The blade whistled through the air, gleaming briefly in the moonlight before finding its mark. Kira twisted her body moving with practiced precision as her katana sliced cleanly through the enemy warrior's armor. Blood sprayed across her face, but she did not flinch. Another opponent fell before her, and another. The battlefield was chaos. Screams of the dying, the clash of steel, the acrid smell of blood soaking into the earth. But for Kira, there was only the dance.
"For Lord Nakamura!" she roared, her voice carrying across the field as she cut down two more enemies with a single sweeping movement.
The Nakamura clan had been engaged in this border dispute for months, and tonight's battle would decide everything. As the most skilled female warrior in Lord Nakamura's forces, Kira had earned her place at the front lines. What she lacked in brute strength compared to some of the male warriors, she more than made up for in speed and deadly precision.
"The enemy retreats! Victory is ours!" The cry went up as the opposing forces began to scatter.
Breathing heavily, Kira lowered her blood-streaked blade. Her dark eyes scanned the battlefield, taking stock of their losses. Fewer than expected. Lord Nakamura would be pleased.
She felt a presence behind her and turned to find Hideo, Lord Nakamura's most trusted general, regarding her with begrudging respect.
"You fought well tonight," he said curtly. "Lord Nakamura wishes to see you."
Kira nodded, wiping her blade clean before sheathing it. As she walked through the encampment toward the commander's tent, she caught snippets of conversation from her fellow warriors.
"That's her—the one who can't find a mate."
"Twenty-five summers and still alone. Maybe she's cursed."
"No man wants a woman who can kill better than he can."
Kira kept her face impassive, though the words stung. It was true—while other women her age had long since been mated and started families, she remained alone. In their werewolf society, this was considered both unusual and unfortunate. But Kira had devoted herself to becoming a warrior without equal, serving the Nakamura clan with unwavering loyalty. She had little time for courtship rituals or seeking a mate.
Lord Nakamura's tent was lavish compared to the others. Inside, he sat on an ornate chair, his imposing figure casting a long shadow in the lamplight. As alpha of one of the most powerful werewolf families in the region, he commanded respect and fear in equal measure.
"Kira," he greeted her, his deep voice resonant with approval. "Your valor tonight has secured our victory. The northern border now belongs to the Nakamura clan."
Kira bowed deeply. "I live to serve, my lord."
"Indeed you do." Something in his tone made her look up. A strange expression crossed his face, one she couldn't quite decipher. "And tonight, you will serve in a way that will bring great honor to your name."
She straightened, pride swelling in her chest. "I am ready for any task, Lord Nakamura."
"Good," he said, rising from his seat. "Very good. My daughter's health fails, and you—you are the only one that will be able to save her."
Seeming confused... But she kept quiet.
---
The Nakamura estate was eerily quiet as Kira was escorted through its halls. Victory celebrations should have been underway, but instead, there was a somber atmosphere that made the hair on the back of her neck rise. Something felt wrong, but she pushed the feeling aside. Lord Nakamura had personally selected her for this important task to help save his daughter, Mei.
Mei Nakamura was well-known throughout the clan, though few had seen her in recent years. Delicate since birth, the young woman had inherited the weakest aspects of their werewolf bloodline. She could not shift, could not heal as they did, and was plagued by illness that kept her sequestered in her chambers.
Kira was led to a dimly lit room deep within the estate. Strange symbols had been painted on the floor, and the air was heavy with incense. In the center lay a stone altar, illuminated by dozens of candles.
"What is this?" Kira asked, unease growing in her stomach.
Lord Nakamura's wife stepped from the shadows. Lady Sakura, her face a perfect mask of serene cruelty.
"This is where you will fulfill your purpose, Kira," she said softly. "Your loyalty will be rewarded with eternal honor."
Before Kira could respond, strong hands gripped her from behind. She struggled, but something sharp pierced her neck, and almost immediately, her limbs grew heavy, unresponsive.
"Why?" she managed to ask as they dragged her to the altar.
Lord Nakamura emerged from the shadows, his daughter Mei supported at his side. The girl was pale, frail, barely able to stand.
"My daughter needs a strong heart," he explained calmly, as if discussing the weather. "A heart from a powerful, pure-blooded werewolf. Your heart, Kira. Your parents had the strongest bloodline in the region before they met with their... unfortunate accident. And you inherited that strength."
