I got up and took my first step, and suddenly a crowd of people surrounded me. They pulled out small metal boxes that emitted light. Some stepped back in fear, others stared in awe. A few tapped on the boxes and began speaking rapidly.
Kagan stumbled through this foreign world. Steel beasts—cars—passed before his eyes, each glowing with lights, people sitting inside. Passersby took out their phones to photograph him, whispering among themselves. His old clothes, armor, and strange appearance made him look like a spectacle.
Soon, sirens blared. Vehicles flashing red and blue lights approached quickly. Kagan murmured with wide eyes:
— "Are these... war chariots from another dimension?"
At that moment, a young boy stepped forward through the crowd. Thin, wearing glasses, carrying a bag, clearly a recent graduate. Seeing the approaching police, he grabbed Kagan's arm:
— "Come here, don't stand out like a madman. You'll get into trouble."
Kagan stared at him, surprised, but for the first time in this strange world, he felt a genuine helping hand. The boy's name was Yoru. He had just graduated as an engineer; he had never encountered anything like this, yet instinctively wanted to protect the strange stranger.
Yoru led him to his small, tidy apartment. As soon as they entered, Kagan's eyes nearly popped out.
— "Inside the wall... moving images? What kind of illusion box is this?" he said, pointing at the television.
Yoru laughed:
— "That's a TV, man. Not an illusion, just watching a broadcast."
Kagan approached and touched the screen. When the image changed, he jumped back.
— "Spirits... trapped inside the glass!"
Yoru shook his head:
— "Okay, snap out of it. Definitely homeless, maybe a little crazy. Anyway, you're lucky I showed up instead of the police."
After a while, Yoru prepared some food. When Kagan saw the microwave, he studied it for a long time.
— "A spinning stove inside... interesting."
Yoru sighed:
— "Look, man, enough. Tell me properly. Who are you? Where did you come from?"
Kagan leaned back in his chair. His face bore the weight of thousands of years. His eyes flared briefly like fire.
— "I am Kagan. The sole victor of endless wars that lasted millennia. I crossed realms of death, walked between dimensions, forged pacts with monsters. Your world is but a faint shadow of what I once left behind."
Yoru struggled to swallow his food. For a moment, he stayed silent, then burst into laughter:
— "Seriously? The sole victor of endless wars? Bro, you're either LARPing or crazy. Well, your story's entertaining at least."
Kagan continued seriously:
— "You are still young; I do not expect you to comprehend my wisdom."
At that moment, a sudden darkness slid past the window. A cold hum filled the room. Yoru flinched.
— "What the hell?"
From the darkness emerged a pale, thin, horrifyingly terrifying creature—something no human should see. A Zarir. But Yoru could sense its presence because he stood next to Kagan.
His heart raced, breath caught in his throat.
— "Th-That... what is that?! This can't be real!"
Kagan didn't move. Sitting in his chair, his eyes fixed on the Zarir.
— "You're making noise," he said coldly.
Before the Zarir could take another step, Kagan's word alone sufficed: "Disappear." The creature was torn apart by an invisible force, dissolving into a dark mist. Yoru collapsed to the floor, still struggling to breathe.
— "God... how did you do that? How is any of this real?"
Kagan calmly picked up a glass of water from the table, drank, and replied as if nothing had happened:
— "For me, this is as simple as breathing. I have seen far more than your world could ever show me."
Yoru's mind was spinning. The man he had once thought a crazy homeless person had just destroyed a monster with a single gesture. Now, he was in a realm beyond comprehension.
At that moment, on a dark rooftop across the street, a figure in black watched them. A clan symbol glinted in their eyes. Speaking to themselves, they murmured:
— "This power… could it be real? The clan leader must know of this."
Then, the figure vanished into the shadows.