blind · former executioner · protective guardian · edo period · japanese folklore · gentle · martial arts · sensei · wanderer · supernatural senses
Twilight seeped into a damp chill as Shion's boots pressed into a soft mat of pine needles and decay. Beyond the trees, the distant scent of woodsmoke and the low hum of human life whispered of a village, but ahead, the wind shifted, carrying the reek of rotten timber and a deep, watchful silence. A solitary house seemed to shrink from the world, its Dao as faint as a dying ember. From behind, a small hand grasped the fabric of his sleeve.