Chapter 4: News Gildarts is...
**News Gildarts is...**
[Beneath the Hammer of Fate]
"Like I said, I'm neither a hero nor a villain." The words linger in the air, sharp and clear, but devoid of any real emotion. I don't care much for this village, this temporary refuge. Still, if someone were to attack, my presence would be enough to stir the waters. I'm just that kind of person—caught in the currents whether I like it or not. "I hate troublesome people," I muttered under my breath, a flicker of disdain threading through my voice.
Rising from my seat, I left the restaurant with quiet grace—no, not in haste or anger—but with purpose. The payment for my meal had already been settled. I would not be a thief. The only thing I took was my resolve, a burning ember that guided me toward the inevitable confrontation.
With a swift, calculated motion, my foot slammed into the earth, propelling me forward, kicking up a cloud of dust in my wake. My mind, however, was elsewhere, lost in the whirlpool of thoughts. *Would my hypnosis work on him?* The question gnawed at the edges of my focus.
Magic, after all, was a curious thing. It wasn't something I fully understood, nor did I fully control it. *Was it magic, or merely a trick of the mind?* Those with sharp perception or an unyielding resistance could break free from its grasp. Yet, my passive abilities remained potent—still, caution was needed, always.
He was about thirty meters away. I melted into the shadows, finding solace within a nearby bush—its thick foliage wrapping around me like an old friend. I didn't simply choose any bush. No, I chose the one that would place me in his path with a 100% certainty, a quiet little spot where fate and probability met.
Time passed like the still air before a storm, and soon, he entered my range. A flicker of energy, an unseen signal, and I activated Kyoka Suigetsu. The world around me seemed to shift, as if reality itself were bending under the weight of my will. *This is dangerous,* I thought, my heart quickening. If this doesn't work… I would be forced to retreat into the depths of the forest, a ghost among the trees. My mind flickered with the image of a blade in the dark—my only true weapon.
Head-to-head combat was not an option. But an assassination? That was something entirely different. Given the chance, I could end it swiftly.
But then, as I assumed the guise of a rabbit, cloaking myself in illusion, something unexpected happened. Through the veil of my transformation, I saw him clearly. My pulse faltered, recognition striking me like a bolt of lightning.
I knew him.
He, of course, did not fail to notice the rustling in the bush. His eyes flicked toward the source of the disturbance, narrowing with suspicion. But when he saw the rabbit, so small, so innocent, he merely scoffed and turned away, continuing on his path without a second thought.
*I didn't expect to meet him here,* I mused quietly, my lips curling into a faint smile. *But it seems fate has other plans.* The smile quickly faded, replaced by a cold resolve. *It's time for your punishment, Gildarts.*
With a barely noticeable gesture, I activated Kyoka Suigetsu.
The world around him began to warp, bending like a mirror under pressure, the threads of reality beginning to unravel. His voice, filled with confusion and disbelief, echoed through the shifting air. "What… What's going on?"
Seeing his stunned expression, I couldn't help but chuckle—a dark, knowing sound that escaped from my lips unbidden. In his eyes, a ruined village lay just beyond the horizon, a place of desolation and decay. Yet, in truth, all that surrounded him was the peaceful, undisturbed forest, the leaves whispering in the wind as though nothing were amiss.
He moved about in circles, like a dog searching for the perfect spot to lie down, his steps a curious dance, neither hurried nor calm. There was an odd grace in his movement, as if he were some kind of strange artist painting invisible strokes in the air. At times, he picked up a twig, holding it as if it were a relic of great importance, murmuring to it in a language only he could understand.
*Hilarious.* I couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled from deep within me.
If only I had a recording device… I thought, grinning to myself. This would be worth preserving, a performance worthy of the highest accolades—and perhaps even fetching a rather considerable price in the right circles.
When we reached the moment where I beheaded him. He fell on the mud, and I laugh out loud!
"HAHAHA! fool!"
After having enough laugh, I undone the Kyoka Suigetsu. It's just his vision of the village. Then I throw a wooden puppet, it comes from puppeteer I killed earlier and hypnotized him into thinking it's a beautiful woman.
After a few minutes, Gildarts wake up and found himself confused.
"Ugh... What's going on? Didn't I die just now?"
