By now an abundance of trees, vibrant in their green color, coupled with tall red-orange and yellow lofty mushrooms accumulated the land deep within Southern Swamp, the winding river transcending further and further into unknown territory. While Roshan inspected the crystallin clear water, sparkling under the moonlight of late evening, she realized she'd circumvented the danger miles away, the very danger she was certain would eventually find its way here.

For hours she scavenged the land, searching high and low for any signs of human activity and or life, but it was difficult to discern anything aside from the howls of monkeys and other animalistic noises, especially the shadows of night cloaking the lands in shadow. When her gaze crept to the map tucked away in a hide satchel at her side, she unraveled it, allowing the light of the moon to shine light on her location. According to this, Roshan was sure she was very much lost but still very deep within the premises of the swamp.

"If what Mayor Dotour said was true, then this sorcerer should be somewhere nearby…" She murmured thoughtfully.

According to what she knew of these magic users, they held feisty and uncertain personalities, most of all, were quite cunning tricksters. Truthfully, during her time spent serving the Royal Family, she'd only stumbled across a handful, though they were few in numbers. Most often lived in the confines of their once prosperous city, extending their knowledge and influence to many with great admiration in their talents, but this particular magic user was different. If he preferred the solitude in the furthest depths of a swamp to that of a bustling town, then surely her endeavors would prove unfruitful.

Even still, despite her exhaustion, she continued on, her gaze shifting from every shadow and crevice in the canyons, to every tree and shroom towering nearby. The evening was pleasantly cool, the noises alone enough to keep her alert of her surroundings. If she were this particular magic user, then where would she hide.

While her thoughts conjured several images of hobbit holes or even that of a small cottage tucked away in the deepest parts of the swamp, something caught her eye in the distance. There was a light glimmering off the path, just a short way from the river and through the brush, and she followed it.

Although it was barely noticeable, it eventually led her through a cluster of tight lined trees and overhanging vines, with prickly thorn bushes. Giant snapping turtles loitered the clearing in-between, but no sooner had she crossed did she pause before a cobblestone path. Several lanterns swayed in the cool breeze, hanging from several limbs of a large tree, far larger in comparison to many.

And yet, there was something off, especially the cobblestone path which led directly to its trunk, most of its roots lying twisted above the surface of the grass. Approaching closer and squinting her eyes, it wasn't long before she realized this was no ordinary sapling, in fact, she was clearly certain she'd found the person in question's humble abode.

Lights emanated from within the bark, seen clearly through the leaves and twisted openings of what she only assumed were windows. With the moon's light shining just right, she even noticed a curved chimney just beneath its full bush of leaves, twisted in a juxtaposed position with smoke clearly discernable. Someone was definitely living inside, and she had a faint suspicion it was the very person she'd been searching for an entire week.

Without knocking, she grasped the twisted branch of its door handle and crept inside, and upon her intrusive entrance, she was greeted by a warm interior, a fire lit in the hearth just ahead. There was no doubt in her mind this entire tree was shrouded in magic, and she was fairly surprised it had allowed her inside.

Garlic, herbs and spices hung from the rafters overhead, a small table, littered with various open tomes and parchments was nestled in the furthest corner near an assortment of towering bookcases. As she inspected the peculiar writing on those slips of paper, she found she was unable to decipher its language, or even those written in the books. No doubt they were spells of some kind, and she continued her search.

Eventually her steps led her to a winding staircase to the second floor, and from there, she found two rooms divided by a large sheet of dark cloth. Beyond the sheet at the furthest side of the room she found his private quarters, and to her right, she found another array of bookcases, coupled with several weaved baskets of herbs, mushrooms and several strange dried plants near a table filled with strange clear bottles of unknown substances. Liquids and dried mold filled several containers, along with questionable skulls, trapped insects, and ground up powder; it led Roshan to believe this person was testing some strange experiments.

Since this room was also unoccupied, she returned to the first floor, her eyes glancing from each of the lit paper lanterns hanging from the rafters. And then, while she became distracted by the tranquility within, she realized she could not hear the howls from outside. Perhaps, since a spell shrouded the entirety of this tree, it kept all noises from outside at bay.

