A man, wearing a black kimono, walked down a naturally made path, developed by hundreds of others taking the same route. A rather simple path, it had a large forest to one side, and a river, crystal clear and filled with various fish, to it's other. Various birds could be seen overhead, and the vegetation of the forest swayed as animals passed through it. The man looked up, seeing the village up ahead with a single eye, the rest of his head covered in bandages, and he smiled.<br/><br/>A hour later, the same man walked the same path, returning from where he had came. A rather disarrayed path, it had a blazing forest to one side, and a river, red and filled with corpses, to it's other.  Nothing but smoke could be seen overhead, and the burned up vegetation of the forest crumbled to ash as animals ran through it, trying to escape to safety. The man looked behind himself, seeing the village's remains behind him with a single eye, and smiled.<br/><br/>A small boy stood there, gripping a sword nowhere small enough for him to wield it. The man turned around to face the boy, who broke into a run, the man simply smiling at this.  The child let out a yell, his anger blazing like the fires around them. And suddenly, he stopped, the man looking him in the eyes. He did not stop due to he own will, no.<br/><br/>He was too gripped with fear to move. And as the child looked into the man's eye, he knew it was not a human, like he himself was. This was something else, something otherworldly. "W-what are you?" the boy asked, his voice quit and filled with fear.<br/><br/>"Tamashii no Mori. If you wish to to strike me down, remember the feelings you have. Remember them, and come get me."<br/><br/>The being turned around, walking away. The boy dropped to his knees, taking Tamashii no Mori's words to heart.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Ten years later</span><br/><br/>"Aaah! This is it, I can feel it." The boy, now a young man of 21 years, said to himself, smiling as he entered the village.  "The place were I'll find the right people! Strong people! Who can help me fight that monster!"<br/><br/>He was Raiden Hokkaido, one of the many who had chosen to take up arms against Tamashii no Mori. But unlike those others, he wasn't gonna do it alone. He was going to find allies to join him, people who could fight. Together, he knew, they could defeat the beast in human form.<br/><br/>The problem was finding people who would go along with the idea. Most people wouldn't even talk to a man dressed like he was, a bright blue samurai who had apparently forgotten most of his armor, and even if they DID give him the time of day, very few people wished to challenge Tamashii no Mori. However, Raiden refused to give up, for he knew he would find  people who would join him.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The village itself was rather large, being the the crossroads of four different roads. A quite decent amount of people roamed it, and it had a little bit of everything. It was located near some mountains, and was well guarded in fear of bandits. This, however, did not stop more than a few fights breaking out everyday. A perfect place for Raiden to begin his search! "Now...Where to go..." He wondered to himself, punching his palm and smiling when he got an idea. "The hotel! Travelers would have a better chance of being strong, and travelers would be at the hotel!"