Now that the sun has dropped from the horizon, the cicadas chirped in the fields and fireflies started to light up the fields. The forest standing tall and wide in the fields, the Shinto Shrine gates connected the town of Nintai with its inner workings. Through the twists and turns in the tall trees that seem to stretch up to the sky, lies an unnamed shrine. Despite how humble and small it is, it is well-kept and is well known among Nintai and is respected among the people.
A girl wearing a traditional Miko outfit walked towards the main house next to the shrine carrying a lantern and a broom. It was clear that day that she was there since the afternoon cleaning the area as the shrine was neat and tidy. Closing the door behind her as she entered the house, she hung the lantern around the broom, placed them against the wall and took off her shoes.
The house wasn’t big, only consisting of a single floor, the main door connecting to the living room and bathroom and two open door frames leading to a bedroom and a kitchen.
A small sigh escaped the girl's lips before she walked into the bedroom where a male with pink-tinted brown locks in a futon, his skin pale from illness. Kneeling next to the male, the girl lifted the damp towel from his forehead and sprinted to the bathroom to resoak it into cool water. After dashing back to the male, she placed the towel back onto his forehead with a worried look on her face.
"Please get well, brother."
---
Some years have passed and Nintai was filled with travelling adventurers and residents alike. Since the years that have passed, the air has been more uplifting and lively. Away from the bustling streets was the male from the nameless shrine, quiet yet poised as he walked around the shrine. It's been nearly a year since the current mind has been reincarnated into the current body. Apparently, he was Masahiko Miyamoto, the heir of the nameless shrine and the older brother of Masako Miyamoto.
As much as he appreciates a new life, he couldn't handle the responsibilities of being an heir of any kind. Passing the role of the next heir to Masako, he was able to get a medicine job in an adventuring guild. Enjoying his freedom from his work and the potential workload from being the heir, Masahiko kept pacing around the shrine after his shift, unaware of what’s to happen next.
A large majority of the day had passed by as the it crawled closer to evening a figure would appear on the horizon. A, somewhat hobbling and large one at that! The day would have some slight surprises for Masako upcoming at a struggled pace. The figure, likely a man wrapped all in various cloth and robe had struggled their way toward the shrine out of distress. The large figure was holding onto their side, were a clear dark stain had formed under their hand. They were bleeding from one wound or another. They needed to get away to safety, and perhaps gain medical attention to spare them.
The frame of the figure as it grew closer would look something akin to an ogre, or some other form of Mogwai to most. The figure stood just over six feet tall, and had a rather wide and likely rotund figure to them as well. While most of them had been covered in foreign robes. One of which resembled a long tunic with various baggy folds, and a large poncho type cape of sorts that had been thrown and tied around into a make shift hood. A style of clothing that looked foreign to the area, and perhaps the era as well. Their burly arms, and some of their legs were revealed while they were running. Showing a dark faded green pigmentation on both, almost a grey in color.
The large figure would managed to to run himself into the shrine grounds, and practically throw himself with the shrubbery. His tunic matching the dirt, and the cloak along with the rest of their body nearly blending in with the leaves. They held onto their wounded side, and tried to steady their breath for the moment. Wanting to hide, or at least find a moment of sanctuary.
Less than a breath or so after, a human figure in western attire and bearing a flag of a western nation came walking along. They wore a soldier's uniform, and seemed armed with a long knife as they stalked about. A grip of fear and tiredness in their eyes. Slowly walking their way toward the shrine, but never going past its gates, or onto is grounds. Still, looking about with a heightened wariness. The soldier, may just slipped past if left alone.
Although the soldier, was definitely looking for someone, or something. They were clearly on edge, and perhaps dangerous.
As he wandered around the shrine, Masahiko looked up to the sky to gaze at the clouds that float around against the light blue sky. It was a relative peaceful day compared to other days where he'd seen worse. As he admired the clouds above, he noticed a flash of movement travelling up the shrine grounds. Concerned and curious about the movement, he paced over near the front of the gates to get a closer look.
The soldier's apperance was a great suprise to Masahiko, as he was not expecting a visitor for a while. The knife that he was holding brought the shrinekeeper to a shock, not expecting for any sort of weaponry to be brought up oblivious to the uniform Backing up to avoid any danger that would oppose him. Masahiko was hesitant if to send the soldier back down, deciding to ask him of his objectives before he made any judgement.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you in need of anything that would bring you up to the shrine?" he'd asked the soldier, his voice grew louder untill he thought that the soldier could hear him. Masahiko had no weapons or equipment that he could defend himself at the moment, even so, Masako would not allow him for any sort of violence in shrine grounds.
The soldier's knife, actually had blood on it. A detail that was a little difficult to notice from its black coating with the dark red upon it. It seemed like he had, used it fairly recently. At least the weapon wasn't turned toward Masahiko as they began to investigate the situation.
The soldier would hear Masahiko, and pause. They raised a brow and would take an extra few seconds to respond. Their voice was halting, and struggling with the pronunciation of the words. They weren't fully fluent in the land's native language, but they could at least understand it.
"I, look for, big... man. Monster, man. He, hurt, friend." The soldier would pause for a moment. Struggling to find the words. "Now, friend is... dry? Like, bean."
