After following Natsuki on his errands for most of the afternoon, I slowly start to get familiar with the value of things. A bronze is worth ten copper s. With two or three of these, you get a det meal at most inns. For twenty bronze s, you obtain a silver , which allows for occasional purchases of slightly more expeems, such as furniture or festive clothing. Gold s, equivalent to fifty silver s, are reserved for the middle and upper csses and are mainly used for real estate transas.

  Finally, although he’s never seen one, Natsuki told me that there are even more valuable s, owned only by high nobles and the royal family. These are made of mystrite, a rare material, and the exclusive mining of it in Aragane is the source of the capital’s wealth. A single mystrite is worth a hundred gold s, or the equivalent of one huhousand caramelized meat skewers.

  Natsuki is now takio the fishmohe st stop on his list. Even before seeing him, I reize the booming voice of the gruff fish seller I entered after my visit to Geika Medras. Natsuki tells me to stay back with the bags, that he’ll handle everything.

  – Watd learn!

  Not reassured by his mischievous smile, which doesn’t bode well, I watch him approach the portly man whose bald head bes from the fresh air. He stops a few paces from the stall, as a precaution, and shouts loudly enough to cover the fishmonger’s voice.

  – Hey! Marius! How about you stop yelling like anyone cares about your stale fish?

  – WHAT?!

  The fish seller’s eyes look like they’re about to explode — a look that, if directed at me, would have been enough to send me running out of town. But Natsuki doesn’t stop there.

  – You know what everyone says about your fish. That they’re bnd and spread diseases.

  Passersby begin to stop and listen to the heated exge betweewo men.

  – You little bastard! It’s you again, ing to disrupt my business?! I’m fed up with your lies! You won’t fier fish iire capital, he says, proudly opening his arms.

  Natsuki pretends to ugh.

  – Cut the act, even a glutton shark wouldn’t take the risk. Tell me, is it since you eat your own fish that you breathe through the top of your head?

  Offehe man inhales loudly as the veins in his eyes bulge, ready to burst. Some passersby chuckle, while others, relying on experiehink it wise to take cover. The fishmonger’s faow turns lobster-red, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see smoke ing out of his ears.

  – You asked for it, you rascal! Don’t e g when I shove your o your face!

  With this decration of war, the fishmrabs one of his fi spes — a striped tuna that must weigh at least six kilos — and prepares to hurl it with all his strength.

  – Ishizora! Catatsuki yells at me, dug just in time to dodge the animal projectile slig through the air with surprising aerodynamics.

  I realize a bit too te that I’m right in the object trajectory. Saved by my defensive reflexes, I clumsily juggle the fish whose wet scales are as slippery as a bar of soap. I finally mao grab it by the tail, and Natsuki joins me, a proud grin on his face.

  – That, my friend, is what I call a Natsuki-style iation. Now, run!

  Seeing the murderous look on the fishmonger’s face, I don’t wait to be told twice.

  Once we’re far enough away, we stop to catch our breath. I feel a twinge of sympathy for the poor fish seller, who did nothing to deserve such treatment. I suppose this is the "jungle" Natsuki was referring to earlier.

  – What you said about his fish, was it true?

  – Not at all, he admits casually, without a hint of remorse. As he keeps saying, his fish are probably the best iire capital. But they’re far too expensive for the people in the lower districts. Don’t worry, with all the profit he’s making, one missing fish isn’t going to affect his business. When you don’t have money, you have to fight with this, he says while tapping his skull with his index finger.

  ～ So Natsuki is from the lower social css?! I had assumed he came from a wealthy family, with his stant good humor that makes it seem like he’s never had a problem in his life.

  – You seem really fortable here. Have you lived in this city all your life?

  – No. Actually, I’ve never even lived here. But I e once a month to take care of various tasks at the request of my... mother.

  I notice the hesitation in his voice when he says that st word.

  – You mean… you live outside the city walls?

  – Exactly, he replies casually, as if living outside the walls were the most normal thing in the world.

  ～ I’m in no position to say this, but any sensible human being would choose to live iy if they had the ce. As far as I know, the only humans who live outside are bandits, and apparently, girls with red hair... Could he be from a family of bandits?

  ～ No, that ’t be. Even though he doesn’t seem to live in the most ho way, he doesn’t fit the profile of a poacher or a human trafficker.

