Episode 6: Overload

Ven awakens with a loud gasp.

For a moment, he doesn't know where he is. His eyes dart around the room as he tries to catch his breath, and then the familiar surroundings slowly come into focus. He's back in the same room where he first woke up after arriving in this strange world.

Ven scans the room.

Nobody is there.

Still dazed, he slowly climbs out of bed and makes his way toward the place where he assumes Enishi is waiting for him. Sure enough, Enishi is sitting in the same spot as before, calmly reading the same damn book.

“I was wondering when you would wake up,” Enishi says casually. “Did you have fun trying to run?”

He looks over the top of his book and grins.

“How did I end up back here?!” Ven shouts. “All I remember is being attacked by some crazy guy, and then everything went black!”

“You mean this crazy guy?”

Ven quickly spins around.

Standing behind him is the same man who attacked him earlier.

“Stay back!” Ven warns, immediately dropping into a fighting stance.

The man tilts his head, looking Ven up and down before breaking into a grin. “You look stupid. I told you, Enishi. This kid definitely needs training. Look at that ridiculous stance. My grandmother posed better than that in her casket. Hewa, bless her.”

Enishi closes his book and stands. “It’s okay, Ven. This crazy guy isn’t going to hurt you.”

Enishi and the strange man exchange a glance before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“When I said have fun, I didn’t mean scare the kid!” Enishi says between laughs.

“I had to make it believable!” the man replies. “You should’ve seen his face. It was hilarious. I can’t wait to tell Kia about this!”

The two continue laughing as Ven stands there, completely baffled by what is happening.

“What did I miss?”

A woman suddenly appears out of nowhere and casually walks over, draping her arm over Enishi’s shoulder. She stands around five feet and six inches tall, with long blue-gray hair, a mocha complexion, and soft blue eyes. She wears a blue tunic, black pants, and black boots.

She is stunning. Honestly, they all are.

“Nyx here decided to have some fun with our guest,” Enishi says jokingly, pointing toward Ven.

“Damn! Why didn’t you tell me?” the woman says. “I would’ve loved to see what you did to the kid!”

She nudges Nyx, who grins.

“I honestly thought he was going to piss himself. It took every ounce of self-control not to laugh!”

The three of them burst into laughter again, playfully nudging each other as they continue talking amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, Ven stands there awkwardly, trying to make sense of the situation. They seem completely comfortable ignoring him, as though he isn't even standing in the room. His body slowly becomes tense, and his irritation begins building.

“HELLO?!”

The three finally stop and turn toward him.

“How can you all just stand there laughing?! What is going on?!”

They stare at him for a moment before Enishi clears his throat. “Apologies. We clearly have no manners.” He gestures toward the others. “Let me introduce you. Like I told you before, my name is Enishi Sato. This is Nyx and Kia. We are members of the Tower of the Republic.”

“We have been waiting for you for quite some time,” Kia adds cheerfully.

“So I’ve heard,” Ven replies sarcastically.

“We were sent to retrieve and train you,” Nyx explains. His expression becomes more serious as he looks directly at Ven. “We need your help... Tenari.”

“Train? Tenari? What is that? What are you people exactly?” Ven asks, his confusion only growing.

Enishi sighs. “I’m going to explain this briefly, so please pay attention.” He pauses for a moment before continuing. “The world you came from... was not your home world.”

Ven freezes.

“You were taken there as a child to protect you from the wielder of the Dragtagon.” Enishi looks directly at him. “What you are, Ven, is a Tenari. One of the last ones.” He pauses. “Hell... probably the last one.”

Ven remains silent, staring at him as he tries to process what he's hearing.

“You are originally from Voltaria, the land of the Fire Madokais. Because you are a Fire Madokai, you belong to the House of Fire. Members of that house possess the ability to create and control fire.”

Enishi's eyes remain fixed on Ven. “What makes you special is that, as a Tenari, you descend from a line of extremely powerful Madokais.”

Ven stares at him in disbelief. “What? How could you possibly know that?”

Enishi points toward Ven's ears. “Those.”

Ven reaches up and touches them.

“Only Tenaris have ears like yours.”

“So you’re saying I’m special because of these?”

“I’m not making this up,” Enishi says firmly. “You are a Tenari. You are a Fire Madokai.”

“Impossible.”

Ven shakes his head, refusing to accept it. “There is no way I’m a Madokai or whatever you’re calling it. I have never had fire-shooting abilities in my life.”

“You shot fire at me earlier,” Nyx says. “How do you think you ended up waking up in this bed?”

Ven looks down at his trembling hands. “But how?”

“Your power has been dormant for years,” Enishi explains. “Like I said, you were sent to the other world for your protection.”

“Protection from the Dragtagon wielder?” Ven asks.

Enishi nods.

“But why would I need protection from him?”

“Because you are a Tenari.” Enishi's expression becomes serious. “You are a threat. A major one.”

Ven's face tightens.

“Tenaris were believed to have been eradicated by the wielder and his followers." Enishi pauses, his expression turning more solemn." Your mother, Aurora, was not your biological mother. She was a mage.”

Ven's eyes widen slightly.

“She took you to the other world where you could not be detected by the wielder. She waited until you came of age, then contacted us when you were ready.”

Ven slowly sits on the cold ground, his hand instinctively moving to the necklace around his neck.

“So... where are my real parents?” he asks carefully.

Enishi becomes quiet. “Dead. Or at least, it is safe to assume they are.”

Ven stares at the ground, his fingers tightening around the necklace. “My ‘mother’ was a mage? Like... a magician?”

He shakes his head slowly, overwhelmed by everything he's hearing. “This is unreal.”

“I understand this is a lot to process, but—”

“A LOT?!” Ven suddenly explodes to his feet. “A LOT?! I watched my mother die!” His voice cracks as the memory rushes back. “I was transported to this... this WORLD! I can shoot fire from my hands!”

He points at himself before looking from Enishi to Nyx and Kia. “And now three weirdos are telling me that I’m not who I thought I was, that they need ME to save them from some wielder with some strange power, and that I have to save the WORLD?!”

Ven breathes heavily as his anger echoes through the room.

Silence fills the room.

Then, slowly, his anger begins to fade and tears start falling from his eyes.

“I just... want to go home.”

Nyx crosses his arms and looks away. “I’m not a weirdo. That was rude.”

Enishi rolls his eyes before looking back at Ven. “You can’t just go home.”

Ven stares at him.

“There is no home left for you to return to.”

Ven's glare hardens, but Enishi's expression softens.

“Everything you knew is behind you.” He gestures around them. “The only thing left for you is what’s in front of you. This is where you belong.”

Ven says nothing.

He simply sits there....

Lost.