"The Primordial Gods"

From Sword World Translation Project
Jump to navigationJump to search

From a story told in the Temple of Lyphos

The Primordial Gods, Illus. Isisyou Stone

There was a time where the world of Raxia was new, before there were any who would become known as "Gods" would rule. Those living in the world faced a harsh life, little more than one step ahead of death at the best of times.

Three magical swords carved out the form of the earth, and after significant trial and error when it came to creating life, humans were the ideal candidates to be able to wield these swords. However, the humans didn't see things in this manner, only knowing the trials and tribulations of a harsh, cruel world. They were weak creatures, with no claws or fangs to defend themselves, no wings or fins to aid in escaping danger, no fur or scales to blunt the assault of those who wanted them dead.

However, such creatures with those various abilities were made and tested by the magical swords, and while they were found wanting, these creatures were also quite dangerous to the humans at the time. At this point, Raxia must have seemed like a hellish world to the humans, where such monsters roamed free without fear of being hunted.

Even so, humans managed to confront their fears, gathering together and surviving almost in spite of their fragility compared to such monsters. Drawing on their wits and intelligence, they managed to hone their skills and devise ingenious methods of both driving away the monsters and surviving to be able to keep their race alive. One person stood out among these early humans, drawing the disparate groups together and creating a society in these times.

This person —— Lyphos.

A young man, about 20 years at this point, he had developed a reputation of a savage fighter, fierce in his methods of driving monsters away from the blossoming human civilization. Yet, he was incredibly compassionate to his fellow people, and united them with his love. However, Lyphos did not want obedience or followers, but friends, and was even willing to call monsters who lived in harmony with humans his friends. As those drawn to his deeds and works neared 10,000 people, he was compelled to make his own journey, one he had been considering throughout his life.

Lyphos had heard a mysterious voice throughout his life, and by following what it asked of him, he was able to find the prosperity he currently enjoyed. Yet, he was curious to find the source of this voice, and figure out a way to respond to it, to offer his respects to that which guided him thus far.

"––You're not thinking of leaving by yourself, are you?" The voice rang out over the early morning, before the sun itself had even risen. The young man it belonged to called out to Lyphos, its strength belying the man's slender form.

"Tidan, this test is going to be the toughest yet, and I don't wish to see my friends hurt if I should fail." Lyphos turned to meet his friend, his plans of leaving without being noticed foiled by the young warrior.

"What's all this rubbish now?" Another man, shorter than either Lyphos or Tidan, but with limbs thicker than the two men put together, interrupted the two. On his back were a variety of weapons, many of them fresh from the forge and untested by the rigors of combat. "There are fierce beasts and dragons out in the wilds. These weapons here are strong enough to slay anything that stands in your way, so feel free to take what you need."

"Grendal, you–" Lyphos' protests were interrupted again by Grendal, as he spoke loudly, "I have no intention of being left behind, either," He shook his thick beard and smiled broadly at that declaration.

"As expected of Grendal, you know?" Tidan picked out a sword and gave it a swing through the air, then handed Lyphos a second one. "So... You don't even know if you'll make it back alive, do you?"

"If it's just the lot of you, then there's no doubt he'll be dead in no time." The voice came from a beautiful woman stepping out into the path of the three, a large bow on her back.

"Asteria, you too!?" Lyphos looked a little shocked that she would aid him on his journey as well. Her appearance was quite striking, and she often used it to her advantage when she could.

"You just couldn't be left out, could you?" Grendal huffed, and quickly shifted the pack of weapons almost to emphasize his point. "Well, there's no weapon in here for the likes of you," he snorted.

"That's fine, this bow is the only weapon I need." Asteria shot back, quick-witted as always.

"I wouldn't give one of my weapons to such a stubborn shrew anyway." Grendal muttered, seemingly under his breath but loudly enough that he'd hoped Asteria would hear.

"What a pig-headed fool!"

Tidan steps in at this point, putting his arms around both Asteria and Grendal in hopes of halting this argument. "We're going on a trip, so let's have fun, not argue the whole time!" Despite his best effort, though, there was only awkward tension thick in the air.

"If all of us go, though, who will keep the people safe? Sure, the city has grown, and there are walls built, but if something were to attack, would the people be able to keep themselves safe...?" Lyphos's concern broke through, and Tidan turned towards his friend with a smile.

"They'll be fine, don't worry. Kilhia's still there just in case, so there's nothing to worry about." Tidan's words caused Lyphos to look back, the small village he remembered founding with his friends now a large city, flourishing with various crops and grain fields, protected by the large walls from outside invaders. Seeing a man standing in a corner of those walls, Lyphos bows his head in silence.

