Collaborative Writing Project: The Fading Light: A Tale of Zan

Welcome to The Masters of Animanga: A Wikia Collaborative Writing Project! Join with legendary icons of anime and manga to create three exciting, original stories based on their character designs and outlines.

We've written Red Bat, and TAO! - Rize of the Ying-Yang. Now, join with other co-authors from the Wikia community to pen an exciting samurai-themed story that crosses the boundaries of space and time.

The inspiration for our third tale, Fading Light: A Tale of Zan, is provided by legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano (Vampire Hunter D, Final Fantasy) in the form of an iconic samurai character who first appeared in Amano's graphic novel Deva Zan. The story is executive produced by Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood).

We want YOU to co-write this story! And you're also welcome to post any original artwork to illustrate it. Just take a few moments to read the rules, familiarize yourself with the world and characters, then edit this page to begin creating.

THE RULES
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 * The story will end September 21.
 * By contributing to the story as a signed in user, you acknowledge your acceptance of the following rules, terms, and conditions.

2. Each user is allowed to contribute one paragraph (up to six sentences max) at a time.

3. Do not edit again until at least THREE new users have contributed. In other words, there must be three paragraphs between contributions from any one user.

4. Contribute to the story in a linear fashion.

5. Only add to the story section of this page – do not alter the “characters,” “world,” or “rules” sections.

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8. Your story must focus only on the original characters and world created by the Masters of Animanga for this particular project. No other pre-existing characters or universes can be referenced, anime or otherwise. That said, you may create a wholly original character specifically for this story.

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If any user is found to be in violation of these rules, we reserve the right to rollback/remove your contribution.

THE WORLD
A samurai warrior with no memory of his past, Zan has the power to travel through all of time and space while riding atop Panther, his animal companion.

The many adventures of Zan could never be chronicled in a single volume. In this story, we follow our hero from feudal Japan to Victorian-era England (and beyond) as he meets a beautiful woman who changes him forever, and faces an adversary unlike any he has encountered before.

THE CHARACTERS

 * Zan, our hero, is a samurai warrior who has no memory of his past. He is on a quest to restore order to existence, which will ultimately lead him to the discovery of his own mysterious origin. While riding atop Panther, his faithful animal companion, Zan has the power to travel anywhere in space and time.


 * Lord Chataway, the villain of the story, is encountered by Zan when he is transported to 1870s England. Lord Chataway is a British noble who may be more than who he first seems to be.


 * Virginia, the beautiful daughter of Lord Chataway. She is fiercely independent, but finds herself strangely drawn to the mysterious Zan.

THE STORY
It wasn't a memory -- more like a dream. As the silent warrior hid in the shadows, waiting to strike, he couldn't shake the sense that he'd been here before. But he could not dwell on that feeling right now. His sensei had been killed by an assassin from the Shadow Clan, and he was there for a reckoning. Zan lurked on a rooftop near the Shadow lair. He would wait there until the Shadow Master came into view and then exact his revenge. Minutes passed, and then hours… but the Shadow Master did not appear. Surely, they hadn't been made aware of his presence. Or had they?

Calling to Panther, his animal companion -- a black cat-like creature with otherworldly features -- who had been lurking nearby in the dark, Zan climbed on to the big cat, and the pair leaped from the rooftop and into the pathway in front of the temple below. At that moment, Zan knew he was in trouble. He sensed a dark presence, but before he could act, he was surrounded by twelve Shadow Clan warriors. "I can take them," he thought. But just then another two dozen fighters from the Shadow Clan emerged from the darkness.

Zan was wise enough to know he couldn't win. And he knew there was only one way out. He leaned forward to whisper a command into Panther's ear, and suddenly the cat leapt into the air towards the surrounding warriors. There was a blinding flash of light -- Zan and Panther had vanished. --Brian 17:49, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"Good Heavens!" He woke up to the cry of a woman who sounded like a noblewoman. Opening his eyes, Zan got up, and found himself in the middle of the street of a strange city that he had not been to, with Panther beside him, surrounding by a crowd of people. Judging from their clothes, they looked like a mixture of nobility, merchants, civil servants, commoners and beggars, yet they all looked frightened at the sight of him since they had likely never seen someone quite like him or his companion before, especially coming out of nowhere as he did! Hoping to take cover somewhere before he caused more of a disturbance, Zan got on top of Panther and began to ride. "YOU, STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" Shouted a man with a club that Zan could only guess was a law enforcer. (Anonymius (talk) 17:14, September 23, 2013 (UTC))

