The Sword Of Famed Trinity

An unspecified number of years ago, during a time when mana thrived, magic weapons that held insane power were created to match the strength of the mages that, at that time, held high-density innate mana.

Blacksmiths capable of creating these weapons were highly sought after and, as expected, were well-paid and protected by the mage faction that managed to get them under their umbrella.

Even among all these extraordinary blacksmith talents, there was one that was considered a man too great for his time. Only a handful of people had ever seen him, and only a handful of his weapons had ever been seen on the battlefield, but every time they appeared, the fight was most certainly over.

No one else could come close to mimicking this man's extraordinary craftsmanship, and no one even bothered to try because at a glance, they knew it was simply beyond them.

For years, no one, even his very few clients, knew who he was even though they had seen him face to face. He always refused to come under a mage faction's umbrella but because of his talents, was always under their protection.

A rumor began of a weapon that this man created but kept under wraps, its exact prowess known to him and him alone. But it became known that of all the spectacular weapons he had created, this was the strongest.

Everyone who had heard this rumor, and was able to, went to the man to ask if this was true, but he always denied it.

But one day… the weapon made its way to the outside world.

There was once a Great War between two of the most powerful mage factions in the world. Godlike rank 9 mages clashed, and it brought nothing but pure destruction to the land.

At the war's climax, a sword was accidentally unsealed.

The sword of famed trinity.

Only one word was written in the ancient texts pertaining to this sword…

Anguish.

No one was ever able to wield the sword… because the sword wielded itself.

The sword created three physical manifestations one at a time, with each being at a level of strength that was way beyond the next.

Just pure strength.

Nothing more.

These three physical manifestations called themselves; Heart, Mind, and Soul.

Heart was the weakest, being easily defeated in battle. But the moment Mind entered the fray, it was a different story as he was able to go toe to toe with peak rank 8 mages!

Impervious to attacks fueled by mana, he forced them to indulge in hand-to-hand combat where their martial art skills and swordsmanship were put to the test.

Rank 8 mages fell like flies at his wake!

It was no surprise that the rank 9 mages were forced to show their hands. It took a while surprisingly, but they finally were able to put him down, but that was when the real fight began.

The appearance of Soul and the fight that happened next killed about thirty percent of the high-ranking mages in the world.

According to the records, he was unstoppable. His power was beyond anything the world had ever faced up to that point.

The land bled at his every move.

Every magic faction in the world banded together to try to defeat him during what was described as humanity's final battle to decide its fate.

As this army prepared to face off against Soul, they found nothing but a lone sword in the middle of nowhere chained to the ground, its great power sealed in place.

No one understood how this had happened or why, but one thing was for sure; they were thankful.

With that, the war had come to an end.

In fear of the sword's power, the alliance picked a faction to keep the sword sealed for eternity, for they feared the risk of the release of the entities if they tried to destroy it.

Millennia passed, and the sword was never seen or heard from again. Forgotten in the winds of time.

Ivan looked up to the sky with a look that showed that he was in deep thought.

"So the person we are fighting, that's Mind?" Ivan asked.

"You had defeated Heart earlier, so yes," Theodore's voice responded.

"I guess this was a fight we were never meant to win," Calder sighed.

AetherGuard was created after the War of gods by the noble houses. Every piece of information they held came from their troves.

The noble houses, once called mage factions, had existed for eons. It was unknown when the five noble houses had come together to create Eclipsis, but it was definitely a very long time ago.

Whatever information they were getting, the chances that it would be completely accurate were incredibly high.

And after fighting with this man that was supposedly Mind, Ivan had every reason to believe it was true.

"You both need to leave there now. The fact that you're not yet dead despite being a late-stage rank 7 mage is a true testament to your power, but don't push your luck," Theodore stated. "Reinforcements are on their way."

"We will—"

BOOM!

Splitting through the clouds accompanied by the sound of a sonic boom and a loud crash that shook the ground they stood on, Mind stood in the crater formed due to the force of his landing with an expression full of rage.

He looked up at Ivan and Calder, who were at the edge of the crater and pointed the sword at them.

"Enough with the games; it's time to die," the sword began to glow a bright white color, and Ivan immediately went on alert.

He stretched his open palm, and a magic circle quickly appeared in front of it.

Mind scoffed at Ivan's attempt to protect himself, "Futile."

The air became tense as Ivan awaited the seemingly unavoidable attack when all of a sudden, the ground underneath Mind's feet disappeared!

He fell into the bottomless pit, and it closed right after!

Ivan was confused and still kept up his guard then he felt a presence falling from the sky. He quickly turned, facing his magic circle in its direction.

A figure landed roughly, raising dust as he scrambled to get his footing.

Ivan deactivated his magic circle when he saw who it was.

"Woah," the person said as he waved off the dust around him. "Proper landing has always been my biggest flaw," he laughed.

Emerging from the settling dust, this man stood with a commanding presence. His deep-set eyes exuded wisdom and determination, reflecting a history marked by battles and triumphs. Defined by well-defined features, his clear, dark skin spoke of resilience and experience.

Draped in the AetherGuard uniform, he moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior, the emblem on his chest shining as a symbol of allegiance. In the midst of chaos, his composure remained unyielding, embodying the strength forged in the crucible of countless conflicts. Approaching Ivan and Calder, he carried an aura of authority, a seasoned agent ready to face the encroaching threat with unwavering resolve.

"Captain Ivan," the man greeted with a nod.

"Welcome back, Lord Imani," Ivan smiled.