Silence.
The world was so quiet the silence was tangible. Everything had gone quiet for the past few months. Hyrule Castle was no longer the merry, bustling center of activity it usually was. There was no one wandering the streets, no soldiers out guarding the gate, no people or sounds anywhere. One would think this would be the perfect opportunity for an enemy attack, yet nothing of the sort had happened. The enemy had gone quiet, too. It was almost as if the whole universe had ground to a halt; as if time itself had stopped ticking. And there was only one person left to observe it. At least, to his knowledge he was the only one. Every day he wandered the streets of Hyrule, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone else, a familiar adventurer, a Hylian Soldier, someone, anyone. He would even welcome an enemy, at this point. Target practice would be more enjoyable than this, this endless wandering of dead streets, searching for life. He glanced up at the dim light of the sun behind the dark clouds that always covered the sky, blanketing the world in a shroud of eternal twilight. The man sighed and lowered his head back down, glancing about the streets one last time before heading down the street. It was time to make his rounds around the city walls. If no one else was on patrol, he had to do it. An enemy invasion would not be a good thing to have right now, and he had to be prepared for the possibility.
He wound his way up the stone staircase to the high walls overlooking the vast plains of Hyrule and began his walk around the city.
"The skies certainly aren't very inviting today." He commented to himself. "Then again, they never are. I wonder when those nasty looking clouds are going to go away? It seems like they've been up there forever." He paused again, and took a sweeping look out over the plains.
"And there's no sign of them going away, either. They just keep extending out beyond the horizon." He resumed his walk.
"I wonder what the king is thinking, abandoning his duties like this. If he's still alive. If anyone is still alive in this bloody city. Because if they are, they certainly haven't shown it." He quickly advanced up a small flight of stairs to the next section of the wall.
"Almost went into the castle today. Almost walked right into the throne room and knocked some sense into the lazy worthless king we've got. But it wouldn't be the first time I've had thoughts like that. Couldn't count the number of times I've been tempted to walk into someone's house, just to see if anyone was there. To ask where they've been, and why the hell no one has been out lately. Why no one is around. Why no one else has taken a fancy to existing the past few months." He sighed.
"I suppose I don't do it because, in the end, I'm afraid to know. Afraid to find out where everyone has gone. Afraid I'll walk in and find that there is no one home, or worse, everyone is... no, I'm not going to think like that. There has to be some reason everyone is hiding inside. Maybe the royal soothsayer forecast the end of the world or something, so everyone is hiding inside. Maybe I just missed something important." He turned a corner and walked a good long ways in silence. Then, "Everything should be normal soon. I bet any day now I'll see people out on the streets, and soldiers doing what they're supposed to do; walking the wall I'm walking now." He came to the staircase leading down off the city walls. He turned away from it and walked to the edge of the wall, looking down to the moat below. Whatever he was thinking of, he didn't say. After a few moments he shook his head and walked away, back to the stairs and walked down.
"Best be on your way, Leth, before you begin talking to yourself."

Not a single person was around. No one seemed to exist at all, the streets of the town abandoned as if no one has ever walked them.

An ominous boom could be hear in the distance, like the cracking of foreign thunder. On a populated day, the noise would go almost unnoticed. A ripple, a crack, seemed to appear in midair, in the very center of town, evidently the source of the noise.

From within the crack, one could see a swirling vortex of shadows that seemed to span for eternity, as well as a single, solitary figure. The entity reached out, it's hand passing beyond the crack and into the town. The hand was followed by a foot, then another, then the entire body of Kasei Dornmos Gobi, stepping out of a rift in space into the abandoned city.

"It's just as I thought." He muttered, looking around. "Not a soul can be felt, what could have done this?" He contemplated, searching around, as the rift closed behind him. He saw no animals, no flies on the rotting apples in the food stalls, no birds above to signal life, nothing.

Perhaps....he was alone.

"You sure took your time!"A voice echoed across the empty town square.
From one of the lifeless streets a familiar figure approached the Rebel flame.
Garbed in his usual purple cloak, Azador continued. "Kasei...It has been a while!"
He spoke in a surprisingly cheerful demeanor, with a warm smile on his face, he made a welcoming gesture.

"Quite lovely....this peace... isn't it!?"

His gaze turned to the castle, towering in front of them.

"A castle for free!

And with Hyrule's knowledge laying around unprotected like this,
No one will be able to disturb my research now....
I will surely become the greatest magician ever if it continues like this!"