In the dark basement of a Victorian mansion, an old man named Lord Amadeus Chataway, looked upon a statue of a great fish. It had long, sharp teeth, and a lure-like thing on top of its head, like a deep-sea fish. "I am quite impressed with this," said Amadeus, "Before long, I-" Before he could finish, his daughter was knocking on the door. --ScorpionTail (talk) 17:20, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Elsewhere, there was a small village home to many farmers where there was a teenage boy named Ryuunosuke Kageyama who, unlike the others at his age, he ditched the farm work and went to train with duel katanas for he wanted to become a samurai instead of staying as a farmer. As he was on his way back home from training he heard a voice which appeared to be weakly asking for help. Rushing towards the source of the voice, he found a beautiful girl about his age leaning on a tree and he asked, "Are you okay!?! What's your name?" "My name is Virginia," the girl replied, "Please, help me find a man named Zan. He's the only hope left for this world." When she lost consciousness, Ryuunosuke carried her back to his village wondering what was happening. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 17:23, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Little did he know, the girl Virginia had just escaped from a terrible fight with her father, Lord Amadaeus Chataway. Angry that her father seemed to be losing his mind and ignoring her words of advice, she had stormed off but was attacked by thugs looking for an easy target. Unfortunately for them, Virginia was a fierce fighter thanks to her old friend and butler, Charles. She was able to fight most of them off until one attacked her from behind, and the last thing she remembered seeing was a strange man on top of a panther... Grace (profile)•(talk) 17:35, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Zan sped off onto top of Panther, who had leaped over the gasping (And he couldn't help but think impressed) crowd of spectators, running away from the law enforcers, using some kind of artifacts as if to get his attention. It would take too long to explain. Heck he wasn't even sure if he could explain it! Besides he was certain that he hadn't broken any alien law! At least he thought he hadn't. Panther leaped onto a nearby building, and scuttled up the wall to the top, before running and leaping off of several buildings to get away. (Anonymius (talk) 17:44, September 23, 2013 (UTC))

Suddenly the world fell apart and light came from everywhere as Zan fell from his panther. Plummeting to the ground, the light and sky changed, and, within a blink of an eye, he was surrounded by huge metal temples with blinking lights. Machines filled the air, whizzing past him, but, before hitting the ground, hundreds of paper origami cranes flocked toward him and carried him to safety. Zan looked at the floating mass of paper cranes that was ascending him to safety with curiosity. The cranes landed Zan on the highest building in Tokyo. The origami paper cranes began to unfold and transformed into his Panther. (Christina Coffaro (talk) --Christina Coffaro (talk) 17:56, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"Master Mar'riana, Lord of the Seas of Time," said Lord Amadeus Chataway, "I managed to keep my eldest daughter Virginia away for now, so that we can speak about the plan." In that instant, a phantom-like creature that resembled a viperfish or some other deep-sea fish appeared in front of Lord Chataway, the fish's bioluminescent body being the sole glimmer of light in the room. "Lord Chataway," said Mar'riana, "you have done well, but the legends are true, for the hero of the ages has surfaced..." --ScorpionTail (talk) 18:05, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

At Ryuunosuke's house, Virginia began to wake up from her sleep, and she got up in a panic thinking that she was still on the run but she was surprised to see herself in a soft bed. "So you finally woke up, huh, Virginia," Ryuunosuke said causing the girl to panic at the stranger. "Who are you and how do you know my name!?!" "My name's Ryuunosuke and I know your name because you told me yesterday before you lost conscious. Don't worry, I won't let anything hurt you." "Are you trying to flirt with me using those lines!?!" Virginia exclaimed as Ryuunosuke had a nervous smile on his face because flirting was not his intention. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 18:29, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Zan opened his eyes and found himself still on his companion where he was before, before that vision. Having traveled so many times to so many places throughout time he couldn't keep a track of where he's been, and sometimes he has visions or dreams of places he's never quite sure if he's been there before or yet. He looked around and wondered where he was. It definitely looked like a city, but unlike cities he was used to (that were made of wood). This one was entirely made of stone, and was much bigger, and filthier as well. Eventually, once he was certain that he had lost those law enforcers, Panther leaped down into an alleyway where he grabbed a large rag and threw it over himself to cover his appearance. (Anonymius (talk) 18:33, September 23, 2013 (UTC))

The nameless Panther, his ancient companion and the only constant in the tumult of space-time travel that had become his life, stepped forward as his paws shrank to the size of those of a housecat, advancing and decreasing until it was only a black cat with burning white eyes before leaping away far beyond Zan, who shuffled awkwardly in the rag he had hastily cast over himself as the hapless samurai took stock of his surroundings. The alley was filthy, strewn with garbage and feces and the corpses of dead animals, but was given a crawling life by the impoverished who sat in drunken or opium-induced stupors and the children who rummaged amongst the trash in search of cast away treasures. "Sah, sah. sah, sah!" cried one child, a cripple with a dead eye that lolled blindly and teared in its corners, groping with his tiny hands as he begged alms from the strange newcomer. In his travels, Zan had encountered and mastered many languages, but such vernacular was unfamiliar to him. The samurai, taking the plea as an entreaty for money, produced from a pouch hanging at his side a dull golden coin. Whether it would have value in this strange world, Zan could not know, but he wordlessly placed it in the young invalid's outstretched palm and closed his fingers around it. Jottie22 (talk) 19:54, September 23, 2013 (UTC)Jottie22

Like a crystal ball, Mar'riana used the anglerfish-esque lure to observe the young samurai, showing his lackey Amadeus this strange new threat to their plans. "His name is Zan," said Mar'riana. "What do you suppose we should do about him, though?" asked Amadeus nervously. "Let time take care of things," chuckled Mar'riana. Within a few seconds, bubbles began to shoot out of his mouth, and demons from Feudal Japan, in this case the Tengu, appeared, bowing to Amadeus. "May they serve us well," said Mar'riana, vanishing into the dark depths of what looked like a murky ocean trench. --ScorpionTail (talk) 20:09, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"So, you were talking about some guy called Zan and how he was the last hope for the world?" Ryuunosuke asked as he set some food in front of Virginia. "That is correct," Virginia said with a somewhat sad expression, "I am currently running away from my father who wants to kill Zan and I wanted to warn him before it's too late. I thank you for the hospitality but I must go." As she got up to leave, Ryuunosuke grabbed her wrist and stopped her, saying, "I'm coming with you then, I can't just let you go and put yourself in danger by yourself. I'll protect you the entire way." Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 20:23, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

After conversing with Mar'riana, Lord Chateley was taking a ride in a carriage through the city, along with his daughter, who was looking bored, so he asked her what was wrong.

