"Moooom!"
"No, no, please—say something, anything! Please don't go!"
Renji held his mother's torn body tight against him.
The house was in ruins. Blood splattered across the floor. Monsters had already spread through the kingdom.
He tried to deny it, to push it away, but the truth was harsher than any lie he could tell himself.
Beside him, a small, fragile body stirred. A weak voice broke through:
"B…brother… Mom…"
Renji gasped, his tears freezing in his eyes.
He turned and saw his sister's bleeding frame, and for a second, joy cut through the grief.
"Himari!"
He laid his mother's cold body gently on the ground and grabbed his sister. Her stomach was torn open, blood spilling fast—
but there was still a faint hope.
"Stay with me, Himari! I know you can make it!"
Renji's voice cracked as he cried, scooping her into his arms. He rushed out of the shattered home, the freezing mountain air tearing at his lungs with every breath.
With every step he took, drops of blood marked the ground behind him, like a trail leading back to where it all began.
The world spun around him. He stumbled again and again with Himari on his back, but he clung to hope—
the only thing left that might save the last person he had.
All this blood. The destruction. The monsters flooding through the kingdoms.
And yet… just hours ago, life was what people dared to call… perfect.
---
Earlier that morning, a boy of seventeen swung his axe again and again.
ZWHOOOSH—THWAK!
The wood split cleanly. His face showed how little he had slept, but he didn't stop.
"I have to finish today," Renji muttered, bringing the axe down on the last log.
"Renjiii!"
The sharp, childish voice snapped his focus. He turned to see his little sister, Himari—fifteen, with long white hair swaying in the cold wind.
"Himari? I'm working. I can't play right now."
He kept stacking the wood into his bag without even looking at her.
Her cheeks puffed.
"Ugh! But you promised you'd make me a wooden horse today!"
"I know, I know. But I'm busy."
He reached out and patted her head.
She stomped her foot.
"You always say that!"
Tok.
Renji flicked her forehead. "Grow up, you're fifteen already."
"Ow! I'm not childish!" she cried, clutching her forehead. "I'm just being myself. That's what little sisters do!"
Renji laughed. "Fair point. But I have to sell this firewood in the village. That's my job."
"Not fair! You never keep your promises!"
"Himari." He called her name with a small smile.
"What?" she snapped.
He gently placed her hand inside his bag. "About the horse. I made it last night."
Her eyes widened. "W-Wait, you what?!"
Renji pulled out the small wooden horse and handed it to her.
"See? I never break my promises. Sometimes I just keep them late."
Her joy exploded. She hugged him so tight he almost couldn't breathe.
"Yay! You're the best!"
"Alright, alright." He patted her head again. "Let go. I have to get going."
She released him, grinning. "Fine! But don't be late. Tonight, Mother and I are cooking a special dinner… and I'll even make you some sweets!"
Renji froze. Inside, he screamed: Not her sweets! Last time she swapped sugar with salt—I nearly died.
Himari noticed his silence and glared. "What? Don't you want me to make them?"
"…Yeah. Because last time you poisoned me with salt instead of sugar."
SMACK!
Her palm smacked his head. "It was only twice! Don't exaggerate!"
Rubbing his head, Renji muttered, "Why is she always like this…"
"Because I'm your little sister!" she shouted with a grin, waving as she went back to the house.
Renji sighed, gathered the wood, and started toward the village.
---
Renji pushed his cart down the snowy mountain path, each step heavy under the weight of firewood. By the time he reached the village at the foot of the mountain, his breath came in sharp gasps, the cold stinging his lungs. Still, a small smile tugged at his lips—he'd done it again.
The villagers gathered quickly. Some smiled, others only nodded, but all welcomed him. He was the only one who dared to climb the mountain for wood.
Renji handed out the bundles as usual, taking coins in return. But then he noticed someone different.
A man stood among the villagers—clearly not one of them.
His hair was long, black, and straight, reaching down his back. He wore a crimson-and-violet kimono embroidered with golden threads, a wide sash tied at his waist. His hands were covered with long, fingerless white gloves. Each step of his wooden sandals echoed sharply as he walked toward Renji.
That smile on his face—it looked calm, but something about it felt wrong.
Renji's body stiffened. The man's eyes didn't waver. Step by step, he closed the distance until he stood right in front of him.
"H-hi… how can I help you?"
Renji tried to sound steady, but his voice betrayed his unease. This man didn't belong here—not in this village, not among common folk.
The stranger said nothing at first. His gaze flicked to the firewood, then back to Renji. Finally, in a low, almost amused tone, he spoke:
"Hm. For a moment I thought there was a performance here… but no. They're only gathering for cheap firewood to survive the winter of Tsugaiko Kingdom."
Renji frowned. "Sir, do you want firewood or not? I don't have time for games."
"Sir, do you want firewood or not? I don't have time for this."
Renji tried to sound formal, but his voice betrayed him—he stammered more than once.
The stranger didn't answer right away. He studied Renji's face in silence, eyes narrowing slightly, before speaking in a tone that dripped with false kindness.
"Tell me, kid… what's your name?"
Renji crossed his arms, scowling.
"First off, I'm seventeen. So drop the 'kid' thing. And second—Renji Maruka."
The stranger froze. His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a shadowed frown.
"…Maruka, is it?" His voice dropped, low and grim. "Very well. My name is Kimaro Ronzztan."
Renji shifted the cart handle in his grip, ready to leave. The firewood was already handed out. He had no reason to linger.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ronzztan. But if you're not buying, I'll be on my way."
Before he could move, Ronzztan's hand clamped down on his shoulder, pulling him close. His smile returned, unsettling in its calmness.
