"Ha, what a beautiful day! And here I am, doing the same old work," said a young man dressed in a white coat with dark eyes as he sat in a small clinic. The townsfolk knew him as Dr. John. Just then, a boy in normal dress and blue eyes rushed into the clinic and called out, "Hey, brother, can I get some medicine for a fever?"
John looked up and raised an eyebrow. "For whom? You look just fine, Ryen."
Ryen shifted on his feet. "It's for my mom. She got caught in the rain coming home from work yesterday."
"Oh, in that case, let's go. I'd better check on her myself," John replied, rising from his chair and grabbing his medical bag.
Ryen shrugged, grinning. "Sure, but you'll have to give me a ride."
"Yeah, yeah, let's go," John sighed.
The two headed off to Ryen's house, a cozy two-story building just a few streets away. Ryen hopped off John's bike when they arrived, and John said, "Let me park first." They climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked into a nightmare: a beast that looked like a fox, but with pitch-black eyes and dark, jagged bones protruding from its back, was feasting on Ryen's mother. The room was in shambles, the walls splattered with blood.
Ryen's scream filled the air. "Mooooom!"
The beast's ear twitched, and it turned toward Ryen, ready to pounce. But before it could reach him, a black, whip-like appendage shot out from John's side, slicing the creature in two. Dark blood sprayed through the air, splattering across Ryen. He stood there in shock, like a statue, his eyes wide and empty, drained of life. Not a single tear fell; his expression was hollow and cold.
Ryen's gaze slowly shifted to John, and, with a trembling finger, he pointed at him. His voice shook. "What… what was that? And what is that whip-thing on your arm? This has to be a nightmare. Mom, please wake me up…"
John looked down, his face tense, before retracting the whip into his arm. With a sorrowful voice, he placed a hand on Ryen's shoulder. "Listen, Ryen, this isn't a dream."
John looked at Ryen with serious eyes and said, "Alastair Caelum."
"What! Allstar Column? What does that mean?" Ryen asked, his voice trembling and puzzled.
"Alastair Caelum... it's my real name," John replied.
"What do you mean?" Ryen shouted, his eyes wild with shock and grief.
But John only sighed and, after a moment of hesitation, struck Ryen gently on the neck, rendering him unconscious. "Let's go."