"Oh I was just thinking, Father," She told him, "about life in general; like, if there is something more to it than simply saying "How do you do?" and "I am quite well, thanks for asking" all the time, and going to balls and letting boring men trying to court me and laughing at their comments when they're not funny; just about my purpose in life, that's all."

"Your purpose, child," her father told her calmly, "Is to be a dutiful child, and then to be a dutiful wife, nothing more; what more is there for a young lady of your stature?"

As Virginia tried to prepare a rebuttal to her father's unsympathetic response, she overheard some people they were passing talking about a giant cat they had seen and what they swore was a wild man on top of it, an old man swore he had seen it leap down into an alleyway he was pointing at. Curious, and desperate to get away from her father for a while, she got out of the carriage and ran for the alleyway that the man pointed at with her father running after her. (Anonymius (talk) 20:33, September 23, 2013 (UTC))

The First Attack
Virginia sat back down and Ryunnosuke asked, "What is going on and why are you here?" since, judging by her clothes, she was not from anywhere near here. Flustered, Virginia explaned: "This, I believe is Feudal Japan, yes?" This was common knowledge, why she was bothering to state it was puzzling so he questioned her sanity.

"My father was a historian," continued the girl, "This may be hard to believe but I am from the future and a man from this time named Zan brought me here. I believe he may...no I FEAR he may have come here to kill Oda the warlord, before he conquers a 3rd of Japan and starts it's unification," she rasped. Ryunnosuke looked at her with a mixture of shock and suspicion, but he couldn't help but wonder why such a beautiful woman seemed so insane. (Amyar (talk) 21:38, September 23, 2013

Zan could hear the sound of flapping wings. He and his panther companion ceased moving, and quickly looked around. He suspicions were correct; the Tengu, those red-faced crow-men, had found him. With a war cry, some of the tengu warriors sorrounded Zan. Just looking at them told Zan that the only way out of this mess would be bloody... --ScorpionTail (talk) 20:49, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"So do you see how dangerous this is going to be," Virginia asked Ryuunosuke after finishing her more in depth explanation of what she has to do. "So? I'm still going with you. I'm more than capable to take on whatever's out there." Ryuunosuke said already ready for this trip. "I said I'd stay by your side for this no matter what." This made Virginia blush a little. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 21:10, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

The Tengu men let out a loud war cry and flew directly towards Zan and his panther. Zan cut down his opponents swiftly, like a hot knife through better whilst his pet constantly pounced into the air and mauled some of the Tengu men. Things were going well until Zan noticed he and missed one Tengu man, who was flying straight towards Zan to end him. However, the Tengu man was sent flying as an arrows struck him straight in the chest. Zan looked and noticed a man in relatively simply village clothing wielding a long bow, which seemed a bit out of place. Zan's panther growled at the stranger, but Zan calmed him. The villager began walking towards Zan to greet him. --Ezvil (talk) 21:20, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Zan caught a good glimpse of the boy before the vision faded, and he found himself back in the strange stone city. Hearing the cry of a Tengu, Zan turned around to see more coming at him, so he ran, but not out of cowardice since he knew from that vision where to go next. As he and Panther ran to the end of the alleyway, he leaped onto his companion as he grew to his larger size, and prepared to escape this time. Just as he was, however, the Virginia of this time, unaware of the knowledge that she would later know in life, caught a glimpse of the man and the growing cat; curiosity getting the better of her, she ran to them, not noticing the Tengu. She called out to the man, but he didn't hear her, and her hand just brushed the cat's tail as she was pulled into the time portal with them, with her father just clasping her arm: and the visions she saw changed her life forever. (Anonymius (talk) 21:39, September 23, 2013 (UTC))

Zan Returns to Japan
Zan was back in Japan this time near a village, the archer from before had revealed himself, but then boy revealed his true form as a large red fox with crimson fur and eyes with a sword on his back. "Long time no see, I hear you go by the name Zan now." Zan was confused on how the creature knew his name. "You don't remember me? That's a shame, I was almost positive that my presence would trigger a memory, oh well a promise is a promise either way." The fox took the sword off his back unsheathed and held it in his hand, "before we fight call me Shokuro for now."--Zeromaro (talk) 21:59, September 23, 2013 (UTC)(I told you he'd be back.)