"Listen, kid. Let's make a deal. I've got no money—but I can pay you with a book. Interested?"
Renji's eyes widened, anger flaring.
"Take your hand off me! Who in their right mind trades firewood for a book?"
Ronzztan chuckled. Slowly, he lifted a small leather-bound book—and six silver coins.
"Half the money for all you've got. Plus this. Tell me, what reason do you have to refuse?"
Renji hesitated. Half the payment… better than nothing. And at least I'd get rid of the rest of the wood.
"…Fine," he muttered at last, nodding.
He handed over the bundles, but the load was far too much to carry barehanded.
"Uh, do you have a cart or something?" Renji asked.
Ronzztan smirked.
"Don't worry about that. Just leave it on the ground. I'll manage. But don't forget—the book comes with your silver."
Renji placed the wood down, accepted the six coins and the book, then bowed politely before heading into the forest path.
The moment Renji disappeared among the trees, Ronzztan's smile twisted. His eyes shimmered faintly red, pupils splitting into vertical slits like a predator's. His grin stretched wider, revealing razor-sharp fangs.
"…Goodbye, boy. Grandson of Marokai Zenshinta." His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "You'll be meeting that brave old man of yours soon… on the other side. Heh-heh…"
---
Renji climbed higher through the mountain forest until the sun sank behind the horizon and the distant howls of wolves echoed around him. He paid them no mind—encounters on this path were rare. At last, he reached home safely.
His mother hurried to greet him, pulling him into a warm embrace as she whispered,
"Renji, you're home… safe at last. I was so afraid something terrible had happened."
"Oh, Mom, come on… I've been doing this since I was twelve. You don't need to panic every time I'm late," Renji replied, struggling for air in her suffocating hug.
"But this is the first time you've come back past midnight. Your sister even fell asleep waiting for you—without dinner."
She said this as she set out food for him.
Renji gave a weary smile, sat down, and tried to soothe her worries.
"I know, I know… but today was just too much. First, cutting the trees I'd been felling these past three days, then hauling them onto the cart, dragging everything down the mountain in the freezing cold, and finally selling it all. That's why I got back so late."
"I see… that does make sense. But would you like some of your sister's sweets?" she asked, lifting a plate of pastries—half of them nearly burnt.
Renji swallowed hard, waving his hands in alarm.
"No thanks! Those things are poison. I'm not touching her baking again. Last time I was up all night with a stomachache."
His mother burst into laughter, setting the sweets aside.
"Alright, alright, you win. But we should support her, even if it means pretending."
"Yeah, sure. By ending up in the hospital—or locked in the bathroom," Renji muttered.
As his mother laughed and Renji kept mocking his sister's cooking, the sound of slow, drowsy footsteps approached. His mother gave him a playful smack on the chest to shut him up, and he yelped.
"Ow! Mom, seriously—what was that for?"
"Renji… you're home?"
It was Himari. She had been woken by the noise but hadn't caught what was going on. Still half-asleep, she shuffled over, hugged her brother tightly, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at the food.
"Perfect… you're here, Mom's awake, and now I'm awake too. So let's all eat together."
Renji smiled, patted her head gently, slid the dish toward her, and the three of them began eating together.
A few minutes later, the table was cleared—except for one plate. The dreaded sweets. Half-burnt, homemade, unmistakably Himari's.
She pushed the plate toward him, picked up a piece, and held it to his mouth with a mischievous grin.
"Come on, I made these just like I promised. Now, say ahhh~."
Renji's face froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his mother quietly slipping out of the room. From behind him, her whispered voice drifted just loud enough for him to hear:
"We have to support your sister… so bear with it."
Renji's lips trembled as he slowly opened his mouth.
Chomp.
A burst of sweetness hit his tongue—immediately smothered by the acrid bite of burnt sugar and rock-hard chunks that nearly cracked a molar.
He forced the lump down, plastering on a weak smile as Himari's eager eyes sparkled with expectation.
"So? What do you think? Better than last time, right~?"
Renji croaked out, voice cracking:
"Y-Yeah… much better than last time."
"YAY!" Himari squealed, shoving the plate closer and stuffing piece after piece into his mouth with both hands.
"Come on! I want this plate completely empty!"
With every bite, Renji felt his soul leave his body. His stomach twisted, bloated with both the sheer volume and the catastrophic flavor of her sweets. But as the big brother, he couldn't crush her spirit—not even if her cooking could kill livestock.
Himari's face lit up when she saw the empty plate.
"You're the best! You really love my sweets that much?"
Renji couldn't even reply. Instead, he screamed silently in his head:
"Yeah, I love them so much I'd rather wrestle a bear than ever eat them again… damn it."
Himari leaned proudly against the wall, basking in victory—until a shadow crept over her, swallowing her whole.
Her eyes snapped wide. Renji stood there, seething, ready to pounce.
Thinking fast, she did the only thing a little sister could in such a crisis.
"Moooooom! Renji's trying to hit me again!"
Yes… she had unleashed the secret weapon.
But their mother was already asleep and didn't respond. Renji lunged after her, Himari bolting away while still screaming for their mom. She dashed straight into their mother's room, the two of them circling like wild animals until finally their mother stirred awake—groggy, furious, and done with everything.
"Enough! I just want to sleep!"
Himari dove into her mother's arms, her eyes wide with fake innocence.
"Mom, Renji's trying to hit me!"
Their mother shot Renji a tired, accusing look.
"Renji, you're the older one. Leave her alone—and grow up."
Renji froze in silence, glaring daggers at his sister, but unable to protest.
Himari just stuck out her tongue and sang mockingly:
"Pbbbt~ Grow up, big bro. Don't hit your little sister~."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-