Magician From the Past

Prologue

On June 20, 2039, in Xtown-a quaint town nestled in Limpopo-life proceeded as usual. Six-year-old Ethan, with his rich ebony skin, sat down for dinner with his family. It was a momentous day; his sister Veronica was poised to inherit the mantle of their family's hotel business. As they dined, a brilliant blue light erupted three meters from where Veronica sat. Her body radiated, pulsating with a mysterious energy, and then darkness engulfed them. In the void, a blue spiral materialized, casting an ethereal glow over the dining room. From it, a creature resembling a werewolf emerged, petrifying everyone with its presence.

Ethan, gripped by fear, dove under the table. Through a sliver of space, he watched in horror as the beast began its slaughter. Veronica, quick to act, pulled him further into the shadows, her hand clamped over his mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she trembled, her eyes wide with terror. The sound of more creatures entering through the portal filled the room.

The werewolf, drawn by the scent of fear, overturned the table. Veronica, in a desperate bid for survival, grabbed a knife from the floor and shielded Ethan, pushing him towards the portal. The creatures hesitated, sensing the volatile energy within her. Cracks spread across her body, a sign of impending doom.

Suddenly, a clawed hand seized Ethan's shoulder. His scream cut through the silence, startling Veronica. She turned, only to see the portal's energy resonate with her own, destabilizing it. Time seemed to slow for Ethan as he witnessed the unthinkable-Veronica exploded before his eyes, and the sight of his family's ravaged bodies filled his vision. His screams went unheard, and darkness claimed him.

"Kid... Kid... Hey kid, wake up," a voice called out. Ethan's eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar world. He lay in a forest, beside a cave. "Hey Hector, what are you doing? You were supposed to check out that bright light," a muscular man clad in heavy armour, reminiscent of video game heroes, called out, brandishing a futuristic weapon.

"Wait a minute, go call the boss. I've found something odd here. What's a kid like you doing in a restricted area?" the man demanded.

"Restricted?" Ethan echoed, confusion lacing his voice. As he spoke, the memories of the night's terror flashed before him. "Mommy! Daddy, no!" he cried out.

Ethan's tears fell as he grasped the harsh truth: the visions were not mere dreams but stark reality, and his family was forever beyond reach. "My apologies, Miss Elaine," Hector began, his voice steady despite the oddity of the situation. "While investigating the abrupt mana fluctuations, I stumbled upon this lad-unconscious. Upon awakening, he descended into a frenzy of tears and nonsensical babble." He recounted his encounter with Ethan to Elaine.

"Oh, how intriguing," Elaine murmured, her mana sense sweeping the vicinity. Hector dared to interject, "Is it really?" only to be met with Elaine's piercing glare. She grinned, her confidence unshaken. "A Grand Wizard of my calibre needs no instruments to discern the events that transpired. The traces are subtle, yet unmistakable-a flow of space-time mana residue envelops the boy. We must transport him to the laboratory for a thorough analysis." With her command, the team swiftly packed their gear.

Elaine led her forty-strong crew, escorting Ethan from the forest's embrace to a concealed city. There, nestled within the slum's shadow, lay a clandestine laboratory. Within its walls, Ethan was ushered into a sterile chamber where attendants cleansed him and clothed him in fresh garments. It was there, before the mirror, that six-year-old Ethan noticed his transformation: his body felt ethereal, his eyes shimmered with a newfound purple hue. Adorned in attire marked 'S59,' he was a changed being.

Guided by a sentinel, Ethan traversed from the vacant chamber to one that bore the marks of human experimentation. There, he stood immobilized upon a table as Elaine invoked a spell to read his memories, rendering him unconscious.