Children of the Rune: Winterer 71ish to 75

Boris' journey on the Moon Island takes an even stranger turn when he somehow enters another version of the island — a mysterious place inhabited by strange children.

The moment Boris enters this other Moon Island, he immediately feels something wrong.

There is an inexplicable hostility surrounding him.

The children themselves do not initially attack him. Instead, one of the children, seemingly their leader, calmly speaks with Boris and tries to reassure him. Yet Boris cannot shake the feeling that he is surrounded by something unknown and hostile.

Unable to understand what is happening, Boris draws Winterer.

The sword itself is already in an unusual state: Boris is essentially carrying the blade/hilt of Winterer with a cloth-wrapped makeshift grip.

Only after Boris draws the sword do the children themselves become hostile.

They attack him using strange magic.

The attacks do not seriously injure Boris, but they are enough to hurt him and make the situation even more confusing.

Boris asks them why they are attacking him.

The child leader explains that it is because of the sword.

Winterer gives off an ominous, evil-like presence, and the children reacted to that presence.

This is important because the children were not simply waiting to ambush Boris. Their hostility only became apparent after Winterer was drawn.

Boris eventually withdraws the sword and calms himself down.

The child leader then becomes willing to communicate with him again.

Boris asks how he can return to his own Moon Island.

The child leader tells him that he will find a way.

For the moment, however, Boris is taken to a cave where he can rest.

The children also want to keep him hidden from the ADULTS of this other Moon Island.

And this is where things become seriously creepy.

There are apparently adults in this strange version of the Moon Island — adults whom the children themselves are wary of.

The manhwa does not completely explain who these adults are or why the children fear them at this point.

So Boris is essentially stuck in a strange alternate Moon Island, hiding in a cave with mysterious children who are themselves afraid of mysterious adults.

Yeah.

Totally normal vacation.

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MEANWHILE — THE ANOMARAD SIDE

While Boris is missing, events continue in the outside world.

There is a scene involving people on the kingdom's side, including the priest connected with Boris' uncle's faction.

Their interest in Winterer has clearly not disappeared.

They continue trying to locate Boris and the sword, sending people capable of tracking or hunting him down.

There is also discussion concerning Boris' uncle.

His recent behavior has apparently made him a less dependable ally.

The birth of his new daughter has somehow changed the situation around him, and the people discussing him notice that he is no longer behaving quite as reliably as before.

The important point is that the political conflict surrounding Winterer is still alive.

Boris may have disappeared from everyone's sight, but the people searching for him have not simply forgotten about him.

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BORIS' DISAPPEARANCE

Back on the Moon Island, Boris' disappearance becomes increasingly noticeable.

Interestingly, time does not appear to stop in the original world while Boris is in the other Moon Island.

From the perspective of the people on the original Moon Island, Boris simply remains missing.

Days pass.

Nauplion becomes increasingly frustrated and worried because his apprentice has not returned.

The people around Boris also begin wondering about him.

Since nobody knows what actually happened, the natural assumption becomes that Boris must have become sick or otherwise been unable to return.

But there is something much stranger happening.

The events in the other Moon Island appear to progress simultaneously with events in the original world.

The manhwa does not simply present the alternate island as a dream where no time passes.

Boris is actually spending time there while his absence is occurring in the original world.

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ISOLET REALIZES SOMETHING IS WRONG

As Boris continues to be missing, Isolet eventually becomes involved.

Isolet notices something unusual surrounding the night Boris disappeared.

She had seen a strange black aura coming from the village around the time Boris vanished.

This becomes one of the reasons she realizes that Boris' disappearance was not simply because he was sick.

Isolet becomes genuinely concerned about him.

Eventually, she leaves the mountain and goes looking for Nauplion.

This is another small but meaningful change in Isolet.

Rather than simply accepting that Boris is absent, she actively investigates what happened to him.

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THE TWO LITTLE PRINCESSES

During Boris' time on the Moon Island, another amusing little relationship develops.

There is another young girl who takes a liking to Boris.

She does not become a major romantic figure or anything of that sort, but her presence produces some of the lighter moments of this part of the story.

At one point, she is referred to as the "Princess of the Foothill," while Isolet is the "Princess of the Mountain."

The contrast is funny because Isolet is already such an eccentric and isolated figure, while this other girl has her own attachment to Boris.

She is not shown nearly enough for her significance to Boris to become clear, but the manhwa deliberately keeps showing her alongside Nauplion and the other Moon Island characters.

