➸ sᴛᴏʀʏʟɪɴᴇ

[c.c.]

Pandora, the first mortal woman the gods created. Endowed with a gift from each god — beauty from Aphrodite, speech from Hermes, clothed by Athena, musical ability from Apollo, and many more — it was the last gift from Zeus' that would ultimately lead to mankind's downfall ; Pithos, a beautiful jar presented as a wedding gift to Epimetheus and his wife. And when impelled by another gift from the gods, her own curiosity, did Pandora open the jar against instructions to not do so. And thus, did all the evil spirits that Pithos held escape. Led by Apate, the spirit of deceit, all the spirits the jar had contained successfully escaped their prison save one spirit — Elpis, the spirit of hope. For before it could, Pandora had already shut the jar in haste.

All but hope was lost, still locked inside of Pandora's box. Hence, why to this day mankind has come so far despite all the evils that has plagued the world. Hope will always lives on.

This was where the story of Pandora's box ended. Where the famed jar went after, not a soul knows save the gods perhaps.

Until there came a time during the present when a mortal woman, same as Pandora was, came upon the jar. And with the same piqued curiosity Pandora had when she opened it, the woman did the same. And this time, the only spirit the jar held since Pandora closed it finally escaped after centuries of being held within. But unlike the evil spirits before it, Elpis didn't go so far as across the world. Instead, it took over the body of the mortal who opened the jar.

Not quite the outcome one would expect.

For Elpis had a different plan in mind. The spirit had decided that the gods have ruled for far too long. It was time for something different. Elpis had decided the world — and the gods — should head into a new age.

And the moment Elpis took possession of the woman, the whole world stood still in peace for a moment. Everything became dead quiet.

But all for a moment only.

For only a moment was needed for all the gods and goddesses, all the deities ever known to man, to mysteriously vanish from their thrones on Mount Olympus only to descend upon the same world they have watched over for centuries.

And once that moment was over, thus was a new generation born. Only, these people weren't normal and ordinary mortals. Not quite. For they were the once mighty and powerful deities from Greek mythologies. And come the right time, they would eventually be known as incarnates — the deities embodied, in the flesh. Not one of them knowing who they used to be nor what fate or destiny lies for them in the future.

A new start for them all.

What happened to Elpis happened to the gods. And thus, the same occurrence happened to the evil spirits that long ago plagued the world as Pandora unleashed them. Embodied as well, in the same position as Elpis and the other Greeks.

But it would not be long before signs would start to appear to these people. Powers begin to develop. Some would have already crossed another's paths before a certain age and they might not even know it. Accidents and incidents happen with no explanation but somehow, everything falls in perfectly, they would soon realize.

And soon, there would come a time wherein each of the deities and spirits that were incarnated would learn who they were previously before they arrive to a point where they would have to decide — to go down the same path they did in their previous life or travel a different one.

For the reason Elpis became one with a mortal was to contain the seemingly endless war between good and the evils in the world. The decision of the incarnates to whether go against the embodied evils or to side with them is for these beings to decide. Until then, the world is left in a temporary state of peace.

[c.c.]

╳   ────   Exᴛʀᴀ Iɴғᴏ

Only Ananke and the Moirai, or the Fates, were the beings who remained in their original form since it was them, after all, who played the master hand in the series of events. They, along with Elpis, thought that the evil spirits had already grown much too powerful and feared that the balance of the world might be tipped if they failed to do anything else about it. So came the idea of the incarnates — to at least have the world gain strength against the evils while they are embodied before comes the time that they are released again just like Pandora did long ago. And along with this, the embodied deities who Ananke and the Moirai thought ought to learn a lesson or two during their stay as mortals on Earth.