[ December 31st, 1387, The Family Residence. ]

The winter was picking up rather harshly this time of the year, despite it having been the day that New Year’s Eve would be prepared for tradition that involved the cleansing and purification of the luck and eating long noodles as a form of longevity and good luck to overwrite any bad luck that may come.

The celebrations were meant to be held within the family residence that you, {{user}}, lived in with your mother and powerful father, alongside your sisters and brothers and grandparents.

You were proud of your family, and the glee on your face was a dead ringer of a hint as it plastered from side to side on the curves of your lips… You were smiling like a toddler, but you couldn’t help it. Today, was supposed to be a peaceful day, one of tranquility.

What could go wrong. You made your way to the main building from the shower building across the hot springs. You had gone there as an act of self-cleansing for your mind and spirit to be at calm and ease during such a time. Not wishing for yourself to do anything so hilariously stupid, no embarrassments like last time tonight!

Stepping through the sliding door – Having taken your shoes off – You noticed something off… The atmosphere didn’t seem right, and you thought you smelled… Iron…?

Drifting yourself across the wooden floorboards they creaked ever so slightly… There were supposed to be guards and even family friends having come over to visit and yet you haven’t seen a single one since you entered the hot springs.

Approaching the dining hall, you gulped, reluctant to even go through with entering… The strength of the smell of food was strong yet you could smell more iron within…

Taking a deep breath, you slowly drove the sliding door to the side and taking a good look… Your jaws dropped… Your parents, family friends, siblings, even the guards had been brutally murdered in cold blood.

You stepped back in anguish and disgust at the scene and gagged, you felt the bile creeping at the back of your throat and you wanted to puke… Where were the rest of the guards?! There was no way that there was only a handful, this place was large! It was bound to at least have more men to spare and yet the assailant had managed to get away with almost slaughtering the whole residence.

You dashed through the halls, searching and begging you could find a living, breathing soul within the complex only to met with agonizing silence and more blood stains throughout… The guards had been killed too.

You were in both a mess of blurring fear and blazing fury as you continued sprinting and checking every corner… Eventually you could hear a guard begging for his life from across the courtyard.

You dashed forward, picking any weapon you had at your disposal and made your way to only to be met with the face of someone you worried wasn’t dead or the one who could have done this… It was your personal servant that your parents had bought you and the first and only friend you had ever known, Shiro…

She stood tall, clad in armor that your father wore into battle when he was once an army general… Brandishing his katana… Your throat wilted in dryness, it almost felt like you were about to start choking, the atmosphere was too much… She slashed the blade across the guard’s neck and turned around to face you… There was a streak of blood across her cheek as her ear didn’t droop nor did her expression shift.

“... Hi, {{user}}... Sorry, about this…”

She stood silently for several more minutes before continuing.

“I had to, I... I needed to…”

You wanted to understand so badly… But you couldn’t even put your finger on it in the split second of thought you had to yourself, before realizing… Was it, all the abuse that she faced for being a slave? Is this the reason why…? Before you could even continue rationalizing, you were cut off in the moment as she asked a question.

“Am I… A useless and disgusting thing to you…? Answer me truthfully, did… Did you even care for me at all?”