The dead man remained on the floor.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Rainwater dripped through the broken roof.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Musha stood beside Hana, one hand wrapped around her wounded arm.
Blood had soaked through her sleeve.
But she barely noticed.
Her attention was fixed on Katsurane.
"Something your mother died trying to protect."
His words kept repeating inside her.
Died.
Musha swallowed.
"My mother."
Katsurane didn't answer.
"You said she died protecting something."
"I did."
"What?"
His silence returned.
Musha's jaw tightened.
"You always do this."
Katsurane looked at her.
"Do what?"
"Tell me half the truth and expect me to be grateful."
Hana lowered her head.
"Musha…"
"No."
Musha pulled her hand away from Hana.
"I want answers."
Katsurane's expression remained unreadable.
"Not here."
"Then where?"
He glanced at the broken walls.
"Somewhere private."
Musha heard something beneath his words.
Not hesitation.
Fear.
She turned toward the dead warrior.
"There's still someone alive."
Katsurane froze.
Hana stared at her.
"What?"
Musha tilted her head.
"Behind the blacksmith's shop."
Katsurane listened.
At first, he heard nothing.
Then—
A faint groan.
His expression changed.
"Stay here."
Musha shook her head.
"No."
"Musha."
"I heard him."
"He could be dangerous."
"He's already hurt."
Katsurane stepped closer.
"You don't understand what these people are."
Musha's voice became quiet.
"Then explain."
He didn't.
Musha turned away from him.
"That's what I thought."
She began walking.
Hana caught her hand.
"Please."
Musha stopped.
Hana's voice trembled.
"Don't go."
Musha softened.
"I'll come back."
Hana squeezed her fingers.
"You don't know that."
Musha didn't answer.
Because she didn't.
They found him beneath the collapsed awning behind the blacksmith's shop.
His breathing was shallow.
His mask was cracked.
One hand pressed against his side.
Blood had soaked his clothes.
Katsurane approached with his sword drawn.
The man immediately reached for his weapon.
Katsurane kicked it away.
"Don't."
The warrior laughed weakly.
"You're still fast."
Katsurane's eyes narrowed.
"You know me."
The man smiled.
"I know what you were."
Musha stopped.
"What was he?"
The warrior looked toward her.
His eyes widened.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he whispered:
"Her face."
Musha frowned.
"What?"
"Your eyes…"
His voice became quieter.
"Same eyes as Aiko."
Musha's breath caught.
"My mother."
The warrior looked at Katsurane.
"You never told her?"
Katsurane's voice became cold.
"You're going to tell her now."
The man laughed.
"You think you can command me?"
Katsurane leaned closer.
"Yes."
The warrior swallowed.
His confidence disappeared.
Musha stepped forward.
"Did you know my mother?"
The man looked at her.
"Yes."
Musha's heart hammered.
"What was she like?"
He seemed surprised by the question.
"A queen."
Musha waited.
"That's all?"
The man smiled faintly.
"No."
His gaze drifted toward the mountains.
"She was stubborn."
Musha almost smiled.
"That sounds like her."
"You never knew her."
"No."
The man's expression softened.
"But I remember her voice."
Musha's fingers tightened around her staff.
"What happened to her?"
The man didn't answer.
"What happened to my mother?"
His breathing became slower.
"She came to the mountain."
"I know."
"She was looking for something."
"I know."
His eyes sharpened.
"You know nothing."
Musha stiffened.
"What was she looking for?"
The man looked toward her.
"You."
Silence.
Musha shook her head.
"No."
"Yes."
"I was inside her."
"Exactly."
His voice dropped.
"She wasn't searching for something to give you."
He paused.
"She was searching for something that had already chosen you."
Musha's chest tightened.
"What does that mean?"
The warrior looked at her palm.
The white mark had returned.
He flinched.
"That."
Musha looked down.
The mark pulsed faintly.
The warrior whispered:
"The White Shadow."
Katsurane stepped forward.
"Don't say that name."
The man laughed.
"Why?"
Katsurane's expression hardened.
"You know why."
Musha turned toward him.
"You knew."
Katsurane didn't answer.
"You knew what it was called."
Still nothing.
"You knew my mother was looking for it."
Silence.
Musha's voice broke.
"You knew."
Katsurane lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
The word landed harder than any sword.
Musha stepped backward.
"How long?"
Katsurane didn't answer.
"How long have you known?"
"Since the night you were born."
Musha stopped breathing.
Hana closed her eyes.
The injured warrior smiled bitterly.
"There it is."
Musha turned toward him.
"What happened the night I was born?"
The warrior stared at her.
"You don't remember?"
"No."
"Of course not."
His voice became almost gentle.
"You were a baby."
Musha's fingers tightened around her staff.
"Then tell me."
The man hesitated.
"Your mother was dying."
Musha's face went pale.
"She had already lost too much blood."
Katsurane looked away.
"But she wouldn't let anyone take you."
"Why?"
"Because they wanted you dead."
Musha's heart stopped.
"Who?"
The warrior didn't answer.
"Who wanted me dead?"
He looked at Katsurane.
"Tell her."
Katsurane's jaw tightened.
The warrior continued.
"She was holding you when they came."
Musha's breathing became uneven.
"Who came?"
"Men from the Crimson Shadows."
The name seemed to make the air colder.
"They believed you were dangerous."
Musha whispered:
"I was a baby."
"They weren't afraid of the baby."
His eyes fixed on hers.
"They were afraid of what you would become."
Musha couldn't speak.
The mountain trembled faintly in the distance.
Thum.
The warrior's face changed.
He heard it too.
"You shouldn't be hearing that yet."
Musha frowned.
"What?"
He looked at her.
"The mountain."
Musha's pulse quickened.
