"We have too often now been prisoners of our past. We should break the chains and confront our jailors: the future."~

Hyrule Castle Town had long been the center of Hyrule, both politically and economically: the Royal Family, the High Generals and the Council of Sages all convened in the towering palace, and the Town Market was thrice the size of any other in the land; drawing in traders from all points of the map.

To say the town was huge was an understatement. Countless streets and alleys form a maze that could cause the unwary visitor to become lost fast. It is no easy task to find someone alone in the crowd of this town, and that's merely above ground. Below the city streets lies a network of tunnels used by the less-than-reputable members of Hylian society, as well as those who just prefer their privacy.

Still, this story begins in an alley not too far from the Temple of Nayru, which itself was colossal in size, casting a shadow over the pass.

Suddenly, as though out of the darkness itself, a man emerges; red eyes betray him as a Shiekah, while his messy, dark-blue hair and crimson outfit reveal him to be none other than Kasei Dornmos Gobi, who was, until recently, believed to be dead. A letter was crushed in his hand. He had not bothered to read it - he knew what was happening months ago - a change in the guard.

It seems like so long ago...four years. Indeed, it's only been a short while since he first returned to Hyrule, and returned to his service as one of the seven vanguards of the gods; the Seven Stars. Since then, Kasei has faced an unnerving amount of challenges; dealing with the Tempest, Sovelis, aiding with the conflict caused by Zaboorak and attempting to defend the Golden Ones from his schemes, facing several powerful adventurers like Dogura, Nogare, and Orpheous, and discovering the existence of his family in Worru.

Perhaps the Dancing Shadow's greatest battle occurred when he was finally given the chance to avenge his wife; a great civil war, orchestrated by traitors and outsiders, tore Hyrule in two. One of the commanders for the enemy's side was revealed to be Kasei's own grandfather: Jormund Gobi, the man responsible for Aria's death. After eight months of war, the two met in the caverns beneath Death Mountain and fought with everything they had. The battle was not easy, nor was it short, but in the end Jormund lay dead, with Kasei having exhausted most of his energy and believed dead for a time.

Throughout all of these events, Kasei had tried to be as detached as possible, to not care for the ones he interacted with. But time and again, through battles and travel, riddles and drinking games, he had indeed grown to care for the others. And now, at the end of it all, he regrets this; for now it will be that much more distressing to leave them behind, even worse is he will not have a chance to say goodbye.

In the time following Jormunds' demise, Kasei continued on, holding barely a fraction of his former strength. In that time, the Seven Stars had searched far and wide for a new representative of the Shiekah race; one who could replace Kasei as the Dancing Shadow, one he could bestow his piece of power unto before leaving this world.

He breathed in deep, closed his eyes, and sighed, before taking his first step out of the alley and moving towards the temple.

"Still, I enjoyed the time I had..."

Tucking his shaggy grey hair under a bandanna, Worru began work on washing the floors of the temple. He was going to be in the city for quite a while as he waited for some business to be attended to, and he thought he might as well make himself useful. A couple of odd jobs here and there would at least make him feel better about a majority of his life being a total failure, after all.

Still, even with his mind occupied at his packed schedule of minute tasks, he had to admit something just wasn't settling right in his stomach. Everything had felt a little off, like a boat lurching forward as it hits a gust of wind. He wondered if he'd be able to take whatever would happen next. Probably not, he thought, shrugging, before kneeling down and beginning to scrub the floors. Life was just like that, he guessed.

The great hall of the Temple of Nayru could be considered one of the most beautiful sights in the land; a pure marble floor easily twenty-five yards across, on each side twelve columns of the same material lined the walls, each one going up about ten feet into the air; and all were topped with a shining chunk of Azurine, a precious metal associated with Nayru. The ceiling, another thirty feet up, portrays the image of the Hero, Master Sword in hand, surrounded by the Seven Sages of old, smiting down the demon king Ganondorf. The sheer size of the hall often drew many into believing it was the entirety of the temple, when in fact there were several other rooms and corridors that lay within. A shrine to Nayru, and to the Triforce of Wisdom, lay in the back of the hall, before it were many who came to pay tribute.

It took Kasei little time to climb the stairs into the hall, a place he had been to many times in the past; while he owed his allegiance to Din, Nayru's temple was set as the meeting place for the Seven Stars, and so he was familiar with it's halls.

Upon entry, the Dancing Shadow was surprised to see a familiar face; Worru, working hard at wiping the marble floors clean. Distracted momentarily, Kasei makes his way over to the boy, and coughs in order to get his attention.

"You know...I left you and Aria a house to share...one with a rather large treasure. Surely you haven't squandered my fortune already?"

The cough alone carried weight to it. Even after all this time, a whisper from that man could send shivers up Worru's spine. The boy practically jumped from his position on the floor, searching around to find its source before his eyes settled on Kasei. Worru gulped, trying to settle his nerves as he looked anywhere but at his grandfather.