Zan unsheathed his sword, a long, curved beauty. He fingered the worn handle of the blade as the two circled each other cautiously. Shokuro... he had heard this name before. He looked at the fox, assessing its movements - steady and clean, clearly one experienced in fighting. Then, without warning, Zan lunged forwards. The ringing sound of blades clashing echoed through the air. He blocked, Zan thought admiringly, A worthy opponent it would seem.--Alleyworkings00103 (talk) 22:13, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"Hopefully you'll be able to do more to challenge me," Shokuro said with a smirk, "or else I won't be able to be serious about this." He then went into a different stance signaling a charge attack. The boy charged at Zan who was already swinging his sword. But at the last moment, Shokuro jumped back dodging Zan's attack and then jumped forward once more with a slash attack giving a light cut to Zan's face as he tried to dodge. "I'm not the trickster swordsman for nothing." Why do I remember that? Zan thought. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 22:25, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Virginia looked around. She certainly wasn't very happy to know that she was here, in Feudal Japan, a time period that she had researched often in her spare time. Surely with all of the fighting that took place back then, she'd surely perish. Perplexed by her situation, she asked for answers. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" she asked, confused by all of the ruckus. --ScorpionTail (talk) 22:49, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"You're the one who said you got dragged here by a time traveler riding a Bakeneko (Cat monster), that's crazy enough." Ryunosuke was still trying to get his head around things, "Wait what's going on over there?" On the pathway to the village, the teens noticed the duel between Zan and a bipedal fox. "That man, he's-" "Zan!" Screamed Virginia, "The man who first taught me how to wield a sword is Zan?" Ryunosuke was getting surprised at every turn.--Zeromaro (talk) 23:01, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Virginia's Rescue
Virginia and Ryuunosuke were near the edge of the village when Virginia heard the sounds of the duel. "No, not here!" she cried, "This is where I first met Zan! We have to go." Ryuunosuke was confused. "Go? Go where?" Virginia smiled and pulled a very lifelike, beautiful origami panther out of her pocket. "Forward," she said, and as the panther expanded into it's true form they vanished in a flash of light.

TheReturnOfTheKing - O_o I'm watching… 23:26, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

"Where are we?" Ryuunosuke asked as the two teenagers appeared in a new location. "We are in my time also known as the Victorian Era," Virginia replied as she took him by the hand and led him through the busy street. Ryuunosuke was amazed at the new sights he's never seen before. "But why did we have to leave when you wanted to find that Zan guy in the first place," he asked. "It would've caused a time paradox if my younger self saw me," she replied, but Ryuunosuke still looked confused. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 23:37, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

Amadeus looked at his two other daughters, Dakota and Carolina, as they walked into the mansion. "What's wrong, father?" asked Dakota, "Where's Virginia?" "That's what I'm trying to find out," answered Amadeus, "I've been looking everywhere for that girl." His mind was set on finding his daughter, who he hoped would never find out his secret... --ScorpionTail (talk) 23:53, September 23, 2013 (UTC)

We should get back to Zan and Shokuro, Zan was exhausted while the fox barely even panted. He never even drew his sword from its saya, and he fought in a way I've never seen before: legwork, acrobatics, different forms of grappling, he even used his tail to strike pressure points or restrain, not to mention those strikes from different parts of his body. "Looks like I'll have to wait until you recover all of your memories before we can fight again, oh and if you meet a young man by the name of Ryunosuke, he's that farmer's child you trained in the basics of swordsmanship. It's good that he hasn't learned your jiku-no-zangetsu-ryu." Jiku-no-zangetsu-ryu is an advanced form of Japanese swordsmanship created by Zan that calculates the distance and timing of an opponent's movement in order to counterattack, its a flexible style that not only uses swords but other weapons too. As Shokuro disappeared, Zan called out, "I apologize for bringing you into this, it's safe to come out now," and a slightly younger Virginia came out of the tall grass she was hiding in.--Zeromaro (talk) 01:23, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"Who are you?" Virginia asked. Zan surveyed her - she was a pretty thing, this girl, with her shimmering blonde hair that flowed and glowed with light, eyes that were proud and blue, light skin that spoke of femininity and softness. She had high cheekbones, very prominent, and highlighted the length of her curved lashes that brushed skin every time she closed them. She was highborn, he knew, from the way she spoke and the way she held herself. "My name is Zan," the samurai said, "And you are?"--Alleyworkings00103 (talk) 02:53, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"My name is Virginia, I'm 12 years old." The girl said shyly due to the height difference of the two of them. "Where am I? I want to go home." "You are in Japan right now." Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 03:00, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

Viriginia was unable to reply again, as she suddenly shrieked as an arrow came flying towards Zan's head. Zan, as though by instinct, caught the arrow in midair without even turning his head to look at it, and then he stared at the villager from before who stood a way's away, with a grin on his face. "So I guess you still have some skills after all, pitiful you lost to that fox though," the villager said harshly, but the smile on his face hinted that he was not seriously condoning Zan. Virginia still looked horrified, but tensions were eased a bit when Zan referred to the villager by his name. "Im confused as to how that boy, er, fox knows my name, Yumoa" Zan told the villager. "Nonetheless, I'm off watch duty for the time being, so perhaps I can help figure out what's going on," Yumoa the villager replied, although he stopped for a moment before apologizing to Virginia and welcoming her to Japan. --Ezvil (talk) 03:04, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

The Path of Insanity
Lord Chataway, who was worried about his daughter and where she was, leaned on the table, pressing his hands against it firmly, sweating from his nervousness. He turned his head to the side, where his butler Charles was and said "Charles get the Royal unit," in a pushy manner. The Royal Unit was Lord Chataway's personal minions carrying out task for him whenever he needed. The butler nodded his head in obedience, immediately getting five men from the Royal Unit, and, when they arrived, Lord Chataway got up from his leaning position to say with a stern voice, "Go and find my daughter Virgina in the city and get her quick, and if you dare come back without her, you will suffer severe consequences!" Judging by the look of Chataway's harmful glare, each member of the unit knew he was not bluffing or joking around and responded with saying "Yes Sir!", having a noticeably nervous look on their face before immediately setting out on the search for Virginia.  DragonKnight99 the  07:52, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

