What a painful reality this is...

A breeze blew loudly over the ruined castle. Pieces of a massive cathedral that once flourished as the temple for the Goddesses served as mere stepping stones for the monsters that now called this their home. The red sky hung over the area, bleeding ashes down upon the populace.

...Could I have even made a difference?

A lonely spirit stood among the rubble, having quick flashbacks to the civilization he knew as Castle Town. He turned his head towards where the majestic royal palace once towered over the area- it was now barren, devoid of any comfort that it used to bring to the surrounding populace.

If I had been alive, could I have stopped this?

The spirit turned his head towards the area where the Tree of Life once stood. A massive tree that had been kept alive for hundreds of years in the castle courtyard. It had served as shade for weary travelers, beauty for passing onlookers, and a symbol of everlasting hope for residents who knew its story. It now served to prop the back of a Moblin who was chewing on a Hylian carcass. It tore a chunk of flesh from the former carpenter's bones, and looked up as it chewed.

Could the power of one have saved the world this fate?

The spirit followed the monster's gaze towards two Moblins fighting over a gold coin. They repeatedly beat each others' bodies until one of them fell and the other pocketed the coin. The creature grunted in satisfaction as it lumbered away. Stalhounds moved in to feed on the fallen Moblin, each of them carrying hunger in their eyes. The spirit floated to the top of a still standing bell-tower and landed gently.

Money... It truly was the root of all evil.

The spirit thought back on all the mercenaries who refused to fight against the growing forces of Ganon because there was no coin in it for them. He thought about how Ganon's informants operated on coin, and how people starved because of lack of funds. The spirit's eyes fell upon the Moblin as it walked away with its coin, only to be ambushed by two more. The mugging was taking place right next to the statue built in the hero's honor, it too half destroyed.

To think even he would fall... I suppose he wasn't immortal, but...

The spirit looked up at the blood-red sky, ashes pouring out of it like rain, and sighed heavily.

What if Dad hadn't been under Ganon's control... Would it have swayed the tide of battle just enough?

The boy's spirit was restless from the battle. He still couldn't cope with the fact that he, along with everyone else perished. It was over. There would be no last minute rescue. There would be no salvation. There would be no hope. Never again...

---

--

-

Ah!!

Katsuro suddenly jutted forward. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up fully, holding himself up with one hand behind his back as he placed his other above his eyes to block the sunlight. He squinted up at the crystal blue sky. His eyes followed a Rito postman as he flew overhead, and disappeared over the tree he was under. He quickly remembered where he was as he looked around. He was sitting under the Tree of Life! He smiled, and sighed heavily as he remembered the situation. Ganon was amassing forces. He wondered if he'd had a dream, a vision, or a warning. Perhaps all three!

"I can't let it happen!" He cried out, all full of motivation once again.

"What?" A nearby vendor asked, as Katsuro quickly bolted into the middle of the courtyard.

"Hey! Anyone! I'm taking all challengers!! Somebody fight me! I've got to train for the war!" He smiled confidently. "A red rupee to anyone who can beat me," he further enticed the crowd. "C'mon, I'm just a kid! How hard can it be?" He said in a rather flashy and provocative tone.

Nothing tasted quite as good as the flavor of lava-cue pudding, fresh from the Goron vendors. The desert was well-known for being both scalding hot and soothingly cool at the same time, a magical concoction of the Goron tribe, and one that Kasei thoroughly enjoyed, strolling down market road, as clustered as ever. Vendors of all races peddled their wares, some cheap, some expensive. Useful items like spare bottles and hookshot extensions, alongside relatively worthless things like larval bugs and 'magic' beans. Cane in hand, pudding in the other, the Shiekah found today to be quite enjoyable.

"What a time to be alive, huh..." Kasei took another nibble of his pudding before a call rang out in the crowd;

"Hey! Anyone! I'm taking all challengers!! Somebody fight me! I've got to train for the war!"

"Hmm? What's going on over here?" The Dancing Shadow wondered, walking over to see what the commotion was. Moving to the front of the crowd, he rested against his cane before spotted what looked like a young man harassing the vendors, spouting about training as shoppers and guards looked on with a wary caution.

