While the moon is already leaving the sky again, the sun's rays are already shaking the boy up in the morning by shining directly into his eyes.

What? Where am I?

Still completely clueless as to what has happened and who the mysterious hunter was, Hitshiro tosses and turns a few times. Now it hits him like a bolt of lightning.

I've been kidnapped!

Hitshiro jumps up and quickly looks around the room.

"Who are you? Come on, show yourself, you coward!", Hitshiro daringly challenges his kidnapper without thinking about consequences. But one thing seems a little strange to him. From the mysterious kidnapper, is far and wide, nothing in sight. Only an unknown room is what Hitshiro gets to see. This alone is a surprise, since he thought he knew every nook and corner of Nonemu.

The boy quickly forgets his anger and his curiosity gets the better of him. He eagerly prances around the wooden floor to take a look at the room. There is no privacy for Hitshiro, as he not only inspects the coats and weapons on the wall, but also rummages through the creaking cupboards and dusty drawers, but to no avail. All of a sudden, Hitshiro hears a thumping behind him.

"Hey brat! You weren't taught any manners, were you?", a relatively young, male voice suddenly sounds behind Hitshiro. Quickly, the latter turns around. The kidnapper's face is very different from what he expected. If Hitshiro had expected a grim, sinister look and a long gray beard, he has to realize that the hunter is a familiar face. No beard, but glasses on his nose, hair tied together, which is as earthy brown as his leather pants and a friendly, but also naive-looking gaze.

"Why do you have to make such a stupid entrance every time? How did you even get past that bear and what did you do to it?", Hitshiro wants to know tensely.

The hunter smirks a little now and gradually closes the cabinet and drawer doors again.

"You were drugged and dragged off, but the only thing you care about is how I took out the bear? If I embarrassed you in any way, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention." the latter explains, smiling at Hitshiro.

"What, that's not what I meant to say at all! Don't talk such nonsense, Arvid. I could have killed that little bear myself.", Hitshiro claims and turns away, "I was just way too tired and didn't feel like exercising at night.".

"Oh yeah?" the stranger provokes the boy jokingly, "How would you have done that?"

"Well, I would have just punched him in the face with my fist!" boasts Hitshiro as he pulls his arm up presentatively. Immediately, however, the arm falls back down as Hitshiro suddenly feels a stabbing sensation in his shoulder. He now holds his arm in pain.

The hunter shakes his head and skillfully kicks a wooden stool from one end of the room to the other. Now he pulls two wooden jugs out of his cupboard and fills water first into one and then into the other.

"You should get some rest first, cowboy. You fell pretty hard on your shoulder yesterday when that bear chased you through the woods!" he advises the boy as he invitingly hands him the jug.

Realizing that he can't fool Arvid, Hitshiro falls silent, grabs the jug, and sits down on the stool.

"Oh, and in case you're wondering what happened to the bear-" he leads off, turning his gaze to the pad where Hitshiro spent last night. It quickly becomes clear to the boy that it is bear fur and he looks at the stranger, disturbed and disgusted.

"And if you plan to get away from here, you'll be next!" the hunter threatens him with a now scowl, as Hitshiro had actually imagined his captor to be. But he can't hold the scowl for long and bursts out laughing. Several times he slaps his thighs while pointing his other finger at the boy.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, you sissy. It was a joke, the bear is fine and I won't hurt you!".

However, the boy didn't like the joke and loudly he now gets upset.

"That wasn't funny, you whistle! Why would you say something like that?"

Snapped, Hitshiro now takes a big gulp from his mug. His face immediately turns blue and he spits the drink all over the floor again.

"What kind of disgusting swill is this?!" the boy now complains as the rest still dribbles out of his mouth onto the floor.

Arvid looks back at the bottle from which he has poured some off the two of them.

"Should I have mixed it with something for you after all? I didn't know you were still so soft and couldn't handle even a few sips of rum."

Hitshiro now throws his wooden mug at his counterpart's head and yells at him.

"I'm a kid, you idiot. I don't drink that kind of stuff!", Hitshiro yells at him in anger.

"I'm sorry!", Arvid now apologizes to the boy, "about the rum and about last night's unpleasantness. I didn't mean to drug you, but if you had kept yelling around, the bear would have woken up again and caused me problems too," the hunter explains. He places his jug on the table in front of him and raises his arms, "I certainly don't use an expensive anesthetic for a small rescue operation like this," Arvid explains and begins to laugh.

Even though Hitshiro grimly crosses his arms, he's rather embarrassed that he hadn't managed to put the bear to flight on his own yesterday.