  – Thanks for the help, Ishizora! Now, all I o do is figure out how to carry all these bags home, and I’m set, he excims, pretending to think about it.

  The seds pass without any clusion ing from his mouth.

  ～ I have the feeling he’s already found the solution to his problem, but he’s just waiting for it to e from me.

  – Would you like me to help you carry them to your pce?

  Barely had the words left my mouth when he csped his hands in a prayer-like gesture and bowed his head in supplication.

  – I would be infinitely grateful to you!

  ～ What happeo his speech about kindness eventually being my downfall?

  Instead of admitting to him that I have nothier to do and that earning someone’s gratitude by helping them is always more pleasant to me than enduring the ptuous looks of the townspeople, I decide to py tough.

  – Don’t think I’m doing this to help you, but you haven’t answered all my questio.

  – Yes, of course, your questions..., he repeats with that little smirk, full of the insolence he seems to be the master of, leavihinking he saw right through my act.

  – In that case, let’s go now! I’d like to get there before nightfall, if possible.

  Judging by the current position of the sun, his suggests a long journey ahead of us. After gently pg the fish into one of the four cloth bags, I take the two that seem the heaviest. I’d feel bad seeing him carry more thah his arms as thin as twigs. The bags are filled with all sorts of things: a rge loaf of bread, various aromatic herbs, some spices, wheat and flour i quantity, some fabric, sharpening stones, a small shovel likely fardening, and an axe for chopping wood. There are also two or three objects I don’t reize and ’t figure out their use.

  – Doesn’t your mother ask too much of you?

  – Don’t get me started… It’s exploitation!

  Seeing his disheartened expression, I ’t help but have pity for this odd character, for whom I already feel a great sense of sympathy.

  After passing through the East Gate, we are now walking on a small, seemingly seldom-used path. The only thing that sets it apart from the pin it crosses, like a fleeting stream, is the slightly yellowed color and the ftness of the grass. In fact, the path is only visible when you're walking on it, and it’s impossible to predict its dire beyond about teers. Natsuki keeps his promise to answer all my questions, and do it with an unusual seriousness.

  – To get baystra, it's ahereal substahat permeates things and souls, spreading from the deepest roots to the highest mountaintops, eg nature with all its inhabitants. It’s parable to infihreads linking everything into a siity, called the Vahna.

  While speaking, he keeps one arm behind his bad a finger poi the sky, which he waves to the rhythm of his expnations.

  – Those who mao master Mystra are called ethernauts, and the first of them gave birth to the first Geika. Today, many people begin to follow the path of the Vahna, but ethernauts still make up only a small pertage of Historia's popution.

  – Is Mystra limited to the borders of Historia?

  – It's said that, in the past, Mystra's only boundaries were the sea and the desert. However, through excessive exploitation of their nds, the people of Tea eventually depleted Mystra from their territory, thus separating themselves from the Great Whole. This earhem the title of "deserters", a term that well reflects the opinion of Historia’s people, all united by the Great Weave of the Vahna.

  ～ All united in their isotion, I suppose. Enclosed behind their high walls, they don't seem ected to the deepest roots, let alohe highest mountains.

  Aragane is already far behind us, and I savor the view where the capital appears so tiny, despite seeming infinite once you pass through its walls. I imagihe inhabitants jostling ireets, the merts shouting at the top of their lungs, a few people drinking with ughter and good cheer at Karim's tavern, and I feel an ued sense of nostalgia. Even though I only spent two days in the capital, that time was ri enters and discoveries. Moreover, an inexplicable intuition tells me I won’t be returning tane anytime soon.

  ～ There's no point ihinking it for now. Tomorrow is tomorrow. Today is now.

  – So? You haven't run out of questions already, have you?

  – No. Actually, every time you answer, a new question pops up. Just a few days ago, I only knew about nature and its creatures. And now, it seems like a lifetime won't be enough to fill in my ignorance.

  – Don't worry, just take it at your own pace. I wouldn’t want you to end up like one of those b bookworms.

  ～ Am I really allowed to take my time?

  – I’d even say I’m a little jealous of you, he blurts out suddenly.

  – Why’s that?

  – In my Geika, we say that a man only grows old wheops learning. In other words, you’re on track to live a long life, he says while giving me a friendly pun the shoulder. Plus, disc hings every day is like living a life of celebration.

