The Chains of Ashes

"Ashes bind the living to the dead with chains forged in fire and regret."

— Letter from Hotaru no Yakusha

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The ground beneath Shindō's feet crumbled like brittle bones, each step stirring clouds of gray ash that clung to his skin and soul.

The battlefield was a graveyard of hopes and broken dreams, where the remnants of burned homes whispered tales of lives swallowed by flames.

Chains of sorrow wrapped tight around him, invisible but unbreakable—

for every loss was a link, every regret a shackle pulling him deeper into the abyss.

---

Yuuki's voice was steady despite the desolation around them.

"Ashes are not just what remains after fire," she said softly,

"They are the chains that bind us to our past,

and the fuel that can ignite our will to break free."

---

Shindō's hands clenched, the cold bite of the nodachi's hilt grounding him in the present.

He was tethered to the ashes, but not yet consumed by them.

With every breath, he vowed to shatter the chains—

to forge a path not just through destruction, but beyond it.

---

The war was far from over.

And from the ashes, a new resolve was rising.