They all departed, following Tarozaemon. "Machi, be on the back. Kenichi, try to be between me and Machi.

"Yes!" Both said and nodded, getting in position.

"If they attack us from the front, I'll block them and quickly counter." Tarozaemon said. "If the attack's on the back, Machi with her agility, will counter enemies as well. Kenichi, you'll give support, if you feel ready."

"Okay!" Kenichi agreed.

"But only if you feel ready. We don't want uncoordinated attacks in a fight." He said, bluntly.

Kenichi looked at his sheated sword, nodding to Tarozaemon. "Yes, I got it! I'll only attack, if I feel I could help!"

They continue riding their horses towards a zone full of fog. Tarozaemon looked back at the other two. "Be aware. This zone is full of mercenaries ready to kill anyone they see."

Machi frowned. "This is quite scary, but I won't be defeated so soon!"

Kenichi was a bit scared of what might happen, but he was ready nonetheless. "Just wait mother... Let's go!"

PRESENT DAY: XXXXXX XXXXX, TVARYN

As they galloped onwards, Kenichi couldn't help but notice that they looked to be surrounded by thick fog. "Where are we right now, Tarozaemon?"

"These are called the Silent Hills, due to their magical fog." He answered.

"Magical? How so?" Machi looked around.

"This fog doesn't let people see or hear anything over a 5 meter radius."

"That means..." Kenichi gasped.

"That anyone can ambush us at any time, if we're not careful." Tarozaemon said, looking forward. "So keep each other close at all times."

The other two nodded.

PRESENT DAY: XXXXXXXXX XXXX, TVARYN

In some camp, a blonde young woman is looking at a map. "You said in Nyu Oll Town?"

"Yes." Someone with white, grey and red robes kneeled before her. "Skorpion was probably defeated by him."

"So when I finally find you again, you put up a fight? Hehe... How amusing."

PRESENT DAY: SILENT HILLS, TVARYN

"If I can ask, how did you two meet?" Kenichi asked Tarozaemon and Machi.

"He actually stumbled by my family's cabin when Akuma left." Machi said.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't know!"

"Don't worry, it's okay. It's in the past. Now, all I really want is to avenge my parents."

Tarozaemon chuckled. "After that, I felt the need to take care of that little devil."

"Hey!" Machi shouted.

"Maybe he thought that was a way to correct his mercenary days? Like, redemption of some kind..." Kenichi thought.

"Hey, Kenichi." Machi interrupted his thoughts. "How was your mother?"

"My... mother...?"

YEARS AGO: TOKYO SKY TOWER, TOKYO, JAPAN

Long light brown hair, red eyes and a huge smile on her face, Feliticia smiled at a small Kenichi. "Are you enjoying the trip?"

"Yeah! Everything is so awesome! Look at this, mom! You can see everything from here!" Kenichi said, as he approached one of the huge glass windows.

Feliticia smiled, as she is suddenly kissed in the cheek by a man.

"So you leave the man behind, I see..."

"Hahaha, it's nothing like that, Takeo."

Kenichi approached Takeo. "Father, father! This view is awesome! We should live in the clouds!"

"I think that'd be very expensive, son. Maybe one day, when daddy finishes his work, we can live in the clouds."

"Awesome!" Kenichi started to celebrate.

"How's the work with my father?" Feliticia asked Takeo.

"Your father is a very smart man, I told you before. But... Something seems off from him..."

"What do you mean?"

"He looks like he's obsessing over his work."

"It's normal, darling." She laughs.

"You think so?" He seemed surprised.

"Well, of course. He's researching the same thing since he was a teen and now that the work is generating results..."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Takeo looks at the sky, outside. "Maybe one day we'll all achieve our own objectives."

Feliticia nodded, smiling gently at her husband.

PRESENT DAY: SILENT HILLS, TVARYN

"That's one of the most fond memories I have of her... The day we took a trip around Tokyo." Kenichi smiled, gently.