  ～ Do I really want to live a long, festive life? I have a feeling the future holds something very different for me… Anyway, he did mao lift my spirits.

  – You’re quite funny you know?

  – I know, I know. You also say charming, galnt, smart, athletic, resourceful, generous...

  I ugh heartily, swept away by his carefree attitude and iious joy. He stops his list and puts on a mock-offended face.

  – Hey, why are you ughing like that? I’m just repeating eople have told me, he states with a falsely offended look.

  – Sorry, I couldn’t help it.

  Natsuki pretends to be upset but ends up ughing too.

  – Anyway, I was w, has Mystra always existed?

  – Great question! It’s believed that it hasn’t, but its appearaes back to the age of legends, of whily a few scribbles and inscriptions carved in stone serve as a history book. You saw the statue of the winged wolf, right?

  I nod.

  – That’s Varandir, the inal wolf. The stoes that he spread Mystra across the ti, establishing a new order through a harmonious fusion of souls. As the creator of the Great Whole, he is worshiped like a god and represents a symbol of unity for all living species. Humans interpreted this symbol in their own way and decred that this unity only applied to their own species. It was this vanity and narcissism that led to the stru of the walls and shaped the current society of Historia. At least, that’s the teag passed down within my Geika.

  – Is that the reason why you live outside the walls?

  – Among other things, yes.

  The pin we've been walking on for quite a while now rises into a hill about twenty meters high, stretg across its width. The slope is steep, and the linen handles are starting to cut into my hands.

  – How did the Geikas e about?

  – A Geika is a bit like a school. Each was created at different times and by different people, all of whom shared the on trait of pushing the boundaries of their art. Driven by the desire to preserve it, they decided to recruit young people from all walks of life to pass on their aral teiques.

  When we reach the top of the hill, a vast pteau of tall grass unfolds before us, though a growing mist prevents us from seeing its full extent. The path is only disible by a slight bend in the bdes of grass, making it almost impossible to find after straying from it. I follow Natsuki closely to prevent that from happening.

  – You could say that passing doweags is what has sustaihis try fes, and it's also rotects us from neighb nations. For this reason, the founders of each Geika are often called "prophets".

  – Geikas are even more impressive than I thought.

  – The goverhinks so too. They quickly realized the Geikas represented a formidable ford did everything they could to enlist them in the army in exge for certain bes. Today, most Geikas are under gover supervision, forced to fight when ordered.

  – So, some remained indepe?

  – Yes, they're called renegade Geikas, though I don't like that term very much. You see, acc to urban s, choosing independence is seen as a betrayal, and most city dwellers despise those who make that choice. The gover adds to this by g that these Geikas have no iion of helping the try in times of need, when iy, they simply have no obligation to do so.

  The mist this into fog, eventually turning into a dense pea soup, leaving my sense of dire as sharp as a dull old khe path, already difficult to follow, bees less and less distintil our footprints are the only thing giving us any sense of dire.

  ～ Is that really the case?

  I turn around and realize there's no sign of our footsteps or bent grass to prove we've passed through. It almost feels like someone is carefully straightening each bde of grass behind us.

  ～ Behind us? Where is that?

  ～ Us? Where is Natsuki?

  Suddenly, panic grips my throat, like a predator mercilessly poung on its prey. Without a guide, it's impossible to know which way to go, and without the sun, there's no way to tell East from West.

  ～ What should I do? Go back? I don't even know where my own steps are anymore!

  When Natsuki grabs my wrist and tells me to stop dawdling, I jump in relief. Fortunately, my guide doesn't seem fazed by the thick fog and, still as id-back as ever, shows ation about the dire we should take. Determined not to lose sight of his back again, I keep asking questions to better orient myself by his voice.

  – What happeo thade Geikas?

  – Expelled from the city, o live autonomously, and stripped of many rights… But as long as they don’t cause trouble, they’re free to tiheir activities. These Geikas chose to prioritize their freedom over money and social status. It’s not always easy, but you get used to it, aually, you realize that living in the wild isn’t so bad. The hardest part is enduring the sful looks from some city folk. That’s why I hate going to the city, he sighs.

  I thought all the hostile stares from passersby were directed at me, but it’s true that I sensed a new kind of animosity throughout the afternoon.

  – And what’s yeika like?

  – You’ll see! We’re almost there.

