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"Ōhirume-sama, you have to stop! Now!"

The woman, through all of her tears, bore a hole into Kusanagi's conscience. She knew he was right but... how could she stop? Her own flesh and blood was meters away, granted it was not truly him. That was another important matter. It was not impossible to believe that Susano'o parted with a portion of his spirit to assist mortals in their goals; the real question was why. For her, mortals had too few redeeming qualities to be kept alive, let alone given help. This thought then reminded her of her other brother, Tsukuyomi, who instead disliked demons and monsters and such ilk due to the pun made in his name. As many things as they were in disagreement on, they were equally in agreement on however, granted Amaterasu's view on the mortal races were quite skewed now compared to then.

"I know how difficult this must be for you... and I want you to reunite with him too... but there are too many eyes. You absolutely cannot reveal your identity. This is why you're wearing your mother's mask. Surely that alone will be enough for him to recognize you."

The weapon spoke directly into Void's mind so that nobody would hear the conversation. Amaterasu gritted her teeth and retorted as though she was in physical pain, which by the way was not an exaggeration.

"I... know that... but my... body is... moving beyond... my control. Its... desire... is too powerful... Kusanagi, you must... force me to transform... even for just a moment. Let me release... all this fire... within my being."

Not a moment after her thought finished, her body was engulfed in pure white-red flame. Said flame grew large and larger as she walked closer and closer to where Susano'o and those other mortals she did not know of. Void did not know there were also many other things going on at the same time. Many summoned spirits resided there, along with another gradually brightening light which was not her own. A very large man with a white beard also made his appearance at the most perfect time. The concrete underneath Void's feet melted upon touch, and even as she began to see all of those beings just ahead, the flame grew more powerful but eventually shrunk in size until everything culminated within Kusanagi's blade. It glowed with such pure white flame that said light was clearly shown through the sheath which was quite thick. Her companion could allow this much, so that she would not reveal her true nature to mortals but it was most definitely enough of a display for the spirit fragment of Susano'o to recognize that unique flame.

"I pray that nothing bad comes of this. It is usually the most harmless actions that lead to the most dire of situations."

Unfortunately, Amaterasu naturally gravitated closer and closer to her brother who apparently could not move. The woman next to him was entirely naked, which did not faze Ōhirume in the slightest. She could tell however that young human was very powerful at just a glance. The posture, as well as the quality of summons she had near her, made it pretty clear. How strong was a separate question that currently Void could not answer; regardless, she drew closer... closer... closer still, until she was less than a foot away from her brother. The black-haired goddess wrapped her arms around the spirit and brought herself tightly against his small body.

"Meanwhile, I am sitting here folding myself so the engravings don't melt away. This may be the one time Amaterasu-sama can see her brother, but... surely she must realize that even a few seconds under this kind of heat feels like an entire century worth of life. She doesn't even realize that her clothes are starting to melt off. I know she has zero sense of modesty but to such a point in front of so many humans, she may as well be Aph- nevermind. It may be best not to say. She might randomly start paying attention to her surroundings."

That feeling of oneness was in fact something she had not felt in thousands of years though now it made her somewhat sad. She knew that they had to part again. And despite the sky being so crystal clear, warm rain began to drizzle lightly from above... as though the Sun itself was crying. Void pulled herself away after a couple of moments and then rested her forehead against his, whispering something only he could hear.

"We will be together again, I swear it... Takehaya-nii-san."

She then tore herself away and all of her emotions burned away without a trace. With all that heat built up, even Kusanagi began to fold its own metal. Finally the blade was removed from its sheath with Amaterasu's right hand. The woman knew that with her current strength she would not be able to take down this man known as Santa Claus on her own; for this, she relied on the strength of that naked human girl to finish things up. After all, she was a Goddess. She could pin this decision entirely on divine guidance if she truly felt the need to give a reason.

"You must be the boy who's causing all this trouble. Mmm, before I have to leave, let me give you a gift. More than likely the others here will teach you a proper lesson in manners that I could not hand over."

