A beginning for @empyira
The tranquil night of Kyoto was illuminated by the golden glow of lanterns and flame. Along a quiet road, an old and exhausted mare walked along the empty streets. A lone officer with light in hand paused at the sight of the horse’s rider: a boy leaning low over the withers of such pale complexion the man observed their passing as though witnessing an apparition. Yet the boy was of flesh and blood; Gin’s youth made fragile and susceptible to illness by prolonged depravation.
As their pace diminished, Gin slid from the saddle to the ground. Moving his head across the dirt, upon emaciated arms he slowly crawled to one of the buildings near and sat with his back against the old wooden façade. In spite of being tethered and degraded by lethargic stagnation, his eyes of a striking pallor gazed with great longing to the expanse of sky and stars beyond his reach. ❝…I should have liked to see the lands beyond the sea,❞ he spoke to himself, his tone laced with a mild acrimony. When he felt another regarded him, he looked upon a woman of unusual beauty.
❝Can ya understand my words?❞ Gin’s smile broadened as it often had, however the unwavering steadiness of his eyes would covey a chilling impression. For they offered a glimpse of a force unhindered by the weight of any moral dichotomy.
❝Though I doubt I shall venture further, fortune appears to have granted me one final opportunity,❞ he drew a breath as his will demanded control over the dying form. ❝Might I prompt ya to indulge my curiosity before this life of mine extinguishes?❞
