???: “Eh… where am I?”

  Darkness. The person lies in complete darkness. Like a dense fog, it is everywhere, surrounding and enveloping everything.

  ???: “What… where am I?”

  The person stands up and looks around. No one in sight.

  ???: “Hello! Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me?”

  No answer. Not even a sound or any other sign of life. The person wandering through this darkness without knowledge is completely alone.

  ???: “What happened? I was with the others at the tribunal, and then we were teleported away… I don’t remember it clearly anymore.”

  The person wandering through this darkness is Najun Sakiko. He is in a place unknown to him. His memories before waking up are fragmented and unclear. Without any real thoughts, Najun walks. He walks through the darkness without a goal or a plan.

  He has tried several times to activate his Birth-Protection or to call Bullet, but it does not work. His magical abilities are strangely blocked.

  He walks for a long time. Even though, according to his sense of time, he has been walking for more than half an hour, he still sees only darkness. Nothing.

  Najun: “I should look for Father and the others first. But where could they be in this sea of black clouds?”

  After another half hour that feels just as long, he notices something in the darkness. He sees a small table and two chairs. No one is sitting at the table, and there is nothing else around it.

  Najun: “A table in the middle of nowhere? It really doesn’t get any stranger than this.”

  He approaches the table. He examines it carefully, looking for any abnormalities. Najun believes it might be some kind of Birth-Ability holding him captive, or an artifact from ancient times.

  Najun: “Nothing abnormal about this table.”

  Najun’s legs slowly begin to hurt, and he decides to sit down.

  At the same moment, a part of the darkness gathers on the other chair. The darkness takes on more and more shape, forming something like a human.

  ???: “Good day, my—”

  Najun does not hear the rest of the greeting. Out of politeness, he greets the man sitting across from him as well.

  ???: “Why did you seek me out?”

  Najun looks at the man with confusion and begins to nervously bounce his leg.

  Najun: “I wandered through this darkness without knowing anything. I wasn’t looking for anyone.”

  ???: “And yet I am sitting here. Why?”

  Najun: “I don’t know.”

  ???: “Why?”

  Najun: “I told you, I don’t know.”

  This continues many more times. The mysterious man feels like an NPC who can only react to certain statements.

  Najun: “Damn it, I don’t know!”

  ???: “Why so angry? I only asked you a few questions.”

  The man now feels like a real person, not like a limited computer program. He forms two cigarettes out of the darkness and hands one to Najun. He lights it with his finger and smokes.

  ???: “Go on, start already.”

  Najun: “I don’t smoke.”

  ???: “Everyone smokes when they have cigarettes.”

  Najun: “I don’t.”

  ??? takes the cigarette from Najun and smokes both at the same time. His face radiates pure joy.

  ???: “It tastes twice as good this way. I should have tried this much earlier.”

  The man smokes his cigarettes contentedly at the table while Najun tries to fully grasp the person in front of him.

  Najun: “Somehow you look familiar…”

  ???: “Could be. You probably can’t see my whole face right now, so you fill in the missing parts with your imagination. Humans can’t create new faces, so yes, I probably look like someone you’ve seen before—or maybe even someone you know.”

  The man quickly finishes his cigarettes and crushes them on the table. Two gray holes now mark the white surface.

  ???: “Do you know who I look like?”

  Najun: “Hmm… not really…”

  ???: “I was hoping you could tell me, so you could call me by the name of the person I resemble. But that doesn’t seem to work.”

  The man rubs his chin and looks upward.

  ???: “Call me Mister Mysterium. That is a full name.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Najun: “Well…”

  Mister Mysterium : “It’s a good name, and from now on it is my name. Until you figure out who I resemble, you will call me that.”

  Najun: “Okay.”

  Najun: “Can you tell me where we are?”

  Mister Mysterium: “That’s difficult to say. I assume this is a place where one can exist only with their consciousness.”

  Najun: “You mean this isn’t my real body?”

  Najun looks at his arm and moves his fingers one by one.

  Mister Mysterium: “Yes, that’s what I mean. This place is separated from space and time. A timeless place without a position, you could call it that.”

  Najun does not respond. He thinks about how he got here and how he might get out.

  Mister Mysterium: “You’re wasting your time. You don’t get out of here so easily.”

  Mister Mysterium forms an apple out of the darkness and eats it.

  Mister Mysterium: “You know, earlier I tried to intimidate you. I know you weren’t looking for me.”

  Najun: “Why… what was the point of that intimidation?”

  Mister Mysterium: “For fun and goal fulfillment?”

  Najun: “Goal fulfillment?”

  Mister Mysterium: “The funny thing is that I was the one looking for you, Najun Sakiko.”

  Najun looks up in shock. The man stretches out his hand and offers Najun an apple.

  Najun: “I never told you my name. How do you know it?”

  Mister Mysterium: “I know it because I was looking for you. I have always been looking for you.”

  Mister Mysterium starts talking. He talks and talks until Najun eventually stops listening. He can’t anymore. His ears go numb, but his mouth keeps moving. He answers questions and speaks, but he doesn’t know what he is saying.

  He grabs his mouth, but he keeps talking. Mister Mysterium ignores the strange behavior and continues speaking. They hold a conversation without either of them knowing what it is actually about.

  During the conversation, Najun notices four dark figures. They casually walk past the table. He calls for help, but his words seem unable to reach them. He can’t even tell whether any words come out at all.

  The four figures look kind, even though they are made only of dark matter. After them comes a large group of dark figures. They look evil. Three of them, in particular, stare directly at Najun. They laugh at him and seem to shout something at him.