The sound of a door closing behind her did not go unnoticed, and when she turned, a hand positioned on the hilt of her sword at her side, she relaxed at the sight of a hooded figure, the scent emanating from him smelling similar to the herbs hanging in the room. The person, whom she could only assume was the sorcerer in question, was tall, probably six foot, and beneath his hood, she noticed his shoulder length strands of silver hair.

"Don't you know it's rude to trespass without an invitation?" He inquired, his voice deep. "But please, make yourself at home. You're already here…" He sarcastically remarked a moment after.

As he walked past her, dropping his basket upon the table ahead, he soon dropped the white and black hood shrouding his appearance. As she approached closer, keeping a reasonable distance between him and her, she realized the Mayor was right when he said he held a youthful appearance, despite never glimpsing his face.

Porcelain skin and beautiful shoulder-length silver hair caught her by surprise, even more so were those faintly narrow crimson eyes, his jawline sharp and his entire physique lean and muscular. This man was adorned in clothing similar to her own tribe, though it held some discernable differences. White and black cloth was his assemble, the top portion beneath his exposed chest held together by a few strings, and it revealed the entirety of his midsection, with one sleeve short and another long. Golden trim and designs decorated the ends, with a matching kilt flowing just at his hips to his ankles; tight-fitted black trousers were worn beneath, with matching black boots.

If Roshan didn't know any better, she'd assume he around twenty-five years old, but then again, appearances could be deceiving. When it came to magical beings, that alone could not be properly determined. Despite his distraction to the basket on the table in front of him, she found her voice once more. "Are you the sorcerer of Southern Swamp?"

"And if I am?" He turned at this, leaning against the table with a tilt of his head, hands planted firmly behind him.

Despite his reply, she knelt before him, his countenance not at all surprised; in fact, his expression was unreadable. "I am Roshan of the elite guard of Ikana. I come to you on behalf of the Royal Family," She greeted him. "There is a great evil which has befallen the lands, and I have heard of your great powers. Will you not aid us in this fight?"

"Ikana, you say? Interesting," He replied a short pause after, eyeing her with curious interest. "I didn't expect such a powerful kingdom to collapse in just a matter of days, let alone see a survivor here of all places."

Despite the urge to snap back at him, she held her tongue. Instead, she inhaled and exhaled slowly, but the smell shrouding the room brought her slight nausea. "I assure you, we fought bravely. Many sacrificed themselves to protect our kingdom."

"Do not take my words as an insult. I'm simply surprised it fell into such a state," He expressed with a hand up. "Truthfully, I caught wind of it days ago, shortly after the darkening swept the lands," He admitted with a wave of his hand.

"So, you know of this?"

"Of course. Now lift yourself up. There is no reason to kneel before me."

Despite her confusion, she did just that, eyeing him peculiarly. Was it really wise to trust the words of a sorcerer? Then again, what other choice did she have? Without his assistance, the world would certainly be doomed. "Then, you have prepared a way to defeat the darken—"

He surprised her suddenly when he held up his hand to stop her, and again, she held her tongue, a scarlet brow raised in question. "Answer me first. How did it shatter?"

"What?"

"The Sacred Relic, a valuable treasure the Goddesses gifted to the humans centuries ago," He revealed, surprising her entirely. "What other reason would this shadow cover the lands?" He inquired, his arms crossed suddenly and his gaze narrowed. "There can only be one answer, and it lies in that very treasure which was left behind."

Roshan struck him a similar look. "Wouldn't you already know that?"

"Do not think me foolish. I am well aware the Royal Family has long possessed it. On the day of Ikana's collapse, I sensed the great power resonate and disappear. Unfortunately, that still doesn't answer why it happened. So, why don't you enlighten my curiosity?"

The events which had plagued her for days on end surfaced once more, and she felt entirely ashamed. "It was my doing. I shattered it," She admitted, though his gaze remained neutral as he listened. "So long as the enemy did not obtain its power, I used my own measures to erase it from existence, but I did not realize the consequences would be this extreme."

"Well at least you can admit to your mistakes."

"You make it sound like you already knew."

He surprised her with a crooked smile and a nod of his head. "You'll have to excuse me. I don't often get company, but yes. Truthfully, I was already aware of the situation. I am after all an all-powerful sorcerer. My intellect resonates with all living and non-living things of this world. Be it grass, the lands you walk upon, the trees and mountains; I can see all, hear all, but only to a certain extent. So, thanks for filling me in on some missing details."