He can only asked himself as he shook his hand removing the mud from it.
"Was it illusion magic? It's extremely powerful."
"Uhm... Are you okay?" While lost in thought he heard a feminine voice from a distance. He subconsciously turn around and gleam appears in his eyes.
"What a beautiful woman!" He exclaimed. She has a slightly pointy ears similar to elf and white skin as white as snow. Here eyes were dye in blue you might mistaken it as sky and have a hair color pure than gold. Her beauty is top notch. There's no way Gildarts won't be attracted to such a person.
A smirk appears on his face despite being covered by mud. He spit on his palm and comb his hair behind. Then lean closer to her while saying. "I actually felt sick, and I needed help... Otherwise I might fall... Fall in love with you!" A wide grin appear on his face while he gives her a wink.
"Oh god that so cringe!" I retorted it's not like he could hear me anyway.
Upon hearing this she blushes and hide her smile by covering it with her hand. Gildarts felt his heart beating faster.
'I hit the jackpot?'
Is that what you think? I'm looking forward to your reaction once I'm done.
"Beautiful miss, do you know where is the forest village?" He asked.
"Well, yes... Follow me I will take you there..."
She holds his hand and drag him away, they run through the forest as if someone is chasing them. Gildarts felt very happy and resist the urge to cry, although its only in his pov but in other people he looks like a mentally ill person flirting with a doll.
When the moment came, when I severed his head with swift precision, his body crumpled into the mud with an unsettling thud. I couldn't help myself. Laughter tore from my throat, a wild, unrestrained sound that echoed through the trees.
"HAHAHA! Fool!" My voice rang out, triumphant and mocking, the words curling in the air like smoke.
I laughed until the edges of reality seemed to blur, my amusement hanging heavy in the atmosphere. Finally, I silenced myself, the echoes of my laughter fading into the stillness. With a deliberate motion, I deactivated Kyoka Suigetsu, undoing the illusion I'd woven around his mind. The ruined village was gone, replaced by the tranquil forest once more.
Next, I threw a wooden puppet at his fallen form, an object stolen from a puppeteer I had killed earlier. A simple charm embedded within, laced with hypnosis, would now make Gildarts see what I wanted him to see: a beautiful woman.
Minutes passed before his eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding his expression. He sat up, wiping the mud from his hands as he groggily muttered to himself.
"Ugh… What's going on? Didn't I die just now?"
His thoughts spun in disarray, but one question lingered in the air, unanswered: *Was it illusion magic? It felt... so real.*
Before he could process further, a voice—a soft, feminine voice—spoke from the distance, pulling him from his thoughts. "Uhm... Are you okay?"
Without thinking, he turned, his gaze instantly locking onto the figure before him. His eyes widened, a gleam of astonishment lighting up his face.
*What a beautiful woman!*
She stood before him, a vision that would make even the most hardened hearts skip a beat. Her ears were slightly pointed, the delicate features of an elf; her skin, as white and pure as snow; and her eyes, a hue of blue so deep, it might've been mistaken for the sky itself. Her hair shimmered like strands of gold, so brilliant it seemed to catch the very light of the sun.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, though his face was smeared with mud. Spitting into his palm, he casually ran his hand through his disheveled hair, trying in vain to compose himself. With a smirk that was as much self-assured as it was lecherous, he leaned closer and, with a wink, said, "I actually felt sick... and I needed help... Otherwise, I might fall... fall in love with you!"
A shiver of disgust passed through me. *Oh god, that's so cringe!*
The puppet—his "beautiful woman"—blushed at his words, her hand rising to cover her smile, her expression coy. Gildarts, completely captivated, felt his heart race with excitement.
*I hit the jackpot?* he thought, his mind giddy with anticipation.
"Beautiful miss, do you know where the forest village is?" he asked, his voice thick with desire.
Her smile widened, and she extended her hand toward him. "Well, yes… Follow me. I'll take you there."
And just like that, she grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. Together, they ran through the forest, as if fleeing some unseen threat. Gildarts, his heart alight with the thrill of the moment, struggled to hold back the tears of joy. It was all so perfect—so unreal.
But from an outside perspective, it was a far different scene. To anyone who happened upon them, Gildarts was nothing more than a mentally unstable man, flirting with a lifeless doll. His every movement, every word, a mockery of normality.
