It's now been a few months since my sibling was born. They're close to being able to walk already, and the whole family awaits with anticipation the day they finally stand and take a few steps on their own.

However, my dad's hunts have been getting less and less successful. The dry season is approaching, and so the wildlife started retreating back into the mountains. We'll have to go back to eating the wild fruits and vegetables that manage to grow in the forest, with a bit of preserved meat here and there until it runs out.

One day, as I'm playing with my sibling, I hear a commotion outside. I get up and walk to the balcony, from where I can see a bunch of people talking, but I'm too far away to hear them. I notice that my dad is part of the crowd.

A few Rai'enu are wearing unique clothes, which identify them as members of the Sei'aniro tribe. They don't live far from here, but I wonder what brings them to our village. They seem to be discussing with our village Elder, but a bunch of other people are also adding their own questions and comments. My mom eventually joins me, so I ask:

"What's going on?"

"Looks like they're bringing a message. Hopefully it's not bad news."

This is the first time something like this happens since I've been reborn. I've seen people from other villages pass through, but it never caused this kind of reaction. I'm sure my dad will let us know once it's over, so I stop paying attention to the crowd and head back inside to play with Falie.

They're currently playing with some wooden blocks, so I grab one and add it on top of the structure they're working on. They look at the newly placed block, shake their head, and move it somewhere else before putting a different block in its place. I don't know why they did that, but that only adds to the charm.

There's one block in particular they seem to have taken a liking to. It's dyed a purple very similar to our skin color, so I wonder if they started treating it as a character at some point. I should ask dad for some advice on how to carve and dye wood, I might be able to carve humanoid figures for them to play with.

As I'm helping Falie balance a block in a somewhat precarious position, I hear our dad enter the house. I get up and head to the lobby, where I arrive at the same time as my mom. She asks:

"So? Did they bring any news?"

With a grave expression, he answers:

"The forest to the south is already drying up, despite how early in the year it is. If things keep up, it's very likely that we'll have a famine on our hands."

My mom brings a hand to her mouth in surprise, as I simply stand there, not really sure of what's going on.

"Already? The last one was just a few years ago! And we have young children this time..."

"The village Elder already announced some measures to try to at least minimize its impacts on our village. Starting tomorrow, I'll be away for a few days. We'll try to reach the mountains and hunt some extra meat there while we can. The rest of the village is to gather as much wild fruits and vegetables as possible and make some preserves. We might still go hungry, but... At least it should help a bit."

I never went through a famine as a human, but I heard of them happening on occasion in some of the more remote kingdoms. As the Hero, I was needed on the frontline, but I still helped pack up some food being sent to a place where the harvest had been bad that year.

Now that I think about it, why don't the Rai'in practice agriculture? Is it because the dry season makes it too hard to get enough water to grow crops? That's a possibility. I will have to ask the Elder, he might know.

Whatever the case may be, looks like we're going to be busy for a bit. I turn towards Falie, who's still playing with their wooden blocks, completely unaware of what's coming. I must do everything I can to make sure they don't go hungry.

Today, we're out in the forest for our class. The Elder figured that this would be a good opportunity to teach us more about it while giving us an opportunity to participate in the efforts to combat the upcoming famine.

"Now, as you might have heard, we're worried that things will get too dry this season, causing a shortage of food in the village. Does any of you know why these two things are connected?"

Cieno raises their hand, so the Elder points at them.

"This is because we eat the food growing in the forest. When it gets too dry, the food stops growing."

"That's correct. During the wet season, we get abundant rain. The water seeps deep into the earth, and the roots of the plants ensure that it stays there, even as we go through the dry season. However, on some years, it gets so warm that the ground dries up. As a protective mechanism, the plants enter a state similar to death, where they stop growing fruits or vegetables. This leads to us going hungry, as we cannot harvest the bounty of the forest anymore."

This might be a good opportunity to ask my questions, so I raise my hand.

"Yes, Pailu?"

"Why don't we grow our own food? Wouldn't that make it less likely that we run out?"

"An astute question, young one. Once again, you show an ability to reason beyond your age. However, all previous attempts to do so have failed, and for simple reasons. Deep beneath us is an extensive network of large tree roots. Whenever a tree is cut down or dies, the roots that were attached to it eventually rot away and are replaced by the newer roots of younger trees. This network is absolutely essential to allow for the retention of water in the soil. Now, tell me, what do you believe will happen if we clear out sufficient space to establish agricultural fields?"

