What happened to the young boy who cried Easter bunny, you ask? Well, that answer can be found here. Nestled in the heart of towering birch forests somewhere on a tropical island called Birchwood Bay off the coast of the continent of America is a town known as Birchwood. Most of the residents here earn their livelihoods through forestry, timber harvesting, fishing, and agriculture. Others work as lawyers, doctors, engineers, and educators at the esteemed Birchwood University. Birchwood is a magnet for tourists, enchanted by its stunning scenery and verdant landscapes. Whether in the bustling streets of Birchwood's main town or the peaceful outskirts, the community is known for being friendly and vibrant. But somewhere in the thick birch forests, a not so pleasant incident occurs.
Hidden in the bushes is a hunter, his gun aimed at an unsuspecting deer.
'Find a real job, she said. This is the 2020s, she said.' The hunter thought to himself, thinking about his grumpy wife. ' She has no idea; hunting is an art—a way of life.' He waited for the right moment to fire. 'Sure, I don't make the most money, but it's about doing what you're passionate about, not about making money. Besides, at least I know AI won't take hunting away anytime soon.'
The deer stops to take a sip of water from a small stream. That was when the hunter fired his gun, striking it dead. The hunter crawled out of his hiding place and approached the deer.
"Sure, I gotta make enough money to keep my son in college so he can have a good life," he said, crouching beside the deer, "but he's almost through, and I'm sure I can find a way to gather money for next semester's fee. Anyway," he added with a smile, "at least we'll be eating big tonight."
Suddenly, a dark-skinned man in his early 20s, dressed in corporate attire—white button-down shirt and dark brown trousers—hurtled through the woods, crashing into a nearby tree. He sprang up, panting exhilaratingly.
"Holy Crap! Are you okay?"
"Get out of here quick!"
"How did you come flying like that? Do you need an ambulance?"
"Quick Run before it—"
The two men heard a low, menacing growl. From the forest shadows emerged a massive, wolf-like beast, almost twice the size of an average brown bear. The sight threw the hunter into dismay. It was his first time seeing a creature such as this. He was filled with so much fear that he found his legs shaking uncontrollably.
What on this great green earth is that?" the hunter's trembling voice uttered. He raised his gun and, with hesitation, pulled the trigger. However, the bullets had no effect on the beast other than catching its attention. There, the hunter stood, trembling, as the creature angrily charged at him. But its face was met with an unknown force, sending it crashing through several trees.
The hunter hastily looked around for the other man, but he was nowhere to be found. Realizing the other man had run away, he turned tail and ran for his life.
Unseen by the hunter, the mysterious force that struck the beast was a punch from Robbert Bassey, or Rob for short, the dark-skinned man from earlier. As a practitioner of a mystical martial art, Rob possesses the ability to create illusions and control fire. With his illusionary abilities, he had simply rendered himself invisible to the hunter but not to the beast.
The beast springs back up and charges at Rob, swinging its arm in a powerful attack. Rob ducks, dodging the blow, but the beast's claws slice through the trunk of the nearby tree like paper. As Rob counters with an uppercut, a burst of flame erupts in his fist. The force of his punch sends the beast stumbling backward on its hind legs.
Rob charges forward, aiming to land another blow, but the beast strikes first, its claws swiping through the air. The beast's attack seems to connect, and Rob's body appears to be torn in two. But in reality, Rob had created a flawless illusion; the two severed halves burst into a swarm of butterflies, swirling around the beast's head, confusing it.
In this moment of distraction, Rob materializes behind the beast, his movements lightning-fast. With perfect timing, he unleashes a flying roundhouse kick that crashes into the back of the beast's head, causing it to stumble forward and slam into a tree.
Now both of Rob's fists erupt in flames as he proceeds to pummel the beast, giving it two scorching blows to the abdomen, a swift jab to the face, and a powerful kick to the jaw, sending the beast stumbling. After taking such a beating, the beast begins to flee
"Oh no, you don't!" Rob exclaims, extinguishing the flames on his fists as he sprints after it.
