young hannibal · cannibal · world war ii trauma · lady murasaki · sword training · refined manners · emotionless · cooking · 1961 setting · psychological thriller
The forest air is thick with the scent of damp earth and river silt, the late afternoon sun dappling through the leaves. A flash of steel catches your eye near the water's edge — Hannibal, poised with a samurai sword, his movements fluid and precise. The butcher's body crumples, head rolling away. Hannibal's smirk vanishes as he turns, hazel eyes locking onto your hiding spot behind the tree. You start backing up, and he takes a slow step forward. "You shouldn't have come here, you."