"Legendary Island." Damon mumbled looking around at the forested isle. "I wonder what's so legendary about it. And who'd send me here?"
Damon sighed. Things hadn't been the same for him since his little brother, Zach, had died one year ago. He and Zach had been quite close, traveling and battling by each-others side, enjoying the beauty of the nature.
Now, there was no more thrill in battle, no more beauty in nature, and no more reason for Damon to keep going beyond simple biological impulses telling him to stay alive. Damon constantly felt tired and lonely.
As he ambled around the island, Damon saw an ornate tower in the center of the Island. Figuring that the person who sent him the letter might be waiting there, Damon headed toward it.
After an hour's walk, Damon reached the tower. Opening the door, he found an old friend of his, Curt, speaking with several dancers in Kimonos. Curt turned around when he heard the door open.
“Damon!” The young boy ran up and hugged his friend. “I’m glad you could make it! You’re going to witness something almost nobody has ever seen!”
“Oh really?” Damon asked, putting on a smile so that Curt wouldn’t feel bad. “This seems like an out of the way place to watch a dance.”
Curt laughed a little. “I think once you see it you’ll see it’s more than just a dance.” Suddenly, the boy’s face became much more serious. “In fact, I think it may bring you much more joy than you can imagine.”
Damon gave Curt an odd look. “Wait, what?”
“Curt, it is time. We must head to the top of the tower.” One of the kimono girls said, before climbing the steps to the next floor.
“I’ll explain later!” Curt shouted as he started up the same steps.
Damon dashed to follow them, but it was a long way up, and he started to get tired two thirds of the way. Then, he faintly heard a strange melody coming from above. Something about the song filled him with hope, and with a new energy. He darted up to the top, where he saw Curt standing in front of an altar, as the kimono girls danced around him in the night air, and music seemed to be carried on the wind. It was a strangely beautiful sight to behold, but it was nothing compared to what Damon saw next.
Curt held up a feather, glowing in every color of the rainbow, and a light burst forth in the night. It flew toward the tower, where it could be clearly seen. A large, magnificent bird, twelve feet high, feathers in every color of the rainbow, landed on the altar in front of Curt, and let out a shriek.
Curt took off his hat and held it to his chest in a display of respect. Then the child spoke quietly, “Ho-Oh, You say you want that you’ve been watching me, and you respect me as a trainer. That was why the kimono girls here sent me here to you, right?”
The bird nodded.
“And you’re granting me a request, right?”
The bird nodded.
Curt’s eyes gleamed. He suddenly spoke with much more confidence. “Then Ho-Oh, I ask that you bring Damon’s brother back to life!” Damon, the dancers, and even Ho-Oh seemed to take a few steps back in shock. Ho-Oh shook it’s feathers and made several noises.
One of the kimono girls approached Curt. “Ho-Oh, says that it is amazed by your generosity Curt.”
“Really?” Curt asked. “Does that mean it’ll help?”
Ho-Oh shook its head. “Sadly, even for Ho-Oh, the power to revive the dead is not easily invoked.” The kimono girl said. “But there is one way.”
“What is it?” Curt asked.
“You and Damon must find the Sacred Ash if you want to revive his brother.” The kimono girl said. “However, the Sacred Ash is currently…”