The Arva tribe's settlement in the Western Forest was enveloped in an eerie fervor. Countless bonfires blazed among the densely growing giant ancient trees, and the excited voices of men echoed through the darkness of the night. Tonight is a special night for the tribe—the first day of the "Bride-Hunting Ritual." The women, adorned for the ritual, disappear into the forest one after another. In the Arva tribe, women are treated with care. However, that is merely their value as "property." Men and women who have reached the age of twenty and are recognized as fully-fledged, self-reliant adults are granted the right to participate in this three-day, three-night ritual. The women flee through the forest as "prey," and the man who catches a woman earns the right to take her as his wife. It seems it was once a sacred event for strong men to display their prowess and choose a woman worthy of them, but now it is nothing more than a hollow farce. It's still fine if lovers use it to become officially married, but some conspire beforehand over who will hunt whom for the sake of vested interests. The custom of the ritual is that after all the women are released into the forest, the men step into the forest all at once at the signal of the drums. A short while after you entered the forest, the sound of the drums could be heard in the distance.