Two years ago, within Lia's room, Sam rushes in and quickly closes the door behind him, barricading it as a horde of zombies closes in. Amid the urgency, Sam devises a plan, fashioning a makeshift rope by tying clothes together. With a sense of urgency, he lowers the improvised rope out of the window. Picking up Leona, Sam urges Conor and Lia to descend before the pursuing zombies outside become aware of their presence. Conor takes the lead, followed by Lia. As they descend, a couple of zombies approach, prompting Conor to skillfully dispatch them with his arrows.
However, the situation intensifies when Sam spots a dozen more zombies heading their way. The door, precariously held together, starts to give way, causing panic. Sam, struggling to safely climb down with Leona in his arms, faces a perilous predicament as the door above them begins to break. Sam places Leona in a paper bag, hanging it from the high ceiling fan. The doors give way as a horde of zombies surges towards Sam. Reacting quickly, Sam leaps out of the window, barely clinging to the rope. He reaches Lia and Conor, and they run for a short distance. Lia inquires about Leona's whereabouts, and Sam, regretfully, shakes his head, confessing that he had no choice but to leave her behind. Lia breaks into tears. Conor, pointing his bow and arrow at Sam, insists they return for his sister. Sam, however, argues that it's too late for Leona, emphasizing the need to escape the city.
Shortly after, they reach the cabin, where Conor observes Sam consoling Lia in the living room, attempting to ease her grief over her deceased daughter. Conor enters and announces his unwillingness to stay confined within the cabin, expressing his intention to live in the woods. Lia pleads with Conor to remain in the cabin, but he steadfastly looks at Sam and declines the offer. Sam discloses the unfortunate news of Conor's father, Adam, being deceased. Conor, seemingly indifferent, disregards the information and departs. Lia, overwhelmed with grief, cries harder, but Sam offers reassurance, expressing confidence in Conor's resilience and predicting his eventual return.
Days elapse, and Conor finds himself nestled in a hollow within a tree. He arranges some meat over the campfire and fashions wooden arrows with his knife. Spotting a nearby zombie, Conor readies his bow and arrow, taking a deep breath. In a moment of introspection, he acknowledges that with his father no longer present and the world in ruins, perhaps he can now embrace his true identity.
Closing his eyes, Conor reflects on the past, recalling moments when his father, Adam, coached him at the age of 7. Holding the bow and arrow, Conor aims at a target on a tree. Releasing the arrow, a faint magical light emanates. The arrow punctures through the target and the tree, revealing a glimpse of Conor's latent abilities. Approaching Conor, Adam sternly instructs him never to use magic again. Confused, Conor questions the prohibition, and Adam explains that in Radiant City, adhering to a rule of no magic is imperative. Conor, however, expresses his desire to freely wield magic. Adam shares a personal perspective, recounting that he too harbored such aspirations as a child, but his father had also encouraged him to lead a normal life devoid of magic. He reveals that he chose to seal his own magic deep within, advising Conor to do the same.
Conor counters, questioning the problem with living a abnormal life. Adam responds, cautioning that a life intertwined with magic inevitably leads to conflict, war, and injustice. He advocates for a tranquil existence devoid of such complexities, in alignment with his father's wishes for them. Conor then inquires about his grandfather's whereabouts. Adam discloses that his grandfather departed this realm long ago and is destined to return only when the world reaches its end. Before that inevitable return, his grandfather desired them to experience a peaceful life without the influence of magic. Conor shuts his eyes, allowing his magic to recede further within himself. Returning to the present, he opens his eyes, witnessing his magic gradually manifesting through his fingertips. As he releases the arrow, it shimmers with a magical light. The arrow pierces through the zombie's head and a tree beyond. Conor gazes at his hand, contemplating that perhaps embracing his magical abilities is the key to his survival in the wilderness.
Conor dedicates more time to honing his archery skills, practicing on both animals and zombies. Skillfully navigating from tree to tree, he spots a zombie breaching the electrical fences surrounding the cabin. Intrigued, Conor follows the zombie, which is fixated on the cabin window. Uncertain whether it's a mere zombie or possibly a man, Conor tries to get a closer look but can only see its back. However, he discerns a red aura of magic emanating from the zombie, sensing an imminent threat. Deciding to eliminate the danger, Conor then shoots the zombie in the back of the head with an arrow, only to be astonished when it turns around to reveal his father, Adam.