His smile slowly disappeared as he spoke and his eyes turned to Rebel flame again.

"But I assume you have come to put an end to this have you not!?"

Kasei smiled at the sight of a familiar face. Azador was an old friend of Kasei's, ever since they met ages ago. Kasei trusted Azador, as a friend and as a man of discovery; his research was often long-winded, but it yielded fruitful results.

"Azador, I'm afraid that I hardly know what this is, I can hardly devise a prospective way to cancel this out, whether this is a spell of some sort, an alternate dimension, or the future....I have no clue."

Keychain sighed, paused walking, looked up, sighed again, and continued walking. Her clothing and her mood seemed to match the dreary day. Bathed in black and gray, she looked like someone who should be attending a funeral rather than a stroll through streets. Streets that happened to be dead.

"I finally get out of my house and this happens," she mumbled. Keychain scowled lightly and looked around. "Does everyone want to hide?" She pushed the thoughts of how everyone could just be gone away from her conscious. It did, however, bury a spot in the back of her mind, and it kept coming up with each window that she glanced in. Anger boiled in her. No one could possibly be gone! Not unless if there was a mass slaughter.

Then where was everyone?

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it!" she shrieked, yelling at herself. Her foot slammed into the nearest wall. A yelp came from her throat. Soft shoes plus a hard wall equals a very hurt foot. Keychain slumped against the wall and sighed. For one last time she looked around hopelessly.

And saw a familiar face.

Keychain shook her head lightly. She shouldn't get her hopes up. Not at all. But then again . . . She glanced over shortly again and frowned. Could there happen to be a few more people who were actually still around?

At least the world wasn't completely dead.

OoC: Uh....well....I'm not sure if I'll be staying around....

OOC: Wow, there are people left in HA2 after all. I thought it had gone dead again... does anybody happen to know where the RG's went off to?

IC: Leth nearly leaped out of his boots at the sight of another human being. Though Kasei might not be his most favorite person in the world (Leth had fought him on enough occasions to know not to completely trust him), he was more than overjoyed to see him; to hear another human voice in this god-forsaken land. Then, lo and behold, two more familiar faces appeared! They were the countenances of Keychain and Azador, who he didn't really know but had worked with him on a few missions. At this point, though, Leth didn't care much that he wasn't well acquainted with him. He was another humanoid life form, that was all that mattered. Leth was seized with the urge to run over and hug them all, but that would be rather unbecoming of the dignified ranger, so he fought the urge and managed to simply walk over to them.

"So, I see I'm not the only person left in the world after all. I was afraid no one else was still alive. I was about to come to the conclusion that I had missed the apocalypse or something." He laughed, but it was quickly suppressed. "Although we are still in a rather serious situation. The nearest I can tell, time has stopped. The clouds aren't even moving. It's been about five o'clock in the afternoon for about two months now. I thought at first that it was some sort of enemy enchantment, but when no enemies came, I started having other thoughts. If you could, tell me where you came from and how you got here?" He looked at them expectantly, hoping to find some clue to the riddle that lay before them.

OOC: I can't speak for the others, but I check up on the site once a week at least, to see if there's anything new up. I saw the topic and I instantly decided to see where it'd take me.

We've fought? Jk

IC: Kasei smiled pleasantly at Keychain's appearance, recognizing her as an ally and friend. When Leth appeared, however, Kasei was genuinely shocked. He had not seen that ranger-ish being for some time, not since their last bout. He listened intently to Leth's account.

When all was said, Kasei spoke up. "Well, that is quite odd. I had been using the rift as a shortcut to the castle, I was coming here from Parapa village when an odd shift in the rift's flux forced me deeper into it's darkness. I don't know what happened, but I came out fine, and this doesn't appear to be another dimension, or the apocalypse." He explained in his usual calm, patient tone. "However, I can't seem to establish a mental link with my companions, as if I'm not in Hyrule at all." He added, in what could be a concerned tone.

"Either way, this is an interesting phenomenon."

