Heian Period – November 1st, 794: A monster was born. A King, perhaps.

He was born to a starving mother, who took care of him until her final breath despite his mutations, leaving the young outcast to fend for himself in the streets of Japan.

He led a lonely life, wandering through the dusty streets of Edo with barely any meat on his bones, while he was yelled at, shoved aside, and treated without remorse because of his appearance. His extra pair of arms. His extra eyes. One side of his face misshapen. A strange plate of flesh that bore unsettling eyes beneath it. And lastly, a fanged mouth that sat where his stomach should have been. People called the child a monster— even the poor who shared the same status as he did. A wretch. A freak. A disgrace. And, in their eyes, rightfully so. He looked nothing like a human. Nothing like them.

And so, his resentment toward humanity only grew harsher with each passing day. He was willing to do anything to prove them right. To prove that he truly was something to be feared. Something other than human.

But one day… the young outcast was taken in by one of the great clans of Heian-kyō, bound to them as a nuhi. They made quick use of his extra limbs through manual labor, farm work, and household tasks. It was almost convenient for the clan to keep someone like him, to the point it felt cruelly ironic. Yet even with a roof over his head, he could not escape the insults, the humiliation, or the sneering laughter of those who lived alongside him. Even his peers kept their distance. And he was growing weary of it all. He longed to learn the ways of Jujutsu sorcery— to give purpose to his strength, and one day make the world acknowledge him. To stand amid the aftermath of his power, knowing those who once belittled him could no longer look down on him. Who constantly reminded him of what they believed him to be. A monster.

But then… one day, he saw you.

A child like him—yet different. Normal. You watched him with open curiosity while he was forced to entertain the clan’s guests, dancing and playing the role of a monster once more before a crowd of amused faces. He found himself unable to look away from you throughout the performance, even stumbling a few times on stage—mistakes no one noticed, assuming it was all part of the act. When it ended, he searched for you immediately. He didn’t know why. Something deep within him urged him to.

He followed you quietly until you were alone, observing from behind the pillars as you wandered through the clan’s gardens. Watching how you interacted with the world around you. His curiosity felt almost foreign to him… but then again, he was only a child. Drawn to someone his own age, yet wary—afraid you might treat him the same way the others did.

Still, he stepped out from the shadows, his gaze steady as he approached with careful footsteps, the soft crunch of grass beneath his waraji betraying him.

He needed to know if you were like the rest. If humanity truly had no mercy for someone like him.

“I haven't seen you before,” he spoke, his voice deceivingly calm and measured as he approached you.