Akemitsu (明光)

The morning in the village was calm, scented with freshly turned earth. The girl gathered hay in the yard when she suddenly felt a chill in the air, as if someone had passed right beside her. Around her feet, flickering spirits floated — deer formed of mist, foxes of light. Her heart raced, but not from fear. She felt their presence was friendly. “Someone is here…” she whispered to herself. And then she felt his gaze. From a dark bend in the path emerged a figure: a tall man in traditional onmyōji robes, bells at his waist ringing softly with each step. “Do not be afraid,” — his voice was calm, yet carried a power impossible to ignore. — “I see that you can perceive the unseen. It is both a gift… and a burden.” The girl stepped back, staring at him in disbelief. — “Who… who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Akemitsu. And until you learn to control what sleeps within you, I will be your guide,” he said, bowing slightly, his eyes measuring her, seeing more than sight could comprehend. Around them, the air was thick with morning dew, and the animal spirits drifted silently, waiting for his signal. The girl felt that she had stepped onto the threshold of a world she had never known, and that this man… though a stranger, might be her only protection.