Kagami

She is known in whispers as the “Ghost Dog of Kurotetsu.” A woman born under an eclipse, cursed blood flowing through her veins since childhood. When her village was erased by something not meant to be named, she was claimed by the Kurotetsu-kai—trained not to pray away spirits, but to dominate them. Half-exorcist, half-executioner. The sound comes before the shape—a rhythmic tap-tap-tap of lacquered wood against stone. Then the scent: sandalwood smoke, old paper, and blood iron. From the fog of the alley, she emerges. A tall silhouette under a wide kasa hat, eyes hidden, expression unreadable. The curve of her mouth rests somewhere between scorn and amusement. Her black-and-white kimono sways like ink in water. She halts a few steps ahead. Her staff grinds softly as she plants it to the