It was lonely around. A feeling Dogura had grown accustomed to, but hadn't revisited in quite some time. He didn't like it any more than he ever had, and the still silence wreaked of supernatural involvement; for with the samurai, silence was rare. Briefly, screams would rip through his telepathic mind. Perhaps the dying cries of men and women which couldn't depart from the world they'd become used to. Crying. Reaching. Restless. Souls of the common were everywhere. All the time, they were watching. Dogura possessed the gift that he'd wished to pass on since he was young. He could see the restless, and because of a select few other unnatural talents he possessed, he could hear them as well. Ignore them. Shut them out. Don't let them know you can see them. That was rule #2. He dare not let his mind stray to rule #1; for to think about it is to break the rule altogether. He hated shamans, he really did. Spirits live in a world completely apart from our own- and we owe it to them to stay out of their world. Those who have experienced death roam the nether realm, and one such as Dogura would cause the spirits trapped there to ask...

Why is he so special?

The whispers faded in and out like a faulty radio station turned to its lowest volume setting. Even the screams somehow came in whispers. The horrible whispers. The demons- those were the ones that knew he could hear them, and they often took advantage of this when they grew bored with tormenting the souls that walk alongside them.

rip you open

your time is coming
where are your friends, tough guy?


it will happen

the clan song rings rigid
can you hear your funeral in the distance?

Ignore them. Rule #2 wasn't always easy to follow. That is when the overwhelming screaming silence took hold of him. "Do you forget what my blade... can do?" The samurai asked calmly, and quietly. He pushed the sword slightly out of its sheath with his thumb. "Your end hasn't come until I say it has. Begone." The voices of the demons stopped, but the screaming did not. Only those aware that they could make contact had stopped. The samurai sighed, and stared into the sky. He wasn't aware of what had happened exactly- but everyone was gone.

we can tell you what you want to know... for the price...

In a quick motion, Dogura's steel had swept through the air to the left of his head. A shrill multi toned screech filled the air before slowly fading away. Dogura flung his sword forward, the ectoplasm sliding off the blade. He cleaned it, and sheathed it again. One thing was certain; they wouldn't bother him for a while. He rarely needed to make an example of a demon gone awry. Dogura, tired of these antics, stood up, and listened intently. By focusing, the screams quieted, and the voices faded away. Now there was silence. Almost. He honed in on a few voices. No doubt the only ones left alive would be those responsible for whatever happened. That or survivors. Either way, the vagabond no further trusted the source of the voices than he trusted the whispers of the wicked. His position on top of the highest castle wall provided ample vision, and still he could not locate the voices.

A heavy sigh, and a few leaps later, he was standing on a rooftop not far from the barracks. He scanned once more, and located the group. Not a large one, but still people. His eye opened a bit further upon a rising eyebrow. He was actually familiar with a few of them. Kasei, more than the others. That alone was enough to approach the group. If his memory served, Azador was also with them. He didn't know the man well, but he'd at least seen him around. His eye closed as he shifted his stance. He'd decided to watch over them, in case of trouble- but not to directly interact with them. Although shadows were not in abundance during this time of day, he found one with enough room to slip through, and disappeared from view. He was growing tired of the day time, and wished only for it to seize. However, whatever apocalyptic event had taken hold, it would seem that it had either A) stopped time, or B) knocked the planet off of its normal rotation. While (B) seemed more likely, anything was possible with enough magic power. It had crossed his mind a few times... the question of how he'd not been around for whatever happened.

More on his mind was the whereabouts of his companion, Darkin. He'd not heard from him in what seemed like a week. The Rito enjoyed his alone time, and Dogura, a fan of alone time himself, respected that. Dogura slide silently underneath the road that the group was speaking on. He would listen to the conversation intently, and he'd not only be hidden from view, but he'd be able to detect any vibrations of enemies nearby. [Awareness Check]

OOC: I miss you guys

"An interesting phenomenon indeed, old friend." A voice echoed loudly in the empty streets, emanating from a lone figure approaching the group. A tattered red clock swirled around the equally worn black robes of the man who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

Sovelis Magelion Li'ano Liadon, a face that had been missing from the lands of hyrule for what seemed like an eternity. He casually puffed at a long-stemmed pipe that he held clutched between his teeth, the smoke clinging weakly to the air around him. "It could be a pocket dimension of some sort... sort of like the one I use to keep my house in."

The Tempest held his staff in his steel-like hand, the other rubbing the hilt of a curved blade that hung from his belt. Eye's darting to the left and right cautiously as if expecting something or someone to jump out at him from the dark windows and doorways. "Whatever it is, This place doesn't feel right in the least bit. And we don't belong here."

Silence.

Clouds covering the sky.

Not a single person in sight.

Most would have been troubled by this. For Alpha, it was like living a dream - and yes, that means a nice, pleasant dream. Not a nightmare.