Amaterasu lifted Kusanagi above her with both hands gripping the pommel tightly and moved into a perfect-posture kendo striking stance. This technique was visualized in her mind. She took the concept of her Tan'itsu Shunkan and instead applied it to kendo, except there was a twist. By spending triple the energy cost of this technique, she could multiply the amount of strikes in that brief second it happened by twenty times. Searing and slicing in the same spot at the same angle and velocity, the wound left on his chest would be... both horrendous and irreparable. However, without even realizing, she performed the technique as she visualized it and she was already putting the blade back in its sheath, said flame having been dissipated after being released in the attack. Ōhirume hesitated for a moment and looked back at Susano'o, or rather the spirit fragment of him, one more time. Then she literally vanished in a wisp of red flame. Running extremely low on ethernano, it was not wise for her to remain in the middle of a combat zone butat least she left a nice mark on that idiot of a human.

Perhaps one day soon... they could meet again. Under quieter circumstances. Until then, the Goddess would roam the country of Fiore in silence, biding her time for something interesting enough to pique her fancy arose.

"Oh, and Kusanagi. I heard everything. You better start praying to me for forgiveness today, if you plan to live a long, healthy eternity at my side."

"Shit."

As Amaterasu walked through the large gateway into Era, she began to ponder a certain thought: why was it that she so often killed humans and not any other living being? It was an idea which popped up at the most awkward times such as this one but it was worth noting. At one point, the woman did not even bother to answer that question. The best phrase used to describe Void was 'true nihilist' meaning that existence was meaningless, humanity mattered little to not at all, and to her the only thing which did matter was her impulse to destroy. For the most part that has not changed. In recent decades however, that belief has deviated slightly to not being so pessimistic. It was far more strange that the Goddess of the Sun would feel so negatively toward humans, who often so fervently prayed for hope. Void changed drastically the very moment those Gods cast her from the heavens for a crime she did not commit of her own free will. Perhaps in a way, she regained a small amount of that benevolent nature due to the occasional human who exceeded her cold expectations.

To answer that question specifically though, she killed humans because she believed the only way to have a full restart was to wipe out everything and literally start over from the beginning. Now the belief deviated into something more along the lines of, 'those corrupted Gods are the reason humans are corrupt; they are the ones who must be swept away.' Then there was also the fact that she regained Kusanagi who had been sealed far away from her previously. Having a second mind to bounce off of maybe allowed her the opportunity to create other options. Those were all conjectures and, for someone like Amaterasu, conjectures meant little to nothing at all.

Really the only reason Void conjured up the interest in such thoughts was because she was bored. Her weapon was annoyed at the change in her willingness to care about anything mainly because what he was accustomed to of his Goddess was the polar opposite of what she was currently. Dearly loved by her mother and father, her two brothers, and all of her children, she in turn loved them as well as the universe in which they all worked to create. The woman's first three incarnations were perfectly bright and warm. Because of everything that happened in her fourth incarnation, Kusanagi burned with rage at those who ruined his master's life. They together hated those Gods and sought to tear them down. Despite that, though, he still wished Amaterasu would even just a little return to that unyielding brightness.

"It seems we're getting quite a bit of attention today by these corrupted creatures. What do you think, Kusanagi?"

Her thoughts turned away for a brief discussion about the current situation. While deep in thought, she happened to get surrounded.

"Joōheika, while you were brooding, these things had plenty of time to get in a beneficial position around you. As for why there are so many, that seems to be due to the two large presences in the city that you caught onto earlier."

"Ah. So then, what shall I do? You told me it was best to prevent the drawing of attention to myself."

"As much as you may hate to do it, you will have to return them through the portals and immobilize the larger bears."

"Mmm... alright then. In that case it may be best to use my left hand. Subdue the bears while I take care of the little gnomes."

"Yes, my Queen."

