Once upon a time, there was a god named Ülgen who had devoted himself to ruling the world with kindness. This god founded his own great council and shared his knowledge and experiences with his students. The first person to join the council was known as Kızagan Han, and he was referred to as the “Legend of the Council.” 

Everyone respected or even feared Kızagan Han. Kızagan Han thought that a guardian should be placed at the entrance of the council and shared this idea with Ülgen. Ülgen liked the idea very much and said, “The best being to take on this role would be the Van Lake Monster.” The Van Lake Monster was known as a creature both mysterious in appearance and well-adapted to survival underwater and underground.

To present this request to the Van Lake Monster, Ülgen and Kızagan Han set off for the shores of Lake Van. When they arrived, they heard a voice:

”Who dares to approach my dwelling?”

This question was asked by none other than the Spirit of the Water (Su İyesi). However, when she saw the mighty god and his brave companion before her, she calmed down a little.

Kızagan Han said:

“We are looking for the Van Lake Monster. We want to make him our guardian.”

The Spirit of the Water (Su İyesi) replied:

“Unfortunately, the evil-hearted Medusa turned him to stone with her gaze and imprisoned him on the island of Mykonos to prevent him from realizing his dream. Only you can save him! There is only one way to return him to his former self…”

The Water Spirit took a deep breath and continued speaking:

“Medusa’s curse is an ancient one—it cannot be broken easily. To lift it, you must find the tears of the Sylvanas Guardians and pour them over the Van Lake Monster. Each drop of their tears is powerful enough to melt stone.”

Kızagan Han, astonished, replied:

“The Sylvanas Guardians? Finding them is impossible!”

The Water Spirit smiled wisely:

“Nothing is impossible. According to legend, they are seven young souls who resist oppression and whose hearts are full of love. That’s all I can tell you. I wish you success—safe journey.”

With the Water Spirit’s words echoing in their ears, Ülgen and Kızagan Han wasted no time and set out on their way. They had to reach Mykonos, but this would be no ordinary journey. To obtain the Tears of Sylvanas, they first had to pass an ancient trial. When they reached the shores of the Aegean, the sky suddenly darkened, and a thick fog surrounded them. 

As the mist cleared, two legendary Greek figures appeared before them: Theseus and Atalanta. Theseus struck his golden-hilted sword into the ground and spoke with a firm voice:

“Any foreigner who steps onto this land must first prove their heart and intentions. The Tears of Sylvanas are not given to just anyone.”

Atalanta, with her bow drawn, carefully studied the pair, ready to shoot at the slightest threat. Just then, the sky lit up again, and from the glowing light emerged Alp Er Tunga and Battal Gazi.

Alp Er Tunga stepped forward and said:

“We come not to fight, but for justice and salvation. The world cannot regain balance without saving the Van Lake Monster.”

For a moment, everyone stood in silence. Then Atalanta lowered her bow.

“In that case, here’s your task: The path to the Emerald Cave, where the Sylvanas Guardians hide, is full of Medusa’s traps. You must move together and carry out the mission carefully.”

As night fell, the four heroes set off. The first trap was Medusa’s watchers: stone-eyed warriors. Theseus led the way, Battal Gazi blocked incoming stone arrows with his shield, and Atalanta took out the watchers with precise shots from above.

 Alp Er Tunga was busy solving the prophecy carved at the cave entrance. The most dangerous moment came inside the cave—a field of petrified stone traps left by Medusa.

 Alp Er Tunga was busy solving the prophecy carved at the cave entrance. The most dangerous moment came inside the cave—a field of petrified stone traps left by Medusa. One wrong step would lead to eternal slumber. That’s when Ülgen’s magical staff came into play. The light from its tip illuminated safe steps to take. 

When they reached the heart of the cave, a surprise awaited them: The Sylvanas Guardians were still alive, but they were bound by a curse and chained inside the cave. 

Seeing them in that state, the group began to argue about how to free them. Hearing their voices, one of the Sylvanas Guardians spoke:

“You must seek the genie inside Aladdin’s magic lamp.”

Upon hearing this, they decided to go to Baghdad. When they arrived, Battal Gazi asked Aladdin for the lamp. Startled by their appearance, Aladdin handed the lamp to Atalanta. She rubbed it, and a genie emerged in a flash of light.

“Ask anything you wish,” said the genie.

Knowing they had three wishes, Alp Er Tunga made the first one:

“Break the curse on the Sylvanas Guardians.”

Theseus immediately made the second wish:

“Give us the key to unlock their chains.”

They also decided to take the genie with them. With the key in hand, they broke the chains and freed the Guardians.

The Sylvanas Guardians thanked them deeply and said:

“In return for this kindness, we will accept anything you ask of us.”

Ülgen quickly explained the situation:

“The evil-hearted Medusa turned the Van Lake Monster—our chosen guardian—into stone and imprisoned it on Mykonos Island. Only your tears can melt its stone form.”

