Like all the others, Suwa's home was a large tent constructed from the leaves and branches of the tree used as its main support. The shelter itself appeared natural, and the tradition of making them in such a way was born out of the necessity that gehm remain hidden from the other beasts. Once the basic structure was put in place, it was common for the growth of the nearby plants, especially vines and fanning ferns, to be guided to grow over the home to better secure and conceal it.

When Suwa arrived home, the frustration and irritation that he had felt after speaking with Rudahl had already disappeared. He had a new challenge to face; a challenge that was waiting for him just on the other side of these walls.

“Are you awake, Feris?” Suwa asked as he pulled aside the wall of ivy vines growing over the entryway to his home. Despite their argument earlier in the day, and the fact that he knew she must still be in a bad mood, it took Suwa more courage to touch the vines than to call out to his sister. A lingering effect of his earlier encounter, no doubt.

“You don't actually think I would be sleeping, do you?” Feris was sitting down on the ground beneath an area of their leafy roof that had been pulled back to allow light to flow through. She was too preoccupied peeling apart the blades of a grass-like plant to remove its harder fibers to prepare them for eating later to look up at her brother.

Of course, Suwa didn't think that she could possibly be sleeping, but it seemed like a safe way to test her mood. From her reply, it seemed she could at least tolerate a conversation; which was good enough.

“Look what I found,” Suwa held out the flower taken from the plant that had almost killed him, but Feris didn't look away from what she was doing. “I bet you haven't seen anything like it before.”

Feris's nose twitched and her fingers stopped. Did Suwa just challenge her? He may be the adventurous one, but there was still nothing in the village that she hadn't seen bef—

“Where did you get that?” Feris's eyes lit up the moment she saw the flower.

“That’s a secret.”

A momentary look of dissatisfaction appeared on Feris's face as she scowled, but it was a temporary reaction. The word secret was enough to tell her that the flower came from outside the village. Whether by intention or not, she had gotten her answer.

“Let me see it.” Feris was already three steps outside before finishing her request, and Suwa followed.

The light outside revealed the details of the flower that Feris couldn't quite see while still inside, and she grabbed it from Suwa's hand. It was large enough to completely cover her fingers and palm, and she quickly began examining it.

The flower’s petals grew in several layers, with the newest at the center and the oldest surrounding the outside. What Suwa thought was a purple flower with a white center was only partly true, but with further observation, Feris noticed that the fresh petals started out pure white, but darkened as they grew. Thus, the outer petals were a deep purple, while the inner petals were still mostly white, creating the illusion.

“It's beautiful,” Feris said, still examining the flower closely. She even took the time to look at each petal individually, but once she was done, she smiled and wrapped a lock of her hair around the flower’s stem to hold it in place above her ear. “I love it.”

“I thought you would. So—”

“But I'm still not going to forgive you for what you said about dad.”

Suwa tried his best not to release an audible groan. He knew very well how stubborn his younger sister could be. She might not have forgiven him, but at least she was smiling again when she went back inside. He waited until Feris was no longer nearby before he sighed and shook his head. If only their father could see what kind of troublesome daughter he had made.

With his attempt at reconciliation complete, Suwa thought he should look for Rena. He hadn't seen her yet today, because he left so early in his attempt to keep his adventure out into the wilds a secret. He had a lot he wanted to tell her because she was the only one he could talk to without hiding anything. He especially wanted to hear her opinion of Sezio and the rest of the gehm that were with him.

Just as Suwa was having that thought, he noticed Sezio walking away in the distance. Sezio was easy to spot both within the village and without. While most gehm, including all who lived in Suwa's village, covered themselves with different types of plants to camouflage both their appearance and their scent, Sezio's body was covered in a type of material that Suwa had never seen before. It looked comfortable, light, and easy to move in, but also dangerously easy to see.

Despite his original intention to seek out Rena, curiosity got the better of Suwa, as per usual, and he followed Sezio instead. Even the way Sezio moved made his presence blatantly obvious. His footsteps fell indiscriminately on small twigs and loose stones, producing sounds sharply contrasting the ambient noises around them. At first, Suwa had thought Sezio seemed incredibly competent, but maybe there was some things he could still be taught after all.

With those kind of thoughts in his head, Suwa continued to follow Sezio all the way to the edge of the village, where Sezio was greeted by his companions. The group were the first outsiders that Suwa had ever seen before, and he watched them closely.

“There was some trouble at first,” Sezio explained to the others, “But it looks like we'll be able to stay here for a few days, at least. I doubt there will be any interested in joining us, though.”

“Really? I was sure he must have decided to come along,” one of the others pointed at Suwa who was trying to hide some distance behind Sezio.

“Ahh ... Hello.” Suwa gave a half-hearted wave after being discovered. For some reason, he felt less comfortable around the whole group than he had when he was just following Sezio.

“Did you need something? Or perhaps you really are considering joining us? If so, you're welcome to.” Despite Sezio's attempt to sound welcoming, Suwa shook his head vehemently.

“I can't leave.”

“Then how can I help you?”

“Thank you for earlier,” Suwa said sheepishly. He hadn’t originally come to thank Sezio, but these were the first words that came to him while searching his mind for an excuse. However, after bringing it up, Suwa thought back to the event and realized he had more questions. “What was it that you used against those vines?”

“The blade? It’s a weapon that helps make us even with other beasts.” Sezio's answer was matter of fact, but Suwa didn't see anything like that on or near him.

“Can I see it again? Where is it?”

Sezio laughed, but not at Suwa's curiosity. He laughed at his own memories, from a time when he was younger. He remembered having a similar conversation with someone else, but at the time, the roles were reversed.

It’s right here,” Sezio said, putting a hand on his chest. “That weapon is a part of me, just as claws and fangs are a part of any beast.”

Suwa paused for a moment, trying to interpret what Sezio's words meant before asking, “Do I have one too? Can I also fight against a beast?”

Sezio smiled; Suwa's question was just like his own questions he had when he was younger. “Do you believe that you can't? Do you think that you're powerless against the beasts of the world?”

Suwa didn't answer, but Sezio could see his mind working to process the question he'd just been asked. “You have someone to protect here, right? That's why you can't leave?”

Suwa nodded, and Sezio continued, “Then you have one too; a weapon you could use against a beast, no matter how strong. You might not be able to use it yet, but I can teach you.”

Suwa wasn’t completely convinced, but if what Sezio said was indeed true, he wouldn't have to lose anyone ever again, and neither would those around him. It sounded too good to be true, but it was also something worth dreaming about.

“Can you really teach me?”

“Of course. If you come back to this place tomorrow, I'll show you everything I know.”

“Why not now? I want to learn as soon as possible.”

“I'm sure you do, but you've had an exciting day already. I'll teach you after you've gotten some rest.”

“I don't need rest,” Suwa's voice had become firmer and more resolute as he shook his head.

“Okay, okay, I understand,” Sezio said with a laugh. “But we do, so wait for tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Now head back home before you cause your mother more worry.”

“Okay. I'll be back tomorrow,” Suwa said with a grin, but Sezio just shooed him off with a hand gesture and he turned around to rush home.

“Why would you make such a promise like that, Sezio?” Moiya asked in a concerned tone.

“That boy reminds me of someone I have a lot of respect for. I'm sure that, someday, he will do great things; greater than anything I'll ever accomplish.”

“Surely you're joking.”

“We’ll see. For now, let's make camp.”