Chapter 14- Withering away

The sun broke gently through the clouds, casting golden light across the trio as they stood beneath the blooming sakura tree.

Kibo gazed out at the distant castle, its towering silhouette framed by the morning haze. He knew what was coming. The end of something. The beginning of something worse.

Behind them, Yuki looked back at the trail they had taken—the forest now swallowed in a quiet, ominous darkness. So much had changed. So much had been lost.

Hiroshi leaned against the sakura’s trunk, eyes closed, letting himself breathe—just for a moment. The rough bark at his back. The weight of Akechi’s necklace in his palm. The moment heavy, like a held breath before a storm.

Then Sachiko called his name.

He turned.

She stood in front of him, holding out Akechi’s katana. Her hands trembled, but her eyes were steady.

“I don’t blame you for what happened,” she said, voice low. “But I won’t forgive you either.”

Kibo’s breath caught.

“This blade is all I have left of him,” she continued. “The only connection I have with him. I want you to take it. But you better give it back.”

She placed it in his hands.

He looked down at the blade, shame rising like bile in his throat. He thought he had changed. He thought he was different. But the truth still clung to him—he was selfish. Still. Always.

Sachiko’s voice cracked.

“I wanted to kill you so badly yesterday. Just take the beads—one for me, one for Hiroshi—and leave you behind. I almost did.”

She looked away, blinking tears.

“Why? Why does God test us like this?”

Kibo had no answer. Just silence.

“I made my choice,” he said softly, “long before this.”

Before he could explain more, Hiroshi stirred from his rest nearby and stood, brushing dirt from his dress.

“We don’t have time,” he said. “We need to move before word reaches the capital. If they find out what we’re planning...”

He looked at them both. Tired. Determined.

“I’ve got a plan. Just need you two to cooperate. First, we get Yuki back. Then we decide what comes after.”

Kibo looked down again.

“I’m sorry.”

Hiroshi put a hand on his shoulder, then glanced between him and Sachiko.

“We’ll figure it out. After Yuki.”

The three stood in silence, each lost in their own storm.

And then, together, they began to descend toward the castle gate—toward fate, toward consequences, toward whatever waited at the end of this withering path.

The crowd thickened as they neared the castle gates. A long line of refugees stretched down the road—families, elders, wounded soldiers—all desperately trying to enter the capital.

Everyone was fleeing something.

Fear lingered in the air like smoke. Quiet. Suffocating.

A woman ahead pleaded with the guards, her two children clinging to her.

“Please... we’ve come so far…”

The guard shook his head coldly.

“No entry without a pass.”

She sobbed as she was pushed away.

Hiroshi glanced over, his jaw clenched. Then turned to Sachiko.“You have the pass, right?”

She blinked. “The pass…”

Kibo and Sachiko both rummaged through their belongings, panic rising.

While they searched, Hiroshi’s eyes wandered—drawn to a massive pit carved into the earth near the castle walls. A moat of death.

Cursed bodies, twisted and rotting, were tossed there like        garbage. Bamboo stakes lined the rim like a cage. Some still twitched, barely alive. The stench was unbearable.

And then he saw her.

High above, standing delicately on the thin bamboo poles—

The Flower-Masked Woman. She stood on the wall made of bamboo. No soldiers there seemed to notice her. She danced.Not gracefully. Not joyfully. But like a dying leaf caught in a cruel wind. Unstable. Weightless. Wrong.

Her limbs moved like they didn’t belong to her.

Hiroshi froze.

He touched both Sachiko and Kibo to look up.

They followed his gaze.

She saw them.

The Flower-Masked Woman tilted her head. Her gaze locked onto them. And then… she waved.

A slow, eerie motion. Playful. Mocking. Inhuman.

Then—

The ropes snapped.

With a violent groan, the bamboo wall collapsed. The pit cracked open like a rotten egg.

From its depths, the cursed began to rise.

Their eyes—once dulled with black mist—now glowed a hellish red.

They didn’t stumble.

