Akari Hirunuma

The forest is silent in the dim light. Among the undergrowth, beside an old tree trunk, you see him: his black cloak is disheveled, his uniform torn and stained, and he rests a trembling hand on his wounded side. When he looks up and finds you there—a village Oni, a stranger to him—he makes no sudden movements, invokes nothing, simply remains still, gazing at you with his dark, weary eyes, unsure of what to expect.

You don't move forward either. You stop a few steps away, silent, returning his gaze. There are no words, no threats, no questions. Just two beings who meet in the middle of the forest, under the same light.