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BORIS' TIME IN THE CAVE

Eventually, Boris remains alone in the cave.

He spends his time sleeping and dreaming.

And, once again, his brother appears.

Yevgnen.

Boris repeatedly sees his dead brother in his dreams and visions.

Then comes one of the most important moments of this entire section.

Boris sees his brother again.

This time, however, the surroundings are unmistakable.

They are back in their homeland.

Boris recognizes the grass growing around them — the same distinctive grass native to their homeland.

Yevgnen calls for Boris.

Boris answers.

For a brief moment, everything feels normal.

It feels as though none of the horrible things that happened between them ever happened.

As though Boris has simply returned to the time when he was still a child with his brother.

Then Boris sees his younger self.

The younger Boris passes through the scene, and Yevgnen speaks to that younger version of him.

That is when the truth of the vision becomes clear.

It is not reality.

It is a memory.

A dream.

A vision created from Boris' memories and grief.

And Boris finally seems to understand something he has been unable to fully accept.

His brother is gone.

He cannot return to the past.

He cannot undo what happened.

The vision becomes less about Yevgnen actually returning and more about Boris finally confronting the part of himself that is still trapped in that past.

Boris eventually awakens.

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BORIS RETURNS

After spending his time in the other Moon Island, Boris finally finds his way back to the original island.

The strange disappearance ends.

Life on the Moon Island resumes.

Boris is once again among the people he knows.

The manhwa does not immediately dump every explanation onto the reader about what exactly happened to him.

The other Moon Island remains mysterious.

The children remain mysterious.

The adults they fear remain mysterious.

And the strange connection between the two islands remains unresolved.

But Boris has returned.

And something about him has changed.

The journey through that strange place, combined with his visions of Yevgnen, seems to have forced Boris to confront his past in a way he had previously avoided.

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CHAPTER 75 — THE BEACH

Chapter 75 ends on a surprisingly quiet note.

During one of Isolet's lessons, she takes Boris somewhere extremely isolated.

A secluded beach.

Isolet explains that this is a very special place for her.

Boris naturally asks what special occasion brought them there.

Isolet simply tells him that there is no occasion.

She just wanted to come there.

And that is basically where the chapter ends.

Isolet stays by the sea, peacefully basking in the sunlight.

No huge battle.

No revelation about Winterer.

No giant monster.

No political assassination.

Just Isolet enjoying the beach.

And honestly, after everything Boris has gone through, the sudden peacefulness feels almost suspicious. 😂

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END OF THE RECAP — CHAPTER 75

At this point, the major mysteries are still very much alive:

• What exactly is the other Moon Island?

• Who are the mysterious children living there?

• Why are the children afraid of the adults?

• Why does Winterer cause such a strong hostile reaction?

• What exactly happened to Boris while he was there?

• Why does time seem to continue simultaneously between the two places?

• What is the meaning of the strange black aura Isolet witnessed?

• What exactly is the deeper nature of Winterer?

• Why are outside factions still so desperate to obtain it?

And most importantly:

Boris has survived another strange chapter of his journey, but the story has clearly not reached the point where all these mysteries are supposed to be explained yet.

Chapter 75 ends quietly — with Isolet lying beside the sea, enjoying the sunlight.

For now, Boris is back.

But the feeling is very much:

"This was only the beginning."

Children of the Rune: Winterer 61ish to 70ish pt2

After leaving the place where Winterer had been examined, Boris noticed a strange obelisk on his way home.

An obelisk is basically a tall, narrow stone monument, usually with four sides and a pointed pyramid-like top.

So the place where Boris previously found Isolt should NOT be called an obelisk.

That place was more like a strange mountain cliff or rocky rise with a platform at the top, where Isolt could be reached only through the invisible magical steps.

The structure Boris discovered afterward was the actual obelisk.

At its base was a plaque containing names.

Boris read the names and was shocked when he recognized one of them:

Ilios.

Isolt's dead father.

This was extremely strange.

Boris had already heard the story of Ilios's death, yet his name was somehow connected to this mysterious monument.

The obelisk then became the gateway to something even stranger.

Boris found himself entering a hidden or parallel aspect of Moon Island — a mysterious other side of the island that ordinary islanders could not simply enter.

The place was unlike the Moon Island Boris had known.

And then, suddenly, Boris encountered children.

This is where the story begins moving into the mystery of the "Children of the Rune."