  I have no idea what ndmark he’s using to make that cim, as the uniform whiteness surrounding us has distorted even my sense of distance.

  ～ Now that I think about it, I’ve felt strange ever since we started walking through this fog, as if it’s not just clouding my vision but muddling my mind as well.

  This feeling of dizziness prevents me from thinking clearly, and I have to focus all my attention just to keep Natsuki in sight.

  – We’ve arrived!

  He snaps his fingers, and the sharp sound reverberates through the thick whiteness, vibrating in my ears for what feels like ay. When the echo finally fades, I notice the fog beginning to clear. In barely ten seds, there’s no trace left of the mysterious white veil.

  – Perfect, we’re right on time, he says with relief, looking up at the sky.

  His enthusiasm reassures me, although it seems pletely absurd, sihe pce we’re standing i have any more distin than a drop of water in the o.

  ～ Is he messing with me?

  We find ourselves in the middle of ay pin, with not a single rock or shrub in sight. In fact, this emptiness feels familiar, as such voids are always marked by a reizable strangeness. Hypotizing two empty spaces differ, this vast pin is eerily simir to the one where I wo days ago. Natsuki motions for me to join him. My mind still clouded, my muscles a their own, moving me quickly toward him to drop the bags that have been cutting into my hands.

  The sun has shifted quite a bit since we left the city, and the fading light is being noticeable. Without even sidering how much time has passed since we began our journey, I simply embrace the meager twilight that warms my skin. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs until they threaten to burst, and finally, my mind clears as if it were crystal-clear water. It was about time — the enting fog had started making me doubt my owence.

  – That was a magical fog used to ceal the entrao our domain, he says, as if reading my thoughts. Just a security measure.

  Satisfied with these sparse expnations, I decide that some things are better left unknown.

  – So? Where’s the entrance?

  – The entrance?! Who needs a door when you have the POWER of Natsuki!

  For a moment, I see the cheerful joker who pulled me out of my urban solitude, but seriousness quickly returns to his face. He kneels down, pg one hand on the ground, and trates deeply for long seds. As I hold my breath in this frozen moment, the only sound breaking the near-absolute silence is the wind whispering through the tall grass.

  ～ What is he doing? Is he just tired? Although his bags were lighter than mihey still had enough to exhaust aer such a long walk.

  As if to answer my musings, the ground suddenly begins to tremble. The earthquake intensifies until I’m forced to get on all fours to avoid a painful fall. Beside me, Natsuki remains crouched, one hand on the ground, eyes closed.

  ～ Holy mole-scorpion! How someone as small as him cause such a quake?

  Suddenly, I feel my body lighten, quickly realizing it’s because the grouh us is sinking.

  ～ The ground is sinking!!

  Only a small patch of earth around us seems to be affected by the vertical movement, which allows me to discover, with amazement, the position of the soil we're passing through. For about ten seds of rapid dest, we are surrounded by a deangle of roots, so pact that slipping even a finger between them would be impossible. As we desd, the roots gradually beore spaced apart until we finally emerge into an open space, where I hardly believe my eyes.

  ～ A forest! There’s a forest uhe ground!

  My kremble uhe weight of my astonishment, while my jaw threatens to unhinge. Looking up toward the vegetation-covered ceiling, I realize that the "roots" were actually branches, so tightly woven that not a single ray of sunlight pees them. The trunks, hundreds of meters long and mostly devoid of branches, act like massive pilrs supp the thick ceiling. Though outside, the sun was nearing the horizon, here it feels like it’s still noon.

  ～ This strange brightness, the sealed roof, the surprisiation, and to top it off, those tremors that almost knocked me over…

  ～ There’s no doubt about it, I’m ba the strange forest where I first met Kana.

  Now that I’m here as a guest, not an intruder, I take advantage of the long dest to observe the flora more closely. The light seems to e from small crystals embedded iree trunks, casting a bluish hue over all the vegetation. The pnts are equally remarkable, adorned with intricate patterns as if someone had meticulously drawn on each leaf.

  – You step off, Natsuki suddenly tells me.

  Too absorbed by my surroundings, I hadn’t even noticed that the shaking has stopped and we’ve reached the ground. Natsuki has already moved several meters away aures for me to follow him. I ply, still gaping, and Natsuki snaps his fingers again. Immediately, the ptform of tall grass — which looks nothing like the surroundiation — rises toward the sky at a speed three times faster than our dest, carried by one of the long wooden pilrs scattered throughout the forest.