Kasei himself noted something...familiar about the kid, though he wasn't sure what about him could be so nostalgic. Regardless, the Shiekan smiled and waved to the youth, trying to get his attention. "What's got you so worked up, son?"

OOC: Now, I feel like I should ask this now: Is this before our Civil War, alternatively; when does this take place? As soon as I know I'll change some minor details in the post. PM me or message via Skype to let me know.

"What's got you so worked up, son?"

The boy turned his head towards the inquirer. His eyes traveled up the length of the man's body; he was tall! Furthermore, when he met the man's gaze, he took a sharp inward breath as he stared into the eyes of another Sheikah. Another! He straightened up to respond.

"I had a vision that everyone..." He trailed off as he looked around the courtyard. There were children standing around. He couldn't go off and say that everyone here would be dead if something didn't change the course of history. In fact, he didn't even know for sure himself if it were a vision of the what could be or what will be. For all he knew, they might not be able to do anything about it.

But we have to try... He began with a new approach, not any less true than his original.

"Ever since my father disappeared, I've been slacking off on my training and routines. I feel like I'm letting my skills rot, and I need someone to spar with." He looked hopefully at Kasei. Katsuro's eyes held much more than conviction. They were full with purpose, energy, and commitment; however behind all of that was uncertainty, worry, and urgency. He looked like he could burst out laughing or crying at any given moment. Unwavering however, he stood staring at the man before adding, "He normally wouldn't allow me to skip training... This whole time, I've been expecting him to drop out of nowhere and scold me, but... He's hasn't... He's letting me get away with eating all the sweets I want, staying up late all the time... He even let me have my first drink the other day, and... It's like he's actually not there... But he's never not been there... I'm just..." His eyes turned downward as he struggled to finish babbling. "It's not that I need him around all the time- in fact, I actually always wondered what it would be like to be able to hide from him... He was just... Always there... It's been so long since I've heard from him, I..." He stopped his sentence, and sighed. What am I doing spilling all of this to a complete stranger. He doesn't care.

"I'm sorry, sir... I'm just..." Worried. Nothing could happen to dad... He's too strong. Nothing can stop him. Nothing... Right? "I'm just feeling like maybe I'm getting rusty. I need someone strong to test my steel against." He finished, his eyes rising back to the Sheikah's. "You can use any weapon of your choice to fight with me. I'll be able to handle myself, since I used to spar with my dad... And nothing against you, but I find it hard to believe there is a tougher opponent than either of my teachers." He finished speaking.

There are two difficult disciplines in this world. One the way of the warrior and one the way of the philosopher. One is lucky to master either- Dad mastered both.
He waited for an answer, but couldn't take his mind off of what had become of his father. So how could anyone best dad? He has to be fine... He has to be... Unless the might of heaven's army brought its entire arsenal down on his head... He has to be fine... He must be... He is...

~
"I had a vision that everyone..."
~


Kasei smiled warmly, listening to the boy explain his situation like a grandfather would to his grandchildren. Ignoring his 'vision' business, it's obvious that a lot is on this kid's mind. Sizing the youth up, it was apparent to Kasei that he wasn't just spouting nonsense; the kid had at least some muscle, that much was evident, and Kasei couldn't help but feel that something was off, something kept nagging at the back of his mind; Shiekan children are rarely seen in the town, and this one just seemed so familiar.

Aria would probably yell at me for this.

"Well, if your father is as good as you say, I'm sure that he'll be just fine." The Dancing Shadow claimed, attempting to reassure the boy before stepping forward, a glint of excitement in his eyes as he walked past him towards one of the nearby courtyards, twirling his cane in a hand. As he walked, he straightened his posture, cracking his neck and back in the process so as to not lock up the joints or muscles. It became apparent, fast, that this man did not need the cane to walk. "I'll gladly fight you, son, but not here; there's far too many people in the streets for us to be swinging our weapons around. "

"I'll gladly fight you, son, but not here; there's far too many people in the streets for us to be swinging our weapons around."

Katsuro smiled widely. What luck! "Yes sir!" He saluted before turning around and taking off towards the gate. He turned and beckoned the man to follow. <a href="http://desertcolossus.com/adventures/vi ... 2">"Follow me!"</a> He called out as he dashed past the guard.