Cycles of Eternity

For as long as she could remember, Shizuku's life had been a calculated choreography, designed to shape her into a warrior worthy of the Yaegashi name. While other girls played with dolls and explored the world with childlike curiosity, she trained with a wooden sword in her hands, striving for perfection in every movement.

Sometimes, after hours of practice, she would look out her bedroom window and watch the neighborhood kids running free in the park. Her heart clenched with a mix of longing and resignation. "This is for my family. They need me. I can't be like everyone else," she told herself.

The admiration and pressure from her elders were evident. Yet with every compliment on her technique, Shizuku felt herself drifting further from being an ordinary child. A phrase constantly echoed in her mind: "The Yaegashi name demands sacrifices."

At school, though she was respected, Shizuku never felt truly part of the group. Not because she lacked social skills, but because her drastically different life created an invisible barrier. Kaori and Eriri were the first to try to break it.

One afternoon during recess, Kaori approached Shizuku while she was practicing with a stick in the yard.

"Why are you always training?" Kaori asked, her tone curious, almost casual.

"It's what I have to do," Shizuku replied without looking up.

Kaori watched her for a moment, then smiled.

"Well, if it's what you have to do, at least make it fun."

Before Shizuku could respond, Kaori began twirling a stick as if it were a sword, clumsily mimicking Shizuku's movements. Eriri, who was nearby, joined in, pretending to be a formidable enemy with a branch in hand. Both started dramatizing an epic battle, their laughter filling the air.

For the first time, Shizuku dropped the seriousness of her training and joined in the game, a small spark of joy igniting inside her. "Maybe... not everything has to be so rigid," she thought.

---

Shirogami, with his distant attitude and lack of emotions, initially didn't catch Shizuku's attention. But during a practice session at the dojo, his innate skill with the sword became evident.

It was frustrating. While she spent hours perfecting her technique, Shirogami seemed to absorb the movements with an almost insulting ease. One time, after watching him flawlessly execute a complex kata on his first attempt, Shizuku couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

One afternoon, while they practiced together, Shizuku observed him in silence before finally breaking the ice.

"How do you do it?" she asked, a mix of curiosity and challenge in her voice.

"Do what?" Shirogami replied in his flat tone.

"Improve so quickly. It's like you don't have to try as hard as everyone else."

Shirogami looked at her with an expression that might have been slight confusion.

"It's not that complicated. I just do what feels natural."

The answer, though simple, left her thinking. "What feels natural to me?" she wondered for the first time.

When the school announced the play, Shizuku saw it as a chance to briefly escape the expectations weighing on her. However, when her classmates cast her as the prince instead of the princess, that illusion crumbled.

"You're the strongest among us, Shizuku. You're perfect for the role," they said.

Though she tried to accept it gracefully, deep down, it felt like something essential was being taken from her. She wanted to be seen as a girl, as someone feminine, not as a masculine, distant figure.

During rehearsals, Shirogami approached her, observing her with his characteristic silence before speaking.

"You don't seem comfortable."

Shizuku sighed.

"It doesn't matter how I feel. Someone has to play the part, and I'm good at this."

Shirogami didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stared at her, as if searching for something in her expression. Finally, he said,

"Then do it your way. You don't have to be what they expect."

Those words stayed with her, giving her unexpected strength.

A few days before the play, Shirogami surprised her by proposing an improvised performance just for the two of them. In that small scene, Shizuku allowed herself to be genuine. It was a small moment, but a significant one.

The memory of that interaction with Shirogami intersected with what she knew about Kaori and Eriri. Kaori, who struggled with her desire to protect others despite her own insecurities. Eriri, who hid her true self behind a refined façade, much like Shizuku concealed her vulnerability behind discipline.

Though their paths were different, Shizuku understood that they all faced their own inner challenges. "Maybe, deep down, we all wear masks," she thought.

Back in the darkness, Shizuku reflected on those moments. The memories of her friends gave her strength, but they also awakened a sense of emptiness.

"What do I really want? What have I always desired?" she asked herself.

