Musha did not move.
The woman standing across the chamber wore her mother’s face.
The same gentle shape of the eyes.
The same long hair.
The same voice.
But Musha knew something was wrong.
She could not see the woman’s face.
She had never been able to.
Yet somehow, she knew exactly what the woman looked like.
Her mind remembered fragments.
Warm hands.
A soft voice.
The smell of jasmine.
A lullaby whispered beside her bed.
And then—
Blood.
Cold stone.
Her mother’s final scream.
Musha tightened her grip on both swords.
“You aren’t her.”
The woman smiled.
“Of course I am.”
“No.”
Musha stepped backward.
The enormous creature behind the woman breathed again.
Hhhhhhhhhh.
The sound shook dust from the ceiling.
Musha felt its presence pressing against her skin.
“What are you?”
The woman tilted her head.
“You’ve grown.”
Musha’s heart pounded.
“You knew me?”
“I have always known you.”
“Who are you?”
The woman stepped closer.
Her bare feet made no sound against the stone.
“You may call me Aiko.”
Musha’s jaw tightened.
“My mother is dead.”
The woman stopped.
For the first time, her smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
The single word echoed through the chamber.
Musha felt something twist inside her chest.
“Then stop pretending.”
“I am not pretending.”
The woman raised one hand.
“I am what remains.”
A cold wind swept through the chamber.
The bells hanging from the ceiling began to move.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
Musha listened carefully.
There were hundreds of them.
Maybe thousands.
Every bell had a different tone.
And beneath them all, she could hear the creature breathing.
“What is behind you?”
The woman turned.
Musha heard something enormous shift.
“Your inheritance.”
“My what?”
“Your blood.”
Musha frowned.
The woman smiled again.
“You were not born blind by accident.”
Musha’s body became rigid.
The words struck harder than any sword.
“What did you say?”
“The stone.”
Musha’s hand instinctively moved toward her chest.
The strange stone her mother had used during childbirth.
The stone everyone had refused to explain.
“The stone was never meant to heal you,” the woman continued.
“It was meant to contain you.”
Musha’s breathing became shallow.
“No.”
“It saved the village.”
“No.”
“It saved your mother.”
Musha raised her swords.
“Stop.”
“But it also took something from you.”
The chamber fell silent.
Musha remembered the stories.
Her mother screaming during childbirth.
The midwives panicking.
The mysterious stone placed against her newborn body.
Then darkness.
Her blindness.
Her silence.
Her entire life had begun with a secret.
Musha’s fingers trembled around her swords.
“What did it take?”
The woman looked directly at her.
“Your sight.”
Musha froze.
“And your voice.”
The words echoed through the chamber.
Musha felt her knees weaken.
She remembered being a child.
Trying to speak.
Trying to tell her mother that she was afraid.
No sound ever came.
She had believed she had simply been born that way.
But now—
“What happened to me?”
The woman stepped closer.
“The stone chose you.”
“Why?”
“Because something inside you was already awake.”
Behind the woman, the creature moved.
A massive claw struck the ground.
BOOM.
Stone cracked.
Musha immediately dropped into a fighting stance.
The woman didn’t react.
“You should not have come here yet.”
Musha heard movement above.
Then a familiar voice.
“Musha!”
Katsurane.
He had found the opening.
“I’m here!”
“Don’t come down!”
Too late.
A body crashed through the opening in the ceiling.
Katsurane landed heavily on the stone floor and rolled.
He immediately rose with his sword drawn.
“Musha!”
“I’m here.”
Katsurane breathed in relief.
Then he heard the woman’s voice.
His sword stopped.
“No…”
The woman turned toward him.
“Katsurane.”
His face went pale.
“You.”
Musha’s head snapped toward him.
“You know her?”
Katsurane said nothing.
The woman laughed softly.
“You never told her.”
“Told me what?” Musha demanded.
Katsurane tightened his grip.
“That isn’t Queen Aiko.”
“I know.”
“She died eighteen years ago.”
The woman’s smile widened.
“And yet here I stand.”
Katsurane moved between Musha and the woman.
“You need to leave.”
Musha frowned.
“Why are you afraid of her?”
“Because she isn’t alone.”
The creature behind the woman opened its eyes.
Two enormous white eyes filled the chamber.
Musha felt the temperature drop.
Katsurane whispered:
“The White Dragon.”
Musha’s heartbeat quickened.
She had heard stories about dragons.
Ancient guardians.
Mountain spirits.
Legends told to children.
But this was no legend.
She could feel its breath.
She could hear its claws.
And something strange happened.
The creature did not attack.
Instead, it lowered its enormous head.
Toward Musha.
Katsurane shouted.
“Don’t move!”
Musha ignored him.
She could hear the dragon’s heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
It sounded familiar.
Like the pulse she had felt beneath the mountain.
The dragon lowered its head until its breath brushed her face.
Musha raised one hand.
Katsurane grabbed her arm.
“Musha, don’t.”
She pulled away.
Her fingers touched the dragon’s scales.
The instant she made contact—
The world exploded.
Musha saw.
For the first time in her life—
She saw.
Not with her eyes.
With something deeper.
She saw a burning village.
She saw samurai riding through smoke.
She saw her mother holding a newborn child.
She saw a black-haired woman standing beside her.
She saw Katsurane kneeling in front of Queen Aiko.
She saw the mysterious stone glowing red.
And then—
She saw herself.
A little girl.
Standing in a field of snow.
Her eyes were open.
They were completely white.
A black mark surrounded her left eye.
Behind her stood the White Dragon.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
Someone else was standing behind the dragon.
A man wearing a mask.
A serpent-shaped mask.
He placed one hand on the girl’s shoulder.
And whispered:
“Your father will come for you.”
Musha gasped.
The vision vanished.
She stumbled backward.
Katsurane caught her.
“What did you see?”
Musha could barely breathe.
“My father.”
Katsurane went silent.
The woman smiled.
“So you finally remember.”
“I’ve never met him.”
“Yes, you have.”
Musha shook her head.
“No.”
“He has watched you your entire life.”
“Who is he?”
The woman stepped closer.
But Katsurane raised his sword.
“Enough!”
His blade flashed.
He charged.
The woman did not move.
The dragon did.
A massive wing struck Katsurane across the chamber.
He slammed into a stone pillar.
“Katsurane!”
Musha ran toward him.
He groaned.
“I’m fine.”
The dragon growled.
Musha turned.
The creature was staring at her.
Not Katsurane.
Her.
The woman whispered:
“It remembers you.”
Musha raised her swords.
“Then tell it to remember this.”
She charged.
Her feet struck the stone.
One sword swept toward the woman’s shoulder.
The woman vanished.
Musha’s blade cut empty air.
A whisper came behind her.
“Too slow.”
Musha spun.
A hand struck her chest.
She flew backward.
Her body slammed into the wall.
Pain tore through her ribs.
One sword fell from her hand.
The woman walked toward her.
“You are still too weak.”
Musha forced herself upright.
“Then I’ll become stronger.”
The woman stopped.
For the first time, her expression looked almost proud.
“That is exactly what I wanted to hear.”
The bells suddenly rang together.
DONG.
The entire mountain shook.
Katsurane looked upward.
“The shrine is collapsing!”
Stone began falling from the ceiling.
Musha reached for her sword.
The woman turned toward the dragon.
“Wake.”
The dragon opened its mouth.
A deep white light began forming inside.
Katsurane’s eyes widened.
“Musha!”
The light grew brighter.
Musha heard the woman whisper:
“Your journey begins now.”
Then the dragon roared.
And the mountain disappeared in white fire.