They sprinted.

Out of the pit. Through the broken barricades. Towards the gates.

 Towards the castle. Towards everyone.

“Run—!” Hiroshi shouted.

But it was too late.

The cursed had changed.

And they were fast.

Panic rose like wildfire.

“They’re out! Close the gate! Close the castle gate!” the guards near the pit shouted, their voices cracking with fear.

But it was too late.

The cursed were loose.

They didn’t hesitate.

They didn’t attack their loved ones anymore.

Feral and merciless, they attacked everyone—guards and refugees alike.

Screams echoed as chaos erupted.

People scrambled, desperate to rush into the capital for safety.

The trio pushed through the panicked crowd, slipping through a widening gap.

They entered the city just as the castle guards scrambled to shut the gates.

But the tide of people flooding in was overwhelming.

No matter how fiercely the guards tried to hold the line, the surge was unstoppable.

And behind the masses, the cursed with their glowing crimson eyes poured into the castle.

Chaos consumed the streets.

The city’s walls trembled beneath the storm of fury and fear.

The trio slipped through the city gates—barely.

But inside the castle walls, chaos had already erupted.

The cursed were everywhere.

Flames tore through the streets as screams filled the air. People were being slaughtered by their own families, by neighbors, by anyone caught in the madness. Guards tried to fight back, but they were overwhelmed—their swords and spears were useless against the relentless tide.

Buildings burned.

Smoke thickened.

Hell had found its way into the capital.

Hiroshi turned to the others. “You remember the plan?”

Sachiko and Kibo nodded.

Without another word, they split off—each sprinting in a different direction.

Hiroshi raced through the narrow alleys, then leapt onto a rooftop, his boots slapping against the tiles. From above, the chaos looked even worse—the streets were a blur of fire, blood, and cursed bodies.

A guard in the watchtower spotted him.

“Stop!” came the shout, followed by the hiss of arrows.

But Hiroshi was faster.

He dove, rolled, and weaved between shots with practiced ease.

Then—a scream from below.

The cursed had reached the watchtower.

Guards were dragged down, their cries muffled in a wave of death.

Hiroshi didn’t hesitate.

He pulled out a rope arrow—his own invention—and aimed for the tallest spire of the castle.

Thwip.

The arrow soared through the air—and stuck.

Without looking back, Hiroshi swung forward and began climbing toward the heart of the storm.

Sachiko moved like a ghost through the smoke, cutting down any guards who blocked her path.

She reached the military barracks—heavily guarded.

But she didn’t stop.

She slid through their defenses, striking with grace and fury, dropping soldiers before they could react.

Inside the barracks, she found the stash: gunpowder barrels.

Without flinching, she lit the fuse—then turned and ran.

BOOM.

The explosion rocked the entire compound.

Flames lit up the sky.

Castle guards turned in panic, many abandoning their posts to handle the blast.

Right on cue.

Kibo charged through the smoke-choked road.

The entrance to the castle loomed ahead—but he wasn’t alone.

The guards still posted there turned on him, weapons raised.

He didn’t stop.

He drew Akechi's sword and fought.

Steel met steel.

He fought like a man with nothing to lose—and everything to protect.

High above, on the castle balcony, Yuki watched it all unfold.

Flames. Screams. Smoke.

She turned and rushed inside.

The Shogun was slumped on his throne, pale and weak, but his eyes still held hope to save Yuki.

“There’s a secret passage,” he said. “You can still escape.”

But the door slammed open.

The Ministry entered—cloaked, cold, and determined, holding a sword.

“What are you doing?!” the Shogun roared. “Stand down! That’s an order!”

One of them stepped forward, eyes like stone.

“We don’t follow you anymore.”

He pointed at Yuki.

“She must die. It’s the only way to stop the curse.”

Hands grabbed her.

She struggled—furious and desperate.

In the scuffle, a lamp was knocked over. Flames spread quickly, licking the curtains and crawling up the walls.

