Everything must have a beginning.

Everything must have a beginning. (すべてには始まりがある., Subete ni wa hajimari ga aru) is the 4th episode of the first season of The Ancient Magus Bride anime.

Synopsis
Awakening sometime after passing out during her trip in the Dragons' Aerie, Chise and Elias ends up in Ulthar, a place heavily populated with cats. A quiet and quaint town, with a deep dark history concerning the lake.

Summary
Chise has a dream about a strange girl petting her cat just before an illusive man walked into the room. She then awakens on Elias's lap after having passed out at the Dragons' Aerie and learns she's on a train heading to their next honeymoon destination. The train's conductor then informs them about someone wanting to see them, and then they're visited by a talking cat named Jasper. He goes on to explain why and how he's able to talk and that the King of Cats awaits them in Ulthar.

Arriving at their destination, Chise is given a brief explanation of the land by Japser and is then ambushed by another cat named Barney. He claimed that he was merely doing his rounds, and they all then followed the cats to where the King of Cats's location.

On their way, a woman wearing a red hoodie passes by Chise and gives her a glare. Meet with the King of Cats, who greets them and notes her approval that they weren't Sorcerer, which Barney explains they despise the likes of Sorcerers rather than Mages. Once the King of Cats asks for Elias' help, a young girl named Ally enters the scene and asks Chise why she's talking to the cats. Surprised that the cats didn't speak a word, Chise claims she was fond of them and wanted to talk with them. Understanding the sentiment, Ally calls the King of Cats, Molly, inside for dinner and explains her relationship with Alley. Speaking from Chise's shadow, Elias notes his disdain for children and decides to investigate the town's problem himself. With Elias, gone, the cats decide to give Chise a tour of the town.

As they head to the lake area, Molly explains the dark history of the first King of Cats, who led a revolt that ended the tyranny of a man who enjoyed killing cats. To that day, each generation of King of Cats pays reverence for their main predecessor's misdeed. Barney then points out a black blob mass from the center of the tiny island in the lake, and Molly details it as a mass of corruption of souls that were never cleaned. Furthermore, it takes the lives of both cats and humans, hence Molly wishes to martyr herself to protect Ally. Just then, the lady in the red hoodie appeared using a vial attached to her necklace to teleport Chise and her above the lake, where she tossed Chise into it.

Drowning in the lake, Chise watches a flashback between a lady named Mina, her husband Matthew, and her cat Tim. Mina then appears before Chise and explains her and her husband's situation to Chise before Elias wakes her. Giving Chise a brief update on his findings concerning the area, Elias assigns her the task of cleansing the corruption. Despite feeling self-conscious that Elias would hate her if she failed, Chise agrees to do it. Unbeknownst to them, the lady in the red hoodie and another person, eavesdropped on their conversation.

By nightfall, Chise nearly accomplishes the task of cleansing the lake with the help of various materials and an Ariel. However, the woman in the red hoodie from earlier interrupted her, and her companion, a Sorcerer called Renfred, revealed to Chise her fate as a Sleigh Beggy.

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