Lord Chataway groaned as he got up. "Virginia? VIRGINIA?" He looked around. She was nowhere to be seen. Wait a minute; this feeling; Chataway knew where he was, or rather when he was; he was in Japan, or rather what westerners refer to as 'Feudal Japan', more specifically the Sengoku period. (Anonymius (talk) 08:41, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

Chataway was apprehensive. To be honest, he was often scared witless in Feudal Japan. Foreigners heads often seemed to decorate the grounds beneath the shogun's keep. Blonde hair, red hair, anything that wasn't the usual black of the Japanese's heads; their owners never returned to their homelands. Chataway had a head of brilliant gold - like to attract much stares, curious and disgusted and bloodthirsty looks alike. He was lucky that he entered this world in a remote place.--Alleyworkings00103 (talk) 11:59, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

Suddenly, Chataway started to hear the voice of a strange being. "Do you wish to find your daughter and rule this forsaken land?" The voice had called out to him. "Yes, there's no other way to control these savage swordsmen other than ruling over them. Why even stop there, I could control the whole world." "Then follow my instructions and you shall get the answers and power."--Zeromaro (talk) 14:25, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"So that's why we had to leave," Ryuunosuke said after listening to Virginia's lengthy explanation about time travel and time paradoxes. "That's why time travel can get so complicated," Virginia commented before they heard the sound of soldiers rushing towards them saying, "There's Virginia, get her!" "Oh man, there's too many, sorry about this," Ryuunosuke said as he picked up Virgina bridal style surprising her and causing her to blush as he jumped and used the soldiers as launch pads to get on the roof of a nearby building before continuing to run away from the soldiers. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 14:31, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"VIRGINIA!"

The young Virginia turned around to see her father strolling towards her and Zan and she was shocked to even see him here. "There you are, Virginia, you shouldn't go wandering off like that. YOU," He shouted at Zan, "I don't know how but you're responsible for all this, and I DEMAND that you return us back to where we belong!"

Zan did not realise how many lives he had accidentally screwed up; in situations like this, his first instinct is of course to return people back to their time, but something didn't feel right and he felt like something about this man was off. As if a memory, he kept hearing a voice repeatedly saying duty, duty, and, by instinct, Zan grabbed the Virginia's arm and disappeared from that place before her father could grab her. (Anonymius (talk) 15:02, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

3 years before Virginia's 12 birthday : Lord Chataway was strolling the street markets of Manchester port (many foreigners from all arms of the British empire traded goods here, and some were even of historic value which of course meant they were of value to him and justified the long trip away from his London home). As he turned down the makeshift maze of tents and stalls, he came back across an alleyway decorated with oriental trinkets and decorations. His area of expertise was Africa not China, but history was history, and nevertheless he may at the least find an extra present for his daughters 9th birthday. He smiled as he trod the cobblestone road, looking left and right at various dragons, tigers and what not. He stopped as he came across a empty stall, and noticed at the back, at a statue of what looked like an anglerfish? A cold air gripped him, and he would later regret this discovery of his, as well as the man he would later become. (Amyar (talk)16:38, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

While Ryunosuke was still running from the authorities, Virginia noticed some similarities between him and Zan and thought to herself, I know Ryunosuke said that he was trained in the basics of swordsmanship by Zan, by why does he look so similar? Virginia then noticed that Ryunosuke had the same katana-cut scar on his back as Zan, and wondered, Could it be- "That Ryunosuke is Zan before he lost his memories; you're brighter than I thought," an illusionary Shokuro appeared before Virginia's eyes.

I have to send him back to the time he lost everything, I'm so sorry Ryunosuke but you must become Zan to stop all of this. With an origami version of Panther, Ryunosuke disappeared while Viriginia was taken by Shokuro and brought to the event that will make him into a warrior that will assist Zan.--Zeromaro (talk) 16:05, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

Amadeus was more than willing to persist when it came to the plan. His wife, Isabelle, was counting on it. Mar'riana had promised to bring her back from the grave if Amadeus could do something for him. All Amadeus was hoping was that Mar'riana kept his word... --ScorpionTail (talk) 16:20, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"Virgina where are you!?!" Ryuunosuke yelled out not knowing where he was and was more concerned about the girl's well being than his own. Looking down, he saw that he still had his duel swords as well as the other stuff he had brought with him. Then a voice began calling to him. "Who's there?" Ryuunosuke asked. "You must walk the path of your destiny." the voice said. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 16:24, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

Without warning he thumped his fist on the table in anger. What had happened centuries ago felt like only moments, when Zan had escaped with the child back in Feudal Japan. Fortunately, though, his organization had branches then and there, and with their help he was able to return to England and spend the next few centuries in hibernation, but not before informing his past self (who was in a different body at the time) of what was going on when he had awoken and came out.