Amaterasu gripped only the sheath as Kusanagi pulled himself out and darted away at the bears who were faster than before, most likely because those last ones were unprepared. The claws clashed with her weapon's blade, which created a symphony of various tones on top of layers of undertones every time. There were three bears in total this time so it was going to take a bit longer than last time especially since they were not aiming to kill. Meanwhile, Void dropped the sheath which forced the concrete to give way and it left a gigantic crack twenty meters in length. With that much force even that cover would have been enough to crush the gnomes' skulls easily so it was veritably unusable. With her companion nearby, the Goddess could still utilize her magic in a limited fashion to push them all back into their portals. Keeping her power restrained on top of the mask she wore preventing her identity from leaking out, both of her hands glowed black and then the rest of her body began to glow in the same way. Even with this small display, the gnomes could tell she was not of this world but they held firmly to their positions. Eventually though, one after the next charged at her expecting to get a hit or two in on that divine body. Unfortunately, the woman still had her speed. The technique she normally used with Kusanagi now became a temporary technique used with her entire body. To the little men and women, Amaterasu merely vanished and reappeared second after second but the reality was that every time she vanished, one gnome was hit several times. It all happened so quickly in fact that, by the time the last gnome realized what was happening, all of them at once flew back into the portals they came out from as soon as the woman released the built-up ethernano from her body. Unfortunately, with the little power she had regained, Void was still unable to do more than this without her weapon in hand.

Just as she had finished with those little ones, she watched Kusanagi have his fun with the remaining two polar bears who were still quite spry.

"Mmm... would you like some help, my dear Kusanagi? Seems you're having a little bit of trouble."

"My Queen, please don't patronize me. I am not so weak that I need help with these mortal realm animals."

Slightly amused, Amaterasu grinned at the fact that she got her companion flustered. The woman then walked over to the bear that was incapacitated and lifted it up effortlessly with one hand; she then threw it into a nearby portal where it would not be returning. These portals seemed to only allow those corrupted things to travel to this land once. That made the scenario easier to deal with, especially for the humans of this country. Another finally fell, though it was still wriggling around on the floor attempting to continue its tussle. Void knocked it right on top of the head and instantly knocked it out before tossing the beast into the portal as well. Being tired of waiting, the woman took direct control of Kusanagi and aimed more directly at its legs. Her way of fighting was far more honor-less and straightforward in that she did not take her time enjoying the combat. Kusanagi sighed and just allowed it to happen; several slashes to its four legs later, the mammal fell to the floor and it too was thrown in the portal which then collapsed on itself and disappeared.

After walking over to grab the sheath from its concrete tomb of sorts and placing her weapon within it, Void noticed someone up ahead. To be precise, it was not human. Rather it was some type of fire spirit, though the Goddess did not care enough to analyze the thing further. However, there was a lot of commotion up that way so perhaps those beacons she felt earlier were in that area. She was not wrong. There were definitely two huge presences up ahead: one was definitely human while the other was definitely not, though she could not determine more than that on the latter. However... there was another presence she just started to pick out under the mesh of energies.

"SUSANO'OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The woman instantly broke out into a cry and screamed the name of one of her younger brothers. She could recognize that signature absolutely anywhere.

"My Queen, you mustn-"

"SUSANO'OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY BELOVED BROTHER!"

The woman's voice rang out through the city, causing the buildings to shudder. Her tears streamed down the mask and left a puddle on the ground just in front of her. In the back of the Goddess's mind, she knew it was not entirely him but... it was definitely him. One of the brothers who too was banished to the mortal realm, though that happened before she was. All that was in her mind now was this: she wanted to see him. She had to see him. Her flesh and blood. He was still alive. She was glad. For the first time in thousands of years, she had a smile on her face. The clouds in the sky dispersed and the Sun's rays became blindingly bright, yet gentle like a mother's embrace. Amaterasu could no longer be stopped. She walked steadily toward where her brother was, despite the chaos going on around her at that very moment. All that mattered now... was embracing her brother for the first time in... far too long.

"I'm coming, my brother! SUSANO'O!"

"Mmmm... these little creatures seem to be in pain, being corrupted in such a delicious way. Should I get involved? Mmm..."

