Legend of the Riders

Prologue

Many parts of the world...have places that have never been thought of. Some, only briefly acknowledged in legends and myths. Like the Hidden World, that my grandfather sought to find, but was actually proven to be real. Like the caves on Drag-valkar that my father had never even heard whispers of. There are lands beyond where the sun sets, islands with beasts and monsters that seem to only haunt us in nightmares.

    It was on one of these islands, that the Old Ones dwell. In the shadows of Helheim's Triangle, where all you can see are storms from the exterior. Many ships have tried to sail to the believed to be rich waters that lay within, but the wreckage of all has washed up on beaches around the Archipelagos. No one knows why such a powerful order stays hidden, maybe it's because they are what decide the fate of the world.

    "The girl is growing stronger," said one of them, the most powerful of the trio. His voice emanated from his statue that seemed to be chiseled into the stone outcropping of the cave. His eyes glowed blue with a power unknown to the human race. "Her manner of order among her people remains...sloppy."
    "She's young, and she'll grow," said another statue, the aura from this one's eyes reflected green. He may not have been the strongest, but he was by far the smartest of the group. He was always the one to make the obvious predicament.
    The third remained quiet through her brothers words, her red eyes glowing bright with the fury that laid within. "Her foolishness will be her doom," she boomed, "her lack of order will lead her people to their demise. Our previous attempt failed, the elf was easily defeated."
    "I don't see why your doing this," the first said to his sister. Turning to face her. "She has done nothing wrong. But if we must, we can send someone far greater-"
    The third statue growled, fire bursting from her eyes. It engulfed the room in an eerie light that danced on the walls of the cave. "We are done sending these minor increments, obviously they were too weak to succeed!" she roared, "there is no point in sending any more, twice we sent them, and twice they failed. I think it's time we put an end to this, these worlds will fall!"
    "Sister, I'm sure there is another way," the second statue said, "we cannot dismantle the order that we have bestowed upon these people. They do not deserve this-"
    "They didn't deserve what you gave them, you gave them sanctity, you brought them together," she snarled, the stone around her began to loosen. Crumbling from the statue that held her body within. "I will tear them apart, I will-"
    "Sister we cannot show ourselves to the outside world!" the first called, his statue beginning to crumble apart as well, "this is not our way, we swore an oath to stay within these walls-"
    "I swore no oath," she yelled, the stone crumbled away before her. Her body felt weak, she hadn't moved any of her limbs in centuries. She stretched her back, and heard its crackling reverberate off the cave walls. She took a step forward and nearly fell. She'd almost forgotten how to walk. "We were once the most powerful beings known in the Archipelagos! What happened to us."
    "We swore to stay hidden," her brothers shouted, also escaping their stone embrace. "to keep the world's order sacred from the underground so we wouldn't risk exposing our deepest secrets!"
    She looked at her hand, and flexed it. She curled her fingers in and out, and smiled. Her fangs began growing, and her teeth seemed to sharpen. "Us hiding is what made you weak, my fury, my envy," she began, "that fuels me, what fuels you."
    "The peace this world has to offer!" Her oldest brother yelled.
    "That must be why you grow so weak," she rasped. "Because the world doesn't know peace. The world holds darkness, and with that darkness comes destruction."
    "Europa what have you done!" the second oldest demanded.
    She smiled, "I've done nothing," she told them, "yet."
    Her body shot upwards towards the mouth of the caldera, her maniacal laugh could be heard throughout the cave. A bright red light trailed her as she rose, illuminating her shadows throughout the surrounding area. She looked down at her brothers, her opposites.
    "You have no idea what you're about to do!" one of them yelled, his green aura also beginning to show itself. The blue in the oldest also started to give off its light.
    "I know exactly what I'm doing Holt," she yelled, "goodbye my brothers."
    "Fjord, we must stop her before she reaches the summit!" Holt yelled, and his brother agreed and together they rose after her. They met with a collision that shook the cave, columns of rock fell to the floor. Ice, Fire, and Earth all met as they began to fight. Europa roared, throwing them off her.
    "You cannot do this, sister," Fjord stated, as he was batted away from her. He came to a halt before hitting the cave wall. "This is not our way."
    "You've already told me this!" she snarled, "I do not care, this is my way."
    "Your Fury blinds you!" Holt yelled, and met his sister. She grabbed him by his throat and threw him. She sent a raging fireball towards him that engulfed his body. He crashed through the stone, straight into the water's of Helheim's Triangle.
    Europa laughed, "You, brother," she told Fjord, and he turned his attention to her. "You will either join me, or die."
    "An honorable death," he whispered, "Would be better than going against my ancient words."
    He flew towards her, and she roared. She plummeted downwards, setting herself on fire. He used his ice to make his fists harder, and swung at her. She grabbed his arms and dove with him into the earth using his body to shield herself from the collision.
    She stood over his weakened body, panting from the energy it had taken to beat him. She smiled, showing him her fangs. "You'd be much more useful to me alive than dead." She extended her finger, and touched his chest. He gave out one last yell before he was corrupted by the evil that laid within her.
    He stood, his power diminishing from his body. It was replaced by the fire she held. She looked into her brothers eyes as the last of his blue light left them.
    "You will be stopped," he whispered, his voice growing weak.
    "By who," she asked, "the girl," she let loose a laugh. "I can't wait, until you only speak when I ask you to, so I don't have to hear impossible accusations."
    Holt's weakened body rose to the surface of the ocean on a raft made from vines and branches that he had created before going unconscious. He silently floated above the waves and towards the horizon