The Forging Of Elsydeon
by John Gomes

Heat.

Intense heat permeated within a small cave on the plains of the to be called Parma in the incalculable future. Before sentient life had blessed, or cursed its green plains, there were only two entities. A huge physical form toiled over a mystical anvil, covered in obscure runes, all glowing with a soft light. Holding a mighty hammer in its hand, this being beat down on a piece of silvery metal. The metal was still white hot, and the being's sure strokes slowly spread out the metal, making it longer and thinner. Grabbing thongs, it dipped the metal into water, heated it up again on the blazing fire it had created, and then went back to the anvil.

This being was a huge man, his beard long, to his hips, his hair long and white. His muscular body was covered in sweat, wearing a simple loincloth. His eyes were an ice blue, and on his mighty hammer was a star symbol. Over his shoulder watched a woman beyond beauty, majestic of form, proud, and with a soft white radiance to her being. She floated in the air, and wore a simple night shift of gossamer material, but opaque. She spoke with her mind to the man, the weapon smith of a goddess.

Her whispers filled his mind with purpose, guiding his hand, empowering his star born hammer with the great power of the light. Once again, the weapon smith calmed the fire of the metal, and once again exposed it to the flame, as he created a majestic blade of the purest Laconia. A blade of unfathomable might. Above the smith's head, on a wall, hung the hilt, a hilt of the bluest metal that the goddess called titanium, interwoven with gold, and holding the runes of the light on its cross guards.

As the smiths experienced hand created the blade, he quenched the thirst of the fiery metal one more time. He held the blade, still charred, but already developing into a fine weapon. He spoke incantations to it, whispered into his mind by the goddess behind him, as she stared lovingly at the man, the first man. The charred piece of metal transformed, taking on a milky radiance, and it became silvery and hard, harder than any other blade that could be made, and inside the blade, invoked into the blade was a spark of the Great Light herself, the goddess of light and life. This blade was the ultimate weapon against evil, able to shear through its hatred, to score home in its black heart and vanquish it utterly.

The goddess took the blade in her hand. She spoke to the blade.

" You, blade of light, have the ultimate destiny. When the hand that will be born to wield you comes, it will be you that guides it to the darkness, and it will be you and this warrior of warriors that will finally trap the Great Evil for all of eternity. Do you accept? "

The blade glowed in silent acquiesce.

Holding the blade in her hand, she turned to the smith, who now held the hilt, together, the Great Light and her weapon smith combined the two, and a bright flash lit up the cave. Holding the long sword in his hand, the smith strode too the opening of the cave. Outside, he brandished the blade at the sun of Algo, towards the seal of the Profound Darkness.

" Behold! " He bellowed in a voice that through magic echoed over the universe. " That the sacred sword Elsydeon has come among you, evil ones. Tremble, for this shall be the blade that will destroy you, the holiest blade to ever come! "

The Blade glowed brilliantly as the universe itself roared its glory of the greatest blade ever forged, the blade called Elsydeon. The Smith then thrust the sword into the air, where it winked out in a flash of life.

" Mistress, where will the sword go? "

" Many millennia from now, the sword will appear in the hands of a man named Arthur, on the planet that will be called Earth, my Smith. It will there be called Excalibur, and begin the age of enlightenment for humans. When its mission is over, it shall return to Algo and aid the people that I will create here against the Dark Force until finally, the Profound Darkness will be trapped without return for eternity. Humans will leave their planet, find one that will suit them, and they will live in utopia. The ones that serve the darkness will come here, and they will start the chain of events that will lead to the darkness being trapped utterly. "

" How do you know this? "

" Before The Darkness and I split, when we were one entity, I retained some knowledge of the singular god. It was this one bit of prophesy that I have told you, and I have done everything in my power to bring it to be. Finally it will.... But come, Smith, we have other matters to attend to.... "

" What new weapon shall I create Mistress? "

" You will create a hammer.... a hammer only worthy of a god.... Mjolnir has a nice ring to it... "