The Guardians agreed without hesitation but warned:

“Crying is not as easy as it sounds.”

Because a great price must be paid for crying.

A guard explains the situation:

“Centuries ago we were not obligated to pay any price, we used our tears to soften stony hearts. In this way we have placed goodness in millions of people. Our actions must have disturbed the evil Alkarısı, because she cast a huge spell on us. According to this spell, for every tear we shed, a memory from our past would be erased until our past was completely gone. We have not shed another tear since that day and have preserved our past for a cause that is valuable enough to be sacrificed for. But now we understand that that time has come and we are ready for anything.”

The 7 guards come together and hold hands. After looking at each other lovingly, they slowly shed tears. 

The 7 guards come together and hold hands. After looking at each other lovingly, they slowly shed tears. 

While the heroes look at each other with questioning eyes in the face of this unexpected situation, Alp Er Tunga speaks with a wise attitude:

“The past is the most important thing that shapes someone's identity, it makes a person who he is today. This is so valuable that it has been said, "He who forgets where he came from will be lost where he is going." Although our 7 brave brothers seemed to have sacrificed their past, they actually sacrificed their own existence. Now we will continue this long and difficult journey for both them and for good.”

They see Alkarısı a little further on. Alkarısı who said that she cooperated with Medusa; She tells them that they cannot achieve their goal so quickly, and that in order to progress further, the heroes must pass difficult tests in which each of them will face their greatest fear.

The heroes bow respectfully, take the bowl full of tears and set off on their way again.

Alkarısı’s evil laugh filled the air. Then, with a wave of her hand, thick shadows wrapped around the heroes. Suddenly, everything changed. They were separated from each other and found themselves  alone , in different places filled with their greatest fears.

Theseus woke up inside a dark, broken maze. It looked like the one he had once escaped long ago in Crete island. But this time, there was no Minotaur inside. There was another enemy this time! Instead, he saw an old version of himself, tired and forgotten. “You’re no hero anymore,” the old Theseus said. Theseus felt sad and scared. It was the biggest dishonour for a Greek hero to feel useless and forgotten. But then he remembered the sacrifice and the love of his father, Aigeas and he said quietly to himself, “Even if no one remembers me, I’ll still do what’s right.” The maze disappeared, and the light returned.

Atalanta found herself stood in a burning village. A scary creature with a humans head, a lion’s body and a scorpion’s tail—a Manticore—watched her in a very vicious way, ready to attack. But her real fear wasn’t the monster. Besides she was a mighty warrior that got the golden fleece with Jason and the Argonauts. It was not being able to help people and especially the weak ones. Then she heard a child scream. Without having a second thought, she immediately dropped her bow and ran like the wind into the fire, covering the child with her body. The monster vanished, and the village faded away.. It was all in her imagination!

Battal Gazi was transferred in a dark forest surrounded by stone statues. Each one looked like a person he had failed to save. A ghostly creature, a bearded giant, called Gulyabani, appeared in the dark from nowhere and whispered, “Your strength brings only sadness.You are a disgrace. You do not deserve to live” Battal suddenly felt weak and helpless. He wanted to give up. But then he remembered all the people he had protected. He raised his sword and prayed with all his heart. A bright light burst from inside him, and the demon disappeared.

Alp Er Tunga opened his eyes and found himself standing in a long, cold hallway. The walls were made of mirrors—tall, shiny, and endless. At first, he only saw his reflection. But as he walked deeper, the reflections began to change. 

n one mirror, he saw himself as a cruel king, sitting on a golden throne, shouting at frightened people. In another, he was a forgotten warrior, sitting alone in the dark, covered in dust, his sword broken beside him. 

IEach mirror showed a different version of his future. Some were powerful, others were lonely or cruel.

He stopped and looked around. “What is this place?” he asked.

From the shadows, a strange creature appeared. It was Echidna, the mother of monsters. She had the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a snake. Her eyes were glowing in the dark, and her voice was cold and smooth.

“This is the Hall of Futures,” Echidna said. “Every path you might walk is shown here. You can’t run from them. One of these will be your destiny.

Alp Er Tunga looked at the mirrors. The images were so real that he started to doubt himself. Will I become a cruel ruler? Will people forget me someday? Will I lose who I am?

Echidna came closer. “You don’t get to choose your fate,” she whispered. “It chooses you.”

But Alp Er Tunga broke the mirrors and said, “I will choose my own path.” The mirrors shattered, and the room turned to sunlight.

Kızagan Han was found himself standing in the middle of a deserted battlefield. The sky above was dark red, and the wind blew hot and wild.

Suddenly, there was an earthquake and from the shadows, a huge creature crawled forward—the Basilisk.  It had the body of a serpent, claws like a lion, and eyes that glowed bright yellow. But what shocked Kızagan Han the most was that the creature's face… looked exactly like his own!

Its eyes were full of anger, pride, and  fire—the same fire Kızagan had often felt inside himself.

“You are me,” Kızagan whispered.