  Next, a radiant figure appears. Najun can’t recognize anything because of the intense light it emits, but it is the only one that approaches the table. Mister Mysterium greets it, and to Najun it looks as if he is introducing the figure. The figure walks over to Najun and stands beside him. Even though he can’t see it, he knows it is smiling at him and offering him something positive. He feels safe and blushes slightly. He senses a strange feeling coming from the figure. It stays there for a few minutes before being swallowed by the darkness.

  The evil figures return, this time with a fourth one. It has a reddish hue. They move close to Najun’s face and laugh again. Mister Mysterium chases them away and continues talking. Najun starts biting his lip and stomping his feet. He can’t stand up.

  Mister Mysterium keeps talking, and Najun’s body reacts to it. It is like an endless nightmare in which Najun can do nothing but watch.

  Finally, Mister Mysterium pulls another figure out of the darkness. It has greenish tones and seems shy. It slowly approaches Najun—so slowly that it feels like Najun is trapped in a slow-motion world. When the figure reaches him, it raises its hand.

  Mister Mysterium raises his hand as well. Najun’s body reacts automatically, takes both of their hands, and shakes them. Mister Mysterium laughs and lights another cigarette.

  The greenish figure pushes its fingers into Najun’s mouth. He gags and tries to push it away, but the figure is intangible—except for the part rummaging inside his mouth. It digs deeper until it grabs something and pulls it out. Purple tentacles are dragged out of Najun’s body, all connected to a stone the figure is pulling on.

  Najun lets out a horrific scream as the last tentacle is removed. Suddenly, he can hear again and regain control over his body.

  Mister Mysterium: “Thank you for your patience. I’m glad you liked my suggestions. I truly hope it works. Goodbye, Najun.”

  With those words, Najun screams himself out of the dark dimension and back into reality. He wakes up on a bed. He can’t see yet, but he realizes he is in a hospital room. His head is pounding, echoing with the sound of his father’s screams.

  Najun: “[What the hell was that? I can’t seem to remember Mister… what was that man’s name again?]”

  Najun’s memories of the dark experience are gone. He remembers a few fragments, but not the context, the details, or the ending.

  Slowly, his vision returns. He is now sure that he is in a hospital. The sun shines outside, and the air feels fresh. Najun notices many holes in his leg, as if someone had stabbed him with a thick needle, as well as several bite marks from small animals on his body.

  Najun: “[When did this happen, and how did I get here?]”

  While Najun examines his body for more injuries, he hears a sigh to his right. He turns his head and sees a boy sitting beside his bed. The boy is reading a book and doesn’t pay attention to Najun at all. In his hand, he is holding the Terror Hand, which most likely sent Najun into that dark dimension—at least mentally.

  Najun snatches the object out of the boy’s hand and brings it close to his eye.

  Najun: “Now I remember. One of the Taira just placed this on my face and paralyzed me.”

  ???: “Oh, you’re awake. I didn’t even notice.”

  The boy didn’t even notice Najun’s loud scream because he was so absorbed in his book.

  Najun: “Can you tell me who you are, where we are, and who did this to me?”

  ???: “I am the forest ranger Mamoru. We are in an abandoned forest hospital in the great Tongyo Forest Zone. I found you during my daily patrol, so I don’t know who inflicted these wounds on you.”

  Najun: “Uh, okay. Did you remove this hand from me?”

  Mamoru: “Yes. At first I tried to remove it with force, but your body reacted strangely. Then I found this note next to you that showed me how to do it. It worked.”

  Najun: “What note?”

  Mamoru searches for the note inside his book and hands it to Najun. Najun intends to read it, wondering if someone from his family wrote it or something like that. But there is a problem.

  Najun: “I—I can’t read this.”

  Mamoru: “What?”

  Najun looks at the note again, but he still can’t read the words. They look like childish scribbles to him.

  Najun: “Why can’t I read this?”

  Mamoru: “Many people can’t read. You can learn it quickly, you know.”

  Najun: “You don’t understand. Before this hand hit me, I could read perfectly. But now I can’t. Can you read it?”

  Mamoru: “Of course. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to wake you up.”

  Najun: “Please read it to me.”

  Mamoru shakes his head and puts the note back into his book.

  Mamoru: “I can’t. The note says I’m not allowed to tell you, because you would suffer extreme damage. And one of a ranger’s rules is to protect visitors of the forest from harm.”

  Najun tries to stand up. His legs shake, but he manages to stay on his feet.

  Najun: “What are you talking about? Just tell me.”

  Mamoru: “Like I said, I can’t. You would suffer damage, and my book forbids it.”

  Najun looks at the ranger’s book. The title reads: “How to Become a Good Ranger?” Najun clenches his fists. In his dirty, bloodstained clothes, he walks out, intending to leave the hospital.

  Mamoru: “Wait. Your injuries look serious. As a ranger, I must transport you safely, so please let me accompany you.”

  Najun: “I don’t care if you come with me or not. I just want to get out of this hospital and go home.”

  Mamoru: “I can’t lead you home, but I can at least guide you through the forest. As a ranger, I must be able to do that.”

  Mamoru checks his book to confirm what he just said. Najun ignores him and keeps walking. The hospital is huge, so he decides to activate his Birth-Protection.

  He closes his eyes and presses his feet firmly into the ground.

  Najun: “Huh?”

  Mamoru: “What’s wrong…? You haven’t told me your name yet. What’s your name?”

  He holds his book with a pen in hand, waiting for Najun’s answer—but Najun has other thoughts right now.

  Najun: “What’s going on? That’s not possible.”

  Najun sinks slightly to his knees and leans against a windowsill.

  Najun: “I can’t activate my Birth-Protection.”