Rozan, also known as the Five Ancient Peaks is a place located on the outskirts of the Land of Rain. It is a forest area surrounded by a great waterfall, whose waters, according to the legend, have the power to rejuvenate and empower any who bathe in it.
A girl in her early twenties was approaching this area. She seemed to have been put together like a doll. She had extremely pale skin and small circular eye brows like someone lost in time, though obviously too young for that to be the case. Her eyes rested at a pale purple with pupils clearly showing. As she moved she seemed to carry herself with a rather regal air, wearing clogs on her feet as she moved about in an ornately decorated kimono. Above all else she had long luxurious white locks which were put in in an extreme fashion. Several different decorative pieces used to hold together her hair, including a crown with a giant red moon adorning it. She approached the falls seeking a very specific man she expected to find there, and had spent a great deal of time doing exactly that.
As she took in the look of the area she knew it was what she was looking for. She remembered it from her very early childhood, though, she didn't remember all the stuff immediately outside of this area which is why her journey had taken so long. It had been several years and the world that she'd known had changed drastically in that time. But this little place in the waterfall seemed timeless. "Eh, it didn't change... maybe he moved it?" she questioned aloud.
"Iie. I haven't moved anywhere." This response to the young woman's open query came from a man who looked to be only in his thirties. He also had locks of hair that were long and white, which were pulled into a bun while two streaks were left on either side of his head to drape down his torso. He sported an equally ornate kimono, primarily red in color. His appearance left him sitting cross-leged at the edge of the cliff facing the waterfall, though the man himself faced his visitor. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Narumi. It has been many moons since I've seen you in person."
"If you haven't moved it, then why was it so hard to find?" the girl questioned, seeming to pout. By her own approximation it had taken her far too long to get back here, without there being a proper explanation for why it was necessary. Even so, she was soon greeted by the man who looked exactly as she'd always remembered him looking for the duration of her childhood. Of course, she knew and understood this man to not be concerned with the mortal toils of aging and the like. Even so, it was a bit surprising to know he simply didn't change much at all. "Sugei, Ojii-sama hasn't changed at all. Ohayou!~" the girl said bowing to the man as all probably should, and using said bow to forgo the normal greeting ritual practiced by her clan. In her own mind, there was no reason to test her power against this man's since he was the one who handed out the power, his skills were not to be questioned. She soon looked to the serenity of this place and frowned. "Oi, isn't it lonely here? I was bored trying to find you this whole time, and you just sit here, forever?" she asked genuinely curious.
"Because the time was not right for you to find me. This place can only be located - can only be seen - when I wish it so." The man had much reason to disallow this individual from his location for the amount of time he did. Now was the right time, and this young woman would surely understand sooner than later. "I am surprised you've come to me of your own will, though. What brings you?" he asked. Of course, there was also the question posed by this lass about the lonely nature of these waterfalls. He never thought about things in such a way. "Until my successor rises, I will be steadfast. I may be alone, but I am always watching the outside world, so I never feel loneliness. I've been watching you grow up this entire time."
"Oh great, you're the reason I got to wander around for almost a decade. Ojii-sama, that is a bit extreme," the young woman mentioned. About seven or eight years prior to this one, Youko had wiped out the Blood Cult. As a result the girl had come to find the Sage, seeking to get what she needed. The man before her had once told her when she was ready, she should return, and the fall of the Blood Cult had declared her readiness, at least in her own mind. When she thought about it though, she'd gotten to have several years of experience outside of the island that she likely wouldn't have gotten otherwise. "But, I suppose, seeing the world was good too," she added at the end.
As for the reason behind her coming back to this place, she looked at him strangely. She thought that would be obvious, but she wouldn't answer until after he'd cleared up her curiosities about his loneliness. "Sou ka, that's kind of comforting actually. But that only covers like the last two decades," the girl seemed to be rather astute. "As for why I am here, you told me to come back when I was ready. I had no reason not to return after the fall of the Blood Cult. I want to help the clan. They could use the knowledge I have, and become better. I can help them both with the old ways of the clan, and integrating the new way the world works. Most of them have never left the island, they don't know about all the other things going on in the world," she said. Leading the clan back to being a prosperous group was her only real goal. Beyond that, she had no real idea what the Sage wished for her when he told her to return, she simply followed his instructions as dutifully as possible.
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