"This? Oh, uh, no, not related to any of that. Just in town for some business to get settled, thought I might spend my time actually doing work. Your house and money are fine, as far as I know." He spoke quickly, mostly out of his nervous mood, and tried to get back to his work while still speaking. "Considering it's all in Aria's hands, it's probably safer there than in mine. You know how it can be, right?"

It then dawned on him that it was rather weird for Kasei to be in the temple, but decided it was better not to ask. It was Kasei, after all. Some questions can lead to bad answers.

Kasei smiled softly, glancing down at Worru with a chuckle, before leaning over and grabbing him by the collar, aggressively pulling the boy to his feet. "Now now, that's no way to see it. Aria's sure to get lonely without someone around to annoy her." The man walked off to the side for a way, before turning back to his grandson.

"Well, why don't you take a little break from swabbing the poop deck and take a walk with me? We never did have too many opportunities to bond, you know." He said as seriously as he could. Yes, I suppose this isn't bad, either...it'd be good for him to know...

Kasei turned, and made his way towards the east-most door, one that led into the lower levels of the temple.

Worru chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess she might." he said, fixing his shirt after Kasei had pulled on it. To be honest, he hadn't even been near the house for weeks now, instead having been out and about Hyrule, doing small jobs. It was nice to feel wanted some places, he had to admit.

When Kasei turned serious, however, Worru looked his grandfather in the eye, and nodded. He gulped, setting his rag and bucket over to the side of the hallway, tugging off his bandanna in the process, slipping it into a back pocket. "Sure thing, Kasei. I mean, if you'd like to." He hadn't even been down to the lower levels of the temple yet, but thought it must be mostly alright, considering he was with Kasei. Worru could expect the worst would at least be obvious when he was around.

The staircase into the lower level was surprisingly poor-lit, leaving barely enough light to see the steps as Kasei and Worru descended into the basement. Their footsteps being the only noise to break the silence, Kasei sighed and glanced behind him to Worru.

"You know, I don't think I ever gave you an explanation for what it is that I do...what we, the Seven Stars do." He said solemnly. Or did.

"As you know, whenever some great evil befalls the land, when some great monster goes on a rampage or the kingdom's monarchy is threatened, a hero arises, appointed by the gods, to protect this kingdom. But what about lesser evils? Civilian uprisings? Monster hordes growing out of control? Devious cults that threaten only nearby towns, and not Hyrule as a whole? The gods of this world hardly think it is necessary to awaken a hero and pass down the Triforce for relatively trivial matters like this."

The two came upon the door that led to the first-level basement, but Kasei continued on, down yet another flight of dimly-lit stairs. "That is where we come in, the Seven Stars. Founded years ago by the Sages of old, our little club has been tasked with less-than-reputable tasks, things that were deemed necessary for peace to continue in Hyrule. If peasants were in an uproar, we would subdue them. If a roving troupe of bandits too fire to the woodlands and towns, we would remove them." He paused, thinking his next words carefully before continuing. "Our missions were not always pleasant, or even morally right, but they were necessary, necessary for peace. Our job is to protect Hyrule from the shadows, the initial vanguard of the gods."

Nearing the bottom of the next staircase, Kasei turned around and faced Worru, pulling down at the collar of his shirt to reveal what appeared to be a golden, glowing, triangle-shaped gem embedded above his left breast, nearest to the heart. "This is a piece of power - a force gem - a symbol of my rank, and for many years the source of my power. I killed many men, many people, with the power of this gem, but it provides another purpose, too."

Kasei turns back towards the door, but did not continue walking. "We like to fancy ourselves immortal. Indeed; we are blessed by the gods with exceptionally long life, thanks to the pieces of power bestowed to each of us. But that is all...once the force gem is removed, we die, plain and simple. What's more; when one of our ranks is deemed to have grown to weak, or having outlived their usefulness, well, then it's time to pass on the gem to a new member of the Seven Stars."

The man briefly glances back at his grandson, a tired, solemn look in his eyes, the look of a man who desires nothing more than sleep. The moment passes, and Kasei turns back, reaching out to the door.

"I think you know why I'm here today, kid."

The atmosphere had grown more grim than Worru had expected it to. You've got to be kidding me, right? he had asked himself, following Kasei down the stairs, looking away from his grandfather as he looked around them. He was being much more serious than usual, and his talk was quickly growing more macabre than Worru had ever heard from Kasei before.

When his grandfather stopped before the door, his eyes widened. What Worru was hearing wasn't helping him at all, not with everything coming together like it had. "You can't mean what I think you mean. You can't just up and die like this." his arms fell to his sides, his shoulders slumping. "But I guess, if that's what you need to do, at least I was here to see you off."

Beyond the door lay a long corridor, white walls illuminated by green flame. The hall was lined with several doors on each side, some were barred, others did not have handles. One in particular, at least 30 yards down the hall, had the appearances of still-hot charcoal. Each of these doors was wide and tall, adorned with a triangle-themed arch.