It had been a long time since she traveled into Fiore proper, this woman who only barely tolerated humanity. A Goddess both remembered and forgotten to the pressure of time walked the earth once more for what reason other than boredom? Well, there wasn't really any. Having so much time to herself was much more a curse than a blessing. She had no goals worthy of note, her interests were few and far between. No hobbies to speak of. Simply put, she had no reason to worry about pursuing anything because anything she could have wanted to do, she could just do it later. However today something sparked her interest, if only temporarily. Little gnome-looking things carrying near-harmless little weapons coming out of portals from all over the country of Fiore were causing trouble for humans. The thought alone made Void giggle. Moments later, Void turned to the five little things who made their appearance in front of her and spoke once more, though this time her face was far more cold and expressionless.

"Now, before I end your pain, tell me whom or what turned you all into this."

"Santa Claus... he... he changed first. The world dying with all the evil corroding it made him believe... that someone had to take drastic action. Then this happened to us... please, do something."

"Mmm, I see. Well, others are bound to get around to the root sooner than myself at this point. The least I can do, however, is put you things out of your misery. You will no longer suffer because of this man."

Amaterasu closed her eyes and sighed, the ancient weapon in her left hand beginning to glow black. Kusanagi, the blade gifted to her by one of her brothers, Susano'o, already knew what was to be done. The woman gracefully moved her right hand to the handle of her companion and gripped it tenderly as though it were a child. Even with her eyelids shut tightly, she could see the five creatures standing still in front of her resigned to their fate. Deep down, they must have realized what the woman was. After all, the presence she gave off was neither a human's nor a beast's, nor a hybrid's. In single straight lines each, she swung the blade through each gnome several times; the blade itself could not be seen by the naked eye and only the smell of blood permeated the surrounding area. A mere second passed by the time Amaterasu was finished. Gently returning Kusanagi to its sheath, the little men fell to the ground one by one. They were already dead while standing; she kept her promise.

"Joōheika, where shall we head next? If I remember correctly, the capital city is nearby."

"You mean to say that we are likely to encounter more of these poor creatures in that more vastly populated place, yes Kusanagi?"

"Correct. I suggest that you don your mask before we enter, to keep your omnipotence hidden from mortality. Nothing good can come from humans knowing there is a Goddess among them."

The woman only nodded slightly. In her right hand, a ball of black flame transformed into the shape of her beloved mask which she had kept since her fall. It was a birth gift from her mother, Izanami, before the incident. One of few items she genuinely cherished and guarded fervently. She then placed it on her face; the outer edges molded into her skin, preventing it from coming off due to movement. Ready to set forth, the Goddess held out Kusanagi in front of her and allowed him to guide her swiftly to Era, the Magic capital of Fiore. Her feet lifted off of the grass and then the weapon quite literally pulled her toward the destination.

A handful of minutes passed by the time she could see the city in the distance. Even from this far away, she could tell that a lot was happening, in terms of spacial distortions and in particular there was one very large presence, as well as one that was not human within that city. The non-human however could not be discerned, which meant they must have had some sort of quirk to hide their magic signature. There was also another relatively large presence and it was very apparent this one was corrupted just like those little men. Interesting that it had not been dealt with yet, considering how many mages were available in that place. Amaterasu could tell more clearly as she moved closer and closer to the outer wall. Kusanagi stopped abruptly, Void gliding fluidly to the ground with weapon still in hand.

"It seems we have another portal to contend with before we can head into the city. I will keep this short. You will all burn to ashes."

Ohirume then set her blade standing straight up; ethernano quickly gathered into it and surrounding the sheath was a rich black flame that slowly destroyed the soil and grass beneath. It was moments later that five more gnomes came out of the portal and behind them two very big polar bears whom bore the same type of corruption. Those poor things. She could see the pain in their eyes. Unfortunately, emotion was not something that drove Void to action. Every action taken was cold, unrelenting, methodical. That ability now being finished, the woman picked her weapon back up and left a substitute in its place. Right hand once more resting on that naturally warm handle, she stood in front of this group of things beyond recovery and closed her eyes. Her breathing stopped this time. Every bit of her completely stopped. Enemies came into view within her mind and, without thinking, she instantly moved through the gnomes first since she was certain of their durability. Kusanagi ripped through them all like butter; afterward she was back in her original position, blade returning to sheath. Thanks to the travel time toward the city, her stamina was able to make a recovery so she was not tired at this time. Falling to the mortal realm meant losing most of her original strength, which meant these sorts of occurrences were more taxing than they should have been.