The children Boris encountered were not simply random island children.

They belonged to the mysterious side of Moon Island that existed beyond the ordinary world the islanders knew.

This discovery becomes the beginning of another major mystery surrounding Moon Island, its ancient history, and the meaning behind the title "Children of the Rune."

At this point, Boris had already gone from:

a foreigner who was barely tolerated,

to Nauplion's apprentice,

to Davnen, a new identity on Moon Island,

to a student of the Holy Chant,

and now someone who had accidentally stepped into a hidden world connected to the island's deeper secrets.

And all of this started happening while Winterer itself had just revealed that there was something deeply unnatural about it.

So Boris had basically gone to Moon Island to learn and hide...

and somehow ended up poking at practically every forbidden mystery on the island.

Very Boris.

Children of the Rune: Winterer 61ish to 70ish pt1

After meeting Isolt, the Priest of Song, Davnen/Boris began learning the Holy Chant from her.

Isolt is actually the mysterious woman connected to the dagger artifact of Nauplion. Their first meetings were rather cold and awkward. Isolt seemed to have some resentment toward Nauplion, and by extension, toward Boris as the person Nauplion had brought to the island.

There was a tragic history between Isolt, her father Ilios, and Nauplion.

Isolt's father, Ilios, had been the previous Priest of Sword. During a disastrous incident on Moon Island, a monster appeared and many warriors fought against it. Ilios eventually ordered Nauplion to return to the island and protect the people instead of continuing the fight.

Nauplion obeyed his master's order, even though he wanted to remain and fight.

Ilios died during the incident, and afterward Nauplion became the new Priest of Sword.

This left Isolt with complicated feelings toward Nauplion. From her perspective, the man who became the new Priest of Sword was also the man who had returned when her father remained behind. Because of that, she had difficulty accepting Nauplion's decision and authority.

Nauplion, however, insisted that Boris become Isolt's student as well as his own.

Isolt reluctantly accepted.

The Holy Chant was essentially another form of the island's supernatural tradition. It was not simply ordinary singing. Through the Chant, the singer could produce actual magical effects, so Boris was effectively learning another kind of magic.

At first, the lessons were strange.

Isolt simply had Boris sing whatever he wanted, almost like free practice rather than a conventional lesson. Boris continued attending despite Isolt's cold attitude toward him.

Part of this may have been because Boris found Isolt beautiful, but there was something deeper happening between them.

Without either of them fully understanding it yet, Boris felt a strange familiarity with Isolt.

Both of them were essentially alone in their own ways.

Boris had lost his family and spent much of his life carrying the memory of Yevgnen.

Isolt had lost her father and was left with complicated feelings toward the people who remained.

That similarity gradually allowed Boris to feel closer to her.

One day, Boris went to his Holy Chant lesson but could not find Isolt.

Instead, he encountered a bird that seemed to be leading him somewhere.

The bird eventually brought Boris toward a strange place high on a mountain.

There was a rocky rise with a platform at the top where Isolt was singing.

There was seemingly no path leading to the place.

Boris eventually realized that there were invisible magical steps in the air.

The bird had somehow helped him notice them.

Boris hesitated, but because of the strange sense of familiarity he felt toward Isolt, he decided to trust it and stepped forward.

The invisible steps were actually there.

He continued climbing until he eventually lost his footing and fell.

Isolt noticed him and used the Holy Chant to save him.

After this incident, Isolt finally began to understand the strange connection she and Boris shared.

She opened up to him about her past.

Boris learned more about what happened to Ilios and why Isolt had such complicated feelings toward Nauplion.

The two began to understand each other better.

Boris's life on Moon Island also slowly became more comfortable.

Most of the islanders still treated him as an outsider, and the other students were not exactly welcoming.

But Boris had begun forming a small circle of people around him.

He had Nauplion.

He had Isolt.

And he had a few people he could actually interact with without constantly feeling like an unwanted outsider.

For someone like Boris, that was already a considerable improvement.

Meanwhile, Nauplion had allowed another Priest, Morpheus, to examine Winterer.

Boris agreed on one condition:

he would be present during the examination.

That night, Boris brought Winterer to the priest and remained there while Morpheus began experimenting with the sword.

At first, Morpheus tried various methods to understand the strange sword.

Then something went terribly wrong.

Winterer suddenly reacted.

A huge, ominous darkness appeared.

Boris experienced something strange as well, while Morpheus witnessed an enormous black aura surrounding Boris and the sword.

