Rio and Latifa have entered a forest in the Wilderness. While she's sleeping, they're surrounded by a band of what appear to be demi-humans. The girls reveal themselves to be People of the Spirits. Rio tries to talk things out with them, but Uzuma, a winged beast person, finds Latifa and assumes that Rio has abducted her. Uzuma swoops down on Rio without giving him a chance to explain. Her sudden attack renders Rio unconscious. In his dreams, a beautiful girl with pink blonde hair appears to him as well as Amakawa Hayato's childhood friend, Ayase Miharu.

It's been over a year since Rio began living in the village, and now the day of the Grand Spirit Festival has arrived. With the blessing of the great tree spirit Dryas, Rio is recognized as a sworn friend to the People of the Spirits. That night, while everyone is having fun and feasting, Rio tells Latifa that he intends to leave the village. Unable to accept it, Latifa runs off into the forest. Meanwhile, an airborne intruder is detected and the warriors of the village go to investigate suspicious od reactions. What they discover is a huge flight of wyverns headed straight for the village.