  – Impressive, isn’t it?

  – So that’s how she got me out of the forest…

  – Huh? What did you say?

  A grin of excitement spreads ay face, which, judging by Natsuki’s rea, is almost frightening.

  – This is pletely crazy! Are you the one trolling these trees? How does it work? And that mist? And the light—

  – Whoa, calm down, calm down.

  ed by curiosity, I hadn’t realized I was gripping Natsuki by the shoulders. He pulls away from my grasp as out a sigh.

  – You know, I’m not supposed to reveal this kind of information to an outsider.

  I beg him in the most polite way that old Tak taught me — kneeling on one knee, head down, hands csped in prayer.

  – Please! I won’t tell anyone! I swear!

  Obviously fttered by this dispy of politeness, which he probably isn’t used to, I see hesitation rise on his face.

  – Aaaah, what the heck! Moing to se again. Alright, the entrance isn’t far, I’ll expin on the way.

  I spring up like a child promised a treat and rush to join him, my ears wide open.

  – Acc to a legend passed down in eika, Varandir, the inal wolf, was born here. That’s why we call this pce "Varandir’s forest". Whether that’s true or not, the fact is that Mystra is abundant here. As a result, the forest funs as a single, plex living anism, with its own sciousness and defense meisms.

  I look around with admiration.

  ～ And to think I passed through here without knowing it was a legendary po wonder Kana greeted me with a ko my throat — I mean, a twig.

  – The mist you saw earlier is desigo fuse people and force lost travelers to turn back. It’s automatically secreted at the top of the carrier trees whenever someone approaches, with each step triggering another puff of smoke.

  – But then, how did you mao dissipate it?

  – Once you’ve been accepted by the forest, it allows you to use its powers. I ’t give you more details, but it’s the same principle we used to desd here. I simply borrowed the strength of the forest to ask an elder t us down, he says like it’s as easy as lending someone money.

  – An elder?!

  – That’s how we call the bearer trees of the forest. They protect it by camoufging it with their thick foliage. Thanks to this imperable cover, no one suspects the existence of this little paradise, except for us, of course, who have ied it from our aors.

  – That’s amazing!

  I take a closer look at the vegetation and notice that the symbols engraved on it resemble the ones found iy. Natsuki seems to have noticed what’s caught my attention.

  – These symbols are more present in nature where Mystra is strong. They once flourished throughout Historia, but Mystra is weakening day by day, and only pces like this have been preserved. Humans saw them as signs of Varandir’s presence, which is why simir symbols be found in city architecture. That’s also why Varandir is ofteed with these seven symbols engraved in his feathers.

  – How lucky you are to live in su extraordinary pce!

  – You’re n, but this forest has its drawbacks too. As you’ve seen, the jourane is quite exhausting. In autumn, the ground is covered in fallen leaves, and it’s easy to get lost. Last time, it took me three days to find my way back. In winter, game bees scarce, and the kes freeze, f us to stock up and ration our supplies. In spring, the game takes a while to return, but we start fishing again. Just be careful not to fall into the water because it’s still freezing, he says, shivering as if recalling an unpleasant memory. But I suppose life in the wild holds s for you.

  I simply nod.

  – And those glowing stones irees? What are they?

  – Those are Mystrite stohey vert sor energy absorbed at the top of the trees into light energy. Si takes some time for this energy to travel through the trunks before being distributed into the stones, night falls ter here than outside.

  I pause to look at the blue stohat glow brilliantly.

  ～ Didn’t he say Mystrite was aremely rare material only found in the mines ane? I have a feeling my surprises aren’t over yet.

  – Ishizora!

  As I tried to mentally repce each blue stoh a huhousand skewers of meat, the sound of my name pulls me back to reality. Swallowing back my saliva, I turn my gaze to Natsuki who’s a few steps ahead, waiting for me under a red wooden gate.

  – Wele to the Geika Shinzu!

  Aside from his humble bow, which reminds me of how he introduced himself when we first met, his serious expression and the tone he used to speak those words make me feel they hold a deeper meaning than they appear to. In fact, I’m starting to think that behind his edic demeanor and lively eyes lies a maturity far greater thas on.