It's not the scream that haunts you. It's the silence that follows it."
— Unknown Soldier of the Verdant Bloom War
**
The road west was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the birds kept their distance. The wind that once carried the scent of pine now smelled of ash and something sour — like old blood.
Venshiro walked beside Rin, the weight of everything he'd learned pressing on his back like a full pack. His steps were heavy. His sword — the Black Vein — swung lightly at his side, but he could still feel it pulsing, like a second heart.
They hadn't spoken in a while. Not since they left the Seer's village.
Every word now felt like it might tip something over.
"Hey," Rin finally said, breaking the silence. "Still with me?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
"Thinking can be dangerous. Especially with a cursed blade whispering in your bones."
Venshiro gave a dry smile. "It hasn't whispered since we left."
"That's what worries me."
They continued down the dirt path. Trees lined the road like old, tired guards. Shadows danced between their branches, long and slow.
"Do you believe her?" he asked. "The Seer."
"Yes," Rin replied. "She's one of the last who can still read the Veins."
"Do you think I really have Crimson blood?"
Rin stopped walking. She turned to face him fully, her mask catching a sliver of sunlight.
"I think you already know the answer," she said. "You're not normal. Not even close."
He looked down at his hands — hands that once helped his father build lanterns, now stained with something darker.
"Before… I just wanted to protect my village. That's all."
"I know," Rin said softly. "But the world doesn't care what we want. It pulls us where we're needed."
They started walking again. The trees grew thicker, the shadows deeper. The road split at a crumbling stone marker, barely readable.
"This way," Rin said, taking the left path.
"Where are we going?" Venshiro asked.
"Old outpost. Abandoned after the last Moonshade war. It's a good place to rest."
The wind changed again. Venshiro stopped.
He sniffed the air.
"Smoke," he said.
Rin was already drawing her short blade. "And not from a chimney."
They moved faster now, their steps careful, quiet.
Soon, the road opened into a clearing. There, just beyond a small hill, smoke rose from a broken wooden tower.
"Stay behind me," Rin said.
But Venshiro stepped forward.
"No. I can help."
She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Just stay sharp."
They crept closer. The old outpost was a ruin — stone walls cracked, gates fallen. The fire burned low, but fresh. Someone had been here recently.
Rin hid in silence. They stepped into the ruins, eyes scanning every shadow.
Then — movement.
A figure dashed behind a wall. Another ducked under broken wood.
"Two," Rin whispered. "Maybe three."
Venshiro gripped the Black Vein. His heartbeat quickened — not from fear, but something else. The sword was waking.
"I'll go left," Rin said. "You go straight. Don't fight unless you have to."
He nodded.
The ruins were still. Dust floated in sunbeams, and the air felt thick — like it was waiting.
Venshiro stepped over fallen stone, breath steady. A soft crunch came from behind a pillar.
He turned the corner — and froze.
A child.
Dirty, wide-eyed, holding a knife too big for their hands.
They looked at each other for a long moment.
"I'm not here to hurt you," Venshiro said gently.
The child said nothing.
Another figure appeared behind the child — a woman, thin and pale, holding a staff carved with strange marks.
Rin appeared behind her in a flash, blade to the girl's throat.
"No sudden moves," she said.
The girl raised her hands. "We don't want trouble."
"Then why are you hiding?" Rin asked.
"Because Moonshade scouts came through yesterday. Burned a village. We ran."
Venshiro lowered his sword.
"Where are you from?" he asked.
The girl looked at him. "Midoriha. Verdant Bloom."
One of the six clans.
Rin slowly lowered her blade. "What's your name?
"Hana" the girl said. "And this is my brother Surado."
The boy looked no older than eight.
Rin sighed. "We're not your enemies. We're just passing through."
"Then you should pass quickly," Hana said. "This place is watched. By shadows."
Venshiro narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Hana hesitated. "I saw one. Last night. Tall. Wearing a mask like yours."
She looked at Rin.
Rin frowned.
"Did it speak?"
"No. Just stared. Then vanished."
Rin exchanged a glance with Venshiro.
"We need to move," she said. "Tonight."
They helped Hana and her brother gather what little they had.
As dusk fell, they sat around the low fire, sharing a small meal.
Venshiro watched the flames. "Do you think they're following me?"
Rin didn't answer right away. Then: "I think they're following your blood."
The Black Vein pulsed once.
The boy looked at Venshiro with wide eyes. "Are you a warrior?"
Venshiro gave a weak smile. "I don't know what I am."
The boy nodded. "You look strong."
Rin chuckled. "He doesn't sleep, eats too fast, and talks to his sword. He's definitely something."
Venshiro rolled his eyes. "Thanks."
The fire cracked. The wind picked up.
Minutes passed. Then, with the kind of hesitance that meant the question had been chewing at him for a while, Venshiro spoke.
"Can I ask something?"
Rin didn't look up. "You can ask anything. Doesn't mean I'll answer."
He smirked, but it faded fast. "The Midoriha clan… what are they like?"
That made her pause.
"They're the Clan of Verdant Bloom," she said slowly, turning a stick in the fire. Sparks flicked upward. "The land they live on is the most fertile in Tsugikami. Everything grows there — trees that bloom all year, rivers that run clear and never freeze. It's said even their dead are buried in flowering groves."
Hana nodded with little smile.
"Sounds peaceful," he said.
Rin tilted . "It is. On the surface. But no clan stays untouched. Especially not them."
Venshiro in tensed face "What do you mean?"
"The Midoriha are healers," she continued. "They understand life. Roots. Blood. They say their Vein Roots are closest to the Source — the flow of the world beneath the world. Some of them can repair flesh with a touch. Isn't that right Hana?"
Hana with shame face "mm y-yes you are right"
He looked at her. "That sounds like a gift."
"It is. And a curse. The world always takes something back."Rin said
The fire crackled between them.
"You've been there?" Hana asked Rin.
Rin nodded. "A long time ago. I met someone there who saved my life."
He looked into the flames. "Do you think they'd know about me?"
"Maybe," she said. "If anyone could read your Root, it's someone from Midoriha. But getting there won't be easy. They don't trust outsiders anymore."
"Why not?"
Rin's fingers tightened around her mask.
"Because the last outsider brought them fire."
They didn't speak after that for a while. The fire between them warmed their hands, but not much else. Outside, wind scraped against the walls like old claws.
Venshiro layed back, staring at the stars. "Smoke in the wind," he murmured.
Rin glanced at him. "What?"
"That's what this feels like. Everything. Like I'm chasing smoke in the wind. And every time I think I'm close, it just... slips away."
She looked at him for a long moment. "It'll stop slipping once you burn."
Venshiro looked over, confused. She didn't explain. Just pulled her cloak tighter and closed her eyes.
As Venshiro was laying , the flames painted shadows across his thoughts. Somewhere inside him, the Black Vein whispered again — not words this time, but feeling…
Suddenly …the woods beyond, a single sound echoed.
A bell. Soft. Distant.
Hana went pale.
"They're here," she whispered.
Venshiro stood.
The time for silence had ended.