"You know, Worru, I though the exact same thing; death is a terrifying endeavor, and no-one wants to experience it. Even though I've managed to prolong my end for a hundred years, my time expired long ago...I'm simply sitting on borrowed time as it is, and I can feel the strain now more than ever...simply breathing, walking, takes effort. And then there's the pain...Hehe, I'm glad I didn't need a cane to walk, today. Even if I don't want to die...I really don't want to know what could happen if I kept going like this."

Kasei continued walking down the hallway, passing many different doors until coming to a stop at the end of the hall "I won't have too many opportunities to tell you this, but come on down here again sometime and explore a bit...you never know what's in these rooms, they're fond of switching up on us. He glanced at the door before him, a dull gold, with the Triforce embedded on it.

The door did not wait for him to grab the handle, opening up almost as soon as he finished talking. Kasei stepped through, and beckoned Worru to follow.

Beyond the doorway was a large, circular white room, illuminated seemingly by magic, as there was no apparent light source. Within six figures formed a semi-circle, men and women from the various races of Hyrule; Gor Gigan the Goron, Silva, a Gerudo, a Zora by the name of Anna, Alfiey the Rito, a young Kokiri with an eerie smile, and in the center stood Xanatos the Hylian, who greeted the two guests with a warm smile.

"Hello, Gobi."

Worru looked around at the doors, wondering what was in them until Kasei mentioned what kind of secrets they hid behind them. He could only nod in response, the current events troubling him to the point of stopping him from talking. It was a shock, honestly, to have someone die in front of him, even after all these years. It was more of a shock that it was someone he knew, someone he had fought with, someone he cared about.

Once the room was in view, Worru stopped. Was he supposed to be here to watch the ceremony? Actually, why was he brought along? Did Kasei want him to know that he was going to die? He gulped, staying in the hallway as he watched the events unfold.

Kasei had had relatively few meetings with his companions over the years; they assembled only on special occasions: a new threat was discovered, or a call to war was made, or one of their own had to be replaced. Occasionally they would be called to a meeting, in order to re-assign members to patrol and watch over a different region in an attempt to keep things lively, but that itself rarely happened. No, whenever these seven shadowy warriors met, it was likely not for a good reason.

"Are you going to come in?" Kasei was snapped out of his thought process as Xanatos' question hammered into his core, holding the weight of the impending doom he was to meet. Without a reaction, he stepped forward, never looking back to Worru nor giving him any indication that the youth should follow, but the door remained open nonetheless. Kasei took his place next to Silva, who shot him a worried glance, before returning her attention to Xanatos, who turned to address his present companions.

The Hylian cleared his throat before waving his arm in a gesture to the others. "As you all know, the last half-decade has been incredibly busy...between the Hakiem uprising, a Civil War, a Tempest with a tantrum and a schism on the outer borders, we've had our hands full. Silva, Kasei, you two have easily been the most productive, and thanks to you both we managed to successfully put an end to two different wars. For this, you have my deepest thanks."

It's not exactly like you owe me any less... Kasei does not have fond memories of battling Jormund. Yes, he was able to avenge his wife, Aria I and restore his hometown to its' former glory, but he was still left with an empty aching in his heart, one that could now never be filled. The conflict with Cairn was no better, and left more questions than answers. Questions that now could not be answered, here at the end of his life.

"So, I think that just about covers everything else...let's see now." Xanatos pulls some sheets of paper from seemingly nowhere, and ruffles through them, muttering to himself and pointing at everyone in the room before speaking up again. "Alright, Alfiey, you're not going anywhere, you're staying at New Peaktop just like you asked, Silva, the same goes for you, keep up the good work by the way. Now, Anna, you'll be trading places with..."

Before he could continue any further, he was interrupted by a loud "Hey!" from Kasei, who looked exasperated and slightly annoyed. "Yes, Gobi? I'll get to your reassignment in just a second, why are you so impatient?"

"Reassignment?" Kasei stated, disbelief in his voice, "Aren't I here to get replaced?" He demanded, holding his arms out. He glanced to Silva and Alfiey, then briefly over at Worru, before locking his gaze on Xanatos. "Shouldn't you get that out of the way, first?" At this, all eyes on the room were on him. Silva looked worried, glancing back between Kasei and Xanatos, while Gor Gigan stared intently, possibly pondering the outburst in his head.

If Xanatos was shocked, or surprised at all, he did not show it, merely looking over his papers again before turning about face to Kasei. "Umm...did you bother to read the letter I sent out, Gobi? Why could we possibly want to replace you?"

At this, Kasei reached into his back pocket, pulling out the crumbled envelope, unfolding it and pulling out a single piece of paper. "Mmmhmm...Salutations...mm...Notice to all compatriots...ughh..reassignment..." After a moment of silence, the Dancing Shadow looked back up to Xanatos, a look of disbelief on his face. "But...I thought..."

"One of your biggest flaws, Gobi, is that you love to make assumptions about a situation before thoroughly considering any alternative possibilities. No, we are not here to kill you this evening, that would be inane."