Even so, after a while such a world had gotten boring - there was nothing to do and no reason to do it, and if there was anything the Sheikah hated more than his cursed scar it was a meaningless existence. So once a few days had passed by, the caped mage had departed from the Deku Woods where he'd been spending his time. He'd made his way back to North Castle, wondering if anyone else was still around, willing to work towards recreating a more social setting if it meant he could have something worthwhile to do once more.

The capital city seemed much like the Woods had been - deserted on every street and shop, with even the birds in the air vanished. Alpha wandered about for several minutes before his ears perked up - they'd captured a sound. He leapt up, scaling a building in a few quick bounds and running across the rooftops until he found a small gathering of Adventurers speaking together in a small space.

He waited for a few moments, glancing about and listening to the conversation a bit longer, then dropped down to the streets, drew his signature cape around his body, and strolled forward to meet them. "Hello, everyone," he said calmly. Then he stopped, reveling in the silence once more.

Chances were he wouldn't be able to for a long time afterwards.

OOC: And here I thought everyone had abandoned this place to the depths of internet obscurity...

I can't speak for where the RGs have gone, but I imagine they were in the same situation most of us have been in: they were busy towards the end of November and in December, and when they came back came back to find a distinct lack of activity had taken place in their absence. Don't know about you guys, but I found it rather depressing when I came back after Christmas Break and found that we went a full month without any posts (yeah, seriously. From Dec. 7 to Jan. 9, we had a grand total of 0 posts). I had no desire to come back if no one else was here . . .

So, kudos to Leth for doing what no one else did: starting a topic and bringing activity back!

OOC: DOGURA, SOVELIS, ALPHA! DEAR GODDESSES! You're alive, sweet. ^_^

Better post now >>;

IC: Kasei's head turned with a snap as he heard an old and distant, but friendly and familiar voice; that childish voice that could only belong to Sovelis, the Tempest, an old ally and friend, another face Kasei had not seen in some time. The battles they had against each other in the field was only matched by the amount of drinking games they competed in. Seeing the warrior mage, even in this situation, was a pleasant thing to Kasei, who welcomed his friend with a kind smile.

Another voice caught his attention, this one was not so inviting; it was the voice of a certain Keyru, otherwise known as Alpha, the enigmatic and lonesome sorcerer shiekah. As much as Leth may distrust Kasei, the Rebel Flame distrusts Alpha even more, perhaps more than any of his acquaintances he's met these last 3 years. Kasei knew very little of Alpha's past, but what he did know did not make the appearance of the scarred mage bring any sort of comfort; he said nothing at all to him, nothing needed to be said.

OOC: Yeah, I feel like Dogura; I've missed you all. It would be nice if somebody could join my topic, not that I'm here to advertise. But, hey, if you can't beat 'em...

IC: The eeriness of it threw Simon off. It reminded him of the Carrier System 921 incident. A strange case indeed. But he grew to recognize the signs. He checked his watch. Yes, it was definitely still ticking. So, it was just eerily calm, so it wasn't like that nightmarish ordeal.

But, before he could reflect upon it, he heard voices. He recognized one of the louder ones as Kasei, the Rebel Flame. Such a friend's voice could only mean one thing, that the group of voices probably didn't belong to fiends, considering Kasei was speaking to them like friends. Then again, there was an alternate history that Orpheous told Simon of, in which Kasei served a Dark Lord of some kind. Apacolypse, Cataclysm... Armaggedon, that was it. Regardless, Simon walked out from a side street he was exploring to join the group. Instantly, he recognized Sovelis, Alpha, Keychain (though he knew not her name), Leth, and Azador. He refrained from speaking, but gave a light wave, and stepped plainly into an open view where the discussing group could see him. He simply drew it information that they knew about this oddity, and tried to see if it could help him draw conclusions. If anybody wanted to great him, though, he would do likewise and recant to formality.

Keychain inched closer to the small group. She stayed silent as she watched them talk about the situation. She pressed her lips together hard. The color drained from them as her teeth dug into the insides of her mouth. Strange, yes, she thought. But, strange things happen a lot of the time, don't they?

She stayed silent as she stood near the group. A foot tapped againt the ground. A small, slip on shoe that matched her baggy black pants. Keychain rested her hands across her mouth, hiding a frown. Even if she tried to hide the frown, it could still be seen in her eyes. Her blue eyes flickered about as she thought.

