Once upon a time in a far away land, there was a sorceress named Mei-Ling who lived in the forest. She was known far and wide for her beauty, her sweet nature, and most important, her power over ice and snow as well as her love for the land around her. She kept a little familiar with her she named Snowball, and together, the two of them do what they can to preserve nature and to protect the land, for Mei believed that the world was worth fighting for. One day, Mei and Snowball were walking through the forest to gather herbs for potions when she felt the wards around the forest alert her. Someone had entered, someone with power and when Mei followed the trail of power to the clearing, she saw a warrior in armor, wounded, leaning against a boulder. His dark hair, tinted with signs of age, was plastered to his head with sweat, his armor had several gashes which went through to flesh and he glowed with power, Mei sensed. Power which, right now, was the only thing keeping him alive. Without hesitation, she used her magic to encase the warrior in ice, and with Snowball's aid, brought him to her small house deep in the forest. She prayed the preservation magics from the ice will keep him alive while his own power worked on healing the damage.

Later that night, she dreamed of the warrior. It wasn't unusual for her to reach out to those who were perserved in her magic ice, but tonight it was as though the warrior came to her. He flared with power, glaring at everything around him, wondering what in the gods' names was going on. He soon spied Mei, and when he saw her his gaze stayed on her, intense. There was no glare, no emotion on the surface but Mei sensed there was something, deep down, that he was holding back. So, within this dream world, she approached him and bowed deep; he bowed back.

"Hello." Mei said. "I understand if you have questions—"

"What did you do to me?" He asked. "The last thing I remember is a battle, I wandered...there was greenery, then cold."

"You wandered into the forest, wounded. Right now you are within my magic ice, healing from your injuries. Your own magic is the only reason you were still alive, and will aid in your recovery."

"You...you are the sorceress of these woods. But you do not involve yourself in martial affairs—why would you save me?"

"You were hurt and were within my domain. That was all that mattered."

"So saving me was a matter of honor."

"I like to think it more a matter of kindness, but yes, there is honor as well. I did not catch your name, sir, or why you were hurt so bad."

"My apologies, dear lady. I am Hanzo Shimada, and I am afraid I do not deserve your kindness, nor the honor you bestow me."

Mei gave a gasp—she had heard of Hanzo, or rather she had heard of his family, the Shimada. They ruled the southern mountains, the head of the family was known as the Dragon King, because they were known to be descended from dragons. Their power was incredible, and if her calculations of the timing was correct, Hanzo would be the Dragon King, that had to have been ten years ago, except he had vanished not long after his father's death, leaving the kingdom to be ruled by a council in his place. But what had happened to cause the southern mountains to be embroiled in war, and what caused him to disappear in the first place?

"After our father died, my brother and I argued about the state of the kingdom—I sought for him to take more responsibility in royal affairs while he refused, content to laze about and carouse at his leisure. A terrible fight followed and, I am shamed to admit, I killed my brother. In that moment, I chose to succumb to my grief and fled to seek redemption for my act. I neglected my duty to my people and because of that, they suffer."

"How have they suffered, Majesty?"

"Hanzo, please, dear Lady."

"Then I must insist you address me as Mei."

"Mei. In my absence, the elders of the court took advantage and seized power for themselves, declaring themselves as regents until my return. In truth, they had planned to rule all along, content at first with being powers behind the throne but after I left, they took power in name as well. To secure their power, they summoned three demons to their service—a kitsune with an appetite for secrets, a black cloaked yūrei whose dark mists seep the life of others, and a kumo yōkai who takes the shape of a blue-skinned woman and feels no emotion unless she kills and even that only lasts for a moment. For ten years, these demons have wreaked havoc on the people, causing disappearances and deaths among them; such is the fate of those who speak out against the elders and I fear, given the chance, they will do worse than that if they have not already done so."

"You have faced these demons before."

"I have. The kumo yōkai offered me a chance to return to power, if I joined her and her compatriots, but I refused their offer, questioning the cost of joining them. That was when I learned the elders would have me return in one of two ways—either as their tool to use as they see fit, or dead."

"That is terrible!"

"And I have seen what my neglect has caused. The state you saw me in is a result of my latest fight with the demons. I am afraid I have brought trouble to your forest."

"So for ten years, you have wandered, seeking to redeem yourself for your brother's death at your hands, and during that time, your councilors took advantage of your absence, seized power and summoned demons to either kill or subjugate you."

"That is correct." Hanzo braced himself for harsh judgement, what he did to his brother was unforgivable, but Mei just looked at him, displeased but did nothing beyond a simple "tsk" at his description of his actions.

"If you wish to seek redemption, Hanzo, then you will need to restore the kingdom you left to ruin with your actions and neglect." Mei told him. "I am willing to help you, if only to stop these demons from ruining the forest, but to do so, you will need to face what you have done, here in the dream world. Are you willing?"

"I...why would you help me? Knowing what I have done?"

"Because I have no desire, nor the place, to punish you, and even if I did, there is nothing I can do that is worse than what you have done to yourself. I know of these demons you speak of, they are dangerous and I promise you your elders will have paid a very high price for their service. Such is the way of magic, there is always a price. To attempt to circumvent the price or have another pay it in your place only guarantees that the price in question becomes higher and taken only from you."

"Very well. Thank you, for your aid."