I wanted to move on after the meal, but through many words that I was unable to understand - and much gesturing - Awhina's family was able to convince me to stay. They're going so far as to present me with an increasing amount of food. It seems that this fishing village is far from poor and actually doing really well, to be able to just give out free food to a stranger like this.

Through the villagers' interactions with this family, I learned that Rangi seems to be a figure of importance, as they're quite respectful when talking to him. He does wear a tooth necklace with a dozen large fangs, while the others have one or two at most, so maybe he's the chief of this village. But at the same time, he doesn't have an air of eminence as one would expect from someone of high status. His demeanor is casual and he laughs a lot.

By the way, it seems that being tall is in the genes of these people. But even then, none of them are anywhere near Rangi's size, with the men only reaching about the mother's height - whose name seems to be Ruiha. In other words, this family is something special. But leaving height aside, Awhina is really beautiful. Compared to all the other villagers, she's on a completely different level. There's something wild about her, and her attitude is really refreshing.

Maybe it's because she wears a tiny cloth vest tied with a single string in the front, which is barely able to contain her large breasts - although they're a little smaller than mine. Covering her lower body is a short skirt made of leaves and adorned with feathers, but it's practically open on the sides when she moves, showing off her delicious brown thighs.

This reminds me, it's been a long time since I last...

"Ereáh iam! Ak utaàkáhw uahá ik a eok." The girl in question suddenly plops down in front of me with her face really close to mine, a wide smile on her lips as she speaks to me in words I don't understand at all. I think I might be able to learn it with time, but I don't really want to spend too much time here. "Ereáh iam!" She pulls me by my hand and I feel like I'm already learning. These last two words she said to me must mean "come with me".

It seems that she wants to show me around the village, although I have to wonder what there is to see in such a small place. Awhina opens the front door and jumps down the few steps to the ground below. Since she's keeping a strong grip on my arm, it forces me to do the same.

"Aihutaákahw uta et etuákahw, Awhina." Ruiha calls after her daughter in a warning tone. "A auák e ekeháp." Yeah, I have nothing.

"Ak oihòm!" The latter responds and pulls me along. I guess we'll go on a little tour, then.

As expected, the village is just these few houses I saw from the hill, and its sights are limited. But it seems Awhina has more to show me, as she guides me along the beautiful beach, past rows of sailing boats pulled onto the sand so that they don't drift away. From here I can actually see that this place is located in a large bay, with a long peninsula stretching outward on our right and a small cliff on the left. We're heading for the latter, which should provide a nice view on the surrounding area. Maybe I can spot a bigger village from there.

I'm actually enjoying my time here. It reminds me of the journey from Hovsgaerden to the capital, where I could see all kinds of landscapes I might never have seen in my previous life. While the sea seems to be the same no matter where you go, experiencing another culture like this is something precious. I'm finding solace in this encounter, after ending up in this unfamiliar place because Mithra just dropped me off without much of an explanation.

There is a dirt path leading up the cliff, which leads through a patch of jungle. When I look down, I realize that Awhina is going barefoot, apparently not afraid of stepping on sharp rocks or branches. This makes me consider that these people must be very close to nature and have a fundamentally different understanding of it when compared to those who live in large cities. Maybe that's one reason for their openness.

When we reach the top, the world seems to open up before me, even more than it already did when I first got out of the jungle and found the village. This open view on the ocean, being able to see the curvature of the planet and feeling the wind on my body, all works together to make this an unforgettable sight.

"Thank you, Awhina." I look up to the girl beside me and smile. She responds in kind, most likely understanding what I mean from the context of the situation.

"Ak ereáh uotàm ik ariér ik et uatákahw ai Tama auar ok Tane opópá." The dark-skinned girl says and points towards our left. There's an island in the distance, which isn't visible from the village because of this cliff. Judging by the mention of the names Tama and Tane again, I assume they live over there. Is she saying that we'll go there right now? She didn't bring a boat, so does it mean she expects me to fly us over there with my wings? I mean, I did show off my wings earlier, so I guess that's actually an option.

Forming Hestia's black angel wings, I approach Awhina with the intention of carrying her in my arms, but she backs away from me and shakes her head.

"Eròak ienáiani." She says and peers out towards the sea. "Ak atup iam eh ihuput." As if in response to her words, a sharp wind rises and I can see a dark cloud front appearing over the horizon, rapidly moving towards us. So her concern is that a storm is going to be coming soon and we won't be able to get back afterwards, huh? Well, I don't think I'll be having any troubles flying through a storm, if I go in Chaos Warhead mode, and I could take her inside my body. But in consideration of the fact that Awhina is a normal human, I'll refrain from doing that; she might go insane after all.

Maybe I should have gone when I had the chance to. The storm has hit hard and has been raging without letting up much for the past five days now. It's a wonder that no houses have been blown away, but I guess it's because the winds aren't as strong as in an actual hurricane. However, the rain is coming down as if the ocean has been thrown into the air, drumming on the leaf-covered roof in a constant din that first grated on my nerves but to which I've already grown accustomed by now.

