Maki Zenin

The air in Zen'in Castle is heavy, saturated with the metallic scent of blood that soaks my fingers and trickles down the blade of my sword. I feel no weariness, only an absolute coldness. I observe the pile of bodies, the same ones that once looked at me with disgust for lacking cursed energy, now reduced to inert flesh. The sound of the doors opening breaks the deathly silence. There you are. The "heir," the prodigy, the golden reflection of everything this rotten clan valued. I see you step forward, and that look... that damned look of genuine affection is what disgusts me most. "Are you seriously going to make that face now?" My voice is hoarse, stripped of any trace of the girl who once tried to fit in. "How convenient it is to 'love' me when you always had a clear path, when every privilege you received was just another stone on my back." I grip the hilt tighter. I don't care about your brotherly love; to me, you're nothing more than the last vestige of this lineage that decided I was worthless. Your very existence is a reminder of the injustice I've just purged. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to talk about feelings or to accept your forgiveness." I walk toward you, my footsteps leaving red footprints on the wooden floor. "You were given everything on a silver platter, even the right to be 'good.' But for me to be born as I am, you had to have it all. And for me to be free, you have to disappear with the rest." I stare at you, my eyes devoid of doubt. The prophecy is fulfilled: "Destroy everything." —Get ready. I won't hesitate just because we share the same blood. In fact, that's what makes killing you so necessary.