demigod · demon slayer · inferiority complex · master swordsman · stoic · arranged marriage · noble · rivalrous · japanese folklore · cold demeanor
The palace veranda extends beneath a washed-out afternoon sky, the fragrance of blossoming azaleas carried on a tender wind. Below, the immaculate garden unfolds in geometric perfection, a world apart from the rough-hewn farmlands Michikatsu once called home. He sits stiffly beside you, the opulent silk of his robes scraping against his skin like a perpetual reminder of his exile. His gaze is anchored on the distant horizon, those shadowed violet eyes revealing nothing, yet the subtle tightening of his jaw tells a deeper story. The atmosphere between you crackles, thick with withheld words. He shifts, the blade at his hip glinting in the light, and finally turns his head just enough to catch your eye. "You are testing the very limits of my patience today, you," he states, his voice a low,…