As expected, I arrived at the village long before he did. By the time Gildarts stumbled into view, he had already drawn the attention of the locals. His odd behavior, his infatuation with a mere puppet, made him an instant spectacle. Eyes followed him, full of judgment, pity, and distaste.
"Why is he flirting with a doll?" a voice whispered from somewhere nearby, its tone laced with confusion and mild revulsion.
An older man, eyes sharp despite the years, glanced at Gildarts with a mix of concern and resignation. "Let him be. He probably went insane after losing someone dear to him..." His voice trailed off, heavy with the unspoken sorrow of those who had seen too many broken souls.
"What a sad world we live in..." someone else muttered, their voice thick with sympathy.
"How pitiful..." Another voice, equally soft, echoed the sentiment.
*Indeed, truly pitiful,* I thought silently, the words slipping from my mind like a sharp knife cutting through the air. Gildarts, oblivious to their stares, remained lost in his delusion.
"It's time for us to part ways, but once I finish my mission, I'll definitely be back for you!" he said dramatically, letting go of the puppet's hand. The moment his fingers released her, the puppet dropped to the ground with a soft thud, almost as if to signify the end of their brief, bizarre encounter.
I had anticipated this and caught the puppet with ease, my fingers brushing the smooth, lifeless wood. But before I could even consider my next move, Gildarts paused mid-step, turning around as if something unseen had pulled him back.
The people around us, sensing something more troubling in his behavior, misinterpreted his actions. A woman, nearby, immediately stepped forward, assuming the worst. She must have seen me—a mere child, resembling someone like Killua but with black hair—and presumed I was in danger. I had hidden my katana well, but in their eyes, I was just a vulnerable kid, and Gildarts was the kind of "retarded old man" they felt obligated to protect me from.
But to their surprise, Gildarts didn't lunge toward me, nor did he make any aggressive movements. Instead, he simply looked at me with an oddly serious expression, though the light in his eyes still shimmered with delusion. "My name is Gildarts," he said, his voice attempting to carry an air of mystery. "Beautiful lady, until we meet again."
His attempt at coolness was palpable, but to anyone watching, it was only met with disdain. His words were nothing more than a performance, an act that fell flat, like a child playing dress-up.
The woman who had stepped forward, still tense, now warned me with concern: "Listen, kid, don't get closer to him. He's dangerous!"
I nodded silently, giving her a polite acknowledgment. There was no reason to elaborate; they wouldn't understand. Turning, I walked back toward the restaurant, the puppet still clutched in my hands. I could feel the weight of their gazes follow me, but it didn't matter. I had more important matters to tend to, and Gildarts—pitiful, deluded Gildarts—was nothing more than a fleeting distraction.
Gildarts made his way to the village chief's house, his steps hurried with the urgency of a man eager to fulfill his mission. He asked for the details of the commission, expecting a task that would be simple enough. But to his surprise, the dark guild had already been dealt with.
The chief explained, his voice calm and steady, "The guild was planning an attack due to insufficient tax payments. But, fortunately, a kid dressed in black had already taken care of them."
Gildarts blinked, stunned. He had anticipated some action, perhaps a struggle, but it seemed someone had beaten him to the punch. The mission was already complete. The threat was gone. He felt a twinge of disappointment—his purpose here had been rendered moot.
With nothing left to occupy him, and the weight of the mission lifting from his shoulders, Gildarts' thoughts quickly turned elsewhere. His mind drifted back to the thing he had been chasing for weeks, an obsession he couldn't shake. The love of his life.
In truth, it was all still an illusion. The carefully crafted world I had spun around him had held him in its grasp, pulling him deeper with every passing day. It had been a month, and Gildarts remained trapped within my hypnosis, unaware of how thoroughly I had entangled him.
*Certainly, it's powerful,* I mused quietly to myself. *Even someone like Gildarts couldn't break free.*
But he deserved it. After all, what kind of scumbag spends his life womanizing and using people for his own pleasure? He was the perfect candidate for the little stage I had set up—a world where he could flirt and chase after someone endlessly, with no consequences.
For a month, he had played his part. Day after day, he'd flirted, chased, and dated, as if he were living in some twisted, unending romance. The people of the forest village had long since grown accustomed to it, some even finding amusement in his antics.
