The story so farOnce upon a time, three kingdoms kept the peace

Since its beginning, the world has gone through many epochs and eras, changes and still moments, and all kinds of natural and political disasters. Of course, all those events had an important story that helped humanity learn a new lesson. Nevertheless, each story starts at its own new beginning of time, as if every previous event has been long forgotten. Our story today is no exception.

And so it was that there ruled three kingdoms at the beginning of time: the Saidic Kingdom, the Volnic Kingdom, and the Arcidam Kingdom. Each one had a king - a loved and respected King - who lived to serve their dear people. Not one villager was forgotten, for the kings lived among them, making sure all their voices were heard and leaving no one behind.

Throughout their reign, there was an age known as the Golden Period when balance and peace were maintained, and the people worked as one. They cherished a simple life, focusing on food, peace, and happiness. King Glaucus, the ruler of the Voinic Kingdom, nurtured the art of mining, crafting, and masonry. The Voinics supplied the three kingdoms with builders, weapons, tools, and ore. Its crafters were the finest, making the most delicate bows and spears from plain wood as well as the best swords, shields, and armor from steel.

King Ion, the King of the Arcidam Kingdom, had taken charge of food production. The Arcidams were masters of hunting, foraging, and storing crops. The Arcidam Kingdom was the leading supplier of food and wood, providing for all three kingdoms equally and without hesitation.

King Olaf, leader of the Saidic Kingdom, had the best wizards, engineers, teachers, schools, and trainers. The Saidics were responsible for education and continuously passed their knowledge to the next generations throughout the three kingdoms. They educated architects, farmers, blacksmiths, and miners alike.

The Golden Period had been fruitful, and the Three Kingdoms’ people believed nothing more was needed other than fresh air, food, and water for a fulfilled life. Fertile fields, rich mines, and dense forests spanned as far as the eye could see, but what people cherished most had nothing to do with nature’s blessings. It was the ongoing solidarity, and mutual respect for one another’s crafts that made these three kingdoms as strong and as prosperous as they were.

Among everything else that was shared, the Three Kingdoms were all using one particular mine for their various everyday needs. Little did they know that one day this mine would show to bear something incredibly precious. On a completely ordinary day - much like any other day - the miners found one extraordinary stone that looked nothing like any other they’d seen before.

It glistened with a peculiar dark red color and had an unnatural form. It looked pretty clean and polished when picked up from the dirt as if none of the filth of the mine had ever touched it. Although it was the size of a small child, the stone was incredibly light. Even the oldest miners, the oldest of Voinics, had never witnessed such a sight before. The touch of its surface felt flat and hard, and it had sharp edges here and there. In the hearts of the miners, curiosity rose greater by the minute, and like that, the stone was taken outside the mine.

Wishing to inspect it further, the miners tried to break it. One of them was set to hold it firmly, and a few others swung at it with their hammers. It’s fair to say that no one expected the outcome that followed. On the very first hit, the stone released a blast, and two of the miners died instantly. A great confusion burst out among those who stood watching. At first, they were too stunned to even say a word. Yet, a few moments later, they noticed that the miner holding the stone was standing as if nothing had happened, untouched and unharmed. At that moment, no one dared go near him, and they avoided the stone just as well.

Of course, the people who witnessed this phenomenon quickly assumed that a mysterious power was guarding the strange stone and that it could sense the emotions of those near it. They concluded the following: if approached with ill intent, the stone strikes you; if you were to mean it no harm, only touch or carry it, nothing would happen, and the stone stays still.

Soon enough, news of these unnatural deaths traveled to the kings. Equipped with the wisest men in their kingdoms, the Kings personally came to inspect this mysterious incident and the strange stone behind it. Days, weeks, and months passed. Not a single clue was found. They tried soaking it in different chemicals, burning it, and keeping it in water so it could rust, but all of those attempts proved unsuccessful in causing a reaction. So naturally, the next move of the Kings was to lock the stone away to avoid another unwanted incident. It was taken to a remote location, far from anyone’s eyes or ears, with only three trusted guards to keep it safe. And so, a decade passed.

In the meantime, the Three Kingdoms were going through unfortunate changes which, at the time, were thought of as quite natural. The Saidic Kingdom suffered droughts while constant rain flooded the Voinics. Disaster was also present in the Arcidam Kingdom, for they experienced a lack of proper sunlight, which greatly influenced crop growth. Still, the kingdoms managed to survive by sharing what little they had with each other, even though all their stocks were slowly being emptied. No one complained about the state of the world. At the end of the day, it was only natural, and no one was to blame. But none denied that life was becoming a bit more difficult day by day.

Yet, despite going through such an unfortunate time, development hadn’t ceased. The Voinics, not being able to enter the flooded mines, focused on refining their crafts and improving their already advanced weapon-making abilities. The Saidics, after experiencing a decrease in student numbers, invested their time in conjuring more potent, grander, and more effective spells for the existing wizards. In that decade of hardship, all kingdoms were slowly advancing towards something new.