"Now... what about these two beasts, Kusanagi? I believe it would conserve energy to go for their legs first and then remo- Ah. I just remembered the ability I prepared. It has been charging several hits now. If you slice into their legs, that will finish them instantly."

"Hmph. Are you so bored, you nearly forgot the spell you prepared just for this? Some things never change, it seems."

As it spoke into Void's mind, the weapon removed itself from its sheath and darted swiftly at the bears just ahead. As beasts, they were much faster and sturdier than the gnomes, so it made more sense to have Kusanagi move on his own since he was much faster that way. A few hits to each of their legs was enough to bring them down and prevent them from moving about, proof that they really were much tougher. As the blade returned, Amaterasu spoke in her mind, 'Burn,' which released the ability and almost immediately vaporized everything in a fifty-meter radius around the substitute, including the heavily wounded bears and the corpses of gnomes. The plant life in the area was reduced to black ash and the soil was charred, but it would all eventually recover with time. The woman sighed then and shook her head.

"This day is proof that no matter how pure a human may be in their beginnings, they will always inevitably fall to corruption if the right reason presents itself. Lets head into the city. We will be able to end this sooner if we meet with that large presence deeper in the city."

"As you wish, Joōheika."

As was to be expected, there were a great many people who began pouring into the large building moments after 'she' had arrived. She did not recognize any of them, granted it had been... a very long time since she had last associated with other mages. Most likely only one person in this place could tell who the young-looking woman really was aside from the vague presence of someone very large, and that was a woman named Demi who happened to be a Reaper: a goddess of death so to speak. Rose was unsure whether or not that woman would be here... it was a mere gut feeling. Then again her gut feeling was usually correct. As the lady thought more, music began to play nearby. Ah, sounds she had not partaken in, in a much longer time invaded his ears and then her mind. Without thinking, Rose glided across the floor toward where the music was coming from with her eyes closed; seemingly floating in between the clustered groups of people. A violin stored within the recesses of her magic manifested within the left hand and a bow gripped loosely in the right. The woman then stopped in front of the small ensemble to speak politely, gently as soon as they had finished their first piece.

"Excuse me... pardon my intrusion but may I please perform a solo? It has been a... a very long time since I played."

"Uhm... of course. Go ahead."

"Thank you very much for... acquiescing in my selfish request."

In the brief moment she stood in place, Rose seemed almost like a widow in mourning of her lover. Her posture spoke 'silence', an eerie sort of emptiness in the midst of so much noise. An eternity, it felt, the bow in her right hand moving to the strings on her violin took position. Eyes closed still Rose started to play her piece:


It was powerful yet subtle in its telling. A story only few would likely be able to pick up on. Memories and emotions flooded into her; tears one by one fell down her naturally pale, colorless cheeks. This was a story. A very sad story.

On this dreary day, a corpse lay upon the dirt a mere few steps from where Hero was sitting on his knees. It alone was not important, but what it said was. It had resurrected his family to hunt him down and kill anyone else in their path. It had every intention of desecrating Golden Phoenix's name with this act. The why no longer mattered. Hero was no longer filled with any other emotions than pure unbridled hatred, and unyielding sorrow for what he was likely forced into by the Gods themselves. Those very Gods who gave his family this lineage to be a living divine hero on Earth. The giant now no longer believed the Gods were on his side; in fact, he was forsaken by them. To have received a fate such as this... what else could it have been?

