Peace had returned to the forest, and two young people walked among the trees, exchanging words in a friendly conversation.

  "So, this Corruption thing... is it like magic? And it creates monsters like that every day?" Kana insisted.

  For the past fifteen minutes, the girl had been asking all sorts of questions about the monster that had been chasing her and that thing Paul called "The Corruption," all while guiding him toward Goodwinds, her hometown.

  "Well, more or less. But it’s not all bad—it also gives some humans power. So yeah, I guess it’s like magic, except it’s real," he replied without overthinking it.

  "Then why didn’t they just call it magic and be done with it?!" Kana’s voice echoed through the trees, which, if they could speak, would have scolded her for the sudden outburst.

  "Because if you’re a victim of The Corruption, chances are you’ll get corrupted. At first, nothing happens, but if you don’t get treated, most people end up turning into some disgusting creature or one of those monsters. That’s why the Rescue Team exists," explained the no-longer-so-mysterious young man, fiddling with the device on his ear in visible frustration. Kana noticed that when he raised his left arm, the sleeve of Paul’s jacket revealed a small part of his forearm, which was bandaged all the way under his clothes, while his right arm had no such peculiarity.

  As for the conversation, Kana was completely fascinated. Despite nearly dying just minutes ago, she was learning a ton of things most people probably didn’t know. After all, no matter how much she read through the encyclopedias in the library, she had never heard of this Corruption, or the monsters, or any of the things he had casually mentioned. Kana tapped his arm twice with her fingertips to get his attention.

  "So, the person you have to rescue... are they affected by this thing? Are they going to turn into one of those creatures?" The girl’s curiosity only grew the more they talked.

  "Well..." He hesitated to answer but, considering her kindness—without even stopping to think that she had saved his life—he finally relented. "According to the radar, they’re affected, but nothing will happen to them. Still, I have to rescue them. There are people who 'hunt' those marked by Corruption to exploit their powers."

  "Wow. Well, I hope I never get affected by that thing," Kana crossed her arms and lowered her gaze.

  "But I’d come rescue you again," Paul said proudly.

  "Please, no! That’d be even worse!" The girl burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

  The conversation continued casually for a few more minutes. By the time they reached the village, Kana had forgotten her recent traumatic experience, and her face wore a wide smile. When they arrived, they saw Kana’s mother and Alma, along with a large crowd of villagers gathered together. In a matter of seconds, their faces went from agony to overwhelming joy. Alma rushed to hug her sister, tears streaming down her face. Their mother, meanwhile, approached more slowly, due to her age, wiping away her own tears as best she could.

  "Alma told us a monster attacked you. Is it true?" her mother asked a little later, once everyone had calmed down. Apparently, all the villagers had gathered there, worried about Kana. The news of the monster attack had spread like wildfire from the moment Alma arrived, and the parents had done everything they could to get help. Even old hunter Jack, a man who hadn’t left the bar in years, had grabbed his old shotgun to try and assist. Present there were also the village mayor, the schoolteacher, the librarian who had seen Kana spend so many summers holed up reading about Biology... The news had turned into a full-blown drama for a small, tight-knit village like Goodwinds.

  "Yeah, but luckily this guy, Paul, saved me," she said, pointing at him. The boy flashed a triumphant smile.

  Once the relieved crowd had dispersed and Kana’s father—who had also gone out searching for her—returned, they decided it was time to head home.

  "Hey, are you staying the night in the village?" Kana asked the rescuer, realizing it wouldn’t be long before nightfall.

  "Uh, well, I guess. I don’t have anywhere else to go," he admitted, slightly embarrassed. His original plan had been to complete the mission in a few hours, contact the ship, and leave before dark. But between the stupid transmitter not working, the hours lost in the forest, and this little gathering of villagers—whom he had been scanning unsuccessfully for the person he’d come for in the first place—his plan had gone completely off the rails.