In shock, Conor witnesses Adam fleeing into the forest. Sam emerges, inquiring about the commotion, but Conor dismisses it as nothing more than an encounter with an animal. Despite his initial retreat, Conor's curiosity gets the better of him, prompting him to chase after his father. Following the trail of broken trees left by Adam, Conor discovers him sprinting through a horde of zombies, leaving a path of flesh and blood behind. As Conor moves to engage the remaining zombies and kills most of the zombies but one unexpectedly transforms into a giant, pale, muscular zombie. Conor's wooden arrows prove ineffective, breaking upon impact on the head of the zombie. He leaps back, preparing to confront this formidable and unfamiliar type of zombie.
The zombie utters a single word, "Hungry," leaving Conor stunned by the unexpected behavior from a zombie. It lunges at him, and Conor narrowly evades the attack, attempting to fend it off with wooden arrows. However, the arrows prove futile, continuously breaking upon impact. Reflecting on a moment from the past when his father, Adam, gifted him a beautiful knife, Conor recalls Adam mentioning that the knife was a gift from his grandfather.
In the present moment, Conor retrieves the enchanting knife, and as his magic courses through it, the blade gleams with magical lights. The zombie lunges once more, and though Conor narrowly avoids the attack, he seizes the opportunity to counter. Swiftly, he wields the knife, slicing the zombie across the stomach and bisecting its body horizontally. The top half of the zombie crashes to the ground. Covered in blood, Conor is both shocked and amazed by the potent magical capabilities he possesses. The zombie bellows that it's hungry, undergoing a ugly transformation into a big ball of human flesh with a gaping mouth. It propels itself towards Conor, who attempts to evade, but the mouth zombie proves too fast, engulfing him entirely. Following the macabre meal, the mouth zombie emits a belch, announcing its insatiable hunger as it sets its sights on Old Berry Town.
Unexpectedly, the mouth zombie is cleaved open from the back, revealing Conor emerging from its insides, clutching the zombie's luminous, pulsating heart in his knife. Turning to face the still-living mouth zombie writhing in agony, Conor severs it vertically, obliterating the brain. Exhausted, he collapses, taking a deep breath and reflecting on why his grandpa and father, Adam, would suppress such potent magic. Conor's enhanced magical perception picks up Sam and his mother Lia's distressing screams. He quickly rises and sprints back to the cabin in great speed, propelled by the urgency of the situation.
Conor observes Sam defending Lia with a machete against a zombie horde besieging the cabin. Sam skillfully dispatches each zombie with precise machete strikes, leaving Conor somewhat astonished at Sam's seemingly fortuitous combat prowess. Despite Sam's wild swings, every strike effortlessly beheads the zombies, and he miraculously avoids their attacks, displaying an uncanny streak of luck. Conor, sensing both dark and light magic within Sam, struggles to comprehend the nature of this magic, a phenomenon even unbeknownst to Sam himself. Undeterred, Conor joins the fray, aiding Sam in eliminating the remaining zombies. Together, they work as a team to confront the relentless onslaught.
Observing Conor shooting arrows with magical flickers, Sam deduces that Conor possesses magical abilities. As the battle concludes with the zombies cleared from the yard, Sam inquires if Conor has always had these magical powers. Conor affirms, prompting Sam to express a desire for Conor to teach him magic. Considering the request, Conor gazes at Sam's chest, noting a subtle intensification of his internal magic glow. Conor's knife starts trembling as if it is warning him, and as he steadies it, he witnesses Sam's enthusiastic reaction to the prospect of learning magic.
However, Conor perceives a shift in the color of Sam's internal magic, taking on a sinister hue. Shaking his head, Conor declines and walks away from Sam. Undeterred, Sam voices his determination to learn magic eventually. Conor turns back, asking about how did his father died. Sam discloses that Adam sacrificed himself while attempting to save everyone at the factory.
Conor shares that he recently spotted his father at the cabin. Sam dismisses this as impossible, asserting that he witnessed Adam's death at the factory. Conor counters, claiming he shot his father without knowing it was him but he managed to escape. Skeptical, Sam suggests Conor might be overwhelmed by the longing for his father, potentially leading him to mistake another zombie for Adam. Conor contemplates this possibility, considering that Sam might be correct. When asked about why Conor doesn't want to teach him magic, Conor responds that Sam already has everything he needs. With that, Conor walks away from the cabin, Sam turns around to see Lia pregnant.