However, no one was aware that, far from the droughts, floods, and other natural disasters, there was one location that prospered, untouched by bad weather or misfortune. Indeed, it was the place where the stone was kept. Those who knew of that small piece of prosperous land had named it holy and would often offer sacrifices to the Gods, wishing that the rest of the world would go back to being as plentiful as it was before. Olaf was the first king to hear rumors of such a spot. He went to investigate and, quickly deducing what was kept underground, rushed to speak with his fellow kings. So, they all went together.

What the kings saw there left them stunned - the three men guarding the stone hadn’t aged a day! In fact, they could argue that the guards looked even younger than before. A bit frightened, the kings asked how that was possible, and one of the guards hesitantly spoke. He explained that nothing could harm them in all those years they spent on guard duty.

At first, they noticed that smaller injuries were barely noticeable and hardly ever felt, even when it was an obviously painful scratch or a clumsy but heavy trip. Then one day, one of the guards suffered a fall that should’ve resulted in a broken bone, but nothing happened. He did not feel any pain, nor was his leg deformed in any way.

Witnessing this, the three guards decided to test a theory and see how serious an injury they could take. The most extreme act was stabbing each other in the heart - and realizing they’re perfectly fine. However, they decided to keep this information to themselves, thinking it would cause more problems than it would solve. Their conclusion: the stone would heal anyone near it, and its powers granted immortality.

At that moment, all the kings could do was stare at the guards in astonishment. Nothing made sense, but they believed their story nonetheless. After all, if miracles happen every day, then even strange stones with otherworldly powers can appear out of nowhere. Of course, the three kings did not fail to see this as an opportunity.

Ion was the first to propose the idea of taking the stone inside the kingdoms to see if it could bring prosperity to their nations once again. They knew well enough that allowing something that meddles with the laws of nature into their homes is a great gamble, but it was one they had to take. After a decade of hardship, it was time to do something. They had their people’s best intentions in mind and wanted to end their suffering most of all. And so, they agreed - King Glaucus would be the first to take the stone home.

The guards, of course, agreed to let them take the stone. After all, it wasn’t theirs to begin with, nor had they any reason to doubt their kings’ intentions. But, the second the stone was taken from the guards, the atmosphere changed. Everything felt much more somber, more serious. Suddenly, the guards’ eyes turned back inside their heads, and the only thing they could see was red. They lost the ability to speak and seemed to have lost all reason. One of them even started to scream, leaving the kings both confused and terrified. And so it was that King Ion mustered up the courage and, in the heat of the moment, grabbed hold of the stone and ran. Olaf and Glaucus followed him instinctively but did not manage to get far before the guards caught up to them.

Thinking quickly, Olaf released a spell that caused some rocks from a nearby hill to break, managing to block the road behind them. Unable to pass through, the guards began to hit the rocks as hard as they could, bloodying their hands in the process. Bits of bones started flying everywhere, but the guards didn’t seem to feel any pain. Once their hands were completely destroyed, they turned to each other and, in an inexplicable blinding rage, began to bite and gnaw on one another until their bodies were no more. It was a gruesome sight, and the stone was no longer around to heal them.

Once they were at a safe distance, the Kings unanimously agreed that not a single detail of this event would be shared with the people. This stone, they concluded, was too unpredictable to control and too dangerous if brought into the wrong hands.

Fearing that they themselves would also fall victim to the stone’s influence, the Kings moved the stone every few months from one location to another. First, it was in possession of the Volnics. As expected, the floods ceased in no time, and the mines became once again available for the workers. King Glaucus was, of course, incredibly pleased with such an outcome but did not let himself become greedy. Once the time came, he handed the stone over to his fellow Kings who had suffered the same hardship as he had. Next, the stone was transferred to the Arcidam Kingdom, where crops quickly flourished, and lastly, it was brought to the Saidics, who noticed an unexpected increase in magical power.

Worrying that suspicion might arise in people’s minds as to what was happening with the world, the Kings decided to share the news about the magical stone and its powers but avoided the part about the stone’s ability to grant immortality. For obvious reasons, they thought it best to keep this piece of information secret for a little longer.

For years after, the stone was taken anywhere where misfortune would strike. If rain was needed, the stone brought rain. If sunlight was a deficit, the stone provided. Miracles were happening all around, and the Kingdoms’ people were once again getting used to an abundant life.

However, one day the stone surprised them with yet another novelty - it suddenly cracked. Sounding much like glass breaking, the stone divided itself into three perfectly even pieces, all of them now shining in a different color: one yellow, one green, and one purple. King Glaucus was the one to witness this new phenomenon, for the stone was in his possession at the time. He wasted no time and called for his fellow kings immediately. Not knowing what to make of this, the Kings decided to take yet another gamble involving the stone - each one would guard a piece in his kingdom, see what happens, and report back to the others. And so they did.