I take a few seconds to think about it, but I believe I can already guess where this is going.

"The soil would become unable to retain the water needed for the crops to grow."

"Exactly! We might manage to grow food for a few years, but as the roots rot away, our ability to do so would diminish, and eventually go away completely. This is a problem that can be solved by bringing water from elsewhere, such as a river, but... If I recall correctly, the nearest river is a five days walk to the east from our village. It simply is not practical to go there to collect water. The underground sources we rely on for our own drinking water also wouldn't be able to handle watering fields. For these reasons, the Rai'in gave up on agriculture many generations ago."

Five days of walk is too far away to build an irrigation channel from, all the water would be gone before it reaches our village. The choice to rely on the forest was not born of ignorance, but of an awareness and understanding of the environment the Rai'in live in. It's not that they don't want to do agriculture, it's that they know it won't work... thanks to past experiments, it would seem. I can't help but wonder how the other monster races are faring in comparison. There has to be a reason we didn't simply move somewhere better.

The Elder continues:

"Now, if there are no more questions, I would ask you to gather around. I will show you what to look for when gathering food in the forest."

I carefully walk around a large tree, looking at the ground for any leaves that indicate the presence of a root vegetable. Nothing here. I move on to the next tree, where I finally find something. I pull on it, and manage to get something very similar to a carrot to come out. I put it in my basket, then continue looking for more.

After a bit, I see Cieno run towards me.

"Pailu! How much did you manage to get?"

"Not much, what about you?"

We place our baskets next to each other. They seem to have managed to get a few extra fruits, but our bounties are comparable.

"We should try going deeper into the forest, we'll be less likely to overlap with the others."

"But the wild beasts are dangerous! We could get injured, or even killed."

"It's fine, it's the middle of the day! And I'm not saying we should go far. Come on!"

They grab me by the arm and drag me along towards a part of the forest I have yet to see.

The trees are even larger here, and their leaves cover more of the sky, causing this part of the forest to be much darker, even in the middle of the day. I remain vigilant, constantly looking around me to make sure there's no wild beast following us. If I was still human, I could simply cast a few spells to alert me if something approaches, but not only do I not remember how to cast them, I don't think this body has nearly enough magical power within it to pull something as simple as that off. I bring my right hand to my left side out of habit but, sure enough, Revelation isn't there.

Cieno, who's turning around one of the trees, beckons me while shouting:

"Look, Pailu! There's so many fruits here!"

I approach, still keeping a careful eye on our surrounding. Once I'm close enough, I take a look, and see a large number of small bushes bearing fruits. I respond:

"Let's grab them and head back. I don't feel good about this place."

"Oh, what is there to be scared of? We're going to impress everyone with the food we got! Let's get to work."

I put my basket down and start filling it up with the fruits growing there. I don't want to impress anyone, that's not my goal, but it's true that we're going to need as much food as possible as fast as possible, so it's good to bring as much back as we can.

Cieno spots another patch of fruits a bit further, so they say:

"Take care of these ones, I'll go grab the ones over there. I think our baskets will be full after that."

I nod, The faster we fill them up, the faster we'll get out of here. I can't shake the bad feeling I have about this place.

As the minutes pass, I find myself relaxing a bit as I focus on the task at hand. One fruit with the right hand. One fruit with the left hand. These ones are all connected, so I break the branch and put the whole bunch in together. At least the basket is filling up nicely.

However, I hear a branch crack not far from here. I turn in a panic, and see a large venomhound slowly approaching Cieno, who doesn't seem to have noticed its presence. I was too focused on the fruit, I should have heard it coming before!

"Cieno! Behind you!"

They turn around, curious to know why I'm calling out to them, but their eyes widen in surprise as they see the gigantic monster salivating while looking at them. Realizing that its prey is now aware of its presence, the venomhound prepares to pounce. I have to do something!

I grab a rock as big as I can throw and launch it with as much force as this small body can muster at the head of the creature. It reaches its target, but clearly doesn't do any damage. However, it does have the effect I hoped for: the hound is now looking at me.

I look at Cieno and shout:

"Run!"

They don't have to be told again, they start running as fast as they can in the direction of the rest of the group. As for me... I am in serious danger, aren't I? The combat training I received in my previous life didn't carry over at all to this new body. While this monster would have been extremely easy for my Hero self to defeat, even without a weapon, my current self can't expect to damage it at all, and even simply dodging its bites will prove difficult if not outright impossible. Still, I must try.