At this information, she only nodded. In fact, she was surprised most of all, especially with his powers over nature itself, but to actually see and hear most happenings truly amazed her. Then, was it possible he'd witnessed the destruction of her fallen kingdom first hand? The thought left her annoyed. "If you knew this, why didn't you do anything to prevent it?"

"I can't predict the future, my dear. Trust me, all manner of magic has its limitations. I am no exception," He revealed, crossing the room thoughtfully.

"Is there no way to justify this?"

"Well, you certainly cannot do this alone…"

"That's the reason I traveled through these lands to find you," She pressed, her eyes glued upon his back.

But he only turned with a shake of his head, his silver locks bouncing against his shoulder. "No, my child. You do not understand. I cannot help you. It is not the will of the fates."

Roshan blinked at this, and then again before her countenance soured. What did he mean he couldn't fix this? According to Mayor Dotour, he was an all-powerful magic user, such a person who would have no issues quelling this matter decimating the world. "Will of the fates?" She inquired skeptically.

"Exactly," He snapped his fingers with a nod of his head. "My purpose at this moment is to call upon the warriors who can help you, as the heavens dictate."

Again, she stared, this time almost disbelievingly. Was this truly the case? Then again, she highly doubted he would lie straight to her face. So, not only was he Intune with all living and non-living things and capable of seeing and hearing most things, but he was also gifted with the words of the heavens? If that was the case, then he was no ordinary sorcerer. Who exactly was he?

When she failed to respond, he only continued. "I understand your confusion. Allow me to enlighten you. I obtain knowledge from the heavens, but only when they deem it necessary. This way, please," He beckoned, leading her towards a small table beside him.

Curious, she followed him and bent to inspect the image drawn upon a sheet lying out in the open, something she had failed to notice upon her early intrusion. The image was an exact replica of the Sacred Relic, and she shot a stunned glance at the man beside her. "How…"

"Days ago, I received a vision and saw this. I assume it's the Sacred Relic?" He inquired, already knowing the answer.

So, he was speaking the truth, other wise there would be no reason he should have acquired this kind of information. Only those within the Royal Family were aware of it's every detail and shape, but he'd drawn it so perfectly, that there was no reason to deny his words. The Goddesses must truly favor this man.

"From your silence, I'll take that as a yes. Now," He suddenly pointed a slender finger at one of the four triangles. "You have Courage, Spirit, Innocence and Power. Each represent the four heroes who will quell the darkening."

"Four heroes?" She questioned. "So, where are these four heroes? Where do we find them?"

"There is no person alive in this world who possesses these four traits strong enough to quell this rising evil," He clarified. "I see now why he sent you. This is rather complicated, more so than I would have believed."

There was no one who could help them? Is that what he was insinuating? Surely her journey here wasn't a waste of valuable time. "It's impossible?"

He shook his head. "No. Not impossible. I simply need to transmigrate them here."

"Transmigrate?" She had trouble comprehending his meaning. In fact, she had no idea what he meant by that term. "Clarify."

And he did. "The heroes, of course. If they are not from this world, then surely, they lie elsewhere in the infinite cosmos," He explained all knowingly. "Though, that would be beyond your mortal understanding, after all…"

This person intended to pull these heroes from their respective world and into theirs? While she was familiar with the knowledge of the stars and their connection with their calendar, she did not realize there were other worlds like their own. The very thought amazed her, and she found herself envisioning all kinds of possibilities. But if he said he could bring them here, then she could only rely on his words as truth. "How long will this take?"

"Not long. I've prepared days in advance. We only need to return to Clock Town and begin the preparations."

"I'm curious…"

"Go on."

"Since you're all-knowing, then how far has this darkening spread? Is it just as bad around town?"

He nearly chortled but stifled his laughter. "Oh no, my dear. It's much worse, and it will only grow more so as the days continue. You are looking at a future filled with nothing but endless darkness and death. Shadowy beasts will continue to rise from the earth, and there will soon be no memory of human existence," He revealed quite morbidly, despite his nonchalance.

"It's worse than I thought…"

"Well, cheer up. All hope is not lost. There is still time to fix all of this. Do not blame yourself, because this darkening would have happened regardless of the outcome."

She struck him a stupefied look. Regardless of the outcome? "Really?"

