divine might.
Despite their valiant efforts, the gods were on the brink of defeat. Mordred's powers had grown too great, his connection to the Trident, Gauntlet, and Dragon Stones making him a force of nature.
Faced with the prospect of defeat, the gods made a desperate choice. They combined their remaining strength to seal Mordred away, banishing him to Titania, a dark realm of the undead.
As Mordred was cast into the abyss, his malevolent presence resonated through Titania. The undead inhabitants, drawn to his power, pledged allegiance to their new emperor.
Mordred, now master of Titania, vowed to break his seal and unleash his wrath upon the world. The gods, weary and wounded, could only wait and prepare for the inevitable return of the Dark Emperor.
The stage was set for a future confrontation, as the forces of light and darkness began to stir once more.
The gods, aware of the looming threat, chose five of their own to undergo a transformative ritual. Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, and Artemis were selected to become the Guardians of the Elements, tasked with creating alternatives to counter the dark powers of Hel and Mordred.
In a secret sanctum, the five gods underwent the ritual, infusing their essence into elemental sources: earth, water, fire, air, and aether (the divine ether). This process created five elemental keystones, each attuned to the respective god's power.
These keystones would serve as focal points for the gods' energies, allowing them to create powerful artifacts and beings to counter the darkness. The keystones also held the potential to awaken dormant powers within mortals, forging new heroes to aid in the coming battles.
With the keystones in place, the gods breathed a collective sigh of relief. They had taken the first step in preparing for the return of Hel and Mordred. The stage was set for a new era of heroism and struggle, as the forces of light and darkness continued their eternal dance.
The five gods, now Guardians of the Elements, stood watch, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. Their legend would live on, inspiring generations to come, as the world teetered on the brink of another great conflict.