Shadow of the Knight (Private/Paragons)

There was no such thing as a day off for Hero Yamamoto. Why was that? In this world, there was no shortage of people who desperately needed to be protected and this man happened to be the one constantly going at it without rest. Titan had finally achieved a level of strength which allowed him to protect the people around him, the coveted S-class. He had come so very far in only a year that he literally never had time to take a genuine break. In a way, perhaps he was thankful for that. If he ever had a chance to breathe, he may have broken under the pressure of the losses of people in his travels. Movement unyielding gave him the resolve to push through those hard times, though there were side effects to this lifestyle he did not yet know how to control. After all, it was only one week ago that he almost destroyed Peace Village had it not been for that young man Mashyuu snapping him out of his breakdown. Something deep within the giant was trying to claw its way out... and it worried him greatly; he had to find a way to control it, for his sake and for the sake of all those around him.

But what was this man doing right now? At the moment, he was walking through Magnolia, enjoying the sights of the constant festivities and happy people. Knowing that Hero contributed to the longevity of this atmosphere made him feel proud and happy to be alive. Every now and then, kids ran up to him and dragged him along to play, to which of course he did. In fact, it was fun having ten kids at a time climbing onto his shoulders while he jumped around and performed interesting tricks with his magic. To think that a man from such dark beginnings would arrive at this checkpoint in his life. This was proof of his dedication, his desire to improve and learn and guide and protect with an unbreakable smile. Hero became quite the personality among the people of Fiore now that he thought about it. Yamamoto could have never seen himself doing this a year ago.

While playing with children by the great tree in the center of the city, a young lady ran up to him with a haste-filled expression and instantaneously the giant grew serious. The children all jumped off of him and looked at the woman who stopped to breathe.

"What is it, young lady? Is there something wrong?!"

She snapped up and immediately started to shake her head left and right, her medium-long hair bobbing wildly to and fro.

"No, sir! This letter requests your attention. I just wanted to get it to you as soon as possible."

Then the giant laughed heartily and pressed his hand against his forehead. He got serious before even knowing what it was about! The children mimicked his laughter at the same time as he was and then he spoke again.

"I see! Thank you, young lady. Don't be in such a rush next time, though! It is alright after all, because I am here."

Titan took the letter and then the girl nodded and smiled before running off to a nearby restaurant. Upon opening the letter, it was obviously not from the Magic Council because it was written more like an invitation. The contents were simple and to the point. What made the man want to go right away was this thought alone: he was not the only person who had this desire to protect and serve. Judging by the way this was written, he was likely not the only one who got this letter; that was an excitable notion. Shadow Island, huh? He had not been there before but he knew exactly where it was since he had passed by it on numerous occasions previously. With the location in his mind, Hero told the children he had to leave for a while but he would be back to play some more. He then gave them all a thumb up, which they mimicked, and then he darted off as a ball of golden light toward that darkened landmass.

In minutes, Yamamoto had already reached the ocean and then he began running across it, the waves parting at each footstep he made. The fresh water felt wonderful upon the bottoms of his bare feet and on his face. After a few more minutes running, he finally saw Shadow Island coming up fast  in the distance; in order to get there, Hero launched himself off the water and high into the air, where he then aimed himself at the ground where there were already a few people standing together. Upon landing, a giant gust of wind pushed outward from his position before he stood upright and looked at the people whom were there. Astrid, one of the young Guild Masters of Golden Phoenix was there, along with Mashyuu who he met recently. The third person was easily identifiable by their armor: Ardere Kasai, the Guild Master of Infinity Hydra and the third God of Ishval. That was a pretty big name to have been called by. The other was... someone the giant did not actually recognize immediately, though after a few seconds he realized who the woman was: Hera Reyold, the daughter of that Mage who died trying to face Acnologia on his own. That was yet another big name to have in attendance. This was going to be quite the group, he thought to himself. Hero then announced himself briefly while the gust of wind was just beginning to settle.

"I have arrived. Hero Yamamoto, fashionably late and in attendance!"

Two other people arrived after him, which made him glad that he wasn't the only one whom was late. The man clad in red armor, Ardere, spoke briefly and invited everyone to join him at a different location deeper into the island. Along the way, there were some interesting conversations coming up, such as the fact that Hero was correct in his assumption of the red-haired woman's identity. Also, as much as it was quite difficult to hold in his expressions, the giant managed to hold it in professionally while that same woman was admiring his bald head. For the time being however, he felt it was best to remain silent and wait to arrive at the site of the group's meeting before opening his mouth, which did not take too long. The indigenous creatures of the island lingered within the trees but kept their distance. It seemed they knew this particular group was very dangerous.

A few minutes later, the team arrived upon a large castle withered by time and walked right in without delay, though Ardere did briefly talk about the history of the place. Upon walking in, the place was fortunately large enough to house Titan even though simply jumping would cause his head to hit the ceiling. Luckily there were no chairs either so Yamamoto didn't have to be the odd one out standing while everyone else sat. The reputable Wizard Saint began to speak after everyone finished walking into the large room, talking over why all of the mages here were invited. Hmm... a group that handled threats beyond the scope of the Magic Council. That sounded like a risky but interesting concept.  Hero could understand this however, considering how the Council worked. Hero spoke after Wolfe had, his voice considerably different in tone from his short introduction earlier.

"I have nothing personally to gain from this, as I came knowing that the scope of this group was going to reach far beyond our individual desires. You can count me in, Ardere, so long as you remain true to the ideals which brought us all together. For that is also by extension why I came."