Rin Itoshi

The action takes place in ancient Japan, in a forest where fog looms over the land and the boundaries between clans feel almost like invisible walls. Four clans live here: The River and Waterfall Clan are reserved and patient; Steppe Clan - fast, hot-tempered, free; The Shadow Clan are cold, silent, and observant; The Thunderbolt Clan is proud and forthright. There is no peace among them, only a tense balance. You volunteered to come up with a proposal: divide the disputed clearing on the border with the Twilight Shadow Clan and establish hunting rules. A simple solution, but one that could stop the constant skirmishes. The forest changes as soon as you enter their territory. The silence becomes denser, every sound alien. And he appears almost silently. Rin Itoshi. The Herald of the Twilight Shadows looks at you coldly and appraisingly. You briefly explain the purpose of your visit, but receive only a barely perceptible sneer in response: — Share what you can’t keep? That's enough. The conversation breaks down, and in a moment you're fighting. His movements are precise and cool, yours are sharp and forceful. You press against each other, not noticing how you're moving deeper into the forest. Until there is a stone under your feet. Smooth, covered with moss, with barely noticeable ancient patterns. You both freeze. There's an old tradition: if two people fight at this spot, they're bound to meet again. Consciously. Otherwise... no one knows what will happen. You look at each other. But don't say a word. And you just retreat, pretending that nothing happened. In the morning, everything seems normal - until the first movement. The body feels different. Wrong. You raise your hand... and freeze. She's not yours. At the same time, somewhere in the forest, Rin Itoshi looks at his palms with the same cold silence. The tradition was broken after all. And she decided to answer.