The FallNot e: In order t o proceed f rom each sl i de you must c l i ck t he sl i de t wi ce. Once t o st op t he musi c and once t o move on.

• The sky was vastly grey in that it was raining slightly with seemingly wonderful ease. A waterfall could be seen in the center of the clearing, bright white water falling from the edge of the Cliffside in a plume of almost a misty material. The land itself was rich with plants of all kind, making this large crater of land an actual bounty of life. Sounds of the birds could be heard even past the sounds of the steady rainfall pattering down on the land below the skies. Not even the snapping of the twigs under one’s feet could be heard at a walking pace, though the sound was of course still there. The rain itself gave off a sweet aroma as it mixed with the scent of the flowers and the different trees and bushes, giving off a scent of all the aromas mixed together perfectly in their own way, causing one to possibly smile at it. The clouds themselves seemed to flow against the mountains around the clearing, caressing the land with its soft haze.

• The l ight red hues of the male ’s eyes scanned the land before him, his lungs expanding to their ful lest as he took in the oxygen around him into his body, the very nature of the oxygen changing into carbon dioxide as he expelled the air after his use of i t was finished, only to replaced by the same action over and over once more. His face was hidden by a cat-shaped white mask with green markings painted on either side into a spiral ing pattern, being the most noticeable part of his att ire . The second to catch one’s eye would of course be the bright white cloak that covered most of his body, down to about his ankles in length, having a long sl i t in the middle of the back from the bottom to about the waist l ine so he could walk freely in it . The cloak was sleeveless however , showing both of his arms fully up to his shoulders , reveal ing a black tattoo on his r ight arm in a shape of a spiral ing set of circ les intertwining with one another, forming a synergist ic bond with each other circle i t came into contact with. The cloak itself was also unzipped, thus allowing for the under c lothing to be seen which was a set of l ight grey sweats and a loose grey matching t-shirt , though under each set of clothing a thin l ine of chainmail rested to help better protect himself from weak attacks. Over his grey t-shirt however was a brown tight fitted vest with many pockets al l around it , f i l led with various weapons and devices for unknown uses . He had f ine black hair which was t ied up behind his mask in a small “ponytail” style which went down to his shoulders in length and weaved

slight ly to the side in the soft breeze which was blowing at the high alt i tude he was at .

• The rain poured lightly upon the female’s ringlets that rested against her waist. She was covered by a long purple kimono with slits around her hips; which of course, she wore black shorts underneath. Around her torso, were two spaces that revealed her shoulders and long sleeves that nearly covered her gloves that matched her shorts. The outfit was completed by a samisen strapped to her back, with traditional Japanese sandals. She had a rather pale complexion which stood out slightly against her short brown hair yet strangely, she had matching light red eyes to the first character described. Her face was also uncovered and completely revealed, though she was holding a traditional Japanese umbrella to shield her from the worst of the rain. She was also traveling with another whom was walking behind her, One whom she trusted with her life and never went anywhere without. Someone whom she loved dearly and often saw as a father figure in her life.

• The lids which protected this male’s eyes when times were needed were closed as he walked, hiding the hard black hues of his own eyes. His right hand resting on a sheathed blade which was held to his waist by a black cotton sash wrapped around it. His skin was slightly darker in tone then the female’s as he spent much more time in the outside world then she. He wore a pure white kimono that was folded together neatly and complete. He had slightly longer and cropped brown hair which was ruffled slightly as the way his hair grew gave it a wavy sort of attitude. He walked a good 3 full paces behind the female, though his role here was to follow and protect her if needed. It was in fact his life’s duty as he had done so since the day she was born. He watched the girl grow up into the young woman she was now and often helped her on the road of her own life.

• The 2 from below were traveling at a rather fast pace, as they wanted to get to their destination as fast as possible, and that meant they had to travel through this large stretch of land. The female needed to be led to the safety of the kingdom for she was far too important and had much information that the kingdom needed. However, the male on top of the waterfall, was in fact a family member, her brother at that, and his goal was to take her far from this petty world. As such the masked male closed his eyes and brought his index finger to his lips, his body slowly began to deteriorate into a black mist. The masked male than slowly began to materialize in front of the pair, the male in the white kimono slowly stepping forward in front of the female, his eyes still closed. However, moments later his eyes slowly opened as he looked upon the masked male in front of them with a look of sadness. He knew who the masked male really was and he knew exactly why the boy had come. He slowly drew his blade from its sheathe however and the blackness of his eyes hardened as he prepared.

Who will make the first move?

The guardian The masked man.

• The masked male slowly lowered into a crouch, suddenly lunging forward, and thus the battle ensued. The speed at which the masked man was moving was incredible, his legs becoming almost a blur as he dashed forward. However the guardian was not put in his position without reason. The masked man may have had natural talent on his side, but the guardian had years of experience, far outmatching the masked man’s. As such the guardian remained calm as he too dashed forward, meeting the masked man head on, pulling his blade back slightly, only to swing it forward in a crescent moon arch motion towards the masked male.

Who will win?

The guardian The masked man

• It was the guardian himself who made the first move. Giving the masked man no time to put any plan he may have had into motion. As he dashed forward he brought his pulling his blade back slightly, only to swing it forward in a crescent moon arch motion towards the masked male. It was strange however as the masked male just stood there with a calm and collected posture. The guardian’s face went hard as he approached the masked man with great speeds, unable to defer his attack because of the full force he put into it, thus no matter how hard he tried he would not be able to stop his attack.

The guardian The masked man

Who will win?