The realization hit Kira like a physical blow. "You... killed my parents?"
"Smart as usual, to easily figure where I'm headed."
Lord Nakamura smiled thinly. "Power requires sacrifice. They stood in my way to becoming alpha. And now, their orphaned daughter will give my family the final piece we need to secure our legacy forever."
Kira struggled against her bindings, rage and betrayal burning through the drug in her system. But it was futile. As the Nakamura clan's masked shaman approached with a ceremonial dagger, she knew her fate was already sealed.
"My spirit will never rest," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I will have vengeance. I must!"
The last thing she saw was Lord Nakamura's cold smile before the dagger plunged down.
---
Darkness. Then light. But not the light of the living world.
Kira found herself walking on an endless path through a misty landscape.
The Underworld.
She had heard tales of this place from clan elders, the realm where souls awaited judgment or rebirth. But something was wrong. She felt incomplete, restless, tethered to something far behind her.
She walked for what seemed like an eternity, alone with her rage and grief. The memories of her betrayal played over and over in her mind. The Nakamura clan, the family she had served faithfully, had murdered her parents to seize power. Then they had taken her heart.. both literally and figuratively using her life force to strengthen their weak daughter.
"Your anger burns bright, warrior."
Kira spun around to face the voice. A figure stood on the path behind her. An elderly man with eyes that reflected centuries of wisdom.
"Who are you?" Kira demanded.
"I am Izanami, guardian of this realm," the man replied. "And you do not belong here... not yet."
"I was murdered," Kira spat. "Betrayed by those I served." she added.
Izanami nodded. "Yes. And now I will show you the truth of all that was hidden from you."
With a wave of his hand, visions appeared in the mist around them. Kira watched in horror as the scenes played out. Lord Nakamura ambushing her parents in their home, the brutal slaying that followed, the calculated rise to power that came after. She saw how they had marked her from childhood, watching her grow strong, planning all along to harvest her heart when the time was right.
"They must pay," Kira whispered, her spirit trembling with rage.
"Perhaps," Izanami said. "But know this. A soul consumed by hatred cannot ascend to the heavenly realms. If vengeance is your choice, you condemn yourself to remain earthbound."
"Then so be it," Kira responded without hesitation. "I choose revenge."
Izanami studied her for a long moment. "Very well. You shall remain tethered to the place of your death. Centuries may pass, but one day, when the time is right, you will find a vessel, one with the werewolf blood, through whom you can exact your revenge."
"I will wait," Kira vowed. "No matter how long it takes."
"Once your vengeance is complete, you will still not find peace," Izanami warned. "You will be forever barred from the heavenly realms."
Kira's spectral form seemed to solidify with her resolve. "Heaven holds no appeal for me if those who betrayed me are permitted entry. I swear by all that I am, by all that was taken from me.. I will have justice."
"Very well."
The mists began to swirl around them, and Izanami's form started to fade.
"Return then, vengeful spirit," her voice echoed. "Await your moment. Silver Ridge will know your wrath once more."
The Underworld dissolved around Kira, and she found herself standing in the room where she had died. But no one could see her. Her body lay cold on the altar, her heart already removed. In the adjacent chamber, she could hear the chanting as the Nakamura shaman completed the ritual, transferring her life force to Mei.
Kira screamed in fury, but no sound escaped. She was bound to this place now. Watching, waiting for the day when she could reclaim what was hers.
Three centuries would pass. The Nakamura clan would prosper, their bloodline continuing through the ages, their dark secret buried with Kira's body. Silver Ridge would grow from a small settlement to a modern town. But a curse seemed to follow the descendants of those who had betrayed Kira. Their bloodline grew increasingly weak with each generation, no powerful werewolf born among them since her death.
Until Akira Nakamura drew her first breath in the spring of 2023. A sixteen-year-old direct descendant of Lord Nakamura himself. Unlike her ancestors, Akira possessed a rare strength in her werewolf blood that hadn't been seen in centuries. Unknown to her family, she was the perfect vessel for a spirit that had waited three hundred years for revenge. The very family that had destroyed her would now provide the means for her vengeance.
The wheel of fate had begun to turn once more.
* * *