"Yes, but I will have to admit … your method caused the darkening to come much quicker than was anticipated."

Roshan sweat dropped. "I see…" So, that's what happened? Well, what was done was done. There was no way to turn back the clock and right her mistakes. All she could do at this point was rely on this sorcerer to bring these four heroes to Termina and rid the world of this darkness once and for all. After that, then she was sure she, Julian and Cathleen could eventually find their place again.

"Now then, give me your hand," When she failed to reciprocate his extended hand towards her, he smiled. "Come now. I will not bite. It will only take a moment."

Although hesitant, she took his hand in hers, marveling at how large his were in comparison to hers. But as his grip softly tightened around her hand, he approached closer, extending another arm towards her and resting his palm against her shoulder, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

Before she could question his actions, he began murmuring a strange language. Perhaps it was a spell? As she remained silent, trying to comprehend his low whispers, the lanterns in the room suddenly became brighter, so bright in fact, she felt a little disoriented, and then, in seconds, her world grew dark.

Σ

Roshan wasn't sure what happened after that, but darkness completely surrounded her, accompanied by distant voices calling out her name. There was something cool against her skin, the feeling of something warm shrouding her, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a familiar room.

Blinking back her blurriness, the first thing she noticed was Julian's face peering back at her with obvious worry, and then Cathleen fanning her with one of the servant's fans, her expression similar as her brother's. It was obvious she'd somehow awoke in their residential home in Clock Town, how of course, she could not fathom, but when her gaze peered behind Julian, she noticed a familiar sorcerer sitting crossed legged on the couch, sipping a steaming cup of tea.

"Roshan? Roshan? Can you hear me?" Julian asked, shaking her gently.

"Roshan?" Cathleen called, waving the fan vigorously, the female servants behind her looking on in silent confusion.

"You worry over nothing," His voice sounded from the couch. "I told you she would be slightly out of it for a while. Let her rest for a short spell."

But Cathleen rounded on him, dropping the fan at her side. "It's already been half an hour."

Despite his ignorance, he only rolled his eyes at the princess. "Oh my, half an hour of rest out of an entire week of no sleep. I wonder why she is so exhausted. The woman traveled all that time to find me. Tell me, do you push all your loyal subjects this hard?" He inquired.

Cathleen's countenance grew flustered, but without a word, she huffed and turned her back to him, her attention returning to Roshan's quite worriedly. "How do you feel? Can you stand up?"

She only nodded, accepting Julian and Cathleen's help to right herself once more, and though Julian's arm remained around hers, his eyes watching her closely beside her, Roshan pressed a hand to her temple. "What in the heavens just happened?"

"You dropped from the ceiling, that's what happened," Julian answered. "Sister and I were discussing the plans the mayor had sent over to help build up security around town, and then you and …" He paused, his amethyst eyes shifting curiously towards the man in question, still seated upon the couch.

"Emmett," He introduced.

Julian nodded. "Yes. You and Emmett just fell from our ceiling out of nowhere."

"That would be called teleportation, my boy," Emmett corrected.

But Julian only shot him an incriminating stare, his head held high suddenly. "You are informally addressing me. It is clear you are much younger than me."

But Emmett only threw his head back with laughter, but it only took him a brief moment to reply. "Trust me, boy, we are far different in ages, quite immensely," He corrected him once more. Regardless of Julian's lingering displeasure, Emmett placed his teacup upon the coffee table and regained his standing, moving to close the distance between all of them. "Now that she has regained her senses, why don't we get right down to business?"

When it became clear to Roshan that both Cathleen and Julian did not trust this man, unaware of his identity, she cleared her throat, nearly recovered from her dizziness. "He is the person whom the mayor sent me to fetch. The sorcerer."

Cathleen's amethyst eyes widened, and she flashed an apologetic nod to Emmett. "Oh, forgive my rudeness earlier. Then those powers we bore witness to earlier … you said it was teleportation?"

"Correct. The title is not necessary either. Now that I've been acquainted with the Royal Family, we have no time to waste. Every minute counts, after all," He quickly advised. "The evening grows late. Come. I've already prepared our spot," He beckoned them towards the door, once again pulling his hood to cover his face.