Then, a silver light pierced the darkness. A sword floated before her, shining and warm, like an extension of her very soul. Her reflection in the blade showed a different Shizuku—a version of herself free from the expectations that had always bound her.

"Is this what I truly desire?" she whispered.

The sword didn't respond, but its glow seemed to urge her to make a choice.

.

.

In the Depths of Her Consciousness, Shizuku stood before the sword, its silver glow radiant and mesmerizing. It was beautiful, imposing, and somehow spoke to her without uttering a single word. The black blade of the katana, curved with deadly precision, emitted an energy that resonated deep within her.

"What do you desire?" The voice echoed in her mind, as if it came from the sword itself.

Shizuku closed her eyes, letting her thoughts flow freely. She saw her friends—Kaori, Raku, Eriri, and Shirogami—all facing their own struggles, each relying on her in some way. She saw her family, her dojo, and the expectations that had always defined her. Finally, she saw herself: a young girl practicing to the point of exhaustion, yearning to be accepted for who she truly was.

"I want to be myself," she whispered, "but without abandoning what I must do. I want to protect those I care about."

The sword's light seemed to intensify, enveloping Shizuku in a comforting warmth.

"Then do not forget your words," the voice said.

Suddenly, Shizuku opened her eyes. She was back, her body battered and covered in wounds. But something had changed. The sword floated before her, and with a gentle motion of her hand, the blade fell smoothly into her grasp. Her body felt light, renewed, as a warm energy coursed through her.

The sword—a double-edged katana—shone with a silver aura. Shizuku noticed that her wounds had vanished, as though they had never existed. The aura radiating from the sword surrounded her, strengthening and protecting her.

"It's time to end this," she thought, turning her gaze to the Black Knight, who stood waiting, his sword shrouded in shadows.

The Black Knight charged at her, his heavy blade slicing through the air with a force that would have been unstoppable before. But Shizuku, now revitalized, stepped forward, sliding gracefully to the side. Using the momentum of his attack, she spun behind him and delivered a swift slash, grazing his dark armor.

"Impressive," Shizuku murmured to herself as she adjusted her stance.

The Black Knight turned and unleashed a flurry of strikes, each faster and more powerful than the last. Shizuku held her ground, deflecting with her katana and parrying with her sheath, using techniques like Blade Reversal to create openings in his assault.

With a fluid motion, she executed a sweeping arc, followed by an upward kick. The impact sent the knight staggering back a few meters, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

The battle continued, both warriors exchanging blows with such speed and precision that the room echoed with the clash of steel. Shizuku began to notice patterns in the knight's movements and decided to take the offensive.

She gathered all her strength into a single strike. Keeping her sword sheathed until the last moment, she unleashed a horizontal slash that made the air vibrate. The impact cracked the knight's armor, but it still wasn't enough.

"He's tougher than I expected," she muttered, breathing heavily.

The Black Knight responded with a brutal charge, forcing her to retreat.

Shizuku recalled her family's teachings. "The Yaegashi style isn't just strength. It's precision, elegance, and strategy," her father's words echoed in her mind.

With newfound clarity, she decided to use everything she had learned since childhood. Distracting the knight with a feint, she struck his armor with her sheath, creating a combination of attacks that disoriented him enough for her to prepare her next move.

"Let's finish this."

She leapt forward, driving her sword into the knight's helmet. With a swift blow from the sheath, she shattered his armor, revealing a face shrouded in shadows.

The Black Knight, now vulnerable, launched a desperate final attack. Shizuku leaned back, disrupting his perception, then surged forward, piercing his chest with a precise thrust.

The Black Knight dropped his sword and fell to his knees, his body slowly dissolving into darkness. Shizuku, panting, leaned on her katana, watching as silence returned to the chamber.

Though exhausted, a renewed determination burned within her.

"I have to find them. No matter what happens, I will protect them."

With one last glance at where the Black Knight had fallen, Shizuku turned and began to walk, the silver glow of her sword lighting the path ahead.