*But, honestly...* I thought, the corners of my lips curving into a smirk. *I've had enough fun.*
With that thought, I finally undid the hypnosis, the threads of control unraveling one by one. Gildarts was free, but the world he returned to was one of his own making, still oblivious to the truth. I left the village behind, walking away without a second glance.
As for my goals… they were simple. I had already started writing my own legend, carving a path for myself through a world that was unaware of my existence. Our encounter? Just a coincidence, a fleeting chapter in a story that wasn't even about him.
And with that, I stopped talking to myself, the words fading into the quiet of the forest. Without a destination in mind, I continued to walk—just another traveler on an endless journey.
**A Few Weeks Later—Fairy Tail Guild**
Gildarts entered the Fairy Tail guildhall, his presence immediately drawing the attention of the entire room.
"Welcome back, Gildarts!" a chorus of voices rang out from all corners of the guild. Cheers and laughter filled the air as the members greeted their returning comrade.
He smiled warmly, genuinely pleased by the reception. "It's good to be back, everyone," he said, his voice tinged with exhaustion. He made his way to an empty seat and collapsed into it, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "It's been a long and tiring journey."
From his left, an elder with a height barely reaching one meter sat beside him, sipping from a glass of his own. The old man was none other than Makarov Dreyar, the third president of Fairy Tail.
"The mission shouldn't have been too difficult for you..." Makarov began, his voice filled with mild curiosity. "But still, how was it? Was everything as expected?"
Gildarts chuckled, but there was no real amusement in it. "The mission was a failure..." He gave a wry smile before continuing. "The dark guilds were already taken care of a few hours before I even arrived." He set his glass of wine down, the empty space at the table feeling somehow more significant.
Makarov leaned in, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I see... didn't expect an outsider to solve the problem. Anything else, though? You seem... off." Despite the completion of the mission, Makarov could sense something was bothering Gildarts, a weight he wasn't letting go of.
"No way. Gildarts didn't complete a mission? This is impossible." The voice came from Macao, a long-time veteran of the guild, who was sitting nearby. His disbelief was echoed by others, including Laxus, who looked downright incredulous.
The guild members knew Gildarts' strength better than anyone, and the idea that he had failed at something—anything—was unfathomable. But they hadn't heard the crucial detail: that the mission had already been resolved before Gildarts even set foot on the scene.
Gildarts, however, didn't offer much explanation. For him, it was a trivial matter, not worth dwelling on. His expression turned serious, his face darkening slightly. "Yeah, it's because of that kid..." His voice trailed off, and his face twisted into a sour grimace as though he had just bitten into something unbearably bitter.
"Kid...?" Makarov raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. The entire guild, even Laxus, froze, their attention snapping to Gildarts. What kind of kid could possibly hinder someone like him?
Cana, sitting near the back, leaned forward in disbelief. "What are you talking about? A kid? This is ridiculous." Her tone was one of pure confusion, as she exchanged glances with the others.
Gildarts let out another deep sigh, shaking his head as if he still couldn't quite believe it himself. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you..." His voice softened, then grew serious as he recounted the strange events. "I was sent to take care of a dark guild planning to attack a village. When I arrived, I found... well, I found the mission already completed." He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in. "An unknown kid in black had already handled the situation. The dark guild? Gone, just like that."
Makarov and the others listened intently, their disbelief giving way to genuine curiosity. What kind of kid could have done something that Gildarts himself couldn't?
Gildarts continued, not holding back any details. "It wasn't just that, either. This kid... he had something up his sleeve. I didn't even realize what was going on until it was too late. He... hypnotized me. Trapped me in an illusion for an entire month. I thought I was chasing after the love of my life. I spent a month flirting, dating, living in a delusion, and I never once realized it was all a lie."
There was a stunned silence in the guildhall. No one spoke. The idea that Gildarts, the legendary S-Class Mage, had fallen victim to something like this was absurd. The sheer magnitude of it was too much to comprehend.
Makarov's face grew serious, but there was a hint of something more—concern, perhaps? "A kid... doing all that? Are you certain?"