“Let go of me!” Yuki screamed, kicking and clawing.

The Shogun’s eyes widened.

He didn’t see Yuki anymore.

He saw his own daughter, who died that night.

Her ghost standing where Yuki stood.

And he heard a voice—Akechi’s voice—echoing in his head:"Do something. Before it’s too late. You have a choice."

Something snapped.

The Shogun stood.

Then stabbed one of the Ministry agents through the back.

Blood splattered across the floor.

“I’ve had enough of this,” he growled, dragging Yuki behind him.

More Ministry members rushed in.

The Shogun fought—old, broken, but burning with something deeper than strength.

He killed another.

But the last one slipped past and drove a blade into his chest.

He gasped.

Collapsed.

The Ministry froze, realizing what they’d done.

And then—ran away.

Yuki dropped to her knees, pulling the Shogun into her lap.

“Why…?” she whispered, tears falling. “Why did you save me?”The old man smiled faintly, blood on his lips.

“I made my choice,” he said. “Now go. Don’t look back.”

Outside, the castle burned. And the war for everything had just begun.

Kibo stepped into the castle courtyard—and was immediately surrounded.

Dozens of soldiers encircled him, blades drawn, eyes filled with fear.

Above, from the balcony, a voice rang out.

“There he is! He killed the Shogun! MURDERER!”

It was one of the Ministry.

Their voice echoed through the burning halls, feeding the rage of the soldiers below.

Kibo looked up at them… then down at the katana in his hands.

His breath slowed.

And then—a single sakura petal drifted down from the fractured roof above.

It landed gently in front of him.

Kibo exhaled. “Now.”

Suddenly—

An arrow pierced the air and struck a soldier’s shoulder. Another followed.

Hiroshi dropped down from above, already loading his next shot.

Behind the soldiers—Sachiko charged in, her naginata slicing through the chaos. She moved like a storm—swift, graceful, unstoppable.

The courtyard became a battlefield.

Hiroshi stayed at the edges, picking off targets with precise arrows. Sachiko and Kibo fought in close quarters, blades singing, steel clashing against steel.

But the soldiers just kept coming.

Their arms ached.

Their breaths grew ragged.

Still, they fought.

Kibo slashed through another wave and shouted, “Yuki is at the top floor! Hiroshi—go! Clear the path! We’ll follow!”Hiroshi nodded and sprinted up the stairs, dodging blades and returning fire. But as he reached the next landing, his quiver ran empty.

He reached for another arrow—nothing left.

A soldier lunged.

Hiroshi raised his arms to block—the sword pressed down on him, inching toward his throat.

Then—a scream.

The soldier’s eyes widened as Sachiko’s naginata tore through his back.

He collapsed.

Sachiko stood behind him, bloodied but smiling.

Hiroshi looked up at her, breathless. Their eyes met in a moment of silent trust.

But then—his expression changed.

“Sachiko!” he yelled. “Behind you!”

She turned—too late.

A blade stabbed deep into her side.

She cried out, staggering—but with one last burst of strength, she impaled her attacker through the chest and shoved him away.

Her legs gave out.

She collapsed.

Hiroshi caught her before she hit the ground.

“Kibo!” he shouted.

Kibo ran up the stairs—his face fell as he saw Sachiko clutching her bleeding side.

The three of them sank to the stone floor, chaos exploding around them, the world burning as if it were coming to an end.

Hiroshi examined the wound. “It’s deep—but not fatal.

 She can survive this.”

“I can walk,” Sachiko gritted out. “We just need to get to the top. I can fight—”

“No,” Hiroshi said, cutting her off. “You’re not going.”Kibo looked at them both. He knew it would come to this—and he needed to make a choice.

“Change of plans.”

He pointed past the balcony. “There’s a beach behind the castle. Go there. Wait for Yuki. When she comes… take her and run. Far away from this place. Don’t look back.”Sachiko’s eyes widened. “What about you? What are you going to do?”

“I don’t like this,” Hiroshi said. “Let me come with you.”Kibo’s voice cracked. “Just—listen to me.”

