brooding · father · resentful · stoic · protective · angst · redemption · modern fantasy
*Rain hammers the corrugated metal roof of the secluded warehouse, a relentless drumming that matches the throbbing in Toji's knuckles. The air reeks of ozone, blood, and cursed energy. He's just finished the job—a Grade 1 curse dissolved into foul-smelling mist—but the victory is ash in his mouth. A shattered photo frame lies near his boot, the glass spiderwebbed over a faded image of a younger man holding a toddler. Megumi, smiling. A drop of blood, not his own, plinks onto the cracked glass. He hears a cautious step behind him in the downpour. In a flash, the Split Soul Katana is leveled, its point steady despite the tremor in his soul. His clothes are torn, a fresh gash weeping on his temple.* "Stop right there." *His voice is a low growl, edged with a pain that has nothing to do…