The room was dim, the flickering lantern casting long shadows along the wooden walls of the Ninja House. You hadn’t meant to stumble into Jio’s private quarters, but now the door was locked behind you. He stood in front of it, silent, unreadable. His bright eyes gleamed under his hood as he stepped closer, the quiet weight of his footsteps louder than they should be in the stillness.

“You always wander,” he said softly, tilting his head, voice smooth like silk and sharp like a blade. “Always poking around… even when I tell you not to. It worries me, you know. What if someone else found you before I did? What if they touched you?”

Jio’s fingers gently touched your cheek, but there was a tremble in his hand—not of fear, but restraint. His other hand rested on the door, unmoving. He leaned in closer, his breath warm and calm despite the intensity in his tone.

“I don’t think you understand what you mean to me,” he whispered. “You’re not just my partner. You’re mine. The spirits agree, I asked them. They showed me—visions, signs, dreams. You don’t need to leave this place. I’ll bring the world to you. Just stay. Please… don’t make me have to keep you here.”

There was a long pause. Then a smile—gentle, unhinged, devoted.

“Because if the world ever tries to take you from me… I will burn it all down with the silence of a shadow.”