"So, you lost the star, did you?" His 'wife', Lady Chataway asked, almost mockingly. "She is only temporarily lost," He told her, "But soon we will reclaim her, and I will explain the situation to our brethren at today's meeting." (Anonymius (talk) 16:25, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

The False Farmer Boy
After Ryunosuke heard the mysterious voice he was confronted by a samurai warlord with his army. "State your name peasant," said the general. "I am Ryunosuke, a child of a farmer, with dreams to become a samurai." "Is this boy serious," said a soldier. "Silence, many peasants had become samurai especially now, even Tokichiro was once just a servant after all. Let me introduce myself, I am Oda Nobunaga."--Zeromaro (talk) 20:30, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"He is not happy with your progress," a sinister voice echoed throughout the room. Lord Chataway turned to find a hooded man, wearing light armour almost entirely covered by robes. "Leave us dear," Chataway dismissed his wife, he turned his attention once again to the mysterious man and started speaking, "What are you doing here, I told M-"

"You failed to apprehend the boy Chataway... The master is not pleased with you," the voice interrupted, and Chataway gulped before asking, "W-what would you have me do?" "Find him, or I will." --CenturyOfChaos (talk) 21:00, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

Lord Amadeus Chataway may have remarried, but his first wife Isabelle was always so kind to him. He'd give anything to have her back, and kick his replacement to the curb. He remembered how he met his second wife Charlotte, who he only married to keep himself sane, as Mar'riana's influence had a rather negative effect on his psyche. Mar'riana would use Amadeus as a vessel for himself if he couldn't complete his end of the bargain, and he could already feel his left hand becoming as scaly as a fish, hence why he wore gloves to cover up this fact. But this time, Amadeus could feel that one of his upper canines was sharper than usual. Amadeus knew he had to act quickly... --ScorpionTail (talk) 21:07, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

That evening, Chataway and his wife attended the meetings in his secret cellar with other members of his order, all wearing and concealed in cowls.

"Brothers and sisters," he addressed the crowd, "For three years the star of the heavens has remained in our custody, and we have been waiting for the right time. But now Zan, the time rider, the hero of ages, has snatched her from us, but we will not let this insult be our downfall! We must spread out across the world, and wait patiently for the rider and the star to appear, there will be no place nor time where we will not find him!  For we are Legion, and we are many and forever!"

He then raised a glass, and concluded with "from chaos did creation spring, and down to chaos shall creation return," with other members of their group chanting the same thing. (Anonymius (talk) 21:17, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

"Oda Nobunaga?" Ryuunosuke asked as the man nodded. Virginia told me about him "Boy, if you're wishing to become a samurai, why don't you join my army, we're always open for new recruits." "I thank you for your offer, but I need to rescue someone and even after that, I'll become a samurai my own way." "Insolent brat, you never turn his lordship down!" the soldiers yelled before then charging at Ryuunosuke who easily defeated them with duel sword techniques before running off. "Interesting." Nobunaga said with a smirk. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 21:37, September 24, 2013 (UTC)

"My liege, Shokuro the demon fox was seen fighting against master Zan 3 weeks ago near his home village!!!" the servant exclaimed. Oda sighed: Zan was a time traveler, and as such any of his actions meant little without knowledge of where he had been. He looked onward, beyond the many phalanxes of his army at the city of Kyoto; he had raised Zan for many years, and he should be by his side, as father and son should. "I am so disappointed, Ryunosuke" he whispered. His son has sided with the emperor, the tyrant, and this stung more then the death of a thousand men. He thought they both saw the future, a vision of a unified and peaceful Japan. (Amyar (talk) 22:40, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

The Slashed Dragon
The Seas of Time, a legendary location where all eras and all events are all drifting in a never-ending current until they break away into the timeline, with all non-existent eras and events lingering in the current for eternity, never to escape its everlasting force. Mar'riana, a denizen of the Dark Trench, where all deaths and end of eras are chronicled, swam amidst the broken aspirations of the fallen, and his lure and various parts of his body shined like a swimming constellation as his thin, eel-like frame passed by eras that never existed when he entered the current. He found a lost age of enlightenment, one where Japan had become the technological masters of the world, and Mar'riana formed a plan in his horrid mind. He saw a robot codenamed "Slashed Dragon", a killing machine that had the capability to wipe out a village all on its own. Mar'riana knew it could definitely be a threat to Zan, so in that instant, the robot was teleported by Mar'riana out of the aborted era, and into the main timeline. "This will be fun..." said Mar'riana, chuckling demonically as he anticipated the end of Zan, his enemy... --ScorpionTail (talk) 01:39, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

From the distance, a young warrior wearing an ō-yoroi watched as Mar'riana was plotting. Coming from an eternal age of silence and war, an alternate era within the Seas of Time, he silently slipped past Mar'riana and jumped into the current era, the location of Zan and his companions. Upon arriving, he witnessed Virginia, and approached her, grabbed her silently, and spoke with her, "My dear girl, my name is Wisuperu, and I know you are from the future, which is why I must warn you. That man, Zan, is threatening to stop his father's peaceful reign, something he did in my own timeline, and you must prevent this future." He hands her a piece of origami, "This will help take you to the future, and I'll accompany you so we can find my descendant. He still exists regardless of the past's events, so he'll be vital to our plan," and at once, they travelled to the future. -- VictoriousBeckFan (talk) 01:42, 25 September 2013 (UTC)

