We see a place where Ren is lying down—his eyes open slowly, his back pressed into the soft earth. Rain falls gently, tapping against leaves and soaking into the soil. As Ren sits up, he notices he's in a forest. The way the trees are spaced out… it's like someone planted them deliberately, giving them room to breathe.
Then Ren looks down at his hand—and it's empty.
Ren: (calling out) Kento?!
Kento appears beside him, lounging like he's on a vacation.
Kento: Haaa… Finally. My time is done…
Ren: (startled) What?! What are you talking about?
Kento: Bye, my friend...
Ren: (panicking) No, no, no! Don't say that!
Then a voice echoes from within—
Aratsu: He's acting.
Ren: Huh? (confused)
Ren: (angrily) Get up, you bastard!
Kento: Why are YOU angry?! I should be the one angry here! (he yells)
Ren: What do you mean?!
Kento: I've been waiting for you to wake up! And you slept for SIX YEARS after that incident!
Ren: Six... years?!
Aratsu: Yep. I did that. You were too weak. I couldn't stay in your body while you were awake. But now... now you're 16. Your body can handle me.
Ren: So I'm... 16 now?
Aratsu: Exactly. Your testosterone's at its peak. Perfect time.
Suddenly, Ren feels a shiver—he notices he's completely naked.
Ren: Wh-why am I naked? I'm f-feeling co-cold... (sneezes) Aaaachoo!!
Kento: Ren! Get up and find some clothes! Someone lives around here.
Ren: But where?
Kento: Look there—see the smoke?
Off in the distance, a chimney lets out a thin line of smoke.
Suddenly, footsteps echo through the forest—faint and fast.
Ren: What was that?!
Kento: Let's follow it!
Ren stands up—and notices something new. He's taller. He touches his face—a small beard.
Ren: (thinking) Whoa... I've grown.
Kento: Focus! We're losing it!
Ren: Hai!
He takes off through the trees, chasing the sound. The rain patters down harder now, and the trail leads straight toward the house.
But suddenly—the sound vanishes.
Dark trees loom all around. The air turns eerie.
Aratsu: Look down.
Ren: Huh?
Roots explode from the ground, grabbing his foot and lifting him upside down. Another root grabs his hand. Even Kento gets snared, unable to move.
Ren looks around frantically.
Then—from both sides—two creepy wooden creatures appear. Their faces are masked, carved from wood. Their eyes... closed.
Ren: What are these things?! Let me go! (yells)
The creatures' eyes snap open. They float closer—too close.
And then—they scream.
Ren's mind blacks out, his consciousness slipping again.
But right before his eyes close—he sees her.
A tall figure. A woman.
Watching from the shadows.