He pulled the two-beaded crimson necklace from his neck.

Held it out to them.

“You’re good people,” he said. “You deserve better.”Sachiko shook her head, voice breaking. “I’m not taking it.”

“Just take it!” Kibo shouted, his voice raw. “Please—just this once. Listen to me. Not all of us are going to leave this place alive. No matter how much we want to. And you know it.”

Tears welled in his eyes.

“Take it. Please. For me.”

Silence.

Then—Hiroshi reached out, took the necklace, and wrapped it around his wrist.

Kibo said, “Thank you for listening.” As he turned to leave, Hiroshi grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back.He pulled Kibo into a hug.

Sachiko joined.

Tears flowed freely now.

“Thank you,” Hiroshi whispered. “Brother.”

Sachiko’s voice cracked. “We’ll take care of Yuki. That’s a promise.”

Kibo nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.Then turned.

And began walking up the steps—toward the throne room.

Toward fate.

Behind him, Sachiko and Hiroshi stood.

She leaned on him as they made their way out the rear of the castle—toward the cliffs, toward freedom.

Sachiko glanced at her blood-stained naginata lying beside a shattered pillar.

She reached for it.

But Hiroshi placed a hand on hers.

“Leave it,” he said gently.

She paused.

Then nodded.

And together—they disappeared into the smoke and sun.As Kibo reached the top, the throne room burned around him. Fire danced along the cracked stone pillars, smoke curling toward the sky like the last breath of a dying world.

Kibo stood at the top of the stairs, katana hanging loosely in his grip—until he saw her.

Yuki.

Alive.

Sitting among the flames beside the body of the Shogun, her face streaked with ash and grief. She looked up—and their eyes met.

She stood, stunned for a second, then ran.

He dropped the blade and ran toward her, the person he failed to save is right in front of him.

They collided in the center of the inferno, arms wrapped around each other as if they were trying to keep their world from ending.

Tears streamed down Yuki’s face. “I thought you died. I’m sorry... I gave up. I stopped believing... please forgive me.”“I should’ve come sooner,” Kibo whispered. “I’m sorry I was late. But I’m here now. Let’s leave this place.”

She nodded through the tears. Together, they turned and left the burning throne room behind. The flames consumed the Shogun’s body—his final sacrifice a silent farewell.

“There’s a secret passage behind the castle,” Yuki said, still catching her breath. “We can take it to the beach.”The sky bled smoke as they emerged onto the beach. Waves lapped gently against the shore, as if the world hadn’t just been set on fire.

Yuki smiled—finally, a true smile. “Let’s go.”

But Kibo didn’t move.

He stood still, watching her. A gentle, almost serene smile touched his lips—one that didn’t belong to someone planning to leave.

Yuki’s smile faded. “Kibo…? What’s wrong?”

“You have to go on without me,” he said softly.

Her eyes widened. “No. Don’t say that. What are you talking about?”

Kibo looked out at the ocean. “I am sick. I don’t have much time. But you still have time. And you promised me something, remember?”

Yuki shook her head, her voice breaking. “Don’t do this. Please. I don’t want to be alone again. I’m just a shell without you. I merely exist.”

“No,” he said firmly. “You can find joy. You can find beauty in the world—even when it’s broken. Even when we suffer. Even when I am not there.”

He placed his hands gently on her shoulders.

“That promise you made me—that life is worth living… keep that promise. Live for me. Smile for me. Just once more.”

Yuki cried, trembling as she clung to him. “I just got you back… don’t leave me again.”

Kibo pulled her into one last embrace. “You never lost me. I’ll always be with you, Yuki. In every step, every moment. Don’t grieve for me. Just remember me.”

Over her shoulder, he saw Hiroshi and Sachiko running toward them, their silhouettes blurred by the smoke and sun. His time was running out.

“I met good people,” Kibo said. “Better than I’ll ever be. They’ll protect you. They’ll be there when I can’t.”