"You hear it?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you say yet?"
The man said nothing.
Musha stepped closer.
"Answer me."
His eyes dropped to her hand.
"The seal is breaking."
Katsurane's sword was suddenly at his throat.
"Enough."
The warrior laughed.
"You can't stop it forever."
Katsurane's voice became dangerously quiet.
"I don't need forever."
"You promised Aiko."
Katsurane froze.
Musha heard it.
The smallest change in his breathing.
"You knew my mother."
Katsurane said nothing.
"You promised her something."
Still nothing.
"What did you promise her?"
The warrior answered for him.
"He promised to keep you hidden."
Musha turned toward Katsurane.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Katsurane's eyes closed.
"Because your mother asked me to."
"Why did she trust you?"
A long silence.
Then Katsurane said:
"Because I failed her once."
Musha's face softened for the first time.
"What happened?"
"I couldn't save her."
The words were barely audible.
Musha took a step closer.
"Did you see her die?"
Katsurane's hand tightened around his sword.
"No."
"Then how do you know she's dead?"
He looked at Musha.
And for the first time, she saw something break inside him.
"She gave me one command."
"What?"
"Take you away."
"Where?"
"Anywhere."
Katsurane looked toward the mountain.
"Anywhere the Shadow couldn't find you."
Musha swallowed.
"But it found me anyway."
Katsurane didn't answer.
The warrior began laughing.
Quietly at first.
Then harder.
"You still don't understand."
Musha turned toward him.
"Understand what?"
The man's laughter stopped.
His expression became serious.
"You think they're hunting you because you're Aiko's daughter."
Musha frowned.
"They aren't?"
"No."
"Then why?"
The man stared directly at her.
"Because you're the White Shadow."
Musha's heart pounded.
"What does that mean?"
The warrior leaned closer.
His voice became a whisper.
"It means the thing beneath the mountain…"
He looked toward the Sacred Mountain.
"…knows you better than your mother ever did."
Musha froze.
Then the mountain pulsed.
THUM.
The warrior's face drained of color.
A voice slipped through Musha's mind.
Don't listen to him.
Musha's breath caught.
She looked around.
Nobody reacted.
Only her.
The voice continued.
He remembers fear.
Musha whispered:
"Who are you?"
The warrior stared at her.
"What?"
Musha wasn't looking at him anymore.
She was listening.
"Not you."
The air seemed to grow colder.
The voice answered.
Someone who remembers.
Musha's fingers tightened around her pendant.
"Aiko?"
Silence.
Then—
No.
Musha's heart dropped.
The voice whispered:
But she remembered me.
Musha's knees nearly gave way.
"What are you?"
The voice didn't answer.
Instead—
A memory exploded inside her mind.
Aiko.
Blood on her hands.
A newborn crying.
Katsurane standing nearby.
Smoke filling the room.
Aiko clutching baby Musha against her chest.
Then a voice.
Not Aiko.
Not human.
"Give her to us."
Aiko screamed.
"Never."
The memory shattered.
Musha gasped and dropped to one knee.
Hana rushed toward her.
"Musha!"
Katsurane grabbed her shoulders.
"What did you see?"
Musha looked up at him.
"You were there."
Katsurane went still.
"When I was born."
He said nothing.
"You were there."
"Yes."
"You heard them."
"Yes."
"You knew they wanted me dead."
"Yes."
Musha's voice trembled.
"And my mother still trusted you."
Katsurane's eyes glistened.
"Yes."
Musha looked toward the mountain.
Then back at him.
"Why?"
Katsurane didn't answer.
The injured warrior did.
"Because she knew something."
Musha turned.
"What?"
He smiled weakly.
"She knew you weren't the thing they feared."
Musha's breathing slowed.
"Then what were they afraid of?"
The man's smile disappeared.
"Your anger."
Musha frowned.
"What?"
"The White Shadow changes."
Katsurane's eyes sharpened.
The warrior continued.
"White when you're calm."
He looked at Musha's palm.
"And something else…"
His voice trembled.
"…when you're angry."
Musha remembered the darkness creeping through the white light.
She remembered the feeling.
Something inside her had moved.
Something hungry.
The warrior whispered:
"Don't let it wake."
Musha stared at him.
"Why?"
He looked toward the mountain.
"Because if it does…"
The earth trembled.
THUM.
His eyes widened.
"…it won't be the mountain coming for you."
Another pulse.
THUM.
Musha's heart began racing.
The warrior whispered:
"It will be you going to the mountain."
His body suddenly went limp.
Katsurane checked his pulse.
"He's unconscious."
Musha stood slowly.
She turned toward the Sacred Mountain.
Something was calling her.
Not loudly.
Not urgently.
Patiently.
Waiting.
She closed her hand around her pendant.
"Katsurane."
"Yes?"
"I want the truth."
He looked at her.
"All of it."
Katsurane stared at the mountain.
Then at the blood on Musha's sleeve.
Finally, he said:
"Then you need to know what happened the night you were born."
Musha waited.
Katsurane's expression darkened.
"But not here."
"Why?"
His eyes shifted toward the forest.
"Because we're not alone."
Musha listened.
At first, she heard only wind.
Then—
A branch snapped.
Far beyond the village.
One footstep.
Then another.
Someone was walking through the trees.
Slowly.
Coming closer.
Musha's face tightened.
"Katsurane…"
"I know."
The footsteps stopped.
A voice drifted from the forest.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Familiar.
Impossible.
"Musha."
Musha stopped breathing.
Katsurane drew his sword.
Hana covered her mouth.
Musha whispered:
"Mother?"
The forest gave no answer.
Then the voice came again.
Closer this time.
"Come home."
And somewhere beneath the mountain—
Something laughed.