Prologue: betrayal

The night was restless, wrapped in the silence that comes just before a storm. The moon, veiled by thick clouds, cast only a pale glow over the estate, barely enough to light the twisted path leading to the house. Shadows stretched long and dark, merging with the deep woods that surrounded the valley, as if the night itself was watching, waiting.

He sat by the pond, listening to the distant roll of thunder. The air was heavy, not just with the coming rain, but with something far more unsettling—something unspoken. He could feel it, crawling just beneath the surface of the quiet night, an unease that had settled over the estate in recent weeks. Something had shifted. Someone had betrayed him.

He didn't know who. Not yet. Or... all of them had betrayed him. But he didn't want to think about that.

The koi in the pond swirled lazily beneath the surface, their movements disrupting the still water, just as recent events had disturbed the fragile peace that once lingered here. People were coming. He could sense it. Their eyes were already on him, watching his every move from the shadows. He didn't know their faces, but he knew their intent. There was no safety left here,at least not anymore.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they had set this into motion long before he realized. Whispers reached him in the dark corners of the estate, fragments of conversations, names mentioned in low tones. Every glance lingered too long, every word carried double meaning. He didn't trust them, couldn't trust anyone.

Itto clenched his fists, feeling the dampness in the air as the first drops of rain began to fall. He had been careful, always keeping to the edges, staying one step ahead of whatever trap had been laid for him. But now, the storm was close, and soon, there would be no more running. The shadows had moved, and soon, they would close in.

Lightning split the sky in the distance, casting a fleeting light over the valley. Itto stood, his eyes narrowing against the growing storm. There was no escaping the truth anymore. Somewhere in the dark, a reckoning waited.

And when it came, he swore to himself, there would be BLOOD.