Finally, the boy can also hear footsteps approaching us. His body tenses instantly, and I can see how he wants to hide behind me. But his pride seems to prevent him from doing so, because instead, he even stands in front of me. What a stupid thing to do. He should slowly be able to assess what he is capable of and what I am capable of.

A few moments later, the group finally appears, and as soon as they see the boy, tears well up in the eyes of his potential parents.

"Chen!" they cry out at the top of their lungs and rush toward him.

Crying and sobbing, the boy throws himself into the arms of the man and woman. Relief spreads across the faces of the others as well. At least, that's how I interpret it. I can't say for sure, because I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen such facial expressions.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Chen! Oh, Chen! We were so worried about you!"

While the three of them lie in each other's arms, crying, some of the others keep glancing at me, as if they're waiting for me to pounce on them and destroy the family reunion. For a moment, I struggle with myself and wonder if it would hurt me to gouge those annoying eyes. But of course, this is no real question, and I remain leaning against the tree where I had placed the boy earlier. Let them look as they please.

After several minutes, they finally seem to have regained their composure, and the boy and his parents step forward.

"Thank you so much. We can't express how grateful we are to you. We probably would never have found Chen without you. I can't imagine what would have happened to him."

All three bow their heads before me and look at the ground. Why would anyone ever look away from a potential danger like that?

"What are you doing?"

"Excuse me?" the woman says, confused, and the man looks puzzled as well.

"Ah! If you don't know what thank you means, maybe you don't know this either. We bowed. That's what you do when you want to say thank you to someone in a very strong way," the boy explains to me.

Now the parents' confused glances turn to their son.

"What a strange way of doing things," I comment, and immediately they turn their attention back to me.

"Did we do something wrong?" the man wants to know.

"No, Dad. She just didn't know what 'thank you' means. That's why I thought she might not know why we bowed."

The visible confusion on their faces does not subside. But finally, the man clears his throat.

"Be that as it may. How can we show our gratitude for you helping our son?"

"Show gratitude? What do all these strange words mean?"

Are they speaking a different language? What's going on?

"Uh, he means what we can give you because you made sure our son is okay," the woman replies.

Hmm, I don't really need anything except information about my sister. But can I trust them? Oh, why am I even worrying about this? Should they pose any danger, they'll never leave this forest.

"Have you seen a girl who looks very much like me, except her hair and eyes are ice blue?"

"No, we've never seen anyone like that, I'm sorry."

She doesn't seem to be lying. It would have been too good to be true. But I won't let that discourage me.

"Then show me the way to the nearest town. I have to keep looking for her," I reply.

"Come home with us! Mom and Dad can definitely help you look for her!"

The boy turns to his parents and talks to them urgently.

"Mom! Dad! We have to help her! She saved me and took care of me. Please! Please!"

The two exchange a few glances and seem to struggle with themselves, but then come to a decision.

"Our son is right. You saved him, and we really shouldn't be too shy to express our gratitude. If you like, you can come with us, and we can help you find the girl. We know a lot of people in town. And I hope you don't mind me saying, but I think your appearance will scare most people in town away so that no one will help you," says the woman.

I look down at myself and can't deny that the last few years have left their mark on me and my equipment. Even the fireproof and durable material of my clothes is torn. I hesitate one last time because I've never seen adults who are good and trustworthy. But in the end, my desire to gather information that will help me find my sister prevails.

"I'll come with you."

"Yay!" the boy exclaims for reasons unknown to me.

"We'll do our best to help you. As you've already noticed, our little one here is called Chen. I'm Min, and my husband is Yize. May I ask your name?"

"My name? I don't have a name," I reply to the woman as the group prepares to leave and finally take me to a city again after so many years. I will definitely find you, sister!