A car approaches on a nearby road. The driver, a young man from the country, is taking his girlfriend on a date to Birchwood's main town.
"I still don't understand why we didn't just do this at my grandma's eatery," the young man complains.
"Because I want a fancy meal in a fancy restaurant," his girlfriend responds. "Besides, Granny's dishes are terrible."
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
Just then, the beast darts onto the road in front of the couple's vehicle. The young man hastily swerves to avoid it but loses control and crashes into a tree.
The couple stumbles out of the car, the girl coughing due to the dust cloud from the crash.
As they struggle to regain their footing, the beast approaches, growling with deadly intent.
"Babe, do something!" The girl turns to her boyfriend, only to find him cowering in fear, hysterically repeating, "I don't want to die."
Just as the beast prepares to pounce, Rob leaps from behind and catches it in a headlock. The beast rises onto its hind legs, struggling and swaying, desperate to break free.
As Rob restrains the beast, he notices the couple and swiftly uses his illusions to render himself and the beast invisible to their eyes.
The beast flings Rob over its head, slamming him onto the hard road. It then raises its arms, charging for another attack.
Rob swiftly dodges the creature's arms, which slam into the ground, causing it to crack upon impact.
The couple hears the sounds and sees the cracks in the road, but cannot see what causes them.
"That's enough!" Flames erupt from Rob's feet, launching him into the air. He seizes the beast by the hair on its neck and propels skyward. They soar down to the forest roof, and Rob hurls the beast towards the ground.
The beast tears through several trees before coming to a stop. Rob lands in front of it and points his hand towards it. Flames appear in his palm and condense into a ball of fire.
"P-please... s-stop... no more," the beast stammers, its voice a strained, guttural growl, barely intelligible.
Rob's eyes widen in perplexity; he thought he just heard the beast speak.
The beast begins to transform, its limbs twisting, fur retracting, and features morphing. In a matter of seconds, its monstrous form gives way to that of a person, shaking and frail.
"Please, sir, spare my life," the person begs. "I am cursed to be a werewolf; I cannot control my actions when I turn. I—I need help."
The fireball in Rob's hand vanishes. He approaches the person slowly.
"I know someone who has knowledge of this kind of thing; his name is Jasper. Maybe he can help you."
While Rob's guard is down, the person transforms into the beast again, this time instant, and pounces. But before it can attack, a silver bullet strikes its chest. The impact sends the werewolf crashing to the ground, where it writhes in agony. The bullet hole sizzling and releasing a hiss of steam as the silver burns its flesh.
A man stands behind Rob, revolver in hand, with an Alsatian dog by his side. He wears a sleek black overcoat over his waiter's uniform, complete with a crisp white shirt and an apron with a Café Two print at the chest. His sharp jawline is framed by trimmed black beard stubs, angled to perfection, reminiscent of a battle-hardened warrior.
Without hesitation, Jasper unleashes a relentless barrage of bullets, emptying his revolver into the werewolf's body. Each bullet finds its mark, intensifying the creature's anguish. The air echoes with the sound of gunfire and the werewolf's agonized screams.
Finally, the werewolf collapses and transforms back into a person.
The man is Jasper Van Bakke, owner of a café known as Café Two. The dog, Shaggy, is Rob's.
"Kid, don't go around telling werewolves my name," Jasper warns in a Dutch accent, his voice low and commanding.
"Jasper, I—"
Shaggy interrupts, barking joyfully and rushing to Rob. He showers her with affection.
"Who's a good girl? You are, yes, you are. You came to save Daddy; yes you did."
"You listen here, kid. You hesitate like that again, and you might just end up dead. You're lucky I came looking for you, worried that you might have gotten eaten or something."
"I would have handled it."
"Everyone that is dead now thought they could have handled what killed them. But what happened when they couldn't? They died."
"Yeah, whatever. Thanks for the help, Jasper."
Jasper sighed. "Come on, let's go back to the cafe."
"Right behind you," Rob replied to Jasper, before playfully taunting Shaggy. "Come on, girl, we're going home."
Rob picks up the pace to catch up to Jasper, while Shaggy trots alongside him.