The event left both of them shaken.

Even more strangely, Winterer itself was damaged.

The sword was no longer whole.

The hilt and guard disappeared, leaving only the blade.

Morpheus could not properly explain what had happened.

He warned Boris to keep the incident secret.

Boris asked whether Morpheus had seen the same vision he had.

Morpheus said that he had not seen Boris's vision itself.

He had only seen the enormous black aura surrounding Boris and Winterer.

Afterward, it was already night.

Morpheus ordered Boris to return home.

At this point, Boris/Davnen was still living with Nauplion, and Nauplion continued calling him Boris privately.

On the way home, Boris noticed something strange.

An obelisk.

It was something he had apparently never properly noticed during his stay on Moon Island.

The strange monument seemed to draw his attention.

And this eventually led Boris toward one of the biggest mysteries of Moon Island.

Children of the Rune: Winterer 51 to 65ish? pt2

As part of Boris's formal acceptance into the island's religious system, he eventually receives his Moon Island name:

Daphnen.

Daphnen is associated with the meaning laurel tree / peace, rather than "World Tree."

During the name-giving ceremony, another priest becomes interested in the sword Boris carries.

The priest recognizes that the sword is unusual and wants to examine Winterer.

Boris immediately refuses to surrender it.

He is unwilling even to simply lend Winterer to someone else.

The priest therefore makes a compromise: rather than taking the sword away from Boris, he proposes that Winterer be examined while Boris remains present.

Boris accepts this arrangement.

This is another indication of how protective Boris has become of Winterer. He may be living under Moon Island's customs, but the sword is still his responsibility, and he will not casually allow anyone to take possession of it.

After receiving his new name and settling into his new status, Boris begins the educational part of his pilgrimage.

Nauplion takes him to Scholi, the island's school.

Pilgrims and islanders are expected to study there and learn the disciplines connected to Moon Island's religious traditions.

Boris is not particularly welcome.

He is still an outsider, and the earlier incident with the children and his sword has already made some of the islanders suspicious of him.

Even the people responsible for the school are not especially friendly toward him.

Boris, for his part, doesn't seem particularly interested in winning their approval.

As part of testing him, Boris is matched against Hector, one of the strongest fighters in Scholi.

Hector is one of the school's best young swordsmen.

The test does not go as expected.

Boris completely outclasses him.

The fight escalates to the point where Hector is in genuine danger. Boris's combat ability is far beyond what the people at Scholi expected from an outsider.

Nauplion eventually stops the fight.

He is furious that the instructors allowed the match to continue when it was obvious that Hector was already outmatched and in danger.

Nauplion takes Boris away from Scholi.

The incident demonstrates something important about Boris:

His strength is not simply the result of possessing Winterer.

Even among the island's trained young fighters, Boris is already an exceptionally dangerous swordsman.

Boris does not want to return to Scholi.

The school has no meaning for him if everyone there treats him as an unwanted outsider.

Nauplion therefore suggests another path.

For Boris to continue the pilgrimage, he needs to learn another discipline.

Nauplion suggests the Priest of Songs.

He takes Boris away from the school and up into the mountains.

There, Boris encounters the mysterious girl connected with Nauplion's sword and dagger.

Her name is Isolet, more fully Isolestie.

She is the Priest of Songs.

This is the beginning of Boris's second major discipline on Moon Island.

Nauplion, the Priest of the Sword, has already accepted Boris as his unprecedented outsider apprentice.

Now Boris is being brought to Isolet to learn from the Priest of Songs.

His pilgrimage is therefore moving beyond simple swordsmanship and into the deeper traditions of Moon Island.

Children of the Rune: Winterer 51 to 65ish? pt1

After the storm, Boris, Nauplion (Walnut), and their companion finally reach Moon Island.

At the entrance, they encounter the guardian who controls access to the island. The guardian recognizes Nauplion and the other traveler, but treats Boris differently. Boris is an outsider, and Moon Island is extremely distrustful of outsiders.

However, Boris has come to undertake the island's pilgrimage, so he is permitted to enter.

They pass through the entrance and Boris briefly sees something completely different from the beautiful island that is supposed to be there.

He sees ruins.

There are enormous standing pillars, no roofs, dust, barren ground, and traces that resemble footprints or tracks. Nauplion and the others tell Boris to remember what he has seen — and, at the same time, to forget it.

Nauplion then gives Boris the object/token necessary for him to see the island as it normally appears.

