She had taken a deep wound that drained her of so much blood… but she didn’t give up. She kept fighting until every last one of them was dead.

  Then, her body gave out. She collapsed in a sea of blood and corpses, completely drained and exhausted—but even then, she refused to lose consciousness.

  Dragging herself forward with what strength she had left, she finally made it back to the cabin where Theo was sleeping peacefully. Bleeding and broken, she stepped inside, walked into one of the rooms, and began pulling out the shards of the sword that had pierced her body. Each one tore a scream from her throat, pain beyond words. She cleaned the wounds, bandaged herself, then lay beside her beloved little brother—writhing in agony as she drifted off to sleep.

  That night, Soma fully realized the harshness of the path she had chosen to walk… the path of vengeance.

  And so, in that cruel, lawless era—where survival meant violence—a new monster was born. Fierce. Untamed. Unstoppable.

  ---

  The next morning, Soma was so worn out that she didn’t wake up early. Theo did. He looked at her fragile body—covered in wounds and dried blood—and felt a strange mix of emotions he couldn’t quite name… Was it sadness? Pity? Regret?

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  Poor kid…

  But even with all that turmoil in his little heart, he didn’t let it come between him and his sister. Instead, he walked up to her, wrapped his arms around her gently, and stroked her forehead with the kind of tenderness only he could give.

  That’s when Soma finally woke up. She held her little brother close, kissed his cheek, and smiled warmly as she said:

  > “Good morning, best brother in the world. Theo, sweetie, what do you say we go shopping today? Your big sis made a lot of money at her new job… Wanna come with?”

  Of course, that money hadn’t come from a “job.” It was the loot she took after destroying that rogue samurai guild the night before.

  But Theo, even though he kinda knew his sister was going through some dark stuff, just smiled innocently and said:

  > “Yes! I wanna go shopping! And I wanna get some candy, if that’s okay.”

  Soma ruffled his hair, her heart swelling with joy just seeing her little family happy.

  And so the siblings went to the city. They wandered through the markets, laughing and browsing, until Theo overheard people talking. Rumors were flying about a fifteen-year-old girl with short hair—someone who’d completely wiped out the infamous Slippery Samurai gang on the east side… alone.

  They were calling her names like The Savage Maiden, The Assassin Princess, and others that mixed beauty with fear.

  Theo, still so young and physically weak, pieced it all together with that sharp mind of his. He understood the truth.

  But he didn’t say a word to Soma—who was smiling like a normal girl for once, enjoying a moment of peace in her bloodstained life.

  Sadly, that peace didn’t last long…

  Out of nowhere, a masked boy about Soma’s age blocked their path. His face hidden, his voice calm—but certain, like he knew exactly who he was facing.

  > “Assassin Princess… may I have a moment of your time?”

  He said.