The days passed, and Akiko's unease grew. She found herself increasingly aware of how quiet the village had become. The once lively streets now seemed eerily still, with only the occasional villager passing by. Something was off.
It was during one of her usual walks around the village that Akiko came across something unusual. At the edge of the village, near the woods, there stood a figure. A man, cloaked in tattered robes, his face obscured by a hood. He didn't belong here. No one had seen him arrive, and yet, there he stood, as though waiting for something.
Akiko's instincts kicked in, and she approached cautiously, keeping her distance at first. "Who are you?" she called out.
The man didn't move, but his voice reached her clear and calm. "I've been waiting for you, Akiko."
Akiko froze. How did he know her name? "Who are you?" she repeated, more firmly this time, but the stranger remained silent.
"I know what you've been looking for," the man said finally, turning his head slightly to reveal only the faintest glint of his eyes. "The answers you seek... they are here."
Akiko's heart raced as she stepped back. "What do you mean?"
"The village," the man continued, "isn't what it seems. The truth behind its origins lies buried in the land. And you, Akiko, have a role to play in unlocking it."
Akiko took a deep breath. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The man's lips curled into a ghost of a smile. "You will soon. The darkness you feel is real. It's been waiting for you."
With that, the figure turned and disappeared into the woods, his footsteps silent, as though he had never been there at all.
Akiko stood in stunned silence, her mind racing. What did he mean by all that? Was there really something dark hidden in the village? Was she truly destined to play a part in whatever was coming?
She turned back to the village, a sense of dread settling in her chest. Whatever lay ahead, she knew now that it was closer than she had thought.