The Day of Thunder

[Canary]

He rose and looked out on the crowd. "It has been... a long five years since the Harbinger appeared in Emperor Shiba's court and said that we would embrace it or be twisted into monsters. A... very long five years." He let out a breath, silent for a moment before continuing.

"Some of you are here because I asked. Some of you are here because you followed the pull of destiny. Others may not realize they were called, but ended up here regardless. It tends to be more subtle, usually," he half-smiles to himself, a little amused, then turns serious again. "But this is the most dire of circumstances. The conclusion to the Harbinger's promise. This is where humanity will stand its ground against Jigoku. If we succeed, we will drive it back to its own territory, defeated for another on thousand years, as other mortal races have done before us. If we fail... then the last five years will seem like a cool breeze as the dream-twisted Realm of Evil takes hold of Ningen-do."

He closes his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "Every indication puts our final stand here, and our timeline short from here - only a few days. During that time, nine will be revealed to be the Champions of Ningen-do. The Nine Thunders. One from each Clan."

"Th... Jigoku will also have its own champion. We have no yet seen the half of what it's capable of. Given it's obsession with humans, it will... it..." He ran a hand over his head under his hood. "It... may express that... somehow... in its champion."

"I wish I could tell you more. I know the where and when. I know many of you have the potential to be the Champions of Ningen-do. I know that it is not a fate I would wish on someone. As much as they will be heroes... it is a battle that there is little chance of coming back from. And it is one that will not only be physical. Yume-Jigoku preys on the minds of mortals, as you've seen. Those here will now be its targets of focus. Prepare yourselves."