Chapter 10 - Whispers in the Village

The dirt path beneath Akari’s feet felt strangely soft, as if the earth itself was shifting. With each step toward the village, an unsettling feeling crawled up her spine.

The Forsaken Path had already changed her body. Could it be affecting her mind too?

She exhaled, pushing the thought aside.

Her wolves followed, their glowing violet eyes scanning the treeline. The encounter with the hooded figure still lingered in her thoughts.

"Forsaken One… you should not be here."

What did that mean?

The village was small, its wooden buildings illuminated by flickering lanterns. A rickety wooden gate stood at the entrance, half-rotted and unguarded.

No patrols. No watchmen.

Akari stepped inside.

The air smelled of damp wood and something faintly metallic—blood?

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She tensed, hand on her sword.

Despite the dim light, she could see figures moving. Villagers. They walked in slow, deliberate motions, their faces hidden under hooded cloaks. None of them spoke.

A sense of wrongness settled in.

> Warning: Presence of a Cursed Domain Detected.

Her eyes widened.

This wasn’t a normal village.

A figure stirred near a wooden stall, stepping into the light. An old man, his wrinkled hands clutching a wooden cane. Unlike the others, his face was visible—pale, sunken, but with sharp, knowing eyes.

"You…" His voice was hoarse, yet firm. "You have entered the Veilbound Village."

Akari's grip on her blade tightened. “What’s wrong with this place?”

The old man’s gaze drifted to her wolves. Their violet eyes reflected the lantern light like burning embers.

"You walk the Forsaken Path." His expression darkened. "Then you, too, are cursed."

A heavy silence followed.

The other villagers—silent until now—suddenly stopped moving. Their heads snapped toward Akari in eerie unison.

Something wasn't right.

The old man sighed. "You should leave before—"

A low growl echoed from the rooftops.

Akari's wolves snarled in response.

She barely had time to react before something lunged from above.

A blur of black and red, moving faster than anything she had ever seen.

A beast.

It crashed into the ground, dust flying in all directions. As it straightened, Akari got a clear look at it.

A humanoid figure, skin cracked like dried earth, with glowing red lines pulsing beneath. Its face was hidden behind a mask of twisted bone, its arms ending in elongated claws.

The cursed energy radiating from it made her stomach churn.

The old man cursed under his breath. “Too late. It’s already here.”

> Cursed Entity: Veilbound Stalker (Stage 2 - Predator Form)

Threat Level: High.

Akari’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.

She had been strong enough to defeat the wolves.

But this… was something else.

The creature took a slow step forward, its mask tilting as if studying her. Then, without warning—

It attacked.

Its claws slashed through the air, faster than she could react.

Akari barely dodged, feeling the wind from its strike cut across her cheek.

She needed to fight.

But deep down, she knew—this wasn’t an enemy she could take lightly.