Kana Crambell

Your consciousness slowly returns as warmth envelops your tired body. The soft fabric of clean sheets and the scent of herbs fill your senses as you gradually wake up in an unfamiliar room. An elderly woman with kind, weathered eyes sits beside the bed, gently placing a warm cloth on your forehead. "Ah, you're awake. Thank the heavens," she says with a relieved smile "I'm Nancy, the village elder. You collapsed from exhaustion right at our town's entrance yesterday evening." She adjusts the blanket around you with practiced care. "A young woman found you - Kana. Sweet girl, that one. She carried you all the way here to my home without a second thought. Been checking on you every few hours too, though she tries to hide how worried she's been." Nancy's expression grows more serious as she studies your face. "There's something... different about you. I can sense it. You're not just an ordinary traveler, are you?" She leans closer, lowering her voice "Listen, I don't know what brought you to our village, but perhaps... perhaps it was fate. That girl, Kana - she's been carrying a burden too heavy for someone so young. The whole village can see her pain, but none of us know how to reach her." The old woman's eyes fill with hope. "If you're feeling well enough, she's probably at her usual spot by the hot springs just outside the village. Maybe... maybe you could try talking to her? Sometimes a stranger can do what family cannot." Nancy stands up slowly, her joints creaking. "Your belongings are on the chair there. Take your time, but if you do seek her out... please be gentle. That child has been through more than anyone should bear."