The night wind brushed against the wildflowers growing around the old stone walls. A sweet fragrance lingered in the air.
Two guards stood before the outer gate of the castle. Their cloaks were heavy, their eyes weary. One of them leaned against the stone wall.
"I'm going to propose to Aiko after this shift ends," said the first guard, his voice nearly drowned by the rustling leaves.
The other turned and chuckled softly. "Finally. I thought you'd wait until we went bald."
Behind the pillar, something moved. A shadow, fast and nearly silent.
One body fell. His neck was slit, eyes wide in shock that never had time to become a scream.
"Kenji?!" The second guard turned. His breath caught. Where...?
His trembling hand reached for the hilt of his sword—too late. A woman stepped from the darkness. Akane Kurohana. Fresh blood still dripped from her blade.
"Where is that woman's room?" Her voice was flat, but more threatening than any beast's roar.
The guard couldn't answer. But his eyes flicked toward the highest part of the fortress-like building in front of them—that was more than enough for Akane to find her answer.
Akane sent the guard to follow his friend—to the afterlife.
She stepped into the castle. The corridors inside twisted like a labyrinth. Dim lanterns flickered, fighting against the dark. The deeper Akane went, the more the stone walls were covered in moss and crawling vines. Strange flowers bloomed there, their petals slowly opening—watching.
Akane walked fast, but each step felt heavier. There was a mist in the air. Subtle. Fragrant.
Wrong.
Akane stopped.
Before her was no longer a corridor but a vast chamber with a ceiling lost in darkness. The wooden floor had turned into a field of living pink blossoms, fragrant and alive.
Despite the confusion, Akane Kurohana stood firm. Her breathing was heavy. Her short katana was gripped tightly in her right hand, fingers white from the pressure.
Across from her, a figure floated gently in a white veil, as if dancing among the petals. Seina. Akane's target. The woman who had destroyed everything.
"Seina...!" Akane's voice cracked with hatred. "You slaughtered my clan. Today, I'll repay it all—with your blood."
Seina only offered a faint smile. A smile devoid of pity. The steel folding fan in her hand opened slowly. "You're too late, Akane. You're already in my world."
With a wave, petals spun into the air. The wind carried them into a soft whirlwind. Their scent filled the space—too sweet.
Suddenly, vines erupted from the ground, trying to ensnare her. Akane jumped to dodge them.
"Genjutsu..." she muttered.
But on landing, one vine grabbed her ankle, followed by more. Akane was trapped, struggling in vain. The vines pulled her down into the earth.
She realized none of this was real.
Akane bit her lip until salty blood filled her mouth—pain enough to shatter the illusion.
The vines, the sky, and the flower field crumbled away.
Only Seina remained, standing at the far end of the room, her smile fading slightly.
"I won't fall for your genjutsu," Akane said, blood dripping from her chin, her gaze sharper than ever.
Akane didn't wait. Her body surged forward, short katana aimed straight for Seina's heart. All her rage, all her grief, channeled into one deadly thrust.
Seina didn't flinch. With a graceful yet powerful motion, she deflected the attack with her steel folding fan hidden in her veil. The clash of metal rang through the air, and Akane was flung aside like a doll in the wind.
Before she could rise, Seina leapt into the air. A single sweep of her steel folding fan released a soft gray powder. It whirled around Akane in a slow, lethal spiral.
Akane jumped to escape its reach—but too late.
She coughed. Her breath caught. Her body weakened. Knees buckled, and she fell.
From the mist, Seina's voice came like a cold whisper.
"I realized... illusion poison doesn't work on you," she murmured. "So this time, I used something real. A neurotoxin. Fast and merciless."
Akane's hands trembled as she tried to hold herself upright. She forced her body to respond—but no strength came. Her entire system was numbed, as though choked from within.
Seina approached calmly, her steel folding fan closed. She stood over Akane's kneeling form, then kicked her in the chest. Akane flew back, tumbling helplessly. Her katana skidded across the floor.
"Such a shame..." Seina said, stepping closer, graceful but deadly. "You came all this way—only to die by my hand."
She knelt beside Akane, her eyes cold and devoid of mercy. From her white kimono, she drew a thin tanto—its blade gleaming faintly in the dim light.
"You'll be paralyzed and dead in minutes," she said flatly. "But I'll speed it up... for you."
The blade hovered over Akane's chest.
"Fuh..." A soft hiss escaped Akane's lips—not a final breath, but fury restrained. "The same applies to you, doesn't it?"
Before Seina could strike, Akane used her last strength to move. Her motion was imperfect but enough to catch Seina off guard. She lunged, grappling Seina and dragging her down.
They struggled briefly. Seina swung her tanto, but Akane had already snatched something from her kimono—a small vial of bluish-purple liquid. Without hesitation, Akane bit off the cap and drank.
The taste was bitter, metallic, and piercing. But the effect was immediate. The numbness began to fade, her fingers regained sensation, and breath came easier. Her knees no longer trembled.
Seina tried to rise, but Akane stood first. Her eyes were sharp again, her voice steadier.
"You've been using mist and powder to spread your poison," she said. "It's effective. But it has a major flaw—you're exposed too."
Akane walked toward her fallen katana and picked it up with a steady hand.
"So you must've taken the antidote before and after the fight. But now, it's over."
Seina flinched, though her face stayed calm. But inside, she knew—Akane was right. Airborne poison spares no one. Even her well-trained body couldn't resist accumulation.
"I commend you, Akane. Your deduction is sharp. But not entirely true," Seina said, approaching, tanto gleaming dimly. "I've worked with poison for years. My body has resistance. Based on dosage, I have ten minutes before it affects me."
She crouched slightly, taking her stance. "So let's make those ten minutes count. I'll kill you in three, then take back the antidote. Or... you kill me first."
Akane raised her katana, eyes cold and focused. "That's what I want."
Two shadows dashed forward.
Katana and tanto clashed. Steel rang in the air, sparks flying with each deadly exchange. Akane slashed swiftly; Seina blocked with her sheathed tanto and countered. Akane spun away.
Suddenly, Seina struck with a second hidden tanto. Akane hadn't seen it.
"Damn... I can't see it..." She cursed.
Slash!
Slash!
Two wounds opened—one on her abdomen, another on her arm. Blood poured out.
"You refused to die from my poison," said Seina, closing in. "So now you'll die from my blade instead."
"Not yet," Akane replied.
Akane strikes again, aiming from the right. Seina dodged left—right into her trap.
From the left, Akane's free hand threw a kunai—straight at Seina's neck.
Thud!
The kunai pierced flesh. Seina's throat tore open, blood spraying like a blooming flower in dark red. She staggered, clutching the wound, futile. Akane was already in front of her.
With one final move, Akane's short katana plunged into Seina's chest—straight into her heart.
Seina's body went limp. Her eyes froze. Her final breath escaped into the wind that carried the last remnants of poisoned mist.
Akane dropped to the ground—not from exhaustion.
but because everything was over.
Her vengeance was fulfilled. All that remained was the emptiness in her chest—gaping, silent, voiceless. Victory was real, but it left nothing behind. Akane closed her eyes—not to sleep, but to be still. Not from peace, but because there was nothing left to say.