Two years have elapsed, and Conor, now 13 years old, resides in a carved tree hole in the forest. Emerging from the tree hole, he surveys the surroundings adorned with tree targets and wooden arrows scattered throughout. Gazing up at the moonlit night sky, Conor takes a deep breath, enveloping his body in magic. Retrieving his knife, he shoots it into the sky using his bow. The knife becomes imbued with magic, casting a beautiful light across the nocturnal expanse, prompting a smile from Conor.
Driven by the allure of this enchanting display, Conor ventures into the forest to recover his knife. However, as he approaches the impaled knife on a rock, it begins to tremble violently. Alert, Conor scans the forest with bow and arrow in hand. A towering shadow figure emerges and launches an attack. Conor adeptly evades, retaliating with magic-infused wooden arrows that pass through the spectral figure. He skillfully evades the relentless attacks from the shadow figure and retaliates with a wooden arrow infused with even greater magic. The arrow radiates a brilliant light throughout the forest as Conor releases it, piercing through the shadowy figure. To Conor's surprise, the dissipating shadows reveal a young boy within. However, the shadows swiftly envelop the boy once more, restoring the tall, menacing figure.
Leaping toward his knife, now shimmering with magic, Conor strikes the shadow figure with the blade. This time, the knife cleaves through the figure, exposing the shocked young boy within. Despite attempts to reform, the shadows fail to conceal the boy, who then flees deep into the dark forest. Conor gives chase, pursuing the figure all the way to New Berry Town. As the knife vibrates with increased intensity, Conor becomes aware of numerous other shadow figures in the town. Sensing the ominous presence, he retreats back to his home.
In the morning, Conor makes his way to the Cabin and swings open the door, finding Lia in the midst of preparing breakfast for her two-year-old daughter. Lia warmly invites him to join for the morning meal, but Conor politely declines, stating that he has come to inform his mother about his departure for a few days. Conor explains that Sam will be responsible for safeguarding the Cabin during his absence. Lia acknowledges Conor's decision and reflects on the noticeable changes in him. Lia shares with Conor that Sam has been deeply engaged in meditation over the past two years. Curious, Conor heads to the backyard of the Cabin, where he observes Sam in meditation. Sam's internal magic spins slowly, indicating his ongoing efforts to control it without having fully mastered it yet. With this information, Conor leaves for New Berry Town during the day.
Conor ventures into the town only to find it empty, devoid of zombies or any signs of life—a virtual ghost town. Suddenly, the distant hum of an approaching vehicle catches Conor's attention. Taking cover, he observes Frank and Mai driving in the armored van. Within the van, Frank questions Mai about the accuracy of her bug camera's movement detection. Mai, stationed at the back with multiple computer screens, affirms that she detected movement and replays the recent clip, revealing Conor passing one of the camera bugs.
To Mai's astonishment, Conor bears a striking resemblance to Adam. Overcoming her surprise, Mai steps out of the van and calls Conor by name. Conor emerges from hiding and says that his father has been long dead. But Mai reveals her acquaintance with Conor's father and assures him that Adam is alive and undergoing recovery in Old Berry Town. Unconvinced and in disbelief, Conor levels his bow and arrow at them. Frank also steps out and also taken aback, raises his hands and acknowledges Conor's striking resemblance to Adam, confirming the shared personalities between father and son.
Mai asserts that she's telling the truth and, with a clap, unveils a computer screen on a wheel stand from the van. The screen displays images and moments of Adam over the past two years. Conor is taken aback and puzzled by the revelation that his father now appears to be a child. Mai explains that the transformation is intricate, involving emotions and magic. Conor, feeling overwhelmed, takes a step back, realizing the authenticity of the events at the cabin.
Mai, noting down details in her notebook, inquires about what transpired. Conor shares the painful truth that, two years ago, he accidentally shot his father. Mai's jaw drops as she comprehends the emotional turmoil Adam experienced during their initial encounter. Conor wipes away his tears and expresses a desire to see his father. However, Mai hesitates, expressing concern that such a meeting might adversely impact Adam's ongoing recovery.
Frank inquires why Conor is in New Berry Town, prompting Conor to share the recent encounter with the shadow figures. Mai is taken aback and states that these figures are connected to her curse. Frank chimes in, stating that they are on a mission to locate Duke. Conor, astonished, mentions that he is acquainted with Duke from his childhood. In response, they extend an invitation to Conor, urging him to join them on the mission to uncover Duke's whereabouts and unravel the intentions behind the shadow figures.