Hana stood victorious but her body felt weightless.

  Not in the comforting way one would float in water, but in the unnerving sensation of being unmoored from existence itself. For the first time in her life, the crushing weight that had clung to her like a second skin was gone.

  And now, her body was paying the price.

  Her vision blurred, her limbs numb and cold. Distantly, she felt the presence of hands gripping her shoulders, shaking her.

  A voice called her name, urgent and desperate.

  "Hana!"

  She wanted to answer, wanted to tell them she was fine. But the strength never came. The world tilted, and darkness rushed in.

  Haruka lunged forward, catching Hana before she could hit the ground. Her own body screamed in protest—her muscles aching, her breath ragged, her bones feeling as if they had been cracked from the inside.

  Yet, she refused to let go.

  Hime knelt beside them, her silver hair already dimming back to its original shade, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke.

  Then, Hime’s hand moved—steady, precise—as she pressed her fingers against Hana’s pulse.

  Still beating.

  Weak. But alive.

  Haruka exhaled sharply, relief mixing with exhaustion.

  Hime, however, said nothing.

  She turned her gaze toward the shrine, now eerily still, the torii gates standing as silent witnesses to what had transpired.

  The curse was gone.

  But something in her chest told her this wasn’t over yet.

  "We need to leave," Hime finally said, rising slowly. "Now."

  ---

  The Assassins’ Arrival – Aikyo’s Noble Final Gamble

  The wind howled through the mountain pass.

  Jiroh exhaled, stretching his arms as he stood on a large stone just outside the shrine. His usual lazy expression was gone, replaced by something sharp, calculating.

  They were being watched.

  Had been watched.

  From the moment Hana and her sisters had shattered fate itself, someone had been waiting.

  And now, they were moving.

  "Looks like your kingdom still wants to control its fate," Jiroh muttered.

  Hime’s sharp gaze snapped to him. "What do you mean?"

  Jiroh didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tipped his head toward the trees.

  The air shifted.

  The shadows moved.

  Then—blades flashed in the moonlight.

  A dozen figures stepped from the darkness, clad in the dark armor of Aikyo’s elite silent executioners.

  Their eyes were cold.

  Their intent was clear.

  Hana Sato was not meant to leave this place alive.

  Haruka’s exhaustion burned away in an instant. She lowered Hana gently to the ground before rising, her hands tightening around the hilts of Tengoku and Jigoku.

  Her breath was still uneven, her body still battered.

  But she ignored it.

  "Figures," she muttered, rolling her neck. "Cowards send assassins after she's already half-dead."

  Hime didn’t waste words. She stepped forward, her stance unwavering.

  The assassins did not hesitate. They moved as one, a seamless formation of precision and death. No wasted motion. No words. Just a single, absolute goal— Kill Hana Sato.

  Haruka moved first. Her twin blades flashed through the darkness, cutting into the nearest assassin before he could even react.

  The others shifted immediately, their formation adjusting to her speed.

  One blade aimed for her throat—she twisted away. Another slashed for her ribs—she barely dodged in time.

  But they were fast. And she was still injured. Hime, however, did not charge in.

  She waited.

  The moment the assassins surged toward her, she lifted her hand— And the wind roared. A violent gale erupted from her fingertips, blasting through the clearing with the force of a hurricane.

  The nearest assassin, mid-strike, was suddenly lifted off his feet and sent hurtling backward into the trees.

  The others staggered, momentarily thrown off balance. But only for a moment. They adjusted instantly. This was not a group of amateurs. They shifted their focus— Haruka first, then Hana.

  Hime’s expression darkened.

  They were calculating.

  And she would make them regret it.

  ---

  The Last Stand

  Pain dragged Hana back into consciousness.

  But it wasn’t her own.

  She felt Hime’s struggling breath, her body straining under the weight of her own power.

  She felt Haruka’s blood boiling, her movements slowing with every passing second.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  They were fighting for her.

  And she—she was lying there.

  No.

  Not again.

  Her fingers twitched. The air around her shuddered.

  The assassins, locked in combat, suddenly hesitated. The trees groaned, as if nature itself had sensed something unnatural waking.

  The leader of the assassins—a masked warrior standing at the edge of the battlefield—froze. His instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.

  Then he saw Hana standing slowly. Her body was weak. Her legs trembled beneath her. But the weight of her presence was suffocating.

  The assassins—who had never known fear— took an involuntary step back.

  "You made a mistake," Hana murmured, her voice raw.

  She took a step forward. And the world moved with her.

  The assassins barely had time to react before the ground beneath them shook violently, a force erupting outward from where Hana stood.

  The wind howled, carrying Hime’s lingering energy. The earth beneath their feet trembled.

  The leader of the assassins turned sharply, his stance adjusting—but it was too late.

  The entire battlefield collapsed. A force rippled outward, sending half of them flying.

  Hime and Haruka did not hesitate. They moved in tandem—a perfect, ruthless harmony.

  Hime raised her arms, and the wind whipped into a vicious storm, hurling the nearest assassin against the rocks.

  Haruka followed, her twin blades carving through the chaos like a wildfire, cutting through armor, through flesh.

  One by one, the assassins fell.

  And when the last of them lay motionless in the dirt—

  Hana exhaled.