What was he to do now with all this rage? As much as he had recovered mentally at the current moment, Hero was not at all confident he could return to that nearby town. The aura exuding from his person was black, polar opposite to the brilliant gold he normally presented to others. Its thickness made it act similarly to a liquid; it oozed outward along the floor in all directions seeking out sentience. There was an eerie silence in the crater, as though the place was put on mute; there was not even the slightest hint of a breeze or of a bird chirping or of a bug crawling.

Yamamoto tread on a very thin line between sanity and madness; he could be pushed either way at the drop of a feather depending on who he confronted in those next uncountable moments. However, the man knew he could not drown in this pool of despair for long. No matter heavy this feeling was, he had a job to do, to protect the innocent of Fiore... and to free his family who had been shackled to this world for the enjoyment of some waste of space. It was not an easy thing to think about. Hero's hands continued to tremble at the realization that he would most likely have to... do something unforgivable. Suddenly a familiar voice rang out into the air, his own name being what shot into his ears, and after that one, many more followed. They were all familiar. Upon turning around, the giant's greatest fear of the moment came true. Members of Golden Phoenix he had laughed with... shared drinks with... gone out on jobs with... he recognized every single one. Hero made not a single sound as tears poured from his eyes; in fact, so much liquid came from his eyes that hints of red started to show through the clear water. He gritted and gnashed his teeth; his short nails tore into the palms of his hands.

As his family grew closer, he started to notice that they were all crying too. Running toward him now, they shouted their feelings at him. Telling him it wasn't his fault. Telling him they were glad he was alive. Telling him they were sorry for not being able to say goodbye. Everyone fell silent except for one though, who cried so much harder than the others.

"Hero... we're sorry. We're so sorry! We... can't stay here for long. That necromancer... he wasn't strong enough to keep us all tethered to the world. I... I'm so... very glad... we could see you this one last time... so so very glad."

"Everyone... I... I... I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

Hero finally let it out. He bawled his eyes out, and as he did so, all the others crowded around and hugged him tightly. For this brief time, the old man felt relief. Relief he could only possibly get through something miraculous like this. Even as they one by one faded into light and floated to the open sky, Hero faithfully said goodbye and provided the one thing he always could: an unyielding, unbreakable smile. As the last ones floated off, there was only one presence which remained and... this was going to be far more painful to accept. That singular voice called out to Hero in his usually casual way, which caused the man's whole body to tense up and shake.

"Yo! I know it's a bit late but... well, welcome back, bro."

The ruins. Hero didn't think he'd be going back there so soon, granted he was usually nearby. The place was marked by a giant crater and was covered with large blocks of concrete, marble and pieces of statues. Pieces of wood that were once furniture; faded, partially burned photos and papers stuck in the marred dirt as though it had happened only a couple of days ago. Remnants of the phoenixes who guarded the entrance littered the field though neither of their bodies were found. It would have been nice if at least they were safe somewhere; that may have given the giant some small peace of mind. Things... were going too well weren't they... that was why this catastrophe happened. "Am I cursed to ruin the lives of my loved ones?" He thought that at the back of his mind while walking around the crater. Perhaps the giant's purpose was to protect without making any connections. To do everything on his own. The Gods certainly at the very least had an awful sense of humor.

The so called "Power of Friendship" characters in books and TV shows talked about did not exist in this harsh reality. That feeling of empowerment one got when their backs were guarded by their closest allies was fleeting at best and non-existent... painful at worst. After all what would happen if their strongest ally and friend could not be there to help them? What then? At best, they survive by the skin of their teeth; at worst? Well... this was the result. His loved ones had traveled to a place Hero could no longer reach no matter how hard he'd try... and he did try. Thoughts such as "they wouldn't want that for you" and "it will pass in time" held no weight to he who literally could not die even if he intentionally tried to die. There was no logical way he could really know what they all would have said because, well, he wasn't there. Tears welled up in this grown man's eyes, and though he did not make a sound himself, those teardrops which hit the ground made a seemingly deafening thud. His hands were clutched so tightly that blood puddled in his palms before also falling to the ground. And even though someone approached slowly in the distance, Hero did not react. Eventually though, that person spoke and their voice was not familiar.