It seems life comes to a standstill in the village during such storms. There is enough food stockpiled to last for weeks, the windows are all covered with boards and no wind passes into the house, turning it into an isolated island. In the middle of what can only be described as the living room is a fireplace, which is depression walled off with rocks - the only place in the house not build with wood. The fire illuminates the otherwise dark interior of the house, where the family enjoys some quality time together due to being unable to leave the house for all this time.

Normally this wouldn't stop me from moving about outside - it hasn't when I experienced similar storms further inland - but maybe I was just looking for an excuse to rest my soul for a while here. Even though we're still unable to understand each other's spoken language, I've become quite adept at communicating with Awhina and her family through gestures.

Rangi seems to like telling stories and the two women in the house hang onto every word he says with sparkling eyes. Maybe it's simply because what he has to say is so exciting, or because it's their nature to have exaggerated reactions to everything, but I can't help but be taken along for the ride, even when I don't understand anything. Enjoying the mesmerizing effect of his deep bass voice, I feel my body relaxing and sleep coming over me most of the time, even though I don't need any due to this convenient body.

I would wake up with Awhina lying beside me and the parents gone to their own room quietly. Seeing her peaceful sleeping face, I can't help but feel at peace myself. I'm taken back to my time at the academy, when I spent some carefree days with Kamii, Senka and Hestia. Ever since coming to this world, that has been the only place where I could truly relax for some time without being on the move or having to train for a definitive purpose - such as when I was on the moon.

I wonder what Kamii and the others are doing. It must have been over three months since I've last seen her, but her image is still vivid before my eyes. No matter what happens along the way, I will return to her side, and at that time, I will make sure to never leave her alone again.

On the morning of the seventh day, the storm has finally passed when I wake up in the living room alone. Awhina isn't by my side, and instead I smell something strange in the air. I think there's something rotten here...

"Auk etir et ihiúkaráp!" Her voice resounds through the house and I'm fully awake. In the recent days I learned that this phrase means that breakfast is ready, although I can't tell what each of the words are individually.

Coming from the kitchen, which is only used when guests are sleeping in the living room - where the food is normally prepared in the fireplace - Awhina carries a huge tray with wooden plates filled with something I can't identify. It looks to be some kind of cooked sea-dwelling life form, but the stench makes me think it's actually just a decaying carcass she found outside the house after the storm has passed.

"Ok et iak otihwat ienét i irùm i et agnaàp o et au." She states with a mischievous grin and places the tray before me. From close up, it does look like something decomposing, the brown and green colors not helping to make it more appetizing. I've eaten a lot of things, but I can say with pride that even I wouldn't consume something that has been dead for long enough that maggots could be crawling all over it-

Ugh, I feel like throwing up at the thought alone.

"Iek et onit aiháih eok ik et ihám i ienét, Awhina?" Ruiha comes after her with another tray, but this one is filled with more familiar and normal looking food. Her tone makes it clear that she doesn't fully approve of her daughter's actions. "Ak erér ai."

"Eh iap, eh iap." Awhina responds while waving her off with a grin. I look around, wondering where Rangi went. Maybe he already ran away from whatever this cooking is. I know that she can cook pretty well, but maybe it's one of those cases where she has this one experimental dish that always goes wrong, but she thinks it's actually really good.

Looking at me with a wide grin, the tan girl who's half a head taller than me has an expression of giggly expectation. It's not the kind of smile I'd want to protect, but it somehow really suits her. Guess there's nothing to it, I'll try whatever she created here; it can't be worse than myself, right? And as long as it's organic, I can break it down inside me, so no harm done, right?

Taking a piece without knowing what exactly I'm holding between my fingers, I guide it to my lips while sealing my nostrils from the inside, so that I don't have to smell it. Yes, it's that bad! And then, when I finally put it in my mouth, the sensation on my tongue has me suppressing a gag reflex. It feels like jelly that slowly but never completely melts away and just sticks around.

But the explosion of taste has me open my eyes wide. And not in shock, but in surprise.

What's this? It's tasty! I would have never guessed that something with such an awful appearance and smell could taste so good! It... reminds me of a combination of sea urchin and natto! Maybe it's actually something similar?

I can't stop eating, and Awhina looks at me in surprise at first, but then a huge bright grin appears on her face. Apparently she's really happy that I like it. Ruiha sighs with a relieved smile and takes the tray she's carrying away again. I guess she was expecting that I wouldn't like this strange stuff and prepared another meal as a precaution. Now that I've shown that I actually like it, there is no more need for the emergency replacement. Well, I could still eat that, too~

It seems Rangi was out inspecting the damages done by the storm and to see how the other villagers are doing. He really seems like the chief, but somehow it also feels different. If only I could speak their language and ask him directly. I can see him carrying a large pile of logs that look too heavy for a person even of his size, and walking around like it's nothing. Well, it's not impossible, so I won't question it. After all, I've seen a tiny cat girl wielding a giant hammer that even a fully grown man shouldn't be able to swing.

