The three rulers had been chasing the shining red egg for quite some time. Anahita and Ouranos were ahead of Ajax because he was obliged to travel on his own two feet on the dirt while the other two used their elements for transportation aid. His legs felt numb and he was panting heavily when he stopped and said, “Where on Earth is this egg going!? Let’s take a break, guys.”
“I don’t see the harm in a little rest,” agreed Ouranos.
As Ajax caught his breath, he noticed something protruding from beneath the back of Ouranos’s long, silvery hair. “Hey, are you seeing what I’m seeing, Anahita?” Ajax pointed to Ouranos’s back.
Anahita gasped, her eyes wide open, “What is that? Pull your hair to one side, Ouranos.”
Ouranos did as she was told and said in a panicked voice, “Guys, you are freaking me out. Tell me what’s in my hair! Is it a spider?”
Ajax and Anahita inspected whatever it was further; they touched it; they smelled it. They looked at each without having to say a word, and they nodded in consensus. Ajax announced: “Ouranos, I think you are growing some wings, my dude.”
Ouranos’s eyes lit up as if there were fireworks inside them. Had she heard Ajax correctly? I will have wings? I can’t believe it—that is way better than I anticipated! “You guys are certain that they’re wings?” Ouranos asked for confirmation.
“Yes,” replied Anahita in an awed tone. “You are going to have wings!” Anahita hugged her sister in excitement. “I think they are in the process of developing. Ouranos, it seems to me that you are going to reach your full level of transformation soon!”
Ouranos could hardly contain her excitement, but then remembered their original mission. “I know this is worth celebrating, but don’t we have an egg to chase?”
“Oh, I completely forgot. Let’s zoom!” Anahita responded.
While the siblings were distracted by the novel discovery of Ouranos’s wings, the red egg had already traveled many miles until it finally found the ideal location in which to hatch. The humidity of the air, the gentle breeze, far above the water’s surface—perfect. Cracks began to form in the eggshell, and shining bright rays of red light streamed from each crack. Within a moment, leftover eggshells lay floating on the water as the newborn ruler uncurled himself to stretch.
The individual scanned his surroundings, and nothing happened. Then a large shadow approached him, and spoke in a delicate, mellifluous voice: “Greetings, Joash, Ruler of Fire, I am the creator of this world and I have brought you here to find balance. Find the other rulers. Each of them holds powers in another domain as powerful as yours. That is all. Till we meet again.”
For a moment, there was a hesitation—a glitch of some kind—in Joash’s newly-hatched brain. “Okay … That was weird. What did she say? Right, find the others … something something balance. Whoa!”
As he struggled to recall what had happened moments ago, Joash created fire whenever he gesticulated with his hands to express his thoughts. The fire came right out of the palms of his hands. He attempted to repeat this trick, swinging his arms with his palms held out flat.
Crackling heat streamed from both hands. “Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Joash was mesmerized by the blazing flames emanating from his hands. Then he remembered the task that the shadowy figure had set him. Joash shook his head in order to focus. “Never mind this. There are more important matters that need to be dealt with. Find the others!”
And Joash took his first fire ride in search of the other rulers.
“I don’t see the harm in a little rest,” agreed Ouranos.
As Ajax caught his breath, he noticed something protruding from beneath the back of Ouranos’s long, silvery hair. “Hey, are you seeing what I’m seeing, Anahita?” Ajax pointed to Ouranos’s back.
Anahita gasped, her eyes wide open, “What is that? Pull your hair to one side, Ouranos.”
Ouranos did as she was told and said in a panicked voice, “Guys, you are freaking me out. Tell me what’s in my hair! Is it a spider?”
Ajax and Anahita inspected whatever it was further; they touched it; they smelled it. They looked at each without having to say a word, and they nodded in consensus. Ajax announced: “Ouranos, I think you are growing some wings, my dude.”
Ouranos’s eyes lit up as if there were fireworks inside them. Had she heard Ajax correctly? I will have wings? I can’t believe it—that is way better than I anticipated! “You guys are certain that they’re wings?” Ouranos asked for confirmation.
“Yes,” replied Anahita in an awed tone. “You are going to have wings!” Anahita hugged her sister in excitement. “I think they are in the process of developing. Ouranos, it seems to me that you are going to reach your full level of transformation soon!”
Ouranos could hardly contain her excitement, but then remembered their original mission. “I know this is worth celebrating, but don’t we have an egg to chase?”
“Oh, I completely forgot. Let’s zoom!” Anahita responded.
While the siblings were distracted by the novel discovery of Ouranos’s wings, the red egg had already traveled many miles until it finally found the ideal location in which to hatch. The humidity of the air, the gentle breeze, far above the water’s surface—perfect. Cracks began to form in the eggshell, and shining bright rays of red light streamed from each crack. Within a moment, leftover eggshells lay floating on the water as the newborn ruler uncurled himself to stretch.
The individual scanned his surroundings, and nothing happened. Then a large shadow approached him, and spoke in a delicate, mellifluous voice: “Greetings, Joash, Ruler of Fire, I am the creator of this world and I have brought you here to find balance. Find the other rulers. Each of them holds powers in another domain as powerful as yours. That is all. Till we meet again.”
For a moment, there was a hesitation—a glitch of some kind—in Joash’s newly-hatched brain. “Okay … That was weird. What did she say? Right, find the others … something something balance. Whoa!”
As he struggled to recall what had happened moments ago, Joash created fire whenever he gesticulated with his hands to express his thoughts. The fire came right out of the palms of his hands. He attempted to repeat this trick, swinging his arms with his palms held out flat.
Crackling heat streamed from both hands. “Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Joash was mesmerized by the blazing flames emanating from his hands. Then he remembered the task that the shadowy figure had set him. Joash shook his head in order to focus. “Never mind this. There are more important matters that need to be dealt with. Find the others!”
And Joash took his first fire ride in search of the other rulers.