"Heeeeeh? So someone had the guts to come all the way out here after all. Aren't you way too hu- AH! YOU MUST BE HERO YAMAMOTO! HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! OH BOY I GOT A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU! It took me two months of incanting and buckets of mana but I managed to resurrect a few of your dead friends. You see I h-"

It occurred so quickly that even Hero did not consciously register the action. The man croaked as Yamamoto slowly crushed his skull with one hand after seemingly teleporting in front of the proclaimed necromancer. Even as that man died, he said that it wouldn't matter if he died; they'd still wander in search of Hero while slandering their own names. Blood gushed from his eyes, ears and mouth the moment his skull shattered, the pieces cutting deeply into his brain. He then collapsed on the ground and had continuous seizures until his heart finally stopped beating. As for Hero... a miasma crept slowly from his body while crying uncontrollably. Why...? Why?! WHY?!

"WHY?! NONE OF THEM DESERVED THAT FATE! NONE OF THEM! WHY DID YOU GODS FORSAKE MY LOVED ONES? AHHHHHHHHHH! Dammit... dammit... why them...?"

The giant fell to his knees, and finally his heart had been broken. For a time, he did not move from that spot; on that day the people of that island came to remember it as the day... a hero died.

Appearance:

Dreary was the evening and quite chilly, though it did not bother him much. A couple of days prior, the man heard a company was hosting a masquerade ball to celebrate the coming holiday and that they were handing out invitations to certain people. Many people expected Hero to get one such letter but it mattered little to him. Ever since what happened on that island... he had changed, though at least now he could put on a better brave face. The man could see it in his own eyes when looking into a mirror. Anyone tall enough or lucky enough could tell if they were able to see. Perhaps an outing like this would have at least assisted in distracting himself from the numbing silence in his heart and his mind, he thought. But it was a masquerade ball, right? To his knowledge, Hero was the only person in Fiore who was... so wretchedly tall. No matter what he was definitely going to stand out. Then he remembered that strange ring he hadn't touched in what seemed like ages. The giant walked casually over to his dresser and looked at the ring which sat flat on its grainy wooden surface. Grabbing with the thumb and index finger of his left hand, he continued looking and watched as it grew in real time to match his ring size. Such a strange thing this piece of jewelry was, and even as he put it on the index finger of his right hand he thought to himself, "I can never get over this feeling of nervousness... being apprehensive."

Now naked from the change, there was a sudden knock at the door but there was no voice following it. Instead there was an envelope that was slid under the door through the small opening and he could hear footsteps vanish into the distance. It seemed he got an invitation after all, albeit at the last possible moment. "She" then walked to and bent over to grab the envelope from the floor and set it on "her" bed before moving to "her" closet, where "she" always kept some clothing for times when "she" would use this ring. It was a ball, so a nice dress was mandatory; she took her black dress from the rack and proceeded to put it on and situate herself comfortably. The "woman" did not have a mask so she would have to stop by a store and buy a fashionable one for the evening. Rose, she referred to herself as, sat on the bed and slipped on black stockings with matching garter belt followed by a pair of semi-formal boots. Now fully dressed, Rose headed out the front door with invitation in hand - after throwing away the useless envelope - her first destination being a store to buy a mask.

Since the dress was so fragile, the young-looking woman walked carefully but fluidly so the bottom of her dress wouldn't drag in the snow. After a few minutes, she arrived at a store and immediately found the perfect mask. Rose vanished into the store and came back out with the mask already on and then moved on to the destination mentioned in the invitation. It took perhaps a half hour for her to get there thanks to the dress but luckily she was right on time for the doors to open, and as the woman walked up to the entrance, a man greeted her and took the invitation while at the same time bowing and making way.

In a kind, but subtly chilly manner she said aloud, "Thank you" and continued her gentle pace inward to a chair off to an outer table.

Months.

Months and months.

Months, months, months, months, months... gone. Gone.

All gone.