  "Why don’t you stay the night with us? We have a spare bed and a seat at the table, especially for the one who helped our daughter," the woman winked at him.

  At first, Paul politely declined, but after some insistence, he finally accepted.

  "Alright. But only if it’s not a bother."

  The family’s house was located just a few dozen meters from the village square, in a fairly central spot. It was quite large, but beyond that, it was just like any other village house. Kana was the last to enter, so she was in charge of closing the door, unsuccessfully trying to keep it from creaking. Paul immediately noticed the warmth of the fireplace upon entering, which, combined with the dim lighting, created a surprisingly cozy atmosphere. He took in the pictures on the walls—family portraits, landscape photos, and some drawings. For some reason, his attention was drawn to a poorly scribbled doodle of what he guessed, based on the antlers, was supposed to be a deer, standing on green grass beneath a yellow circle serving as the sun. In one corner, he could make out messy, careless uppercase letters spelling "KANA," which made him smile slightly.

  "What are you standing there gawking at? Dinner’s ready!" shouted the artist behind the "masterpiece" from the other end of the hallway.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  That night, the mother decided to prepare a small feast to help them forget the day’s ordeal. Paul watched as all kinds of local dishes passed by. Some he didn’t like much—the flavors were too different from what he was used to—while others he devoured the moment they were served. At first, he participated timidly in the conversations, despite the barrage of questions from everyone present, but little by little, he warmed up.

  He learned many seemingly irrelevant details—like how Kana’s father wasn’t originally from the village, though he’d lived there so long he might as well be considered a local; how the mother had been the village’s first lady ages ago; how Alma still hadn’t done her math homework; or how Kana wanted to study Biology after finishing high school. He also indulged in sharing a few personal anecdotes, like the time he got lost in a foreign country without knowing a word of the language, or that other time he nearly blacked out the entire ship mid-flight by accidentally burning some critical cables.

  Despite the hospitality, Paul couldn’t shake the thought that this wasn’t really his place. He had never had a family, never felt a mother’s affection, and had never worried about the mundane things others took for granted—like going to a real school or taking a family trip. Hell, maybe he had experienced those things once, but he couldn’t even remember anything from his life before the day he himself had been rescued. For a second, he wondered what his life would have been like if he’d had a family like this.

  *But it’s not bad to enjoy it for a day,*

  he thought, knowing full well the experience would be fleeting.

  Once they had eaten their fill, they stored the leftovers and cleared the tables. Shortly after, everyone went to bed. They led their guest to the room where he would sleep—none other than the girls’ bedroom.

  "Sorry, but it’s the only spare bed we have," the woman pointed to the bottom bunk. "Alma usually sleeps there, but I took out the mattress. Don’t worry, I made it up and changed the sheets," she explained.

  "Don’t worry, you’ve already done more than enough for me," Paul sat down and tested the mattress. "It’s better than the beds on the ship," he let out with a laugh.

  "If you need anything, just let someone know," the woman took a few steps toward the door. "Oh, and Kana—behave," she winked at her daughter, who was sitting on the top bunk, half-listening to the conversation.

  "Who do you think I am?!" Flustered, Kana responded energetically as her mother closed the door, making Alma laugh.

  Before sleeping, the three of them replayed the day’s events in their minds, but it wasn’t long before they drifted off. Except for Paul, who checked his radar one last time—thanking it for still not reacting—before finally closing his eyes.

  The next morning, Kana woke up earlier than usual. She thought she had heard some kind of noise, which kept her from falling back asleep. Eventually, she decided to get up. She climbed down the bunk bed ladder slowly, trying not to make a sound. Alma was fast asleep, but Paul’s bed was empty. *He’s an early riser,* she thought. She grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe, dressed quietly, and slipped out of the room. She passed by the bathroom, checked the living room, and opened the door, intending to take a walk. It was a cool morning, and the sun wasn’t fully up yet, but there was enough light. By chance, she glanced up at the sky and saw the most peculiar sight.

