Shards: Intro- Part 1 (old)

Chapter Four: The Story Of The Protostar

*Two Months after Excursion Day*

"The Sapphire of Atlantis is the second most well-known object in the hidden world. It powers Poseidon's Trident; the emperor's weapon. Once of course, it belonged to the man himself.

But how did Poseidon come to acquire the Sapphire in the first place? More importantly: Where did it come from?

It came from the Protostar.

The Protostar of today's world resides here; in Hyperborea, where it serves as a breeding ground for young Magus's Shards. But long before that, it was Crete. And the Protostar was but a fragment of the original Star. It had been there for some time until an unknown period during the ancient Minoan Civilization, when an excavation site was created over its alleged location.

The man overseeing the excavation was Cronus; Father of three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Cronus deeply desired the Star. He believed that it had origins foreign to the Earth's surface, and was called a madman for such theories. Cronus's ambition grew out of his travels to Ancient Egypt. There, he found clues about an ancient artifact that contained unfathomable power. He believed that mythological creatures like the Sphinx and Gryphon were in fact real and that their power was linked to this artifact.

Because of the Star's alleged nature, he became addicted to finding it, and claiming its power for himself. Nobody but his closest followers would be able to stop him without believing him.

On one fateful day, Cronus bought his children to the excavation site. Zeus wondered off, so Cronus gave Poseidon and Hades the task of finding him. When they did, they found he had managed to fall down a chasm. Zeus was startled by something inside the chasm with him, so his two brothers went in to help.

There, they found a Gryphon. When it began to feel cornered, it retreated deeper and deeper into the cave. Out of curiosity, and awe; the brothers followed it. They were led into a vast chamber with the White glow of the Star in its center.

Zeus; being the most curious and intrigued of all of the brothers; walked past the Gryphon and towards the Star. When Zeus so much as touched it's surface, it flashed briefly as bright as the Sun itself. When it dimmed, Zeus found he had a mysterious prism-shaped object in hand. Poseidon had a Trident with a Sapphire below its prongs. Hades had a Bident with a ruby below its prongs. In the center of Zeus's prism was a large Diamond: the first Shards. Each of them representing the most powerful single objects through which magic can be performed. It came at first as a shock to them, but they quickly came to realize what potential they now possessed.

With the mere touch of his hand, Zeus transformed the Gryphon back into its human form: a young girl looking to be about his age. She told that she was trapped in that form for centuries, and completely forgot everything about her old life except her name; which was Hera. She said that she witnessed many before them who came and attempted to use the Star's power, but were cursed in a similar manner to her. This meant that the Sphinx was probably once just like Cronus: an individual seeking power and knowledge.

Hera abruptly suggested that since the three of them seemed to be the only ones immune to such a curse, that they should conceal the Star in an attempt to protect their father from his own ambition. Albeit reluctantly, they all agreed, and entrusted the concealment of the Star with Hera, who refused to even leave the chamber with or without it.

However, It didn't take Cronus long to find out that his own children had powerful abilities, and were sneaking food out to someone near the excavation site. He uncovered Hades' Bident, and physically beat the truth out of him. Cronus wasted no time and had Hades escort him to the Star's chamber. Hera attempted to thwart Cronus and Hades, but was quickly immobilized by Cronus's men.