Shen

As I scrubbed myself clean, my mind raced. Why had those bandits looked at me with such fear? Was it truly because of my mark? And why had I felt nothing when I killed them?

The questions swirled in my head, unanswered.

When I returned, I found the old man feeding the girl. I sat beside her and offered a small smile. "I'm Hitoshi. That old man over there is Musashi. What's your name?"

For a long moment, she just stared at me. Then, in a whisper, she finally spoke. "Shen."

Silence fell between us. Musashi and I exchanged a glance. We knew to not push her for more. She had just lost everything.

That night, she watched as I trained. Later, we prepared dinner and went to sleep.