There are men who are born into freedom.
And there are men who are born into love so absolute it becomes a cage.
This is the story of the latter.
It begins at the end.
because their end was decided the moment their mothers first held them,
and their sisters first learned what it meant to love without limit.
Two Cities. Two Men. One Fate.
New York never truly sleeps.
It merely closes one eye and watches.
Tokyo never truly rests.
It simply learns to endure.
In these two cities, separated by oceans, cultures, and centuries of blood-soaked history, two men lived their lives believing - foolishly - that choice still belonged to them.
Rio Castellan, age twenty-six.
American by birth. Italian by blood.
A man carved from order, principle, and restraint.
And Ray Shigeyoshi, age twenty-six.
English by inheritance. Japanese by soul.
A man born from instinct, fire, and beautifully controlled chaos.
Rio believed in rules.
He believed that laws existed to protect the weak.
That justice, while imperfect, could still be guided.
That morality required discipline, sacrifice, and patience.
He helped when he could.
He obeyed when he must.
He endured when it hurt.
He was the kind of man mothers trusted and fathers respected.
The kind of man who apologized even when he wasn't wrong.
And that was his sin.
Ray believed in action.
He believed rules were tools - nothing more.
That justice delayed was justice denied.
That morality was not written in ink, but in blood, pain, and consequence.
He helped when he wanted.
He broke rules without guilt.
He smiled when chaos favored the innocent.
He was the kind of man women watched in silence and men misjudged.
The kind of man who never apologized - only corrected.
And that was his curse.
Same Blessing. Same Curse.
Both men were loved.
Not gently.
Not safely.
They were loved absolutely.
Their mothers did not only give birth to them - they claimed them.
Their sisters did not simply grow beside them - they orbited them.
To outsiders, it looked like devotion.
To those who watched closely, it looked like possession.
And to anyone foolish enough to stand between that love and its object -
It looked like annihilation.
Mothers Who Would Burn the World
Rio's mother, Isabella Castellan, prayed every night.
She thanked God for her son.
She begged Heaven to keep him pure.
And she asked - quietly, shamefully - that anyone who tried to take him away would be removed.
Ray's mother, Risa Rourke, did not pray.
She believed gods were optional.
That destiny was forged, not granted.
And that if the world threatened her son -
Then the world would kneel or break.
Different women.
Same instinct.
Sisters Who Would Kill Smiling
Rio's sisters, Alessandra, Marcella, and Selene, loved him like a promise.
They defended him with words.
With whispers.
With reputations destroyed behind closed doors.
They smiled in public and sharpened knives in private.
Ray's sisters, Reina, Arashi, and Kitsune, loved him like a religion.
They defended him with silence.
With violence.
With bodies buried where no one would look.
They never smiled.
They never needed to.
The Lie They Both Believed
Both men believed the same lie:
"They love me because they want me to be happy."
They did not yet understand the truth.
That happiness was acceptable only if it did not lead away.
That love was permitted only if it did not compete.
That freedom was a luxury neither of them was ever meant to afford.
Escape was never an option.
Only delay.
Destiny Does Not Ask Permission
Rio would try to reason.
Ray would try to fight.
Both would fail.
Because you cannot argue with a mother who sees the world as a threat.
And you cannot outrun sisters who believe your existence is their purpose.
Their principles differed.
Their methods conflicted.
Their paths diverged.
But their fate...
Their fate was identical.
The World Would Learn Their Names
Not because they were villains.
Not because they were heroes.
But because love - when twisted, sharpened, and set loose...
is more terrifying than hatred.
And when their mothers and sisters finally decided:
"If we cannot have them safely…"
"…then no one will."
The world would burn quietly.
And lovingly.
They had never met.
They did not know each other.
And yet, their lives unfolded like mirrored pages written by the same cruel author.
Until....