"Don't worry about it, kid!", Arvid encourages the boy, slapping him lightly against his shoulder, at which Hitshiro winces a little, "Oh, yeah. Forgot about that, busted shoulder. What I meant to say: You don't have to worry yet, you're still young, you'll get really strong when you're bigger and older. I'm sure of it!".

Even though the words cheer him up a little, he still looks sadly at the ground, holding his shoulder.

I'm still getting strong, yes. But I don't want to get strong, I want to be strong!

"Why is it so damn hard to become strong?!", Hitshiro asks loudly, "Almost every day I get into a situation that I can barely get out of on my own. I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want to be rescued from every little danger anymore. I want to see the world out there.".

Hitshiro looks out the window for a few seconds, gazing over the treetops at the horizon in the distance, from which the sun is slowly rising.

What lies beyond the horizon? What lies beyond the waters that separate Nonemu from other lands? There simply has to be more. The world can't just be the boring people I see every day here on Nonemu.

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"If I can't even stand up to something like a simple bear," Hitshiro whispers to himself, "how am I supposed to face the dangers out there?".

Arvid now also gets up from his stool and joins Hitshiro next to the window. The latter now looks up at him.

"So you still want to get out of here, huh?", Arvid makes sure and looks at the horizon as well, "Maybe you should really think about it again!".

"No!", Hitshiro replies without hesitation, while in the meantime he has also turned his gaze back to the horizon, "Ever since I can think clearly, I've dreamed of exploring the world out there and becoming strong!".

"I know that. I had hoped that this brainwave would slowly subside. But I guess I can start to give up hope. Hitshiro. The world may seem full of secrets and things to explore at first glance," Arvid explains, closing his eyes now. His voice takes on more and more of a serious tone.

"But if you look deeper behind the facades and understand what's going on everywhere, you'll wish you had spent your life on a quiet and peaceful island like Nonemu, trust me! The people out there are not all like the residents of Nonemu, Hitshiro. Some of them do cruel things. They steal and cheat," Arvid tries to dissuade him.

Hitshiro notices the uneasiness going on in Arvid, but he himself is already aware of what can happen.

"I would do anything to escape this island. I spent my whole life on this island, but now I want to finally, discover the world, even if I know the dangers. I'd rather fail at what I've always dreamed of than spend my whole life crying that I never dared!".

All of a sudden, Arvid begins to smirk slightly.

"Your whole life, huh?" he notes sarcastically, "What's been holding you back all these years, if you don't mind me asking?".

"I," Hitshiro admits hesitantly, clenching his fists as hard as he can, "I never dared. It's not so easy to get off this island when everyone only knows you as the one who causes trouble for everyone.".

"You know what, brat? Maybe you're starting to drive me crazy with your "I want to explore the world" talk, but I think I'm going to do something stupid," Arvid declares as he moves back to the table with the two jugs,. He takes the two jugs and merges the contents of both into one. He tosses the empty jug into a larger wooden trash can that sits in the corner of the room.

The boy is a little confused by the hunter's words, however.

"What do you mean you're going to do something stupid? You're already drinking a whole bottle of that nasty swill, you can't get much stupider than that."

"When you're right, you're right," Arvid admits, looking at the jug in his hand, "But it tastes way too good to throw away!". And in one go, he pours the entire pitcher of rum into his mouth.

"Oh, watch out! This one's going to be loud!" he warns Hitshiro, and shortly after burps so loudly that even the birds in the trees rise from their nests and fly away. Hitshiro just looks after them speechlessly.

I wish I could just fly away now, too. Flee while you still can!

"What I really wanted to say though, as not just some random hunter, but the only hunter on Nonemu, I am responsible for getting the products of the animals from Nonemu to other countries. That means you don't have to clear your reputation to get anyone to take you. If we're smart about it, I might be able to sneak you in on one of the trading ships that sail here every week," Arvid offers.

Hitshiro is not used to such niceness, especially not from Arvid and without any, in his opinion, stupid quid pro quo, and therefore reacts a bit skeptically.

"What's the catch?" he questions as he now moves back away from the window and towards Arvid.

Arvid raises his arms in the air with the jug in his right hand.

"You know, brat, I became the hunter of Nonemu because I've gotten too old for such adventures myself!" claims Arvid, which now only makes Hitshiro more unsettled and a bit confused.

"Too old? You don't even look that old!", Hitshiro states.

"Don't let appearances deceive you! The adventures I've had are enough to last a lifetime, if not several. I would tell you about it, but I'm sure it's far too daunting and dangerous for you. After that, you definitely wouldn't want to leave here at all," Arvid asserts, which only makes Hitshiro more curious.