• It seemed as though it would be an easy win for the guardian as the masked man had no visible weapons in his hands themselves. However, this was because the masked man himself was a weapon in its own right. This was proven by the movement of the masked man’s hand towards the blade, an open palm striking the sharp edge of the blade. A loud “clank” rang throughout the area as the guardian’s eyes widened, noticing that the blade rested in the now closed palm of the masked man. Then within a matter of mere seconds the masked man was already in motion, an open palm being sent straight for the chest of the guardian, just 2 inches to the left of the center of the ribcage. The masked man’s speed was incredible, nearly inhuman. This gave the guardian little time to react and as the palm moved towards what was clearly his heart, the only thing he could do was to let go of his blade completely and jump back.

• The masked man raised an eyebrow slightly from under his mask and snapped the cold steel under his hand, yet the guardian remained ever so calm, taking a deep breath and sighing as if saying “I didn’t want to do this.” and slowly brought his hands together, touching his open palms together. He then closed his eyes and slowly began to pull his hands apart, however with the new gap being formed from pulling his palms apart a black line could be seen following his palms as he pulled his arms all the way out to the side. The black line slowly began to shift and take a shape of a single black blade that seemed to be constantly shifting like that of a black flame. As the guardian lowered his arms, the black blade sat in the air, floating with seemingly wonderful ease. The guardian grasped the black hilt of the new blade and then lowered his hand. The strange part was that the original blade stayed in its current location, and the hand that gripped the hilt was actually pulling a second blade from the first, identical to the first. He then did the same with his other hand and the original blade then slowly raised up over the guardian’s head and to his back, resting just above his shoulders in a horizontal position.

• Even from behind the mask of the masked man, his light red eyes could be seen to visibly widen in surprise. It was clear that this guardian was none other then the legendary shadow wielder Ryuu. But the guardian Ryuu gave the masked man no time to think about this as he suddenly dashed forward once more, bringing both arms up and down in a double slash vertically on either side of the male’s shoulders. The masked man quickly brought up his hands to block the blades but they seemed to just pass through his body, going through his arms and down his chest. Ryuu quickly then sliced outwards on either side, the shadow blades slashing horizontally out from the masked man’s chest on either side.

• No damage could be physically seen at all, but the masked man’s eyes were wide with surprise and pain. To the normal eye it looked as though the shadow blades simply passed through the masked man’s body without cutting a single part of the man. This was untrue however as the purpose of these blades were not to damage the body, but to damage the soul. The blades themselves targeted the souls of only those who were truly evil. The souls of the demons.

• The masked man fell to his knees, clenching his chest and breathing hard. He glared up at Ryuu, cursing the shadow wielder and vowing he would return to exact his vengeance. His body then slowly began to disintegrate away into black ash. Ryuu’s blades slowly disappeared as well, knowing this was just the beginning. The female was safe for now however and he turned to her with a nod and the 2 ventured towards their destination once more.

• END. (Press esc on your keyboard.)

• It seemed as though it would be an easy win for the guardian as the masked man had no visible weapons in his hands themselves. However, this was because the masked man himself was a weapon in its own right. This was proven by the movement of the masked man’s hand towards the blade, an open palm striking the sharp edge of the blade. A loud “clank” rang throughout the area as the guardian’s eyes widened, noticing that the blade rested in the now closed palm of the masked man. The masked man raised an eyebrow slightly from under his mask and snapped the cold steel under his hand, yet the guardian remained ever so calm, taking a deep breath and sighing as if saying “I didn’t want to do this.” and slowly brought his hands together, touching his open palms together. He then closed his eyes and slowly began to pull his hands apart, however with the new gap being formed from pulling his palms apart a black line could be seen following his palms as he pulled his arms all the way out to the side. The black line slowly began to shift and take a shape of a single black blade that seemed to be constantly shifting like that of a black flame. As the guardian lowered his arms, the black blade sat in the air, floating with seemingly wonderful ease. The guardian grasped the black hilt of the new blade and then lowered his hand. The strange part was that the original blade stayed in its current location, and the hand that gripped the hilt was actually pulling a second blade from the first, identical to the first. He then did the same with his other hand and the original blade then slowly raised up over the guardian’s head and to his back, resting just above his shoulders in a horizontal position.

• The masked man knew exactly who this guardian really was and came fully prepared. A pair of black feathered wings seemed to morph from his back and outreach into great lengths, unfolding wide and then flapping down hard. Then within a matter of mere seconds the masked man was already in motion, an open palm being sent straight for the chest of the guardian, just 2 inches to the left of the center of the ribcage. The masked man’s speed was incredible, nearly inhuman. The guardian had no time to react to the speed and his surprise from the block and the masked man’s open palm struck the guardian hard. It was like a semi slamming into you at full speed yet so condensed into such a small area which was directly over the heart. The guardian’s eyes went wide once more and he felt his knees give out, falling to them. He clutched his chest with his free hand and his face wrinkled up in pain but then slowly softened as his heart slowed from the shock of the blow and finally stopped. The light in the guardian’s eyes slowly faded as he fell to the floor below.

• The rain pelted his limp body and one could clearly tell that he was no longer amongst the living. It was with a heavy heart and fear in her eyes that the female watched quietly, her own tears mixing with the rain which now fell upon her face as her grip seemed to no longer be able to hold the umbrella. She fell to her knees and cried out for her guardian, whom had protected her throughout her life, only to be so easily disposed of. The masked man gave this no thought nor any time for her to dwell on her grief as he quickly strode over to the female and grasped her by the neck, lifting her up high as the pair of black feathered wings unfolded wide and then flapped down hard once more, causing both the masked man and the female to disappear high into the air, the female crying out once more, her cries quickly drown out by the sound of thunder booming in the distance.

• END. (Press esc on your keyboard.)