"A tower where you can see an entire city?! That sounds so cool!" Machi exclaimed.

"What about you father?" Tarozaemon asked. "Is he alive?"

"Since my mother disappeared, my father turned cold. We're not in the best of terms... He even accepted her death as a certain thing without even researching it..."

"What makes you think she's alive then?"

"Taro!" Machi turned to the young man, then to Kenichi.

"It's okay, Machi, thanks." Kenichi said. He then turned to Tarozaemon, keen to answer him. "When the news reported my mom's missing, all of her belongings were found and not a single drop of blood was. Why is that?"

Tarozaemon smiled. "So you think she was kidnapped."

Kenichi nodded. "While the news and my father accepted it as a death, I won't. I want to figure out the truth behind her disappearance."

Tarozaemon and Machi changed looks and then looked back at Kenichi. As Tarozaemon opened his mouth to say something, he quickly turned forward, eyes shining orange, his hands grabbing an arrow.

"Taro!" Machi screams.

The head of the arrow starts to shine red. "Fuー" Tarozaemon is interrupted by an explosion that startles the horses, making Kenichi and Machi fall to the ground.

"Is this...?!" Kenichi says, before looking around. Only he and Machi were in his 5 meter radius. "Machi, we need toー"

Suddenly, someone punches the top of Kenichi's head, making him pass out. Before Machi could even get up, the same would happen to her.

TIME UNKNOWN: PLACE UNKNOWN

As Tarozaemon opened his eyes, he noticed that he was roped to a wood pole. He also had his torso exposed, filled with his scars. "Where... am I...?"

As he tried to get a grasp of his surroundings, someone splashes water on his head. "Wakey, wakey! Rise up, princess!" A male voice is heard.

As Tarozaemon noticed his white, grey and red robes, he chuckled. "Of course... Mercenaries."

The mercenary left the tent, where Tarozaemon was and a blonde young woman entered in his place. "Welcome back, Taro."

"Don't call me that, Hetza..."

She pouted, brushing her ponytail. "Why not? We dated, right?"

"Yeah. Dated. Past. Get it right."

She sighed. "Well... Aren't you a difficult bone to find?"

"What can I say? Anything to get me as far away from you."

"Glad you learned some comedy while you were gone. While you left me..."

"I didn'tー"

"You did! You promised you'd stay, but you were just like the others! You abandoned me! Left me to rot! What about our dreams?!"

"Our dreams? What you wanted was not what I wanted. All I wanted wasー"

"Shut up!" She breaths deeply to calm herself.

"Enough of your games, Hetza. Where are the others?"

"Oh? You mean the kids? They're either still passed out or... Probably dead."

"What do you mean?!"

"Do you really think I'd leave them alive?" She takes a knife out of one of her hip pockets. While smiling, she ran slowly and gently the knife on his chin. "You only belong to me, Taro."

Tarozaemon closed his eyes and maintained a poker face. "You're insane..."

"Am I? Is that why you dated me?"

"You were different..."

"We could start over, Taro."

"Only in your wildest dreams, you psycho..."

"You know... you should watch your words..." She said, getting angry.

"Or what? You're nothing, but a bratty kid."

"Enough!" She takes her knife and swings it downwards towards his face.

Tarozaemon opened his orange-lighted eyes, as a rock appeared from under them, blocking the knife. The rock also formed sharp ends in his direction, cutting the ropes imprisoning him.

Hetza backflips and takes her shotgun from her back, taking a shot mid air.

Tarozaemon quickly moved his hand, as soon as he was free, creating a rock wall that blocked the explosive rounds from Hetza. "You seriously love to play with fire, but haven't you heard? You shouldn't play with it..."

PRESENT DAY: A DIFFERENT TENT, MERCENARY CAMP, TVARYN

Machi opened her eyes, looking around. She was sitting down, tied with ropes to a wooden post. In front of her was the tent's end. Looking back, she noticed the exit. At her left, Kenichi was still asleep.

