A flawed lineage? Reiji thought, using his katana to support his slightly injured sternum, the blade still dripping with Haruto's blood. The rain swept it away in a beautiful stream, as if cleansing the remnants of the battle.
The man who had stopped the fight was none other than Tatsuo Akigawa, the mentor of Reiji's siblings. His presence was domineering, his aura screaming danger to all who met him—but Reiji knew this man better than most.
When Reiji was born, he was not prepared to face the cruelty of the world. His mother, a beautiful woman capable of inciting wars between nations, despised him. Not because of his actions, but simply because he was her son—and a member of the cursed Kuroshiro clan. Shinjai, the patriarch, had forcefully married her, and her hatred for him extended to the child she bore.
She had come from a noble family, destined for a peaceful life, untouched by the bloody legacy of the Kuroshiro. But Shinjai needed heirs and had carefully chosen her, not just for her beauty, but for the strength of her lineage. At first, she thought she had found her prince charming—until she learned the truth of the Kuroshiro clan's dark history, woven from the blood of enemies and kin alike.
Refusing Shinjai's proposal would have been a death sentence for her and her family. And so, she married him out of fear, not love, shackled to a legacy she despised. Though Shinjai treated her with more affection than his other wives, her hatred for him and the clan only grew. Reiji became a constant reminder of her shattered dreams, and though she pitied the boy, she could never bring herself to love him.
When Reiji became old enough to participate in the Kuroshiro's brutal competition for the title of Patriarch, Shinjai, in a rare moment of affection, offered to exclude him from the bloodshed. His mother, however, was more than happy to see her child die in the endless struggle for power. She sent him to the battlefield without hesitation.
Her affair with a clan elder only worsened the situation. Shinjai's rage upon discovering it led him to kill the elder, though he spared her out of love. But from that moment, his coldness toward Reiji intensified, and the boy was left to fend for himself.
Yet, in the midst of this cruelty, Reiji found one person who showed him what his parents never could—Tatsuo Akigawa. The mentor had taken a liking to him, despite the patriarch's orders. This man, ageless and bound by duty to the Kuroshiro, had witnessed the birth and death of Reiji's grandfather. His loyalty to the clan was unquestionable, but he had a soft spot for the young boy.
That changed when Shinjai found out about their closeness. He ordered Akigawa to stop training Reiji and focus on his other siblings, deepening the boy's sense of abandonment. Reiji's respect for the mentor turned into bitter hatred.
"Why has this clan thrived on blood?" Reiji muttered, his voice a monotonous echo of grief. "Is this true power? Or just another chain binding us to the past?"
The faces of his fallen siblings flashed in his mind, their bodies piling up like discarded trash.
"No need for grief!" Reiji's voice hardened as hatred sparked in his heart. "I will be the last to stand. They will watch as I ascend the throne and take the title destiny knows I deserve."
His breath quickened, the weight of the clan's bloody legacy pressing down on him. "Is being the Patriarch even worth pursuing? What is my purpose if not that? Maybe I fight only to find meaning..."
As his mind raced, Reiji continued walking, his boots sinking into the cold, wet ground. He finally reached the old training grounds—a place long abandoned, where history echoed in the ruins. The mountainous surroundings loomed like silent guardians, while stone pillars, now covered in moss, bore witness to countless battles.
Inside the training ground, the air was damp and filled with the scent of mold. Candles flickered, barely illuminating the vast space, and a large hole in the ceiling revealed the sky above—a scar from a battle too powerful to comprehend. Reiji was always unnerved by the thought of what kind of force could have created such devastation.
At the center stood the blood altar, where the names of the vanquished were inscribed. Reiji had etched the names of his slain siblings into the stone, as was tradition, smearing their blood as a final act of respect.
"The vanquished will always exist in a world ruled by victors," he said, his voice flat. He knelt before the altar, placing his hands on the ground in a meditative stance. "Yuan, converge."
His mind, body, and soul aligned as he began to heal his injuries, using Yuan energy to mend his torn muscles and ruptured veins. He could feel every drop of his own blood, every tear in his flesh, as the energy worked to restore him.
As he neared the completion of his healing, the sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber. Without hesitation, Reiji pulled out a kunai, prepared to defend himself. But it was the same figure who had tossed him like a rag doll earlier—Tatsuo Akigawa.
"Old fart Akigawa," Reiji spat, his voice filled with thinly veiled hatred. "I thought you were forbidden from seeing me. What do you want?"
Akigawa removed his mask, revealing a pale, ashen face that seemed far too young for his age. His demeanor softened, though his aura remained imposing.
"I came to warn you," the mentor said, taking a swig from a bottle of wine. "I've seen countless battles like this. And frankly, I'm tired of them. You should get your plans in order, Reiji. Whether you're running or fighting, make sure you've calculated everything."
Reiji sneered, his eyes narrowing. "Don't pretend you care. You abandoned me long ago. I survived on my own, and it will be no different now."
Akigawa sighed, his gaze heavy with concern. "You're out of cards, boy. No mentor, no spirit—your siblings have all the advantages. And they are plotting against you. You think you can defy fate? Blood has always been our answer. You can't change that."
Reiji's voice grew cold again. "The past is what's killing us. The moment you give up is the moment you die."
Akigawa froze, a shadow crossing his face. "Beware, Reiji. The fallen are watching. And they will destroy you if you're not careful."
As the mentor vanished into the distance, Reiji's gaze fell on the blood altar once more. A chilling sensation crept up his spine, as though unseen eyes were watching him. For a brief moment, he saw a group of figures his fallen siblings, staring at him from the shadows.
"Could it be...?" Reiji whispered, his pupils dilating in shock. "No... it can't be!"