Once again, their gamble provided positive results. After only a few short months, it was discovered that each individual stone now carries its own power, different from the rest. The Greenstone would purify air, rewind time, and amplify magical abilities. The Purplestone could control water in all its states, find water sources, and freeze or vaporize water bodies. The Yellowstone’s power was producing heat, smoke, and fire. What was interesting was, that now you were not preventing ageing and hurting when you were around them.

Just to be on the safe side, the Kings swapped the stones every few months, the same as they did before the original stone cracked. None of them had forgotten what happened to the three guards years ago, and they weren’t willing to risk inviting such an outcome for anyone else.

However, the Kings were now getting old - too old to endure the world’s problems any longer - so they started preparing a successor. Each King had a son to follow in his footsteps, and all three were told about the stone’s secrets that were never revealed. After being promised by their children to rule with honor and respect, the three Kings passed away one by one, parting to the Land of the Dead, leaving their cherished kingdoms in the hands of their successors.

Raised by fathers such as Glaucus, Ion, and Olaf, the three young men knew well what it means to be honorable and respectful. Of course, they had no intention of disturbing the peace among their people. However, hearing the news of the three stones got all of them thinking - what if the pieces are once again united? Unlike their fathers, the young kings did not wish to share such an evil thought with their fellow rulers, but, as much as they avoided the idea, it slowly festered in their minds. Greed was creepily taking over, and each of the new kings wished for immortality more than anything else. They all wanted to be the best - best at growing food, best at crafting weapons, best at magic - and each one had an idea of how great a ruler he’d be if he had all stones together.

Slowly, tension was rising. After a decade, even the townspeople felt pressure growing in their everyday lives. Everything had to be constantly better. No one was allowed to slack off. More and more guards roamed around each kingdom as if expecting to run into trouble. Little did the people know that, in the minds of their new Kings, the thought of reforging the One stone had become an obsession, and taking the pieces forcefully was now an idea they were thoroughly looking into. One thing was for sure - the balance they previously enjoyed was now lost. The air smelled of war.

Silently, they all prepared. On a night that was supposed to be their annual celebration of peace, great armies were brought, and shots were fired. Each young King had one of the three stones placed on his chest plate armor, and, as the attack began, they rode forward proudly, prepared to kill and take. And so, the Stone War began.

In the Land of the Dead, their fathers stood watching. Neither Olaf, Ion, nor Glaucus could believe what was happening to their people. Their souls filled up with such grief that it caught the attention of the God of the Underworld. He learned quickly what was the cause of such sorrow, so he proposed a solution: he would unite their souls as one and allow them to go back into the world in the body of a mighty dragon. However, if they decide to go back, they would be stuck in the Dragon’s body until the stone is destroyed. Having seen the horror their sons had brought to their people, the Kings had no other choice but to accept.

As the battle went on, the three young Kings felt a burning near the chest. They saw their precious stones quickly turning to a dark red color and heating up so much, forcing the Kings to take the armor off and throw it on the ground. No one was sure what was happening, so the fighting ceased for a moment. Suddenly, the stones were drawn to each other with a magnet-like force, and, right before clashing, bursts of lightning started spawning from the space between them.

All warriors took a step back out of fear, and their Kings fell back with them. The three stones connected abruptly, and, at that moment, a strange shape started morphing around the restored One stone. Before they could see what it was, the armies heard a deafening roar. Out of nowhere, a giant winged beast appeared before them and, looking both terrifying and majestic, he took the stone, rejected all the attacks and crawled into the forests never to be seen again.

The fighters on the field stood shocked and unable to move, still struck with horror and awe after witnessing the might of a real live dragon, something no one had seen in many, many centuries. Now that there was a new force to be reckoned with, the Stone War seemed pointless, and the fighting ceased quickly. The Dragon was given the name Gio in honor of the Kings’ deceased fathers - Glaucus, Ion, and Olaf - and the stone that remained within it was now called the Giostone.

For better or worse, the Three Kingdoms’ people rebelled against their young kings and forced them off the throne. The sons of the once-respected rulers were held accountable for the Dragon’s spawning and were killed mercilessly in a moment of rage that overwhelmed the townsmen. Soon after, all three Kingdoms disbanded, for no one was willing nor capable of taking the lead and uniting them.

Centuries passed in total anarchy, and merely surviving became challenging once more. People had been searching for the Giostone during all of those years. Two new ideologies, the Deccan and the Glacic, developed throughout time.

The Deccan thought the stone was necessary to prevent volcanoes from destroying the Earth.

The Glacic, on the other hand, thought that an impending ice age was imminent and that the Giostone was the best way to save everyone.

The strongest warriors, assassins, and wizards in existence had pledged to find Gio and be the ones to get the stone. And so, the Battle for Giostone began...