It had been months now since Hero had begun his search for the members of his guild, Golden Phoenix. However... none of them were anywhere to be found. The giant started to become obsessed, his ears beginning to ring whenever he thought of a new town to travel to. Despite the people around him trying to get his attention, everything was drowned out. He could neither see nor hear anything else now. It got so bad in fact that his skin grew discolored and his eyes darkened from lack of sleeping and lack of blinking. The man once respected and renowned far and wide was reduced nearly to a madman. It was not as though he was hated. Everywhere he traveled, he was still respected and was treated with love and care. Everyone knew.

Hero Yamamoto was finally falling apart. He realized it too. He could no longer even force a smile for the children who looked up to him; he could no longer shoulder the burdens of those who he believed he could swiftly protect; all he could do now... was apologize. All of these thoughts flooded his mind. He hated only himself. He wasn't there. He couldn't protect them. His home. His cousin. Even in his dreams, his thoughts haunted him; the innkeepers... even other people who stayed at these inns worried for this man who screamed and cried through the night alone. Really, who would blame him? He knew it though. Eventually Hero needed to figure out how to move on... but when? This already-deep hole was only getting deeper.

On a sunny day in this winter season, Hero was taking a walk upon that island which was once his home. He kept to himself again while ignoring everything and everyone as best he could unless someone tapped his arm. And unfortunately for him, there was a lot of commotion in the square up ahead. There was someone over there shouting his name and then people started turning around to see the giant standing there in the middle of the street. Then the huge mob of people ran toward him frantically... but then they fell silent and had sorrow-filled faces. It seemed there was something really bad going on that especially involved Hero, which made him worry a bit. An older man then, though hesitantly, started speaking.

"Hero... none of us believe this is going to be easy. In fact we're scared of what might happen but you deserve to know..."

"Hmm...? What's wrong?"

The giant started to realize what this might have been about. They were all dead, right? All of his loved ones. The many members of his guild whom he worked with often and shared drinks with and ate with and partied with. Honestly, he figured as much. He would have found at least one person by now if any of them survived.

"Well... we've seen people who looked like members of Golden Phoenix up in the ruins. Its been happening for a few days now and we think magic might be involved."

The expression on his face couldn't be seen but his presence... it warped drastically. The mob of people around the giant started to cry, knowing what Hero must have been going through at that very moment. Yamamoto said nothing at all and only one at a time rested his hands gently on each of their heads as he walked through the crowd. The man's footsteps were heavy... extremely heavy. So heavy in fact that the concrete began to crack. Hero's body began to glow brightly gold, and when he traveled a decent distance away from all those people, he launched himself into the air. The grimace never left his face and the aura surrounding his body started turning darker. Some small part of him hoped... just a little... that someone was okay.

"Why not just admit it and accept the fact that they're all dead? You know it deep down. All you are doing is forcing yourself to suffer. Do you think they would want you to do this to yourself? Doubtful."

In his mind was that deep, sinister voice again speaking to Yamamoto's consciousness. The giant gritted his teeth. The voice was right after all. All the man was doing was suffering on his own because he felt it was his fault. However... what was happening there? Some way, some how he felt the urge to find out regardless of what was going on.

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There was a deep blackness which welled up within the giant now. Ever since that time in Peace Village, he felt it. And now he felt it so much more clearly ever since he heard the news about Golden Phoenix. Speaking of which, where had Hero been all this time? Well, on a journey of sorts. After all that happened to him, the man needed to find a balance in order to maintain his sanity and sense of self. Hero had already been gone for three years and most likely would have gone longer if he had not heard the news. Apparently the guild was raided by a Dark guild, though he did not know which, and then subsequently destroyed. In complete shock, he darted back home; he was so quick in fact that people in different towns across half the world thought there was a storm on the horizon.

It was not long at all before he reached the border of Fiore, where he met with a few inspectors. They recognized him instantly and asked why he returned in such a rush; when he told them what he'd heard through the grapevine, they let him through and told him to get a move on. With a "thank you" and a swift nod, Hero leaped into the sky with a single push and headed toward the islands.

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