The Fire Hunter

When Touko ventures into the dark forest, a travelling hunter saves her from a vicious fiend and loses his life in the process.

On board the armoured collection truck, Touko meets fellow reluctant travellers; in the capital, the orphaned Koushi gets an unexpected offer from a wealthy magnate; despite his misgivings, this patron could be his ailing sister's only hope.

While Koushi meets his new family and learns about the task before him, Touko struggles to keep her place on the truck.

While Touko and her companions flee the wreckage of their trucks, Koushi digs through the archive for forgotten tomes, and what he discovers casts his mission in a new light.

The survivors of the dragon attack receive unexpected aid from Akira, a lady fire hunter with an unconventional hound.

Their long journey over, Touko's party rests with Shouzou's family in the capital; Koushi enters the forest with the aid of the enigmatic fire hunter Roroku.