The barren ruins disappear.

Moon Island is revealed as a beautiful, inhabited place, with greenery, houses, and its own community.

Boris is brought before the island's religious authorities. Moon Island is governed through a religious system involving several priests, each associated with a particular discipline.

Nauplion is the Priest of the Sword.

Because Boris is an outsider who wishes to undertake the pilgrimage, he cannot simply enter Moon Island as an ordinary resident. He must follow the island's customs.

One of those customs concerns his identity.

Boris gives up his old name for the time being and is treated as the Nameless One, until the island gives him a proper name.

Before being settled into his lodging, Boris is also made aware that Moon Island has strict rules concerning swords.

Ordinary islanders cannot simply possess swords.

Boris, however, still has Winterer.

He keeps the legendary sword at his waist, hidden inside an old and unremarkable sheath. Boris has no intention of casually handing Winterer over to anyone.

After being given his lodging, Boris encounters several island children bullying another boy.

The boy is weak and timid, and the others are demanding that he hand over the shiny stones he possesses.

Boris intervenes.

The bullies quickly discover that the outsider they were dealing with is much stronger than they expected.

But then they notice the sword at Boris's waist.

This changes the situation completely.

Boris's possession of a sword is itself a violation of Moon Island's rules. Only the Sword Priest and his properly recognized apprentice are permitted to possess a sword.

The children report the incident.

Boris and the others are brought before the island's authorities at the town hall.

The bullies present their complaint against Boris, focusing on the fact that he is carrying a sword despite being an outsider.

The boy Boris rescued is also brought into the matter, and the children attempt to make him part of their accusation.

Boris does not simply submit.

He questions the islanders' treatment of him and points out that he is supposed to be a guest undertaking their pilgrimage.

The dispute becomes increasingly serious.

Then Nauplion arrives.

Nauplion reveals that Boris is his apprentice.

This shocks the people present.

Nauplion is the Priest of the Sword, and he has never taken an islander as his apprentice. Now he has chosen an outsider as his apprentice.

This changes the status of Boris's sword.

Boris is no longer merely an outsider illegally carrying a sword.

He is the apprentice of the Sword Priest.

The punishment for ordinary unauthorized sword possession is severe, involving the cutting of fingers, but Boris's newly revealed status means the accusation against him cannot be treated in the same way.

The immediate conflict is therefore settled.

Only after this confrontation is over does the boy Boris rescued approach him again.

Grateful that Boris intervened on his behalf, the boy takes Boris to the island's library.

This is Boris's first real connection with one of the island's ordinary inhabitants.

The library is modest and somewhat makeshift, but it is clearly precious to the people who maintain it.

The boy is particularly happy because Boris is the first person he has brought there.

The librarian is pleased by this and gives Boris a book as a token of his first visit.

For a moment, Boris's strange first day on Moon Island becomes unexpectedly peaceful.

But Boris's status has already changed.

He is no longer simply a nameless outsider.

He is now Nauplion's first apprentice.

Children of the Rune: Winterer 41 to 50ish? pt2

After stopping Boris from continuing to use Winterer, Walnut reveals more of his intentions.

Walnut points out the obvious problem with Boris's situation:

Boris is a runaway.

He has no secure home, no stable identity, and very little money.

Instead of continuing toward Lemme, Walnut suggests that Boris come with him.

Walnut's destination is his homeland:

the Islands of the Moon.

Walnut also reveals that the strange artifact connected to him is important.

He demonstrates this by showing Boris a vision involving a distant island and a beautiful woman.

Boris is fascinated.

The vision gives him a glimpse of something completely outside the world he has known so far.

The journey therefore changes.

Instead of continuing toward Lemme alone, Boris begins traveling with Walnut toward the Islands of the Moon.

The Journey to the Islands of the Moon

During the journey, Boris and Walnut encounter a man from the Moon Islands.

The man eventually becomes their helmsman, helping them travel toward the islands.

This is also Boris's first real exposure to the strange culture of the Moon Islanders.

Walnut — whose identity is Isilder — and the Moon Islander both possess knowledge of magic.

But their magic does not resemble the flashy spellcasting Boris might expect.

The Moon Islanders use songs and chants as part of their magical traditions.

This becomes an important introduction to the culture Boris is about to enter.

The Storm

While traveling toward the Moon Islands, the group encounters a strange and dangerous storm.

The situation becomes serious enough that ordinary sailing is no longer sufficient.

