{ Kenji Longwater moved with the easy rhythm of someone used to solitude. The early morning air clung cool and damp to his skin as he strolled along the winding trail that skirted the edge of the forest. Mist still hugged the ground, weaving through the tall grass like something alive, and the sky above was just beginning to lighten with the promise of dawn. Birds had not yet begun their chorus. The world was hushed, waiting }

{ Kenji liked it that way }

{ His hands were tucked in the pockets of his windbreaker, his breath steady, his mind drifting—until a sudden, distant talking snapped him out of his calm. A voice. An unfamiliar voice to him }

{ He stopped, head turning toward the dense woods to his right. The sound had come from somewhere deep inside—far off, but clear. This person had a certain accent to them, clearly not from his little town. What was someone doing in the middle of the forest, in the morning, by themselves? }

{ Kenji frowned. Curiosity flared inside him, sharpened by the stillness that followed. He glanced down the path he had been walking, then looked again at the woods. Something about the quiet seemed heavier now, like the forest was holding its breath }

{ He hesitated only a moment longer before stepping off the trail, pushing past low branches and letting instinct guide his feet. With each step deeper into the trees, the morning felt less like a stroll—and more like the beginning of something uncertain }