"I'll be back soon, I promise." His quiet words were quickly caught up in the procession of his group leaving, the four companions setting out on the long journey ahead.

As expected of the world at this time, the journey was extremely difficult. There were no roads to travel on, and whatever path the group made was beset on all sides by various creatures and mythical beasts, and even some plants wanted to devour them whole. The weather took no mercy on the companions, either, whether it was intense sun and heat, sudden storms of pouring rain and thunder, heat and cold, hunger and thirst, and so on.

Lyphos and his companions withstood all of those hardships and more, continuing on past fields and meadows, over mountains and valleys, through forests and caves. After many days of travel, Lyphos felt like he had finally arrived where the voice was calling him from, and stopped. There, beyond a steep valley, in the deepest forest, was the one who proclaimed to be the owner of the guiding voice of Lyphos.

"Is this the one we've traveled all this way to meet?" Grendal speaks up, his face tight in concern, as he looks upon the voice's owner, a massive dragon.

"It's the biggest thing I've ever seen..." Tidan smiles, though cold sweat trickles down his cheeks from the mere sight of the gargantuan monster. He tightens his grip on his sword, preparing for the inevitable. "Show me your strength..."

"...There's no shortage of opponents, is there?" Asteria gripes, as she draws her bow and nocks an arrow, waiting for the right time to let it fly.

Upon seeing the group, the dragon lets loose with a mighty bellow, like that of a volcanic eruption, and moves to attack. Perhaps, it was more like the dragon itself was a volcano incarnate. Its body was quickly engulfed in flames, its breath a scorching blaze, and it swung its tree-like limbs and long tail with murderous abandon.

Lyphos defended the group from the fierce onslaught, while Tidan and Grendal swung their weapons true. Both Tidan's sword and Grendal's battle axe bit deep into the flesh of the beast, while Asteria's arrows accurately pierced the dragon's vitals, steadily wearing the dragon down. However, the dragon had strength and endurance that seemed supernatural to humans, and so did not fall easily, even under the combined effort of four powerful warriors.

The fight stretched out over three days and three nights, and everyone began to feel the limits of their abilities as they fought. However, the same could be said for the dragon, as it had not had to fight this hard in ages.

"With this one swing, this will be the end...!!" Lyphos thrust his sword between the eys of the dragon, who too had become tired, and was unable to lift its head. With a loud crack, Lyphos pierced through the great dragon's skull, putting an end to the fight. With one last death bellow, the great dragon slumped to the ground, and ceased to move. The weight of the creature caused the earth to tremble beneath the feet of the party, though it wasn't long before the dragon's body began to fade into particles of light.

As the last of these lights flickered in the wind and faded away, what remained was a single sword.

"This is..." Grendal's voice was one of awe and reverence. The sword that lay before the group was one of exquisite manufacture, far beyond what even Grendal could forge himself as a master blacksmith. Even sitting on the ground, the sword seemed to be incredibly sharp, almost as if it was cutting the air around it without moving. A dazzling light pulses from the blade, almost as though it were breathing, and it had an almost otherworldy quality to it.

"This sword... was calling me?" Lyphos, the fatigue from the long battle all but forgotten, approached the sword. He could no longer hear the voice calling him, as it was so close that it did not need to call.

"Lyphos...!!" Tidan shouts, concerned for his friend. Lyphos, however, is engrossed in the sword's presence and doesn't hear the shouting. The closer he gets to the sword, the more he feels the incredible power flowing from it. Without fear or hesitation, he picks it up and holds it aloft, for the rest of his friends to see.

An explosion of white light blinds the party, blowing them away from the sheer intensity of the radiance. The world was quiet at this time, almost as if Raxia itself was in awe at the sight, and no one dared break the silence.

It seemed like both the blink of an eye and an eternity that the world stood paused like that. And yet, as color returned to the world, the wind began to pick up, and the murmuring of water could be heard, Lyphos stands, looking at the world, sword in hand.

While his appearance had not changed, his companions, Tidan, Grendal and Asteria, felt that his presence was different than the one they knew of their friend. It was still Lyphos, and yet, he was different from before, his being existing beyond the realm of humans.

"I can see the world." Lyphos looked up at the blue sky, talking to himself. "And I know what I must do." Returning his gaze to his traveling companions, he had a smile on his face, that same smile that brought people together that only he had.

This is the story of the first god of Raxia.