Chapter 2: Eraba reta tochi

Fifteen years passed and Arakan's birthday was drawing near. In Eraba reta tochi, they have a tradition. When a boy turns sixteen they have to go into the woods alone. They have to kill a monster and bring back something as proof. Most of the boys that go into the woods and come back are injured. If they are injured and didn't kill a monster and bring part of it back then they get sacrificed to the village gods. They get blood poured all over them and they are banished from the village. They are forced to go and to stay in the woods without any weapons or food. After a few days pass, a search party goes into the woods to search for the boy's remains. However, that isn't always the case. If a boy were to survive the few days in the woods and was found by the search party, then he would be executed. If you survive from the woods and search parties then you would eventually starve or freeze to death. If you broke any rules of the village or did anything out of line then you would die. So it is very important that Arakan prepares himself for the trial. Though he has always followed the rules of the village he was weak. His parents were worried for him but they knew his fate was already sealed.