He turned to leave.

Yuki grabbed his sleeve one last time. “Please… stay.”But he said nothing.

Just gave her that smile again—gentle, tired, free.And walked away.

Yuki collapsed to her knees, sobbing as the waves rolled in.

Sachiko dropped beside her, wrapping an arm around her. Hiroshi stood frozen, watching Kibo disappear into the smoke.

On the sand, Akechi’s katana lay.

Hiroshi took a step forward, ready to chase after him—but Sachiko held his arm.

“Don’t,” she said. Her voice broke. “He made his choice.”Hiroshi’s gaze dropped to the crimson beaded necklace wrapped around his wrist.

The one Kibo had left behind.

Tears welled in his eyes.

As he said nothing.

The capital burned.

And from the distant hill beneath the sakura tree, the Flower-Masked Woman watched it in silence.

No joy. No malice.

Just silence.

She turned.

Beside her stood the orphaned boy—the one who had lost his parents in the village. He looked up at her with wide, curious eyes.

This time, she smiled. Softly. Like a mother.

She knelt, held out her hand.

And the boy, without fear, took it.

Hand in hand, they walked into the forest. Not toward horror… but peace.

The city behind them was collapsing. But life, somewhere, still continued.

Somewhere else…

General Satoshi knelt before Akechi's grave. He gently placed Sachiko's naginata beside it.

No words. Just memory.

Far from the fire, Yuki walked with Hiroshi and Sachiko. Both wore the two-beaded necklace Kibo had given them—each holding a single crimson bead. A reminder of the one they left behind.

But they lived. They had to.

In the ruins of an abandoned shelter, Kibo hid.

Alone.

Trying not to lose his mind. Trying not to let the curse consume him.

But Yuki’s grief never stopped.

And grief… was what fed the curse.

Two years passed. Kibo held the curse for two years but was becoming weak.

Hiroshi and Sachiko married. They had a child—a boy.

 Hiroshi named him Kibo in memory of his friend, his brother.

They moved on from grieving for Kibo.

The pain remained, but they accepted it. They lived.

But Yuki… she couldn’t.

The grief still lingered, wrapped around her heart like a shroud.

And somewhere in the dark, the curse inside Kibo awakened.

His eyes turned black. Smoke coiled from his skin. He lost himself to the void.

And he walked.

For days to kill Yuki, his mind gone.

Until he reached the beach. Her home.

He saw her there—Yuki, standing behind Hiroshi and Sachiko, watching their child play in the home they did not notice him.

Yuki smiled, just barely.

Kibo—cursed, broken—raised his blade.

But then… he stopped.

Seeing the smile in his old friends and Yuki.

Something changed inside him as tears flowed through his dark hollow eyes. The black smoke disappeared. He regained his mind.

He looked at them one more time and ran away.

Yuki, still grieving for Kibo, looked sad. Suddenly, she looked at the boy telling her to pick him up. As she did, she saw someone—not the smiling boy but young Kibo walking toward her, smiling at her when they played together with hope and happiness.

Yuki held the child tightly.

Her knees buckled as she collapsed to the sand.

Tears fell like rain.

She saw her Kibo in the child’s eyes.

That same innocence. That same kindness.

She hugged him, sobbing—not out of pain, but out of something deeper. A quiet, broken kind of joy.

She had lost him.

But she had also kept him.

On the other side of the beach, Kibo sat alone.

Waves lapped at his feet.

He watched the sunset.

And for the first time… he saw the beauty in life.

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

He closed his eyes.

And slowly, gently—

He withered away.

Far behind him… we see Yuki walking with the boy toward the beach holding his hand. She moved on and stopped grieving.

After some time passed.

We see Yuki standing at a grave.

The boy holds her hand.

Sachiko and Hiroshi call for her in the distance.

She looks down at the stone.

It reads: Kibo.

She smiled faintly, tears in her eyes.

She lived for him.

He died for her.

And together, in different ways, they both kept their promise.

THE END