"So is there any particular reason we bolted away from this girl's father and took her with us," Yumoa asked Zan after he, Zan, and the young Virginia reached Yumoa's house. It was a simple little house, suitable enough for the quaint life Yumoa lived on his own. "My instincts told me something was wrong, and they have never failed me before," Zan replied. "In any case, we cannot hide in my house forever, so where do you suggest we go?" Zan initially refused Yumoa's offer to join him, until Yumoa noted that the two of them stood a better chance of surviving and evading Virginia's search party together than separate; Yumoa also mentioned that he owed a debt to Zan for helping him out of a very dangerous situation. "Very well, we shall grab a few things for the road and leave first thing tomorrow morning," Zan complied, but he and Zan suddenly panicked as they saw Virginia quickly exiting the house, unsure of where the little girl was going until they saw her staring at something shocking in front of Yumoa's house. --Ezvil (talk) 02:16, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Outside was the robotic solider with the characters that said "Slashed Dragon". Before Zan and Yumoa could act, Virginia accidentally used the origami piece that changed into a panther and pushed the robot to when Ryunosuke had ran from Nobunaga. Ryunosuke saw that the nearby village and his own home was in flames and saw what looked like Nobunaga, "Demon King," he said as he drew his swords. Nobunaga was fighting the "Slashed Dragon" trying to strike its weak points until Ryunosuke arrived to try and avenge his family. "Ryunosuke-dono," said a servant weakly, "Lord Nobunaga has indeed done several questionable acts, but he would never force his family to serve him," Ryunosuke was confused. "You are the son of Lord Nobunaga and a former concubine who married a farmer, it was this machine that attacked your home; Lord Nobunaga wanted to avenge you with the thought that you were dead."--Zeromaro (talk) 03:43, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

'It still seems suspicious.' Ryuunosuke thought as he drew his swords. 'This slashed dragon doesn't seem to be from this time but I shouldn't mention that or I could start one of those time paradoxes Virginia told me about.' "So Nobunaga is supposed to be my father?" He asked the servant who nodded. "I don't think of him as such a person even if we are related by blood but at the very least, I'll help him defeat this beast. But it's only to defend this village." Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 04:49, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Amadeus could see the action from a crystal ball in his mansion somewhere in a trophy room above a mounted crocodile head. The Slashed Dragon was quite a formidable opponent, and Amadeus was quite amused by its ability to hold its own. But then he noticed something. The Slashed Dragon is starting to stop fighting, almost as if all of the behavior earlier were because it thought that it was still in its time period. When the Slashed Dragon seemingly stopped fighting to check its surroundings, however, it quickly went back to fighting, this time knowing what it was doing. --ScorpionTail (talk) 05:38, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

"Wait a minute," Chataway realised, "THAT'S NOT THE TIME RIDER! AND WHERE IS THE CHILD?  That robot is fighting in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Having his hand across the crystal ball, Chataway could now see the location of the rider, the star and a boy who was of no consequence. "Where on Earth did you get that orgami changing panther from girl?" The boy asked the star. "I-I just found it on the ground earlier," Virginia told her companions, "Just before father came and you abducted me!" (Anonymius (talk) 07:55, September 25, 2013 (UTC))

Zan easily remembering the observation he made from the short glimpse of the robotic soldier, started to speak lowly to himself, interrupted Virginia saying "Slashed Dragon...What is that?" as the random attack made him curious and concerned. Yumoa heard him, momentarily forgetting about Virginia and stated that "Whatever it was; it isn't our problem anymore", with Zan quickly responding "For now at least." They walked back inside the house making sure Virginia followed and Zan couldn't shake the thought off his head that at anytime he could be randomly attacked. "If these attacks keep happening...eventually someone around me will get hurt, so, if you want to go with me, realize what you're getting yourself into when journeying with me, Yumoa," said Zan with a serious look. Yumoa had a surprised look for a second then he slightly smiled responding with "Don't worry about me Zan, I can hold my own; if anything you should be worrying about yourself because your skills off." Zan looked at Yumoa with a face showing that he understood what Yumoa was saying and said nothing else.  DragonKnight99 the  08:09, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Ryuunosuke and Nobunaga continued to fight the mechanical beast with great difficulty as it has anylyzed their movements and was adapting to them. "We have to defeat it quickly or else it'll be impossible to defeat," Nobunaga commented as Ryuunosuke jumped back leaving Nobunaga to fight the Slashing Dragon by himself to the warlord's surprise. Ryuunosuke waited for a bit and then used an attack hitting all of the machine's weak spots defeating it. "Looks like my plan to get that thing to focus on you and then hitting it when it wasn't paying attention to me worked," Ryuunosuke said as Nobunaga looked at him in surprise and perhaps pride because it seems that Ryuunosuke got his ability of strategy. Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 14:31, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

From afar, Shokuro had watched the fight, "No matter what reality I travel to, Nobunaga is always an eccentric and dangerously unpredictable--this one made his own offspring into a warrior of time, but he's going to need help." Shokuro held a device that contained the consciousness of a friend's sibling, "As I assured, I'll give you a new body to inhabit, but you'll have to share it with that servant. This event will be the birth of Zan." The Slashed Dragon reactivated and attacked while the samurai were celebrating, hitting Ryunosuke on the head near his memory cortex and even extracted the information. Before the machine could attack again, Ryunosuke disarmed it and took its sword while seeing the character on its body, "Zan (slash)", and he then used the high-tech blade to cleave the machine into pieces saying, "I am Zan." Suddenly, the origami from before changed into a panther where the souls from the device and dying servant converged before changing into a full fledged cat-like creature and taking off with the newly named Zan throughout time.--Zeromaro (talk) 14:56, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Two Men Reborn
After putting Virgina to bed, Zan and Yumoa decided to discuss the situation.

