The paper door slid open again. Shuri stepped in.
She had a gentle smile on her face and held a fresh cup of hot tea in her hands.
"Are you feeling better, Elias?"
She asked softly. She placed the tea on the small wooden tray.
"Much better,"
Elias said, sitting up straight.
"Thank you, Shuri."
Shuri sat down gracefully on a soft cushion across from him. She folded her hands in her lap.
"Can you tell me where you are from?"
Elias took a deep breath. He remembered Dee's warning to stay hidden. He had to be careful about what he said.
"I'm from America,"
Elias answered.
"I'm just a tourist. I came here to see the country."
Shuri tilted her head a little.
"Where are your bags? Do you have a hotel room?"
Elias looked down at his hands. He decided to play dumb. It was the safest lie he could think of.
"I... I don't know,"
He said, making his voice sound shaky.
"I don't really remember anything about last night. I remember walking in the park. Then it got really dark. Then there was a lot of pain. And then... I woke up here. It's all a blank."
Shuri's eyes filled with deep pity.
She nodded slowly, completely believing him.
"It is okay,"
She said in a soothing, motherly voice.
"You don't need to force yourself to remember. You were in a terrible accident."
She didn't tell him about the monster. She thought he was just a normal human boy.
To her, it made perfect sense that the shock and fear were so bad that his brain had locked the memory away to protect him.
"I found you in a dark alley,"
Shuri explained gently.
"There was a bad... animal attack. The animal must have destroyed your backpack and your passport. I did not see any of your things. It is a true miracle you are alive."
Elias felt a little guilty for lying to her. Shuri was so kind and honest. But he knew it was for the best.
"I guess I lost everything,"
Elias sighed. He wasn't lying about that part. His whole life in Ohio was gone for now.
Shuri reached across the table and gently patted his hand. Her touch was warm and comforting.
"You did not lose your life,"
She smiled.
"That is the most important thing."
Elias looked into her eyes. He could see how much she cared about him, even though they had just met.
"But I don't have anywhere to go,"
He admitted.
"I don't have any money, and I don't know anyone here."
"You can stay here,"
Shuri said, without even hesitating.
Elias blinked in surprise.
"Really? But you don't even know me. I don't want to be a burden to you and your daughter."
"You are not a burden,"
Shuri said simply.
"I know that you are a young man who needs help. This shrine is big. We have plenty of room. You can stay with Akeno and me for as long as you want. Until you figure things out."
Elias felt a lump in his throat. He was in a strange, scary new world.
He was surrounded by magic, Devils, and Angels that he didn't understand. He was far away from Dee. But right here, in this quiet room, he had found someone truly good.
"Thank you, Shuri,"
Elias said, his voice thick with emotion.
"I will find a way to repay you. I promise. I can help around the house, or clean, or do heavy lifting."
"There will be time for that later,"
Shuri smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Just focus on resting for today. Welcome to Japan, Elias."
A little while after Shuri left, the paper door opened just a tiny bit.
A small head peeked inside. It was Akeno.
She had big, curious violet eyes and held a colorful paper ball in her hands.
She looked very shy.
Elias smiled warmly at her.
"Hey there,"
He said softly.
Akeno blinked. She didn't understand English. But she understood his kind smile.
She slowly walked into the room and rolled the paper ball across the floor.
It stopped right by Elias's hand. He picked it up and gently rolled it back.
Akeno caught it and let out a sweet, happy giggle.
She walked closer to him, looking up with big eyes.
"Onii-chan?"
She asked in a small voice.
Elias froze. He didn't watch anime himself, but his friends in Ohio did.
They talked about it all the time. He knew exactly what that word meant. Big brother.
Hearing this sweet little girl call him that hit him right in the kokoro. His heart melted completely.
He was an only child, and he had never had a younger sibling to look after.
"Yeah,"
Elias smiled, his eyes getting a little misty.
"I can be your Onii-chan."
Akeno smiled so brightly it felt like the sun came out. She grabbed his hand with her tiny fingers and pulled him up.
She wanted to play outside.
Elias followed her into the beautiful shrine garden. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, and a small pond had orange koi fish swimming in it.
They spent the next hour playing simple games. They threw the ball, chased butterflies, and looked at the fish.
As they played, Elias noticed something sad. There were no other toys around.
There were no other kids' voices.
Akeno was always playing here all by herself. She didn't have any friends.
Elias realized he was her very first friend. The way she looked at him, full of trust and joy, made him feel a strong need to protect her.
He silently promised himself that he would be the best big brother he could be when he was here.
After a while, Akeno pulled him to a quiet corner of the garden, behind a large stone statue.
She looked around to make sure her mother wasn't watching. She had a secret she wanted to share with her new friend.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper with strange symbols drawn on it.
It was an Onmyudo talisman—a tool for Japanese magic.
Akeno held the paper between her fingers. She closed her eyes and focused.
Suddenly, a small, beautiful blue fireball popped into the air, floating right above the paper.
Elias gasped.
"Whoa. Real magic."
Akeno opened her eyes and smiled proudly. But she was still very young and still learning how to use her powers. Her focus slipped.
The blue fireball suddenly shot forward, right at Elias!
Smack!
The blue fire hit Elias right in the chest. He fell backward onto the grass.
"Ah!"
He grunted. It wasn't completely deadly, but it was hot. It felt like touching a hot stove for a second before the fire went out, leaving a burn mark on his shirt.
Akeno gasped. Tears filled her eyes instantly. She dropped the paper.
"Onii-chan!"
She cried out in Japanese, running to him. She was terrified that she had hurt her new friend.
But inside Elias's chest, something amazing was happening.
The warm light from Dee's kiss flared up, instantly healing the small burn.
And then, his new power—Adaptivity—works.
His body felt the magic fire. It didn't just survive it. His body learned from it. It understood the energy, the heat, and how it was made.
A strange, tingling feeling rushed down his arm and into his hand.
Elias sat up quickly. He needed to show Akeno he was okay so she would stop crying.
"I'm okay, Akeno! Look, I'm totally fine!"
He said, even though she couldn't understand the words.
He held up his hand. He wanted to show her that magic didn't hurt him.
He pointed his index finger and instinctively pushed that new, tingling energy forward.
Poof.
A small, bright blue fireball shot out from the tip of his finger. It floated in the air for a second before fading away.
Akeno stopped crying. Her mouth dropped open in shock.
Elias stared at his finger. His eyes were just as wide as hers. He hadn't just healed from the magic attack.
His body had adapted to it, copied it, and learned how to use it.
"Well,"
Elias whispered to himself, a huge smile growing on his face.
"That is definitely a cool superpower."
Akeno looked at the burn on his shirt, then at his finger, and then up at his face.
Her tears turned into stars of amazement. Her Onii-chan was magic, just like her!