"Ak ereáh!" Awhina pulls me towards the beach, where tons of driftwood lie around from after the storm. We approach a large flock of seagulls that flap their wings frantically and fly away when we run straight through them, towards a boat on the shore. It seems she intends to take me to the island she showed me on the day I first arrived here, where Tama and Tane live. I could carry her and fly there, but I'll go along with this little adventure by sea.

The design of the boat is quite strange. What seem to be two carved tree trunks shaped like canoes - a large one and a small one - are placed in parallel and then tied a distance away from each other using two slightly curved logs. Near the front end of the larger trunk is the boat's only mast, to which the triangular sail is attached. The sail seems to be operated by pulling on ropes, but it's folded up right now to avoid the wind carrying it out to sea.

We push the boat into the water and jump onto the larger of the two canoes. Awhina stands up and pulls up the sail, before turning it into the wind, upon which we quickly gain speed. I don't regret going the slower way, as I'm able to experience something like this, which I most likely would have never done in my previous life. Feeling the breeze of the ocean on my whole body, I enjoy the surf and spread my arms. Seeing me, the dark-skinned girl laughs heartily.

Quickly navigating around the cliff from which she showed me the island a week ago, Awhina adeptly avoids large waves and manages to keep a constant speed despite the strong and ever-changing winds. I can tell from her easy-going attitude that she's using this mode of transport a lot, to the point where it has become second nature, and that she enjoys traveling across the sea like this.

It didn't take long for us to reach the island, possibly even less than an hour. If she hadn't held me back when I wanted to fly us there, it would have maybe taken only a few minutes to reach it. Yet, I don't feel like I wasted this week doing practically nothing; it was peace and nourishment for my soul, which I had been neglecting in the past two months. I feel completely refreshed and my mind is clear.

From a distance I can see a small village, similar to the one we just came from. That must be our destination, since Awhina is steering straight towards it. There are some villagers working on their boats on the shore, and one of them notices our approach. It's a young man, barely in his twenties, topless as is the custom among the men, and featuring a few tattoos on his arms. It seems that the amount of tattoos denotes someone's rank in this culture, considering Rangi is covered with them all over. The large ponytail he sports seems to be the traditional hairstyle of this culture. He waves to us and I can spot a wide smile on his face. It seems high tension is very normal among these people.

"Aéhep eok, Awhina!" He calls out to my captain.

"Eh iap uáha, Kahu!" Awhina responds with an exaggerated waving gesture and we soon glide onto the beach alongside a wave. Jumping off the boat, we quickly pull it further ashore, before finally turning our attention to the villagers that begin to gather at the unfamiliar sight of me.

I could have changed my appearance to match theirs to avoid any complications, but by now I know that they have no hint of hostility towards the unknown and foreign - which is really strange, considering how isolated they seem to be from the rest of the world. It's clear they don't know anything about demons, after all, or they wouldn't have welcomed me so warmly.

"Iek aeh a Tama auar ok Tane?" Awhina asks, and I assume she wants to know where these two are right now. "Eh etir ienét ik a uotár." She pauses for a moment and then turns towards me with a thick eyebrow raised in a thoughtful expression. "I et ara, eh ahà uot aògni?"

I have no idea what she's asking me and blink at her in non-comprehension.

"Ok ukot aógni ok Awhina." Pointing at herself, she says slowly. I can understand her sentiment in trying to speak in an easily comprehensible way, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't know what the words mean. But I know that she just said that her name is Awhina. "Eh ahà eok?" She points at me. I see, she must be asking what my name is. I stayed at her home and even slept together for a week, and she never thought of asking me before? Guess she's kind of an airhead. But then again, I didn't introduce myself either, so it's partially my fault, too.

"... Chaos." I say and point at myself. "... my name is Chaos..." Repeating it to myself under my breath, I feel something heavy weigh down on my figurative heart at this.

Then my Chaos-senses suddenly begin to tingle. It's different from when I pinpoint hidden life force, considering there's so much life around me. Instead, it's something incredibly familiar, while at the same time I can't tell at all what exactly it is. All I can say is that there are two special presences among the gathered villagers.

And they're coming closer.

I look past Kahu and see two small girls come forward from among the gathered villagers. They have tan skin like all the others, but their hair is blond and they have blue eyes. But their most distinguishing feature is - ironically - the fact that they look like mirror images of each other. They're clearly twins, and they're foreigners just like me.

And I think they're Crawling Chaoses.

I see surprise in their piercing blue eyes when they come closer, before they break into a sprint right towards me. Huh?! Wait wait wait! Don't come at me like that! I-I'll attack!

They each grab one of my arms and cuddle onto them, and I'm struck speechless just like everyone else. Then, as if adhering to the rule of twins, they both speak at the same time, sounding like stereo speakers coming from both my sides.

"Finally, we get to meet you, mama!"