From the shadowed rooftop of a half-collapsed house near the edge of the village, the observer watched.
Makoto exited the old abandoned building, the folds of his cloak fluttering slightly in the breeze. He looked side to side before pulling his hood lower and disappearing into the crowd.
The observer remained still, crouched low like a predator watching its prey. His face hidden, expression unreadable, but one thing was certain:
He was smiling.
Without sound or light, the observer vanished.
---
A moment later—deep within the forest south of the village—Rin and Nariku were on their way back from the river, a full water bottle slung over Rin's shoulder.
The forest canopy filtered the light softly, birds chirped in intervals, and the wind rustled the leaves just enough to seem normal… yet Rin felt nothing was normal.
He had received the message not long ago:
> [System Notification: You have been marked as a VILLAIN. You are now being hunted.]
And yet, his smile remained.
That dangerous, calm kind of smile.
"Rin?" Nariku asked, a little ahead, turning slightly. "You're lagging behind again."
Rin shook the thought from his head and caught up. "Just thinking. Nothing important."
But it was important.
He felt it again—the same weight. Not the system notification. Something else.
Someone.
It wasn't just the wind anymore. There was presence behind it. Like the forest was breathing differently around them.
His steps halted again.
Nariku paused this time too, looking back. "What's up now?"
Rin didn't respond. His eyes were already fixed on a tree to their right—a tall one, casting an unnaturally long shadow even in this light.
"I know you're there," Rin said, calm and controlled.
A heartbeat passed.
Then the tree's shadow rippled like water. As if some veil had been pulled back, a figure emerged from it—cloaked and poised, silent and inhumanly graceful.
Nariku turned to look, startled. "Wh—?"
But the figure didn't speak.
He raised his arms slowly, dramatically, and offered a grand, exaggerated gesture of welcome. One arm bowed at the waist, the other curled near his chest in an almost formal, theatrical flourish. His head tilted slightly forward—mocking a stage bow for an unseen audience.
Rin watched without blinking.
Nariku's eyes darted between the figure and Rin. "What the hell is—"
Before Nariku could move, the figure leaned back upright, stepping once—twice—into the tree's shadow again.
And vanished.
As if he was never there.
Nariku was breathing hard. "Rin… what was that?"
Rin simply smiled.
That same dangerous, knowing smile.
"Just a friend," he said softly.
Nariku stared at him, completely speechless. No follow-up, no question. Just the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves—and the fading memory of a man who walked out of shadows like they were doors.
After three long hours trekking through the forest, Rin and Nariku finally neared the village. The air had grown warmer, the sounds of the forest behind them fading into the distance. Rin's mind wasn't on the path anymore—it was on the message still lingering in his system interface:
[You are a Villain. There is a target on your head.]
He narrowed his eyes, wondering why the system would label him that and why it would make it into a mission. Who would benefit from this? He considered the possibility that someone accepted it—someone among them trying to kill either him or Hairu.
Nariku walked quietly beside him, seemingly oblivious to Rin's internal calculations. His pace was light, but every now and then he glanced sideways at Rin, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
As they reached the outskirts of the village, they found themselves standing at the southern gate—and both of them paused.
Confused murmurs echoed around.
Players were moving in a hurry, dragging logs, tying ropes, stacking barrels and sharpened stakes. Some were building barriers while others passed buckets of water, repaired weapons, or rested with tired faces. There was no battle happening, but tension thickened the air.
Nariku asked, "Why are they reinforcing this side?"
Rin observed silently for a moment before answering, "If they're preparing defenses here, then someone must've reported a threat from the south. That means the scouts made it back."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "And Hairu has already begun preparing for the next wave."
Rin gave a quiet, unreadable smile and finally said, "Come on. Let's find Hairu. I need to tell him about the water source and a few other things."