With Cathleen and Julian beside her, each with their respective cloaks on, they strode through the paved streets of town, allowing only their shadows to merge with that of the multiple buildings and decorative posts aligning the path. Although the weather normally remained unpredictable, especially during nightfall, this particular night was quiet, so eerily so, and all Roshan could hear beyond the eerie thickness was the music resonating from the Milk Bar just south of the alley.

After convincing one of the many guards on duty near the walls protecting the settlement, Emmett led them south towards Termina's Field, where the grass land eventually thickened with forests. Multiple paths stretched throughout their field of view, but Emmett deterred from the paths altogether, and he led them further into the thicket, into an area barely visible to the naked eye.

No sooner than a half hour of endless walking and descending small inclines along the way, they arrived before an open clearing. Although her eyes had long adjusted to the darkness, Roshan observed the lighted clearing bemusedly; how could there possibly be light without torches? Even the full moon overhead was shrouded by dark clouds.

As soon as Emmett waved his hand, a glimmering barrier fell from around the clearing, the likes which left everyone stunned, including herself, but he only beckoned them forward; his nonchalance certainly left her uneasy. But no sooner had they stepped inside did that very barrier erect itself once more, and when she followed his gaze, his crimson eyes following an image drawn upon the grass, she finally understood.

"A summoning circle?" Cathleen and Julian gasped.

Emmett nodded, turning to them with all seriousness. "As I have already revealed to Roshan, I shall do the same with both of you. In order to put a stop to this darkening shrouding the lands, I must bring four heroes from their respective worlds; only they possess the strength necessary to undo all of this."

"Four heroes?" Cathleen inquired, her gaze shifting between him and Roshan. "Will it really be enough?"

Roshan nodded. "Emmett is already aware of the Sacred Relic. Each of those triangles represents the four who will save us all. For now, we can only rely on his abilities."

Although there was much uncertainty in their countenances, they ultimately accepted it, watching as the immortal man crossed over the lines of the circle ahead. From her position, she noted four smaller circles drawn within the enormous one, the lines sparkling in the night mystically; it was another spell no doubt. What caught her notice were the items Emmett strategically placed in each of the circles from the basket hanging from his arm, a basket which had not been there moments before.

Once each object was placed, they radiated a blue and white glow, and from the distance, Roshan was certain she recognized a couple of them. The first, she recognized a see-through container housing a small forest fairy within, the second which he had scattered an unfamiliar gray dust and curious insects. As for the third, she watched curiously as Emmett placed the skull of some wild animal before retrieving a small dagger from a hidden pocket in his assemble and slicing his palm; the remnants of his blood dripped upon that very skull.

The trail of blood then followed him to the final circle, and only after lighting a flame above the bouquet of herbs in hand, he placed it down, a cloud of its smoke filling the air. No sooner had he done this, he crossed the circle back to their side and dropped the basket, and then, the unthinkable happened. Beyond his unfamiliar chanting whispered on the wind, the entirety of the circle, as well as its objects, shimmered intensely, and as Roshan held each of the twin's shoulders, she narrowed her gaze.

'So, this is what it means to transmigrate someone from another world?'

There was a shift in the wind, its breeze unexpectedly strong and beyond its howl, Emmet's chant became much louder. The smoke from the herbs soon encompassed the entirety of the summoning circle, and with it, the light grew brighter and far more intense than was imaginable. Emmet's chant soon ended as the cloud storm arose before them, and within moments of uneasy anticipation, shapes soon took form. Within the smoky haze, Roshan could somewhat distinguish four human shapes; there were two tall male figures, accompanied by a shorter and feminine form, with a small child beside them. Unfortunately, she could not see anything more beyond the haze.

"Now, look upon our four heroes," Emmett pointed with a fairly pleased countenance.

Σ

Author Notice:

And now we can finally begin everyone's adventure! :D We hope you enjoyed our four-chapter prologue; it was definitely necessary to clear any confusion. In case anyone is wondering what this Sacred Relic is, think of it as an alternate version of the Triforce.

If you look on our Deviant Art Page, which you can find in our profile under "Sites Affiliated with Our Fanfics," you'll see a couple images of how we imagine what the Sacred Relic looks like. :D

Please let us know what you think of this story so far! We barely get any responses, and we would love to hear your thoughts and receive your opinions of what you like and dislike. Hearing from you greatly helps us to improve our writing.