"I'm positive," Gildarts replied with a grim look. "I had no idea what was happening. It felt so real, every touch, every word, every interaction. And now I realize... I was just another puppet in some twisted game." He clenched his fists, his frustration evident. "That's the kind of power this kid has. I don't even know how to begin explaining it."
Makarov exchanged a look with the others. This wasn't just any ordinary mission. Whatever this "kid" was, he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
The guild had no idea just how far-reaching this illusion had been—or just how close they had come to losing one of their most trusted members to a power they could scarcely even imagine.
Just then, a loud burst of laughter erupted from the guild.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
It was impossible for anyone to hold it in. The sight of Gildarts—the mighty Gildarts, the ever-confident S-Class Mage—looking so disoriented and humiliated was too much for the guild to resist.
"So, the reason you got delayed is because you ran into a kid who specializes in illusion magic?" Macao chortled, unable to stop himself. "Not only that, you got completely taken in by a beautiful woman, chased after her for a month, and it turns out *she* was just an illusion!?"
The laughter was infectious, filling the guildhall. Some were wiping tears from their eyes, others clutching their stomachs. Cana added, "What a joke! And you, Gildarts? *You* of all people?"
Despite the laughter, there was a hint of empathy in their voices. Toying with someone's emotions like that wasn't something anyone wished for, and no one could deny the cruel irony of the situation. After all, who could blame him for feeling heartbroken after everything he had been through?
Gildarts' mind flashed back to Kyoka's last words, the ones that had haunted him. He felt his heart tighten again, the memory still fresh.
"I wanted to accept your love, Gildarts, but we cannot be together."
Her smile had been warm, hopeful, and yet so final. It had crushed him then—and it crushed him now.
"Why, Kyoka?" The question still echoed in his mind, unanswered. His chest had burned with frustration that day, and it still did now.
Her last words still played out in his memory, "I'm sorry, Gildarts..." She had smiled softly, as if apologizing for something she had no control over.
"Can you at least tell me the reason...?" Gildarts had asked, desperate for an explanation. But she simply shook her head, her eyes filled with pity.
And then… her expression had changed.
A sinister smile had curled on her lips, one that sent a chill down his spine.
"You have fallen prey to that kid's Genjutsu!" she had declared, and suddenly, her body had started to dissolve into the air, her flesh tearing apart like paper, floating upwards. It was as if her very form was being consumed by the illusion, her laugh echoing maniacally as her shape morphed into something bird-like, grotesque.
It was too much for him to process. Gildarts stood there, his mind spinning, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"What's going on?" he muttered, his eyes focusing on the doll he had been holding for a month. His fingers shook as he realized the truth. "What is this!?"
His frantic behavior caught the attention of the villagers around him, and one kind-hearted woman stepped forward, offering the answers he so desperately needed.
"What, you're finally awake?" she said, her tone a mixture of disbelief and pity.
"Awake?" Gildarts furrowed his brow, struggling to put the pieces together. *Could it be…?* But before he could form a coherent thought, the elder spoke, her voice sharp with a hint of disdain.
"Yes, you've been flirting with and dating a doll for an entire month," she said, crossing her arms. "Honestly, everyone in the village thought you'd lost your mind after losing your loved one. They got used to it."
Her words were like ice water splashing in his face. He felt his entire body go cold, as if time had stopped.
*I've been doing this for a month…?*
Gildarts felt as if the world had crumbled beneath him. His legs gave way, his body stiffening as waves of betrayal, shame, and frustration crashed over him. He could only stand there, paralyzed by the truth, as the village woman continued.
"Everyone just thought you went insane. You really should've seen yourself, though. You had no idea, did you?"
He couldn't answer. There were no words left. His mouth was dry, his mind racing, but it couldn't grasp anything.
He had been so thoroughly caught in the illusion that he hadn't even realized how ridiculous—how humiliating it had all been.
He wasn't just embarrassed; he was broken. The strong, indomitable Gildarts, reduced to a man who had been fooled by a mere child's magic.
The laughter from his guildmates continued, but it felt distant now. Gildarts didn't care. There was no way to redeem himself from this. He had been blind, and the painful truth had hit him with the force of a sledgehammer.
What had he been chasing? What had he been fighting for?
The question lingered unanswered, as he stood there, frozen in a stupor of disbelief.
Back at the Fairy Tail guild, the laughter continued to echo through the room.
