Chapter 7 – Whispers of a Lost Past
Prologue: The Chained Names
The cell breathed.
Its walls oozed memory—drops of water, tinted with the blood of past captives, trickled down in hypnotic patterns. Arashi, leaning against the warm stone, felt the scars of others speaking against his skin. Each mark on their bodies was a rune, each wound a page of a cursed book.
Kaede unfolded a square of red fabric between them, its invisible embroidery shifting under the spectral light.
— "Our names are our chains," she murmured, placing a bone needle in the center. A golden thread—stolen from a jailer—linked their wrists. "But here, this thread is a promise. Speak, and your truth will become a weapon."
Ryuu, his gaze fixed on the cranes tattooed on his forearm, began his tale.
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1. Ryuu – The Cranes of the Lost Sky
— "The Seiryuu Clan didn't walk… We danced."
His voice took on a chanting tone, as if his words were incantations. In the thick air, golden dust rose, forming floating islands.
— "Our homes were giant shells, polished by the winds. In the mornings, we drank the dew of the clouds. At night, we hunted mist-dragons."
He opened his palm, revealing a scar shaped like a broken wing. "My first flight… I was five. My brother pushed me off a cliff. And I survived."
The dust swirled, creating an image of a laughing child, carried by glowing runes.
— "The Nine Clans attacked us during the Night of Black Feathers. Their warships spat cold iron chains that devoured the wind."
The vision shifted: islands crashing to the ground, bodies bursting like overripe fruit.
— "My mother tried to save me. She tore off her own rune-wings to propel me into a cloud… But a chain speared through her. I watched her disintegrate, laughing until the end so I wouldn't be afraid."
Ryuu rolled up his sleeve, his crane tattoos revealing faded runes.
— "They captured me alive for a reason. My blood can rekindle the winds. But I'd rather die than give it to them."
A golden flash crossed the cell. In the pit below, a faint groan responded—perhaps the echo of another imprisoned Seiryuu.
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2. Kaede – The Child of Mist
Kaede took a needle, piercing her finger to let a drop of memory-blood fall.
— "Look."
The red fabric came to life: a valley shrouded in mist, children running between colossal weaving looms.
— "Among the Okibari, every thread is a neuron, every knot a memory. My mother wove eternities into the scarves of the dying."
The vision wavered: a young Kaede, her fingers entangled in glowing silk, weaving her father's laughter into fabric.
— "The Nine Clans sent dream eaters. Faceless creatures that devoured our looms. They wanted to control history."
The fabric turned black, showing Kaede trapped inside a silk cocoon, hearing her family's screams through the fibers.
— "When I escaped, everything was silent. Even the walls had forgotten our songs."
She reached out to Arashi, a red thread wrapping around his crescent-shaped scar.
— "They forced me to weave lies. But I can recognize stolen memories."
Her eyes shimmered—in Arashi's pupil, she saw Miyuki smiling at him.
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3. Jin – The Fallen Warrior
Jin spat on the ground, a ritual gesture from the Lower City streets.
— "I was king of the sewers. The rats called me Shinigami."
He traced a map on the stone floor with his bone knife: twisted alleys, hideouts marked with tribal symbols.
— "My gang was 42 kids. We survived by stealing from the rich to feed the hungry."
His story came to life: a teenage Jin, a lightning-shaped scar on his cheek, negotiating with a slave merchant.
— "One day, the Nine Clans offered gold to guide them through the underbelly of the city. They were searching for Shards… kids like you."
His blade scraped the stone, drawing bodies hanging from streetlights.
— "I refused. So they sent the Whisperers. Things with mouths on their palms. In one night, my gang was dead. Except me."
He lifted his blade, where 42 notches marked every lost name.
— "They tortured me to find out where I had hidden the children. I never spoke. Now, each notch is a vow. I will kill them all."
The pit rumbled, as if the souls of the 42 were answering.
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4. Mei – The Last Chosen
Mei placed her doll on the red fabric. Its torn belly released petals of lunar flowers.
— "Mikazuki means Crescent Moon. We spoke with the dead."
The petals formed a temple: priestesses in silver robes dancing under a starlit sky.
— "At five, I had the Vision of Five Moons. I saw worlds breaking, and a brown-haired child piecing them back together."
The vision trembled: shadows invading the temple, cutting down the priestesses with blades of silence.
— "My mother hid me in the Eclipse Refuge. I watched everything through a smoke mirror."
She touched the mark on her belly, a crescent slashed by a claw.
— "They injected me with demon's blood. Now, I hear the dead… and Her."
Her pupils dilated, reflecting a white-haired woman—the Leader of the Nine Clans—laughing in a corridor of mirrors.
— "She thinks she controls me… But the Moon showed me her true name."
Mei whispered a word, making the walls tremble. The others didn't hear it… but Arashi felt it scratch his scar.
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5. Arashi – The Echo of Shadows
All eyes turned to him. The crescent-scar throbbed, demanding.
— "I…" His voice broke. Images surged against his will:
A shredded kite.
A blade soaked in parental blood.
The Leader whispering: "You were born of the night, little monster."
Kaede placed a hand over his, her fingers weaving a red thread around his wrist.
— "Speak. Even shadows have a voice."
Arashi inhaled, feeling Miyuki's whisper at his nape:
— "My mother… She gave me a forbidden name."
The walls bled suddenly, a roar vibrating through the prison. The Leader knew.
— "Akeru." The word burned his lips. In the pit, something answered with a beat of wings.
The red fabric ignited, revealing a map: the prison, with a weak point marked by a crane.
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Epilogue: The Shard Oath
Ryuu sliced his palm, his golden blood flooding the map.
— "I pledge my winds."
Kaede embroidered runes with strands of her hair.
— "I pledge my memories."
Jin carved a path into the stone with his knife.
— "I pledge my rage."
Mei placed a lunar petal on it.
— "I pledge her weaknesses."
Arashi sealed it with his scar. A golden glow filled the cell.
Somewhere, the Leader gripped her dagger until her palm bled.
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