"So, what exactly are you going to do with her?" Yumoa asked the time traveller.

"I'm not sure," was his reply, "But for some reason I feel the need to protect her, like it was a direct order from a liege lord or something." But Zan had no lord to follow, only himself.

"I need to go back and find her father. I need to find out what's so special about the girl (and perhaps find a key to my own past, he added mentally to himself)." (Anonymius (talk) 15:11, September 25, 2013 (UTC))

Zan swam for the first time through the great ocean of our time: he could see entire civilizations laid out from start to end as one great under water tapestry. He saw the streams of other timelines, the beautiful and horrid ways our societies would go. After a while he spotted a time period that looked familiar to him. He traveled towards it and found himself back in Japan, back to the same village he had been fighting in moments ago. "Ryuunosuke, you're back" he heard someone call and he turned round to find a man with 3 followers walk towards him: Nobunaga.(Amyar (talk) 22:40, September 24, 2013 (UTC))

"So that's my name," Zan/Ryuunosuke said, "That name does feel familiar as do these two swords." He then looks at the bag he left behind after realizing it was also his and finds a journal. Becoming more curious, he started reading the neat handwriting that was his own that chronicled his adventures with Virginia. He then remembers Virginia's face which triggers a flow of memories to come back to him and he smiles. "I'm not using this thing anymore," he said while picking up his duel blades, "I"m Ryuunosuke Kageyama!" Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 17:51, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Lord Chataway continued to study the scene through he crystal ball, "What are they doing?" he asked himself, before the orb turned black with murky shadow. Amadeus jumped at the sight, but recollected himself, "Master Mar'riana, what would you ask of me?" An image of an almost daemonic fish appeared in the ball, and it gazed into Amadeus's eyes for a moment before speaking. --CenturyOfChaos (talk) 17:46, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

"You and the Order of Mar'riana will have to deal with him personally," said Mar'riana, "I will find suitable eras to toy with, so that the samurai will meet his end there, and all by your hands, of course." Mar'riana quickly went to work finding eras both separate from and a part of the main timeline, finding suitable eras to fling the samurai to, and suitable demons to send Zan's way. Mar'riana was not going to let some random samurai put an end to his reign of terror in the Seas of Time... --ScorpionTail (talk) 17:52, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Chataway had to prepare himself. He would have waited a week, but if he was to ever face the samurai then he had to become strong enough. He had his eldest daughter (who alone knew the truth of her parents) take the other one out of the country, telling her to explain that he was feeling ill and needed to be left alone with the servants while he recovered. Drinking from a goblet, which would speed up the rejuvenation process, Chataway started to peel off his old, winkled skin and place it neatly in the bath tub, along with his hair, until he had become a young man in his prime.

"You know what to do with these, Charles," He told his butler, handing the old skin to him. (Anonymius (talk) 18:08, September 25, 2013 (UTC))

"I've got to find Virginia." Ryuunosuke said as he started to look as he did before becoming Zan. "She's in danger for all I know. I promised to protect her and I'm going to keep that promise." "Do you even know when or where she is?" a voice said. "If you want, I can lead you to her." Forest Dragon Slayer (talk) 18:22, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Hello, I am (...Yes my real name is censored for plot reasons), and I suppose now is a good time to explain some things; the weird thing about time travel, it's never linear, and, like a river, it dissects itself whenever there is an obstacle. Ryunosuke and Zan truly are the same person but that doesn't mean that events that have unfolded can't change their fates. Even after losing his memories, Ryunosuke became his former name again after the blade he used to defeat "Slashed Dragon" restored them to their proper place; whereas Zan lost them completely through a different event with no chance of his memories returning at all.

Ryunosuke is now going to have his fate intertwined with Amadeus Chataway through manipulation by Mar'riana, making him believe that he his former teacher and alternate self is an enemy who abducted the young Virginia. As for the Virginias, well, you'll have to see where the preadolescent Virginia will end up, but the girl I brought back to her own time had a different fate--her father tried to sacrifice her to Mar'riana after he completely lost his sanity. She managed to escape but Mar'riana got what he needed from her, and, after meeting up with her old butler Charles, Virginia went into hiding both to study to become a warrior and to renounce herself as a maiden in order to stop her father's plot and to align with man she never stopped thinking about, Zan.--Zeromaro (talk) 18:53, September 25, 2013 (UTC)

Ryuunosuke followed the voice's directions until he was confronted by a younger, sleeker Amadeus Chataway. "This man will serve as your escort," the voice said, "grab onto him and he will take you to the first step in finding Virginia." The two were sent to the Seas of Time, where images of Virginia flew past Ryuunoske. "Virginia!" he desperately called out, stretching out his arm in a futile attemp to grab at an image. "We need Virginia as much as you do, but right now she is being held captive by this man," the voice said as all the images were replaced by the same image of Zan. --Pikapwn (talk) 20:41, September 25, 2013 (UTC)