Post Spirit Bear Arc

The **Post Spirit Bear Arc** is the third story arc in Fumetsu no Anata e.

## Summary

After leaving the Ninannah village, Fushi wanders the forest on his own, occasionally taking March's form to profit from her ability to climb trees with fruit.

One day, he comes across the cart with which Parona, March, Pioran planned to flee Yanome. As it turns out, Pioran stayed on the cart and had been looking for the young women from Ninannah all over, but to no avail. She lost her way trying to find them and got stuck in the forest because the donkeys drawing the cart ran away.

Pioran doesn't immediately realize that she isn't talking to March, but Fushi in her form. Once he reveals himself by taking the Nameless Boy's form, she quickly understands what happened to the others.

Fushi continues on his aimless journey through the depths of the forest, followed by Pioran who tries to make conversation with him and complains about being hungry and tired. She begs Fushi to take a break, but he doesn't react. Growing mad from the starvation, she lunges at Fushi and tries to take a bite out of his leg. Fushi reacts annoyed and transforms into March to climb a tree and get away from her. Just like March once did, he pouts and starts to throw fruit at Pioran.

A little while later, they come across a map written on a piece of wood. Pioran starts to jot it down and contemplates where they could go next. Fushi watches her intently and takes the map from her hands, looking at it from every angle and then doodling random lines on it. Pioran asks him if he's interested in writing and proceeds to show him how to write different letters and the names "March", "Fushi", "Parona" and "Pioran".

In the following days, Pioran teaches Fushi rudimentary speech. Once they arrive at a port town, Fushi can already form basic sentences and communicate accordingly, although he is also able to understand Pioran's more complex sentences. While aboard a ship, Pioran asks him if he's talking more now because of March, to which Fushi replies that he wants to grow up and learn things. She also asks him who he was with before he met March, prompting Fushi to tell her about how he met the boy and lived with him, but doesn't know his name. He does remember his scent, sound and shape, however.

Soon after, the ship reaches the coast of Takunaha, the island where Pioran's lover lives whom she wanted to visit. She comments that the Yanome are fighting in Takunaha as well. After they leave the ship, Pioran and Fushi set up camp in a forest clearing for the night. Once they are both asleep, the narrator remarks that something seems to have "paid my little garten a visit".

A creature like a root emerges from the ground and stabs Fushi in the form of the Nameless Boy, driving its tendrils deeper into Fushi's body and forcing him to transform into the wolf after he realizes that he cannot take the Boy's appearance anymore. Instead, a mass of roots and twigs emerges from the dark forest which looks very similar to the Boy. Meanwhile, Fushi is struggling to remember who the Boy was, all that remains in his memories is a faint outline.

Pioran cries out to Fushi that he should do something about it, when suddenly time stops and a figure in a dark cloak emerges from the ground and begins to talk to Fushi, putting his anger and feeling of loss into words as well as declaring the being in front of him an enemy. Time starts again and Fushi dives into battle, but his opponent is quick and powerful. The figure explains that, in order to stop the being, Fushi would have to reach its core and rip it out. Fushi loses the vessel of the wolf and instead, the creature takes its form. As the Oniguma, Fushi manages to rip the creature open to reveal its core, but loses the vessel before he can tear it out. He transforms into March, while his opponent transforms into the large bear. Despite the odds, Fushi manages to reach the core and rip it out, just before the tendrils of the creature reach him. By crushing it, Fushi regains the forms he lost during battle and smiles to himself, feeling complete again. He turns towards the cloaked figure and asks what it is, to which it responds "I made you." It tries to explain his objective to Fushi, but stops as it appears that Fushi doesn't understand. The figure announces that it will speak to him again, and then disappears. Pioran rushes to Fushi and asks if he's okay and what that thing was, to which Fushi responds "Don't know. It was weird." and laughs.

## Characters Introduced

Nokkers

The Beholder