Two years of Susumu's childhood go by. Continuing back up in Susumu's teenage years. At the age of fourteen, he had built up the habit of his curiosity taking notes of the world and his environment. As of right now with the sun starting to set. Susumu starts returning home from the forest like usual, but this time when he comes back he puts on a wooden mask that he had crafted with his own two hands. Wearing similar clothes from when he was a kid, but made more to his size; which his mom made for him to wear. His dad calls his name out to get him to help around the house. With chores and farming. Susumu even goes around helping his mom with painting and anything art-related. Meanwhile, his six-year-old brother keeps trying to follow him around. Similar to how a small baby duckling follows its mother.
The usual hobbies play out with small differences. Everything seems normal until it reaches nighttime. Susumu decides to go back into the forest before he goes to bed, to see if he can write down anything new about the ecosystem, the animals, or the people. Just anything about the world, while even drawing them too. Leaving their detailed descriptions under the drawings made by the author Susumu. He puts all this information into a newer version of his handmade book. Susumu does this so that he can learn more about the world and so that he'll always have the knowledge of his findings on him.
However, sometime after entering the forest, he hears screaming coming from the village. He immediately stops writing at the sound of the sounds of screaming. An ominous feeling comes over him. So he closes his book and puts it inside his kimono. After going down the tree, Susumu turns around running back to town. He sees that the whole village is set ablaze. Seeing and smelling the flames and ash in the area. The feeling of terror comes over him. All he can think of is "Why did this happen?"
People running around on fire before falling to the ground. Immense screaming and burning houses were a sight he did not want to behold. Something in his head snaps and memories come back to him. Old memories in the form of nightmares come forth. The screams of men and women come forth. Along with the vivid memories of the environments. Dark alley of a city and being held in the arms of another. He no longer recognizes who it is. Not being able to remember why she was crying. The sensation of pain comes back. The body feels hot and rapid breathing is filled with blood. An emotion of deep sadness comes over.
Susumu drops to his knees not being able to handle it. Tears come down his face while he holds onto his head. However, not being able to notice, a man in armor stands over him. The man holds his sword high and ready to swing at him. The hot blade comes swinging down on Susumu's throat. In the next moment, he gets a brick thrown at him in the head. The soldier getting caught off guard by it, adjusts his helmet, and turns to who threw it. As soon as he sees who it is, he adjusts his blade. The soldier gets tackled by Susumu's father. His father yells "Susumu!! Run!!"
Susumu's body gets startled and shaken up. His senses come back to him just to see what's happening in front of him. His father says while yelling "Susumu!! We have no time!! Go save your mom and brother !!" In that moment he gets brought back to reality. He looks in the direction of his home on fire. Terrified of what may have happened. He decides to run back to his home and tries to save his mother and brother's life while avoiding the running crowd to get there faster.
As he runs a swarm of people are running past him. Struggling to get through he looks for ways to get through. He runs along the dirt path close to the burning houses. Susumu runs for his life for the first time in his life. Old memories from past lives try coming forth, like pages in a book, but he resists with teary eyes and a pulsating throb in his head. He wonders "Why me!? Why does it have to be me!? Why can't i just live a regular life!?!?" Pain in his heart unraveling and pounding on him, make his feet stagger and trip over itself. He falls to the ground on his face. A hot burning sensation is felt on his side from the heat.
Susumu then hears a loud voice from a distant memory, "AAYYYYEEE!! How could you!? How could you just sit and watch another get beaten!! He was defenseless!! And YOU just sat there and watched!! He could have died!!" Susumu stops moving and wonders "Why am i stuck with these memories!? Why does it have to be me!?" At that moment he hears a soft and radiant voice from within his mind say "Isn't he so cute". Susumu begins to get back up from the ground. He says to himself "I will never forgive those who kill the ones i love!!"
Susumu runs again to find his mom and younger brother. After looking around for a while he finally sees his mom. She is standing in front of three men clad in armor with his brother behind her. Relieved a little bit he runs towards them. His younger brother sees him and runs to him. At that moment, one of the soldiers goes for his brother. In his eyes, an inner rage swirls to come forth, gritting his teeth. He dashes for the soldier an inch away from grabbing him. He grabs a rock from the ground and throws it at that same hand. The rock hit the soldier's hand along with dirt getting in his eyes.
The soldier growls in response to the pain from it getting in his left eye. Susumu yells while pulling out a knife from within his robe. He jumps with the knife raised in both hands and stabs the soldier in his eye and blood gushes out forth. Pouring out threw the blade and splashes on Susumu's mask. The soldier responds with a loud gurgle yell and he yanks it out with pieces of flesh tear out. He jumps off of him pushing the soldier forward onto the soldier behind him ready to swing. The body lands onto the other soldier and they fall on their backs; both dropping their weapons. Susumu then grabs one of the swords off the ground putting the knife back in his pocket after whipping it off. He looks towards the other soldiers saying nothing.
One of the soldiers still standing grabs onto his mother. Enraged he pulls up the sword with two hands and holds it in the air. In the next moment, the footsteps of a group of men can be heard. They're running towards where he's standing. His mother screams "RUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!" Susumu feeling complicated looks behind him and sees his brother clinging on him. He then grabs the sash for the blade and sheaths it. He lifts holding his brother and runs for it towards where his dad was. Adrenaline filled his body giving him the power to keep running as if his body would fall apart.
Eventually, he meets back up with his dad. He sees his dad stabbed through his stomach and his dad's hands in the soldier's eyes. Terrified of what he's seeing he feels despair. Unsure of what to do his father yells "Run as far as you can!!" Susumu shaken up goes to run again. This time he runs into the forest and doesn't stop until he finds a place to hide in. Only going deeper into the forest to places more and more unknown.