Episode 4: Strange Things are Happening

The creatures lunge toward Ven.

Seemingly accepting his fate, he closes his eyes and clenches the necklace his mother gave him. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light erupts, followed by a deafening bang. Shards of grass and clumps of dirt are blasted into the air as a powerful gust of wind tears through the clearing.

Out of the chaos...

A man with snow-white hair appears. He stretches out his hand, and what appears to be fire shoots from the palm of it, striking one of the creatures and burning it alive.

“I must be dreaming!” Ven shouts in panic.

The man turns toward Ven, his beautiful gray eyes seeming to stare straight into his soul.

“Stay behind me,” he orders.

Another creature lunges at the man.

He fires another blast of flames, incinerating it instantly.

He hurls a fireball at a third creature, but it narrowly dodges the attack.

“Oh, you're a quick one,” he comments with a smirk before launching another fireball.

As the battle continues, the man unknowingly sets parts of the park ablaze. Trees and grass quickly catch fire around them.

“Hey, kid!”

Ven turns to see the Japanese police and fire department arriving.

The officers draw their guns and aim them at the mysterious man.

“Sir! Put away the flamethrower and step away from the boy!” an officer shouts through a megaphone.

To the police, it appears as though the man is simply setting the park on fire while wildly performing martial arts against thin air.

“Sir! If you do not put the flamethrower down, we will fire upon you!”

The man doesn't seem to notice them and continues to fight the invisible creatures.

“Sir! This is your final warning!”

“Help! Help me!” Ven pleads, waving his arms frantically.

“Bullseye!” the man shouts as his latest fireball strikes the creature, burning it to a crisp.

He turns toward Ven, grabs him by the shirt, and effortlessly lifts him into the air.

“Let me go! Help!” Ven yells, kicking and screaming.

“Stop screaming,” the man says calmly.

“Sir! Put the boy down!” the police shout.

The man glances at them and smirks.

“Close your eyes and hold on to me... if you want to live.”

“Who are you?” Ven demands, squirming in his grip.

“Close your eyes. Stop talking. Stop squirming... or I'll kill you right here.”

His icy tone is enough to scare Ven so he immediately falls silent.

The man raises his left hand and traces a circle through the air with his finger. A brilliant light bursts forth, blinding everyone nearby and a glowing portal opens before them. Without hesitation, the man steps through, dragging Ven with him, leaving the police completely dumbfounded.

Boom.

“Open your eyes.”

Ven slowly obeys.

The forest is gone.

Instead, he finds himself standing in a vast field blanketed with colorful flowers.

The white-haired man stands before him, staring without the slightest hint of emotion.

“What the hell just happened?! Who are you?! Where am—”

Overwhelmed by everything that has happened...

Ven collapses.

A few hours later...

Ven slowly wakes up and finds himself lying in a bed.

The strange man is sitting nearby, staring at him with a smug grin.

Startled, Ven immediately jumps out of bed. “Where am I?! Who are you?! What happened?!” he demands, raising his fists into a fighting stance.

The man simply stares back.

“Are we dead?!” Ven asks, looking around the room for any sign of heaven.

The man laughs. “You're not dead. Just naked.”

Ven looks down.

He is, in fact, completely naked. His face instantly turns red and he quickly snatches the blanket from the bed and hurriedly wraps it around himself.

“There are new clothes in the dresser over there,” the man says, pointing toward it. “Put them on and meet me outside.”

Without another word, he leaves the room.

“Embarrassing,” Ven mutters.

He walks over to the dresser and finds a neatly folded shirt and a pair of breeches inside.

The clothes are plain, but at least they're clean. After getting dressed, he steps outside and find the white-haired man is sitting on a large boulder, casually reading a book.

“Are you finally going to tell me what's going on? Where am I? Who are you? What the hell just happened?!” Ven asks as he approaches.

The man sighs, closes his book, and stands. “I suppose I should answer your questions,” he says sarcastically, scratching the back of his head.

“That would be nice,” Ven replies, folding his arms.

“We've been waiting for you for quite some time. For this exact day. You're sixteen now, correct?”

“We? And... yes. How did you know I—”

“Where is Aurora?” the man interrupts.

Ven lowers his head.. Tears begin to form in his eyes. “She... she's dead.”

The man's expression softens. “I'm sorry.” He lets out a long sigh. “We received her message. She told us she'd be waiting for us in the forest.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Dammit... What did she tell you?”

“All she said was that someone would be waiting for me in the forest.”

“She didn't tell you anything else?”

Ven shakes his head. “No.”

“Dammit.” He exhales again.

“What I'm about to tell you is going to sound crazy.” Ven, tilts his head and stares at him with confused eyes. “My name is Enishi Sato. I was sent by the Tower of the Republic to retrieve you. We need your help.”

“M-My help?” Ven stammers.

“Yes. You are a Madokai. One of the few descended from a line of powerful Tenaris. You possess a power we need in order to defeat the Dragtagon Wielder and bring peace back to our lands.”

Ven stares blankly at Enishi and doesn't make a sound. He simply just blinks and then unexpectedly, turns away. “I'm going home.”

“You can't,” Enishi's voice remains calm, almost unnervingly so. “You no longer have a home to return to.”

Ven stares at him, struggling to make sense of the words. “Clearly, this is all just a dream.”

“I wish it were, kid.”

Ven ignores him and walks toward the forest surrounding the field.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Enishi calls after him. “The forest can be quite dangerous.”

Ven ignores the warning and continues toward the forest, his pace never slowing.

Once he disappears between the trees and slips from Enishi’s sight, a mysterious silhouette emerges behind him.

Enishi raises an eyebrow. A faint, knowing smile spreads across his face.

“Have fun.”