It jumps in my direction, baring its fangs, So I jump as far and fast to the side as I can. Thankfully, this is sufficient to avoid its attack, and I immediately start running away. There's no way a Rai'in child can escape a venomhound simply by running, but I can't come up with a better plan. This deep in the forest, the lowest tree branches are simply too high for me to reach, so climbing up is not an option.

I'm running as fast as I can, but I can hear the beast getting closer and closer with each step it takes. Its warm and humid breath eventually reaches the back of my head, so I start screaming in fear. Sure, I was renowned for my courage in my previous life, but I'm just a child right now!

I hear it preparing to pounce, so I let myself fall on the ground. I see it accidentally jump over me, seemingly surprised by my unexpected maneuver. I immediately get back up and start running in a different direction.

It won't let me do that again, I'm sure of it. What else can I do? I obviously can't jump over it, so... Dodging to the sides? I already did it, but it's not something it can prepare for. However, to make sure it can't simply change direction and grab me while I'm in the air, I need to let it get very close to me again.

I resume my screaming. It's not very dignified, but if anyone's looking for me, they'll have a better chance of finding me if I'm being extremely loud.

Eventually, I feel the venomhound's breath against the back of my head again. Now's the time! I jump to one side, expecting it to bite the air, but... it suddenly brakes and pounces in my direction. I'm still in the air, I can't dodge like this!

As its fangs dripping with poison are about to close on me, an arrow pierces its neck, causing the beast to fly sideways into a nearby trees. It turns towards the origin of that arrow and growls, but three more arrows, without any spells in them this time, hit its head, causing it to fall down, dead.

"Pailu! You could have gotten killed! What are you even doing here?"

That voice is... very familiar.

I slowly turn towards my savior, who is none other than my own mother. She's holding a bow enchanted with wind magic, which she seems to have perfect control over. I never knew she was this strong!

"I'm sorry! It's Cieno, they said that we should go deeper and..."

"No excuses. We told you to avoid the darker parts of the forest how many times now? Did you think we were exaggerating? You can go there once you become a Rai'enu and learn to fight. Until then, it's off-limits. I hope this experience helped you understand why."

I look down at my feet in shame as I respond:

"Yes, mom, I understand..."

"Good. Now let's get you back with the others."

She grabs my hand and escorts me back to class, her aura of power and anger keeping all the wild beasts away.

"Hey, thanks for saving my life."

Cieno, who's still calming down from their scare, is looking at me, clearly repentant. They continue:

"I know you got scolded by your mom, and then by the Elder, and I'm sure my mom is also going to scold me when she learns about this, but... If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead now. You must have crazy fighting instincts to be able to survive long enough for someone to come save you like this."

Well, I certainly didn't forget everything I learned as a human. I can't tell them that, though.

"I got lucky. If my mom had gotten there a second later, I'd be hound food now. I didn't know she was such a skilled archer, though."

"Well, everyone, including the Rai'ila, receive combat training upon reaching adulthood."

That would explain why I ended up fighting some of them as the Hero. The ones with children probably stayed behind for the most part, but the others joined the Monster King's army.

"Well, I sure am looking forward to being trained myself. Who knows, maybe I'll also have to save my child from a hungry venomhound one day."

Cieno laughs at my comment. They seem to have mostly calmed down now.

The efforts to gather extra food continue for a few weeks, as the temperatures rise up to very uncomfortable levels. As predicted, the ground eventually completely dries up, and food becomes all but impossible to find in the forest. The trees lose their leaves, making the entire region look like it was hit by a cataclysm that left nothing alive.

We try our best to stretch the food we have out, but we still eventually run out. The dry season keeps getting longer and longer, and we very quickly start seeing the effects of hunger on the inhabitants of the village. More and more of them are getting sick, and we're running out of water to properly treat them. The faces around us are becoming more and more emaciated, and everyone walks around without strength or energy, wandering like corpses awaiting their death.

One evening, as I sit around the dining table, I notice that we have disgusting-looking roots on our platters, except for Falie, who gets to eat a small portion of our remaining pickled food. I ask my parents:

"What are these?"

My dad answers:

"Roots found in the forest. They're poisonous, so you'll probably get sick since it's your first time eating them, but at least you won't die, and they'll provide some nourishment."