As he opened his eyes, he turned to his right. "Ma... chi...?"

"Yeah. We need to get out of here while we still can and look for Taro."

Kenichi was thinking. "How do we leave?"

"That's a great question..."

Kenichi looked at her. "What's your SOUL's element?"

"I still don't know... Why?"

"We should use SOUL to try and escape."

"But we don't know what are our elements..."

"Remember what Tarozaemon said? We need to keep it vague. For starters... Let's just think of our SOUL reacting to the ropes."

Machi nodded. "Without him... I'd probably be stuck in here... Why can't I be more reliable?"

They both closed their eyes and Kenichi started to empty his mind. The only thing he could hear right now was his heartbeat. As he focused, he imagined his soul leaving his body and grabbing the ropes, pulling them away from him.

Machi opened her eyes for a bit and looked at Kenichi. The ropes were distancing themselves from him, but only for an inch or two. As she didn't want to just watch, she closed her eyes again.

YEARS AGO: SHIROGANE'S HOUSE, TVARYN

A child Machi is in the garden, chasing a butterfly.

Her mother looked at her and smiled. "Sweetie, come here."

Machi stops, looking at her, tilting her head.

"You know you're mommy's and daddy's little girl, right?"

She nods.

Her mother smiles, petting her head. "You have such a burning heart. You'll be such a loving person when you grow up. Your love will burn any shadows and evil. Don't forget that."

PRESENT DAY: SECOND TENT, MERCENARY CAMP, TVARYN

As Machi opens her eyes, they are shining red as a little flame ignites the ropes around her and Kenichi freeing them.

Kenichi opens his eyes and looks at her. "Machi... Your SOUL is..."

With a smile in her face, she stood up. "Tarozaemon is waiting. Let's go." She offered him her hand.

He smiled, taking it and getting up. "Let's kick some butt!" Kenichi said, taking his sword that was resting in a table near the exit of the tent.

Taking her kunais, Machi nodded, both leaving the tent slowly.

After some seconds, a mercenary eating a weird looking fruit enters and noticed the lack of prisoners. As he let that sink in, he dropped his fruit. "I'm so dead..."

PRESENT DAY: FIRST TENT, MERCENARY CAMP, TVARYN

Tarozaemon is hiding behind a stone wall, while Hetza unloads every bullet of her assault rifle trying to destroy it, laughing all the while.

"I need to attack her as soon as she reloads... But even I know that's impossible..."

As the bullets end, in a blink of an eye, Hetza changes magazines. She had incredible speed, it seemed.

"C'mon out, Taro! Let's play! Hahahaha!"

PRESENT DAY: NYU OLL TOWN, TVARYN

Ryuk gets on his horse and looks to a small boar tvaryan. "Daddy will come home soon, okay?"

"Where are you going...?"

"Daddy needs to go help uncle Taro."

As he was ready to leave, a woman's voice stops him. "Ryuk..."

"Darling... I need to help him..."

"What about your daughter? Me? Who'll help us if another one of those bandits come back?"

Ryuk looked forward and gritted his teeth. "Sorry, Tarozaemon..." He said, under his breath.

PRESENT DAY: MERCENARY CAMP, TVARYN

Kenichi and Machi are stealthily walking around, looking for clues on where is Tarozaemon.

"Hey, did the boss leave the big tent already?" One mercenary said.

"Nah. She's having her fun with one of the prisoners." The other one said.

"Big tent?" Machi said, as she looked to the tent in the center of the camp. "Wait... The fog!"

Kenichi notices it too. They were out of Silent Hills. "This could mean we're closer to the city than we thought... Now, we only need Tarー"

Kenichi is interrupted by giant rock spikes getting out of the center tent, destroying it from the inside. Enveloping the spikes, lightning erupted to the skies.

"Taro!" Machi shouted.

As the previous two mercenaries notice both Kenichi and Machi, Kenichi unsheathes his sword and gets ready to fight.

END OF DOCUMENT IV