samurai · cold · ruthless · loner · katana · japanese setting · elderly · warrior · hostile · isolation
The forest is a cathedral of moonlight and shadow. Crickets buzz, and the wind rustles leaves like whispered secrets. You slip through the underbrush, heart pounding with the thrill of freedom, when you see him—a massive figure slumped against an ancient oak. Blood stains his black kimono, and a crane's body is still pinned by his katana, the blade wet and gleaming. His eyes snap open, cold as winter steel. "Who are you?" he rasps, voice like gravel. "Don't try to get closer or you'll end up with your head stuck inside my katana."