So that's how desperate we are. Forced to eat poison. I assume Falie is exempt because of how young they are.

I'll probably get sick, but it's better than dying of hunger. I take a bite, and am immediately overwhelmed by how bitter it is. I can't help but grimace and stick my tongue out. Still, I must force myself to eat it.

After finishing their plate, Falie gets up and takes a few steps in the direction of their bedroom. They stop, turn around, and with a worrying expression on their face, simply say:

"Don't feel good..."

They then collapse on the floor. My parents immediately react, making sure that they're okay, but looks like my own sibling is starting to suffer the effects of hunger.

Falie is brought to their bedroom. I overhear my dad say to my mom:

"They're dying. Not enough food, not enough water, they're completely exhausted. If the dry season doesn't end soon, we might lose them."

"No... Everything will be okay. It has to be, right? Our little Falie can't die, can they?"

"Of course, honey... Everything will be okay. I'm sure the next rainy day is right around the corner."

I feel my heart start beating faster as a wave of anxiety overtakes me. Falie might... die?

Unfortunately, despite our best hopes, the rain doesn't come. Every day, we start hearing about the people who died, of hunger, thirst, heatstroke and disease. All across the village, people speak of the Dry Death, the name given to the phenomenon of a dry season turning deadly.

With school being cancelled for the foreseeable future, I spend most of my days with Falie, trying my best to get them to drink what little water we have. However, their state only keeps worsening.

We started only going out at night, when it's not quite as hot outside. On one evening, as I'm bringing back an almost empty bucket of water home, I hear my mom's voice from my sibling's room:

"Falie! Falie! Respond to me, please... You can't... You can't go... Please, do something, anything!"

I slowly approach, and look inside. My dad's eyes are closed next to the bed, his face holding a solemn expression. My mom is holding Falie in her arms, talking to them:

"Please, just say something. Say you're fine. Say you'll wake up tomorrow like nothing happened. Say that we'll go back to the way things were, that we'll all eat together again. Just... don't leave us. Don't do this to us..."

I see tears streaming down her face as she starts wailing, squeezing the dead body of her child as hard as she can.

Falie is... gone?

A stream of memories start flashing in my mind. I remember us playing together with the toys our dad made us. I remember seeing them laugh at the things I did. I remember their smile, so pure and innocent, and so full of joy. I remember the way it felt to hug them, and to rock them to sleep. I remember how enthusiastic they were, seeing mom work on new clothes for them. I remember how they'd fall down and start crying, only to calm down as soon as I took them in my arms.

I remember the hopes I had, that we all had, for their future. I remember how happy I felt to see them grow up, learn new words, develop their own thoughts and ideas.

And all that... is gone? Just like that, the life we watched grow, that we took care of with everything we had, that had only just started... is over?

Why? Why is the world so unfair?

As tears start streaming down my own cheeks, I run out of the house, and let my legs carry me as far and as quickly as they can. I scream towards the sky, cursing the heavens for having allowed this to happen. I let my pain out until my voice becomes hoarse and my throat becomes sore. I eventually reach the edge of the village and, unable to go further, let myself fall on my back.

Falie, my precious little Falie... What should I have done differently? What was there that your big brother should have done to save you? Was there anything at all I could have tried? Were they simply doomed from the very beginning?

Despite my best efforts, I simply can't bring my tears under control. I lose track of the time as I remain there, sobbing uncontrollably, thinking about everything that could and should have been. I eventually fall asleep there, on the ground, at the edge of this village.

I'm woken up by something falling on my face. I open my eyes, bring a hand to where I felt the impact, and look at my fingers. They're wet.

Another drop of water falls on me, then another, then another. In the grey light of the dawn, a veil of torrential rain hits the village.

As I remember the events of the previous day, my tears start flowing again, but this time, they simply mix with the rain. Why? Why did this happen? Is there someone I can blame? Is there something, anything I can do about it? If there really is a Goddess out there, why did she forsake Falie?

I get up, and start slowly making my way back home. All around me, I see the other villagers celebrating the return of the rain. The dry season is over, we'll finally have food again. I see people sticking their tongues out to drink what they can, others holding up various containers to collect the water.

But me, I feel tired and defeated. What's the point of all of this if Falie is gone? What ever was the point of anything?

I look up at the sky once more, its own tears joining mine as we mourn together.

The Dry Death is over, but it forever altered my future.