Days after days Hana heard all of the whispers from the entire palace. How the people that once followed her with respect now drowned in fear. That night she decides to reflect upon what happened under the moonlit sky in the solitude of the castle gardens. But as she walked through the garden Hana felt something.

  A presence.

  She turned to find an old man seated on a stone bench, casually chewing on a rice ball.

  “Not sleeping, girl?”

  Hana frowned. “…Who are you?”

  The man grinned. “Jiroh,” he said. “Been watching your family for a long time. Though it’s about time we talked.”

  Hana narrowed her eyes. “Watching my family?”

  Jiroh nodded. “Long line of cursed fools, the Satos. Doomed to suffer so they never become too strong, too powerful. Clever little trick, really.”

  Hana’s breath caught.

  He knew. Something that she didn't know before. Something that burdened her for her entire life.

  “What.. a Curse? Can you explain to me more about it,” she whispered.

  Jiroh exhaled, tossing his empty food wrapper aside. “I know everything about it.”

  Hana stepped closer, her fist clenched to her side. “Then tell me how to break it.”

  Jiroh’s grin faded. His eyes, once playful, became piercing.

  “You don’t break a curse like yours, girl.” He leaned forward. “You rewrite it.”

  Hana’s heartbeat pounded. “Rewrite?”

  Jiroh tapped a finger to her forehead. “Your curse is not just magic—it is fate itself. And the only way to defy fate…”

  His grin widened. “Is to challenge it.”

  ---

  Hana is back to her private room. As she lets Jiroh word settle to her mind her eyes are filled with confusion and hope. This– This is the first step for her toward freedom

  Hana sat alone in her chamber, her mind racing. She had always thought of her suffering as a burden she had to bear. But now, she knew it was a cage.

  And she was ready to break free.

  ---

  The warm glow of candlelight flickered against the polished wooden walls of Hana’s private chamber. The scent of burning incense and cherry blossoms drifted through the open balcony doors, but Hana barely noticed.

  She sat on the floor, across from Hime and Haruka, her hands clenched into fists. Hana already told them about Jiroh’s words about the curse.

  “The curse isn’t just misfortune,” Hana added, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. “It was placed on our family. It’s a cage. One meant to ensure that no Sato’s bloodline ever rises too high.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Haruka frowned, arms crossed. “By who?”

  Hana hesitated. That was the part she didn’t know. Even Jiroh had not given a clear answer.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But what I do know is that every Sato who has shown extraordinary power has suffered. Every single one.” She looked between them, her gaze unwavering. “If we don’t break this, I won’t be the last.”

  Silence stretched between them.

  Haruka’s jaw clenched, her fingers curling around the hilts of her twin sword. “Then let’s break it.”

  Hime’s expression was unreadable. “How?”

  Hana inhaled. “Jiroh told me there’s a place where this curse was enacted—the origin of our suffering. If we go there, we might be able to undo it.”

  Hime considered this carefully. “And if this is a trap? If going there only strengthens the curse?”

  Hana met her gaze. “Then I’ll fight it.”

  Hime exhaled. “Then we’ll all fight it.”

  ---

  The Nobles’ Final Move – The Fear of Change

  Elsewhere in the castle, the most influential nobles had gathered in secrecy.

  “We cannot allow this,” one of them said, his voice laced with barely contained fear. “She has survived when she shouldn’t have. She wields power that no mortal should command. And now—now she speaks of rewriting fate itself?”

  The others exchanged glances, uneasy but silent.

  “If she succeeds,” the man continued, “then she will be untouchable. What need will she have for us?”

  One noble sighed, rubbing his temples. “We’ve come to rely on the Sato bloodline for generations. But this—this is beyond rule, beyond governance. If she becomes something more than human, what place will we have in Aikyo?”

  The answer was clear. None.

  And so, a decision was made.

  If Hana Sato wished to challenge fate, then she would not live to see the outcome.

  ---

  Zankoku’s Interest – Raiga’s Opportunity

  Far beyond Aikyo’s walls, General Raiga listened as his spies recounted what had happened within the castle.

  A slow, predatory smile spread across his lips.

  “The nobles are moving against her?” he mused. “And yet, they have no army to enforce it. No true power of their own.”

  One of his officers frowned. “Do you intend to let them do our work for us?”

  Raiga chuckled, shaking his head. “No. I intend to let them fail. And when they do—when Hana Sato stands alone, betrayed by her own people—that’s when we strike.”

  ---

  The Journey Begins – To the Place of Cursed Blood

  Hana, Hime, and Haruka departed in the dead of night. Only few knew of their absence. Fewer still understood what it meant.

  Jiroh led the way, his movements slow yet sure. Despite his ragged robes and aged frame, he carried himself like a man who had seen the rise and fall of empires.

  “Are you sure about this?” Haruka asked, walking beside him. “You keep calling this a ‘cursed place.’ What if we’re just walking into death?”

  Jiroh chuckled. “Maybe you are.”

  Haruka scowled. “You’re terrible at reassurance.”

  Hime glanced at Hana, who remained silent, staring ahead. “Hana.”

  Hana blinked, turning to her sister.

  “Whatever happens,” Hime said quietly, “you don’t have to bear this alone.”

  Hana exhaled slowly. She wanted to believe that. But deep down, she knew—this was her burden to end.

  As they started their journey, they don't know that the shadows have been moved. Back in Aikyo’s castle, the nobles sent their final orders.

  By sunrise, assassins would be dispatched.

  Hana Sato would never return from her journey.

  Or so they thought.

  Because by the time they moved—it would already be too late.

  ---

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