"That's what you get for being a womanizer! HAHAHAHA!"
Gildarts' face turned as red as a ripe tomato as he immediately realized who the comment was aimed at. That kid he met a month ago—the one who had killed all the dark guild members—had done more than just defeat the enemies. He had humiliated Gildarts, turning him into a running joke within the guild.
The thought of how thoroughly he had been tricked, how he had fallen for the illusion without even realizing it, made him flush with embarrassment. It had been a month of chasing after a phantom woman. Now, back in the guild, he was nothing more than a laughingstock. If the story got out, the girls would probably start worshiping Kyoka Suigetsu for punishing the notorious womanizer, Gildarts.
"Ahem..." Makarov, who had enjoyed his share of laughs, finally regained his composure and cleared his throat. "It's good that you came back safe, Gildarts." His tone shifted to something more serious, and everyone fell silent. "But for you to fall into an illusion without even realizing it? Not only that, the illusion magic required the caster's imagination. For a 5-year-old kid to conjure up such a brutal scenario… and play you like a fool... That kid must have gone through a lot to learn those tricks."
Makarov's words were like a sudden shock to the system. The guild, which had been laughing only moments ago, now found themselves frozen in a cold silence. Gildarts' eyes widened slightly at the revelation. The power behind the illusion was terrifying. That little kid had orchestrated the entire thing without Gildarts even noticing—*for a month.*
"How terrifying is that?" Laxus muttered under his breath, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.
The other guild members exchanged uneasy glances, their throats dry. If such a child could take down someone like Gildarts without him even being aware of it, then what other powers could he have? The weight of the situation settled heavily on them all.
"Anyway, Gildarts," Makarov continued, snapping everyone out of their thoughts, "You must find that kid and bring him to our guild. If such a person joins us, the guild would be unstoppable. We can't let someone like that fall into the wrong hands."
Before Makarov could finish his sentence, Gildarts, ever the confident and charismatic man, interrupted with a smirk.
"I know, President. I already took a liking to that kid." Gildarts leaned back in his chair, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Besides, I feel like we have a connection. I think he'll definitely join us. Hahahaha!"
Despite the embarrassment, Gildarts wasn't genuinely upset. Sure, he had been toyed with, but the kid's abilities intrigued him. His swordsmanship had been impressive, and his magic was far beyond what Gildarts had expected from someone so young. Deep down, Gildarts felt a sense of respect for the kid—*and a desire to challenge him.*
As Gildarts laughed off the situation, Cana, who had been quietly listening, sank into deep thought. Her brow furrowed as she recalled something.
"Connection?" Cana murmured under her breath. "It can't be him... can it?"
Just a few days ago, she had visited a fortune teller. A blind old man who had piqued her curiosity when he spoke about fate.
"Little lady, interested in fortune telling?" the old man had asked her with a knowing smile.
Cana, intrigued, nodded and took a seat in front of him.
"Put your hands on the crystal ball, and I shall divine your fate…" he intoned, the words familiar but still carrying a sense of mystery. The ball shimmered and sparkled as Cana peered into it, her eyes narrowing from the bright light.
After a moment of silence, the old man's voice broke the tension. "I see…"
He scratched his beard, a thoughtful expression on his face as his eyes seemed to focus on something Cana couldn't see. "The lost half-piece of the moon shall become whole. The day it returns to your heart's home, it will show you the way."
Cana's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand..." she said, the words not making sense to her.
The old man gave her a knowing smile. "Little lady, it means a clue, the key to finding the one you're searching for, is likely to appear in your home in the coming days."
Cana's heart skipped a beat. Her thoughts spun as she processed the message. *Could it be…* she thought. Could the lost brother she had been searching for all this time have some connection to the mysterious kid Gildarts had mentioned?
"Thank you, Grandpa," she said with a grateful smile, her mind racing. "How much do I owe you?"
The old man chuckled softly. "Ho… ho… It's free, little lady. But be on your way now. It looks like you have much to do." His eyes twinkled knowingly.
With that, Cana stood and quickly left, her thoughts still lingering on the fortune. She made her way to a nearby shop, her mind still racing.
But when she turned back, the old man had vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared. One moment he had been there, and the next, he was gone—like he had never existed.