Finally, she spoke, "Well, it's pleasant that we are all here, at least."

The ground trembled, even if ever so slightly.

A light weighted fellow...

Too heavy to be Deku... Too light to be Goron... Faeries fly.

Dogura's eye remained shut as he remained submerged in the inky depths of the shadows. He floated into a upright position, and folded his arms with a wrinkled brow, as if deep in thought.

A Zora... A Human... Hylian... Possibly a Rito, or Gerudo.

Too light to be carrying a lot of equipment... A mage, or a thief perhaps...

Of course, all he would have to do is open his eye and take a look through the one way visual that was the ground. But where was the fun in that? If any at all, the fun would be spoiled as soon as the person drew near enough. Suddenly, the now recognizable mage was kicking off an unforgettable aura.

"An interesting phenomenon indeed, old friend."

Sovelis.
One of the only people Dogura had ever severely underestimated. A smile came to his mouth. He felt compelled to surface now. To make his presence known.

Suddenly, the vagabond's head snapped in a different direction. Something had fallen from the sky, but with far less force than a normal person would have kicked off from jumping off the average sized roof around this area. This made him suspect a Rito. Darkin maybe! The samurai now wanted to open his eye more than ever, but decided rather to wait for the surprise. It could be a skilled mage or thief after all. As the person drew closer, the samurai's hopes were rising as he felt a strong magical pressure. However, when the shiver ran down his spine, he knew. The presence of this particular mage was also unforgettable. While Dogura trusted him no more than he trusted a stranger, he enjoyed Alpha's company more than any others. They seemed to share somewhat similar ideals, and when Alpha spoke, it was almost always something worth saying, and something worth hearing.

"Hello, everyone."

Dogura opened his eye, and confirmed in his mind that he could now safely reveal himself. It was important to remain hidden in case of an ambush, but with Sovelis and Alpha, they would now be far more alert than they needed to be. Much like Dogura, Alpha never seemed to let his guard down, and the same could also possibly be said for Sovelis. No need to stay hidden any longer, in fact it may be more beneficial to make an appearance. If either of the mages detected the energy of a hidden entity, they wouldn't hesitate to act as if it were an enemy waiting to spring. Slowly, not far from where the adventurers were discussing the dilemma, a certain portion of a shadow cast by a nearby building blackened to a dark oily substance. The road seemed to bend as if something were rising out of a very viscous fluid. As the earth slid off of his head and shoulders as he rose, his scarred face was distinguishable. He was brandishing a few new small but noticeable burn marks as well. The road gathered back together under his feet, and turned back to its normal color.

"Funny how when these kinds of things happen... We always meet," He said with a warmer than usual smile. His armor shined in the sun, which had overstayed its welcome by now, as he walked towards the group. "Sovelis. I haven't seen you since... Well Din knows! I see you've remained in one piece, which is more than I can say about myself..." He looked grudgingly at his prosthetic arm, and moved his fingers a bit before turning his eyes to Alpha. "I see you've taken care as well. Haven't lost your imposing stature I see." His eye roamed in Kasei's direction, whom he believed was the last person he knew well enough to owe a special greeting to. "And we have the Rebel Flame himself among us. To whom do I owe the honor?," he asked jokingly, as he folded his arms. "To those of you here who don't know me, you can call me 'Samurai'." He noted, raising a hand. "I won't harm you unless you try something funny. That being said, don't." He pointed a finger to the sky with a grimace. Now if anyone knows a way to turn that damn light off, I'd much appreciate it."

Azador maintained a small distance from him and the group, and did not actively join in the conversations that emerged. He could only frown at the sight of his fellow adventurers.'Impossible! I was certain that Hyrule was deserted! Where do these people come from?'
He thought, while his eyes were concentrated on Alpha.
'Even that man is here... the one the Hakiem lord wants me to spy on...
I suppose when this mess is solved I will continue doing so....'

He looked upwards, it was then that he realized that he had indeed been looking at the same sky for months. The clouds remained motionless, and the sun would not set down. He was so focused on his research that even the passing of time had lost his interest.

He glanced around, 'Kasei' 'Leth' 'Sovelis' and that 'Samurai guy' seemed to be the center of the group, he had no interest in going in conversation with either of them at this time. He was only interested in the current set of events.
He saw two adventurers that were also in some distance of the group, Keychain and Simon.
Without much hesitation he approached the two.

"Say, how are you two doing this fine day?"