The Moon Islander uses his song.

His singing has a magical effect, calming or controlling the storm enough for the boat to continue.

Boris witnesses this strange form of magic firsthand.

Eventually, the journey succeeds.

The boat reaches the Islands of the Moon.

Boris has therefore completely abandoned his original plan of simply traveling toward Lemme.

Instead, he has unknowingly begun the journey toward a place that will become extremely important to his life.

The official background confirms that the Islands of the Moon are an independent region far to the north, associated with the worship of the Goddess of the Moon and with traditions connected to ancient Ganapoly. The only route from the continent involves stopping at Ebb Island before reaching the Moon Island.

Walnut's identity is also confirmed by the broader material: Nauplion is the Moon Island priest of swords, and Walnut and Isilder are among the names associated with him.

Most importantly, this entire section marks the beginning of Boris's connection with the Moon Island culture — something that becomes much more important than Boris realizes at this point.

Children of the Rune: Winterer 41 to 50ish? pt1

After deciding that he would leave and continue toward Lemme, Boris begins traveling alone again.

He is still a fugitive, has little money, and cannot openly rely on his old noble identity. Winterer is also a major problem: it is a famous and extremely valuable family weapon, so carrying it openly is dangerous.

At one point, Boris tries something rather bizarre but practical.

He attempts to exchange Winterer's distinctive sheath for an ordinary, old sheath belonging to another sword. The shopkeeper realizes that Boris is not making an ordinary trade. The sheath is valuable and distinctive enough that the shopkeeper actually gives Boris some money along with the ordinary replacement sheath.

Boris continues traveling while trying to keep a low profile.

The Strange Noble Incident

Somewhere along this part of the journey, Boris encounters a strange incident involving a nobleman searching for his missing son.

The noble arrives at a village and immediately establishes a completely different atmosphere.

The village chief behaves extremely meekly toward him, almost like a subordinate afraid to anger his superior.

Boris eventually discovers that the missing son is actually hiding in the village, disguised as an ordinary villager.

Boris causes the disguised young man to reveal himself, preventing the situation from escalating further.

What makes the incident particularly strange is the son's attitude.

He behaves as though the entire situation is some amusing game or performance, while the consequences for the villagers are actually extremely serious. Boris realizes that the nobleman's anger could potentially put the entire village in danger.

The exact details of the punishment and the son's final reaction are still somewhat unclear in my memory, so this incident should be treated as a memory checkpoint rather than a completely confirmed detail.

The important impression is that Boris encounters another example of how frightening the power difference between nobles and ordinary villagers can be.

The Gate to Lemme

Boris eventually reaches the gate/checkpoint leading toward Lemme.

He discovers that crossing the border requires identification and a small amount of money for the passage.

Boris has neither.

He cannot simply announce who he really is because he is currently hiding, and his remaining money is limited.

Fortunately, a familiar-looking traveler appears.

The man's face is concealed beneath his cloak, but Boris recognizes him.

It is Walnut.

Walnut offers Boris a way through the checkpoint.

The condition is simple:

Boris must pretend to be Walnut's apprentice.

Boris agrees.

Walnut presents himself as a kind of pilgrim, while Boris is introduced as his apprentice. The two successfully pass through the checkpoint.

Afterward, Walnut offers Boris something more.

Because Boris is a runaway with nowhere safe to go, Walnut suggests that Boris remain with him. Walnut can offer him protection, provided Boris continues pretending to be his apprentice.

Boris refuses.

The two therefore separate again.

At this point, Boris already understands that Walnut is not merely the strange swordsman he met previously.

He knows there is much more to Walnut's identity.

And, importantly, Walnut's real identity is Isilder.

Boris and Winterer

After separating from Walnut, Boris encounters highway bandits in a forest.

A fight breaks out.

Boris draws Winterer.

During the fight, Boris notices something strange about himself and the sword.

As he uses Winterer, the sword seems to become easier and easier to wield.

Rather than becoming exhausted, Boris feels increasingly energized.

The sensation is deeply unsettling.

Boris continues fighting and kills his opponents.

This is significant because this is Boris's first murder.

The act changes something in him.

He has crossed a line from a boy who has survived violence into someone who has personally killed another human being.

Winterer also seems to respond strangely to the violence.

Then Walnut suddenly appears.

Walnut reprimands Boris and tells him to stop using Winterer.

This encounter changes the direction of Boris's journey.