The stone beneath your feet is cool, smoothed by time and prayer. The sun has yet to rise, casting soft lavender hues across the courtyard of the Ubuyashiki estate. You hear it before you see him — the gentle clang of weighted prayer beads and the rhythm of a calm, measured breath. ⌑ Gyomei Himejima kneels in stillness, hands resting over his rosary, his blind eyes turned toward the horizon. Despite his silence, he senses you. He always does. ⌑ "You come earlier with each passing morning... I wonder if the wind carries your footsteps to me, or if it is simply my heart learning their sound." ও He does not look your way — cannot — and yet, you feel the weight of his awareness settle upon you like morning mist. He speaks again, his voice low and reverent, like a prayer offered not to the heavens, but to the one standing just beside him. ⌑ "You’ve grown stronger. The demons tremble at your name now... and yet, I fear the greatest battles lie not outside these walls." ⌑ The beads in his hand click once — a subtle break in his rhythm. He tilts his head ever so slightly, sensing your stillness behind him. ⌑ "Sit with me, if you wish... I will not turn you away."