  "What are you doing up there?!" Kana shouted at Paul, who was standing on the roof of the house, holding a device that looked like a cellphone, shaking it from side to side.

  "Trying to get a signal. I haven’t had one since I landed in the forest," he explained, still frustrated, hopping slightly to reach higher.

  "Hey, we have internet at home. We’re not *that* backward in this village," she burst out laughing.

  "I can’t connect to the ship with a normal network. It has to be 'en...cryp...ted,'" he struggled with the word, "or something like that."

  "You mean *encrypted*," Kana laughed again. Then she crossed her arms and looked at the ground. A few seconds later, a lightbulb went off in her head. "I know where to go!" Kana took off running.

  "Huh?" Paul turned and realized the girl was already way ahead of him. "Wait for me!"

  Paul did his best to follow her. Though he was faster, the number of turns, obstacles, and people in the way only made him fall further behind the determined Kana, who couldn’t stop laughing and calling him "Slowpoke." Soon, they reached a steep hill nestled between dense trees. Paul climbed as best he could, and by the time he lifted his head, the girl was so far ahead he could barely make her out at the top.

  When he finally reached the summit, Kana was leaning against a railing, gazing into the distance. He bent over to catch his breath, exhaled a few times, and then approached.

  "Was running really necessary? I told you to wait," he muttered, still filling his lungs.

  "It’s fine. You’ll understand when you see this."

  Paul stood beside her, leaning on the railing as well. From there, they could see the entire village, leaving him speechless. He was used to seeing things from above, but he still admired the view of the places he had just been running through minutes ago.

  "It’s my favorite spot in the village," Kana said tenderly.

  "Not bad," he replied with a hint of irony.

  They stood there for a while, taking in the scenery, but suddenly, Paul felt something vibrating in his pocket.

  *Beep beep.*

  Before he could pull it out, it started emitting an annoying sound.

  "It’s the radar. It’s picked up something," he said urgently.

  "Let me see," Kana leaned in curiously for a look.

  Paul examined it carefully. He frowned at the dial and gave it a couple of taps.

  "It says it’s overloaded, and the location isn’t showing. No choice but to wait," he said resignedly. "Here, you can take a look."

  He handed the radar to Kana, who took it in both hands. It was heavier than it looked, and she nearly dropped it. Once she had a firm grip, she started fiddling with it, pressing buttons and exploring the device’s settings menu.

  "Still the same thing," once she’d had enough, she handed it back.

  "Well, nothing to do then," he put the radar away, glanced up at the sky for a second, and then leaned back on the railing. He expected to see the same view as before, but this time, something caught his attention. A large crowd had gathered, packed into the village square. In the time they’d spent messing with the radar, the entire crowd had formed.

  "Hey, look at all those people. Is there a festival today or something?" he asked without a second thought.

  "No way," Kana answered, quickly looking as well. "Should we go see what’s going on?"

  "Sure."

  They retraced their steps, moving through the village at a more relaxed pace this time. When they arrived, the crowd blocked their path, forcing them to squeeze through, dodging elbows and heads until they reached the front. Paul got there first, but when he managed to find a spot, he froze. Kana caught up, confused.

  "What’s going on?" she asked. Then she maneuvered around him and stood to his right, finally seeing what was happening.

  A cold sweat ran down her back. At the center of attention was a man completely covered in a black robe, his face hidden behind a mask. In his right arm, he carried a weapon—what looked like a sawed-off shotgun, but abnormally large, especially the twin barrels. But what left her speechless was that in his other arm, he held Alma by the back of her shirt, her whole body trembling in terror. Kana felt a spasm in her chest, a blind impulse to run to Alma, but her legs wouldn’t respond.

  "What’s happening?" she said, barely able to articulate the words, her voice shaking noticeably.

  Paul stayed silent for a few seconds. He furrowed his brow and clenched his hands.

  "No doubt about it. He’s... a Hunter of Stigmas"