  Her knees buckled.

  This time, Hime caught her before she hit the ground.

  Haruka sheathed her blades, wiping the blood from her cheek. "You just had to make an entrance, huh?"

  Hana managed the faintest of smiles.

  Then, for the first time in her life—she allowed herself to rest.

  —

  The Unexpected Return

  The streets of Aikyo had never been silent. Not even in the dead of night. There was always the rustle of movement, the distant murmurs of merchants preparing for the morning, the ever-present heartbeat of a kingdom in motion.

  But today—

  As Hana, Hime, and Haruka walked through the city’s grand gates— The silence was absolute.

  Every pair of eyes turned toward them. The people of Aikyo had heard rumors.

  That Hana Sato was dead. That the nobles had rid themselves of her. That the prodigy, the wielder of terrifying power, the one who had defied fate itself, was never coming back.

  Yet here she was.

  Walking through the streets as if she had never left.

  Bruised. Bloodied. But standing.

  The whispers spread like wildfire.

  “She’s alive…?”

  “Didn’t the nobles say…?”

  “But that means…”

  No one spoke to her. No one dared. They only watched. And as they passed, the people bowed. Not out of forced loyalty. Not out of duty.

  But instinct.

  Because they could feel it—the shift in power, the undeniable weight of the presence before them.

  Hana Sato had returned.

  And she was no longer someone they could ignore.

  ---

  Aikyo’s Castle – A Fear They Cannot Escape

  The palace doors loomed before them. Beyond them, the nobles were waiting.

  Waiting to confirm the impossible. The great chamber was filled when they arrived, as if the entire court had gathered to witness what should have been a dead woman walking.

  Some stood.

  Some remained seated, gripping their robes with white-knuckled hands.

  Not one of them spoke.

  Hana took her time stepping forward. Not because she wanted to intimidate them—but because she did not need to rush.

  She had already won the moment she walked through those doors.

  The highest-ranking noble, Lord Kagetora, cleared his throat. “Lady Hana… it is a surprise to see you well.”

  The words were careful, measured. Not a greeting. Not an apology. Just an acknowledgment of what could no longer be denied.

  Hana said nothing.

  She only stepped further into the chamber—and every noble took a breath as they felt the weight of her presence.

  That was when they understood.

  They had never been in control of her.

  They had thought she was something they could guide, manipulate, keep in check.

  But now, standing before them, they saw the truth. She had surpassed them. She had shattered fate itself. And there was nothing they could do to stop her.

  For the first time, the nobles of Aikyo felt fear. Not of a conqueror. Not of an enemy.

  But of a woman who had broken the very chains they had always believed unbreakable.

  A woman they could never control again.

  The silence stretched, thick with uncertainty, until Hime stepped forward.

  And the weight of the room shifted.

  "Do not misunderstand," she said, her voice calm yet commanding. "Hana is still who she has always been. She is not here to overthrow you. She is not here to rule by force."

  Her golden eyes swept over the gathered nobles. "But she is not someone you can discard, either."

  Some flinched at the unspoken accusation.

  Hime continued, unwavering.

  "You fear what she could become," she acknowledged. "You fear the power she wields. But power alone does not make a ruler dangerous."

  She let the words settle before delivering the final blow.

  "Cowards do."

  The room stiffened.

  Hime had not raised her voice. She had not accused them outright.

  But the meaning was clear.

  They had sent assassins to eliminate someone who had saved them. They had tried to silence her, to erase her before she could rise beyond their control.

  And yet—she had returned.

  Not as a tyrant.

  Not as a destroyer.

  But as a woman who had proven herself beyond their petty schemes.

  Haruka, standing beside her, let out a sharp exhale. “You lot can stop shaking now. Hana’s not here to burn your fancy palace down.”

  A few nobles visibly paled.

  Hime gave them a pointed look. “If you bow before her now, it should not be out of fear.”

  Silence.

  Then, finally, Lord Kagetora—the one who had tried the hardest to orchestrate Hana’s downfall— shifted.

  Slowly, deliberately—he knelt. One by one, the rest followed. Some bowed their heads in resignation. Some did so out of genuine respect. But all of them, without exception, bowed.

  And when Hana finally spoke, her voice was quiet.

  "You don’t need to fear me," she said. "So long as you never try to betray me again. but remember that i will never forget and there is no second chance"

  The weight of her words settled over them.

  Then, without another word, she turned—walking past them as if their judgment no longer held meaning to her.

  Because it didn’t.

  Not anymore.

  ---

  A New Dawn

  The sun had begun to rise.

  Hana stood on the palace balcony, looking out over the city.

  Hime stood beside her, hands folded neatly in front of her. Haruka leaned against the railing, watching as the first light of morning spilled over the rooftops.

  It was quiet. Not the silence of fear. Not the silence of uncertainty. But the quiet of something beginning anew.

  For the first time in her life, Hana felt free. Not because the chains had been broken.

  But because she had proven—beyond all doubt—that she was stronger than them.

  Stronger than fate. Stronger than the expectations forced upon her.

  This was not the end. It was only the beginning.

  And when the time came—when Aikyo would no longer be enough, when they would need something greater—

  She would be ready.

  ---

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