The legends say that The Three Powers were unstoppable, and that's why the Magna Galaxia, or the Galaxy of the Great, fell to them, despite the best efforts of the most legendary of Kings, Emperor Aiofeius III. What the legends do not say is that it wasn't The Three Powers that were unstoppable. It was the power of three verses, shrouded in mystery until now, that made them so. The original verses are in a tongue unknown to men of the 21st century, so they have been presented in English, the most popular language on the planet. Although it does not quite do justice to the original, here it is.

There was a gnome named Barraas,
Who lived next to a goldfish,
And owned a shiny hourglass,
That fulfilled his every wish.

To find them, you must look,
For the end of the start,
For the golden-gilded book,
And the man with the purest heart.

If you managed to do so, why
You would be master of all,
For you, the limit wouldn't be the sky,
Nay, for you, that'd be too small.

That, then, was the verse that The Three Powers used to locate the hourglass and-

Nah, you'll barely understand it this way. Story-time!

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Long ago (or far in the future, if you want to look at it like that), in the Magna Galaxia, largest of all galaxies in the universe, there lived an ordinary family with three extraordinary children.

Rigar, the father.

Mayur, the mother.

Besor, the eldest and most charismatic of the three brothers. His passion and ambition was the one that fuelled his two brothers.

Kegor, the smartest and most quiet of the three. He was usually forced to be the one who reined his elder brother's ambitions in, and calm his younger brother down.

Jeyor, the warrior. He was usually happy to follow his brothers' lead, and fanned the flames of Besor's ambition.

Man, how Rigar and Mayur managed to produce such miracles is a mystery I suspect even Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot would be baffled by....

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Fifty super-secs (maximum distance covered in one super jump- somewhere around 3 light years) away from the capital planet, in northern Magna Galaxia, was the home planet of The Three Powers. It had initially been part of the Archi Megalos (another nearby Galaxy), but after the Second War, the Magna Galaxia had taken control of that entire area, which included five planets. It was there that their grandmother regaled them with stories of Archi's glory days, and great and fearsome warriors, but most importantly, the poem of Barraas, also known more popularly as The Riddle of The Hourglass.

It was Besor whose eyes were caught first by the poem, and after going through it properly, he felt the same sense of passion he always did when he came across an obstacle. Kegor was also fascinated by it, but looked at it more as a puzzle than anything else, and Jeyor, as usual, was happy to follow his brothers' lead.

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"What do you think they meant by 'the end of the start', Kegor?" asked Besor, who clearly recognised his brother's fearsome intellect.

Kegor furrowed his eyebrows and closed his eyes, deep in thought. His brothers knew it was wise not to disturb him at such a time. Finally, after ten minutes, Kegor opened his eyes, and said, "Let's go over the entire poem, so that I can explain it to you." He quickly scribbled the poem down on a table nearby, and the three took positions around it.

"A gnome named Barraas.... that is a very Eastern name. Our first deduction is then made: This planet must be somewhere in the east of Archi Megalos. He had a goldfish, which means it's climate supported the existence of fish. Now, we can narrow it down to a 100 planets. So far so good. Now, as for the end of the start, some cultures consider east the beginning, because that's where the sun used to rise from on Earth, our original planet. All pieces of evidence point to it being an eastern planet. Therefore, the end of the start could be referring to the westernmost planet in the east, which is..." he said, circling five names with a purple quilt, "Chyrsas, Asimas, Plexidas, Kosmima and Chronos. Four of these planets have named derived from earth metals, but the final one- Chronos- is the unadulterated ancient word for Time. Time- Hourglass. We will find the golden book there, as well as the pure-hearted man, and finally, the Hourglass. Alea iacta est."

"Let's go then! What are we waiting for?" yelled Jeyor, clearly unable to suppress his enthusiasm.

"Calm down, brother. That trip will be the most important one of our lives. We must prepare for it." said Kegor, attempting to placate both his brothers.

And prepare they did.....

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"The golden-gilded book belongs to the man with the purest heart. Fabulous!" Besor said bitterly, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

"That just makes our job easier, for I have already found him."

"Really? Where?"

"Right there" said Kegor, pointing at a tramp. "Tramps want nothing from life. They do not steal, and nor do they give. They are happy to live and let live. I am sure he shall lead us to the golden-gilded book."

"Your ideas are borderline-cuckoo sometimes, Brother. The golden book is right there!" said Jeyor. Besor and Kegor looked to where he was pointing, and grumbled in frustration. It was a temple, shaped like a golden book.

"It was right there, staring us in the face, all this time. Thank you, Brother!"

They then walked in, and retrieved the Hourglass, becoming the first in history to wield it.

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There was then a fearsome war, which historians label as the Third War of the Galaxies, and romantics as The Victory of Family, but there is one thing they all agree on.

Those Three Powers? Man, they rocked!