"Go on, tell me!" the boy prompts him.

"Alright, but just a little story!"

And so Arvid tells the boy about not just one little story, but several sometimes shorter, sometimes longer stories that took place several years ago, when he himself had traveled the uncertain lands, ominous places and treacherous lakes of this world.

For several hours, he explains what Hitshiro has to be prepared for, and he listens attentively the entire time. With each passing minute, Hitshiro's eyes only begin to sparkle more, spending more time thinking about what might await him in the big, wide world than listening to Arvid's stories. To him, none of it sounds like dangers or problems, but much more like challenges and ways to grow stronger and experience what's going on in the world, now, in the past, and for years to come.

"Oh and, there's one more thing.", Arvid now explains with a serious and frowning face, "Stay away from the heads of the government, yes. Even if it seems as if they are the ones who should bring justice into the world, appearances are often deceptive. I, and especially John, had to feel that."

Hitshiro becomes a little uncomfortable as he thinks about the hunter's words.

The government is more dangerous than others? Aren't they of all people supposed to make sure nothing happens to me? What's the deal with that?

"Your brother? Where is he now? Is he about to come here too?" asks Hitshiro a little nervously, but also excitedly.

All at once, Arvid rises and skims one book spine after another on a shelf against the wall until he stops at a thicker, red book and pulls it out. After flipping this open, a folded-up scrap of paper falls towards him.

"If you want to see my brother," Arvid leads and flips open the scrap of paper. Pictured is a large, detailed, self-drawn map, "you'll have to go here.".

Arvid points to a large island to the northeast.

"Is that a map of the entire world?" wonders Hitshiro excitedly.

"Yes, he drew it himself while sailing the seas of the world," Arvid explains, still pointing to the same spot on the map.

"And where are we?", Hitshiro wants to know, whereupon Arvid takes a pencil in his hand and draws a tiny circle southwest of a large central island labeled "Sangowa".

"But if the map is here," Hitshiro leads in confusion. He already notices from the thoughtful look on his counterpart's face that something is wrong. "Why is your brother so far away from you, then? Did you guys have a fight?"

For a few seconds, time seems to stand still as Arvid stares fixedly at the dot on the map marking his brother's whereabouts. His eyes begin to fill with tears until they turn a vivid shade of red. The weight of the memories weighs heavily on his shoulders, and it takes a moment before he is able to respond to the boy's question.

"I wish we'd just had a fight," Arvid whispers in a brittle voice. A pain as deep and cutting as a dagger ran through his words. He lowers his eyes and feels a knot tighten inside him. "No, my brother died fighting a general."

The words echo in the silence as the oppressive weight of loss spreads through the air. Arvid's voice quivers with grief and the unspoken rage of his brother's end. He bites his lip to hold back the rising tears. Hitshiro flinches as Arvid suddenly slams a fist down on the table.

"Never before have I felt such endless resentment towards a human as I do towards this one," Arvid says as his eyes begin to almost burn with anger. "They call him the Eye of Heaven, General Jaranai. Stay away from people like that son of a gun until you know you're a match for them," Arvid advises Hitshiro. The latter notices that Arvid is now squeezing his fist much harder than he already did. This time, however, the flame in his eyes slowly subsides and the sadness and despair seeps through him again. Now he can't hold back the tears and they run down his face, dripping onto the map as he continues to stare at the dot on the map.

"But as soon as you know you are, boy- As soon as you know you are a match for them," Arvid stammers, now looking up into Hitshiro's face with tears in his eyes, "Make sure those people, get the punishment they deserve, you hear?".

Hitshiro now returns Arvid's gaze and unlike his counterpart, he now starts smiling big and wide all over his face.

"Deal!", Hitshiro now says loudly and extends his hand to Arvid, "You take me away from here and I promise to become stronger and smarter to then spread justice around the world."

Arvid now also wants to extend his hand to shake in the middle, but he brushes off his dripping nose with it for the time being. At this sight the boy nevertheless rather shrinks back and agrees on a verbal promise.

Shortly after, Arvid stands up from his wooden stool, pulls up hard once, and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I always get emotional easily in the evening," Arvid explains. Hitshiro turns to the window to find that the sun has just passed its zenith a few minutes ago.

For the fact that it's supposed to be evening already, it's still really bright outside. As busy as he is, he almost seems like he's already a grandpa.

Hitshiro and Arvid spend the rest of the evening lighting a campfire not too far from the cabin and talking a bit. Arvid tells more of his stories and Hitshiro talks out his expectations and what he thinks and hopes to experience.