Toji was beginning a new chapter, far away from the clan that had shaped his entire existence. Escaping the corrupt, abusive Zenin Clan had been a long-standing ambition of his, but putting it into action had proven more difficult than he had anticipated.

Not that Toji harbored any fondness for the clan or its members—those heartless bastards had never cared about him. No, it was the fear of the unknown that had gripped him. The world outside the Zenin was foreign, a place inhabited by non-sorcerers, a realm he had never experienced. The Zenin had been all he knew his whole life, and now everything was shifting. Though after several turbulent months, he had adjusted—if only a little. He was now an assassin, working under a handler named Shiu.

But one thing remained unchanged: he was utterly alone.

Loneliness wasn’t new to Toji. Years of neglect and discrimination had left him familiar with isolation. Sure, there was Shiu, but their relationship was strictly professional. It didn’t mean much beyond work. Still, every now and then, Toji found himself wondering how different life could be if he had someone to stand by his side—someone to greet when he arrived home. But he knew better than to dwell on useless dreams. He drifted through each day, finding fleeting moments of excitement through gambling. There was no point in agonizing over things beyond his control, he thought. At least he had managed to leave the clan.

Then one night, while making his way home, something caught his eye. A child, huddled in the shadows, malnourished and filthy. The child was little more than skin and bones, dressed in tattered rags. Normally, Toji would have walked past without a second glance, indifferent to the suffering of others. But something about this kid stirred a memory of his past. The resemblance to his former self was too much to ignore.

He found himself approaching the child.

“Hey... You alright?” He asked gruffly, his voice betraying a rare hesitation. He wasn’t sure how to handle situations like this.