That night, the fog fell thicker than usual. In the small village of Linde, lamps were put out earlier than normal, and the cries of night creatures echoed faintly among the damp trees. For several days, livestock had gone missing, and rumors of forest spirits or hungry beasts kept everyone locked inside their homes.
Taro, a young storehouse guard, knew he should have stayed indoors. But his thoughts lingered on his younger sister, still out in the fields, waiting in the drizzle. With his chest pounding, he stepped onto the muddy road, the mist swallowing the shapes he usually recognized.
A heavy crash sounded from the northern woods. Taro held his breath, praying it was only an old tree falling. But through the fog, a human figure emerged—not tree, not beast. The stranger stood motionless, clothes torn, body scarred, a foreign face staring at the village with cold, unreadable eyes. There was something in that gaze that made Taro want to trust… and run away at the same time.
"Who… are you?" His voice broke.
The man remained silent. He crouched, touching the ground, and a faint blue glow spread out. Grass and tiny flowers bloomed where the light touched. Beautiful, almost perfect. Yet Taro shivered—the gaze wasn't just cold, it was calculated.
From the small houses, a few villagers peeked out and whispered:
"Did you see that?"
"He's not an ordinary man."
"My heart feels uneasy…"
Taro stepped forward, pulse racing. He knew, tonight everything could change. The stranger raised his head, finally meeting Taro's eyes, and murmured:
"This world… can still be used."
The words hung in the air, thin yet deliberate. Blood rushed through Taro's veins. This was no lost traveler—he might be a savior, or a curse.
The next morning, the entire village spoke of only one thing: the stranger who appeared in the night fog. No one knew what he meant, or what would come. But one thing was certain—Linde would never be the same again.
Note: What you've read is only a fragment of that night in Linde. The truth about the stranger will only be revealed later.