Shigure moved instinctively but he was too slow
The boy's sword sliced through the air not with the weight of metal but the weight of memories
Shigure barely dodged the first strike and rolled across the snow
The cold bit through his clothes but he welcomed it
At least it wasn't fire
"You abandoned me in the dark" the boy growled his eyes glowing faintly gold as if something divine or damned resided in him now "We waited for you We trusted you And you closed the gate behind you"
"I was just a child" Shigure snapped "I couldn't fight them all"
"You weren't meant to fight" the boy hissed stepping forward with a shake in his shoulders "You were meant to hold my hand That's all I wanted"
Shigure paused
That sentence hurt more than any sword
Because deep down it echoed with a truth he had buried beneath excuses and survival instincts
"I don't remember your name either do I" Shigure said flatly
The boy's silence confirmed it
He raised his sword again and this time his feet didn't touch the ground
He flew at Shigure with such ferocity it felt like the mountain cracked from the pressure
Their blades clashed
Except Shigure didn't have a weapon
He caught the edge with his bare hands
Flesh split open
Blood sprayed across the snow like paint on a canvas
But he didn't scream
He met the boy's gaze and said "I'm sorry I forgot"
The sword trembled in the boy's grip
"I'm tired of being the echo of your sins" the boy whispered
Shigure let go of the blade and knelt before him
"No more running then Finish it If that's what you need"
The snow stopped falling
The wind stilled
The boy's blade hovered inches above Shigure's neck
And slowly slowly lowered
"No" he said at last "Living with it is worse"
Then the boy dissolved into ash
Not fire
Not dust
Ash that drifted upward and vanished
The mountaintop faded
And Shigure was falling again
But this time the fall felt different
Not like punishment
Like a descent into something deeper
He landed in a wooden room
Old paper walls
A shrine
The scent of incense
There were mirrors everywhere
And every mirror showed a different version of him
One where he wore a crown and smiled
One where his eyes were empty
One where he screamed as chains dragged him down
One where he held a girl in his arms and she was bleeding
They all stared back at him
"Which one are you now" a voice asked
It was the girl again
But this time she looked older
Not a child
Not a spirit
Just a tired woman
"I don't know anymore" Shigure said
She pointed at a mirror that was cracked but not shattered
"That one's next"
Shigure stepped toward it
And in that mirror
He saw himself holding a sword made of bone
Surrounded by enemies
And no allies
"I don't want to go there" he admitted
"You will"
"Why"
"Because it's where your next sin lives"