Rest up before the big day.

Being nestled up within a bedroll in a camp filled with twenty-six other individuals is a brand new experience. Your party is normally a small fraction of the size. This isn't an adventuring group, but an army instead. One by one, everybody around you falls silent. It's quite despite how many people are around. Times are dangerous, so a watch order was decided before bed time. You'll be woken up around midnight for a short shift of making sure everyone is safe. For now, however, you try to get some rest, though it's the most difficult it's been. You drift in and out of sleep, time passes strangely, and before you know it, Snow is shaking your shoulder in attempt to wake you up.

"It's your turn," she whispers.

You nod. "All right. Have a good night."

"I'll try." She steps silently towards her own bed and begins preparations to sleep.

Meanwhile, you sit up and look around. With so many people, you aren't the only one watching right now. Zazra is on the other side of camp staring in the other direction, but it's difficult to tell who else. The darkness blankets the area, and as clouds roll in to cover the moon and stars, you can't see much more than the oni's massive silhouette in the distance.

You pick up one of your torches, flint and steel, and spark a flame to life to illuminate the area around you.

The path back the way you came may be less dangerous than those watching the other end, but it isn't any less unsettling to stare down into the darkness, and the terrifying shadows of trees. While you can somewhat see as your eyes adjust, between the forest is nothing but void. You hear the odd rustling of an animal, which is thankfully far better than a demon, but your heart can't help but race every time.

Your eyes spot movement ahead. For a moment, you swear you saw a ghostly visage drifting behind a nearby tree. You rub your eyes and look again, but it remains. It's like a flowing white cloth drifting in the breeze. You slowly rise up and peer as closely as you can without approaching, and as you do, a figure steps out into view albeit masked by the darkness of night.

The man is dressed in a long white coat--both his hands stowed away in its pockets--that partially concealed the scabbard on his belt, and beneath it is a black shirt and pants below. His neck-length black hair blows in the chilling midnight breeze. A braid is tied down the right side of his head with blue coloured beads, and covering his deep sea eyes is a pair of glasses.

You inspect him long enough to reach a conclusion. "William?" you ask quietly.

He gestures his head for you to approach.

Your hand rests on the pummel of your blade as you make your way towards the tree. The mouth of the forest illuminates as you approach, and several tiny critters scurry off into the underbrush. You can see now that it's definitely him. He offers you a friendly smile, and he speaks and stares just as strangely as always--like he's always calculating, considering each word important.

"Bonjour, Kyle Warren," he says.

"You're French now? I thought you were from the States."

He lets out a quiet chuckle. "I just assumed you'd be eager to see or hear anything from back home. It's strange, being away from it for so long. I know that I miss it. That's why I look forward to our meetings, even if they're brief."

"I'm glad you showed up, but why the creepy entrance?"

"I know you've all decided on a plan already. If I may, I'd like to throw a bit of a wild card into play. You don't need to worry. When the time comes, I'll make my entrance, but in a different way. That will surely throw Sa'dis off balance. Even if he finds out you're on your way, and takes note of your attack, he'll have no idea I'm on my way." He pushes up the bridge of his glasses with a finger from his right hand before slipping it back into his pocket. "I admit that I know more than I should about what you're doing for someone that hasn't been around, but I also admit that I don't know all of it. I'm absolutely surprised to see how many allies you've gathered... You're quite a **** to be reckoned with."

"It looks like you have a bunch of interesting allies too," you say. Your eyes turn to the army behind you, and then back to him. "It's a weird world... full of weird people, but I kinda like it."

"You don't miss Earth?"

"There are things that I miss, but this life is actually not so bad. It'll be a lot better when the Demon King is gone, and I won't feel in danger anymore."

William laughs softly through his nose. "That's the dream, I suppose."

"Hey... So you were kidnapped too, right? You were experimented on. Just like me." You watch closely. There's very little you actually know about William, other than that he's from Ohio, and that he's armed in a manner relatively similar to yourself. As helpful as he's been, his mysterious nature is frustration. You wish he'd just tell you all about himself if he truly wants to be your ally.

"Interesting." Once again, he pulls out his right hand, but this time he slides his glasses off his face and wipes his arm across his eyes. "You were able to retrieve your memories. I should have expected nothing less. Yes, I am in a position similar to yourself. While you've quested here, I've done so elsewhere. It's a long story."

"What does that make us?"

His piercing blue stare moves up to face you again. He brings up his glasses, and places them back on his face before his hand retreats back to his coat. "Our destinies were unfortunately chosen for us already. Make use of it however you wish. But I'd like to give you some important advice. When everything goes dark, and she beckons you forward, don't walk towards the light. You can thank me later."

"I wish you'd be less cryptic."

William turns and begins walking back towards the forest. "Appearances are all we are to the larger world. You need to be careful with what you say and what you do."

Unable to speak back without shouting, you watch the man depart and fade into the shadows. You're left with more questions than answers yet again, but knowing he's coming to help is comforting in a sense. He makes you uncomfortable, but he's confident. Hopefully that confidence doesn't come from nowhere.

After that strange encounter, you head back to your bedroll and continue your watch. It's then time for a second attempt at getting some sleep.