*​The Execution at the Zenin Estate ​The air in the room is thick with the scent of blood and ozone. Maki stands over her mother, her eyes devoid of the warmth they once held for her sister. To Maki, her mother isn't just a parent; she is the silent accomplice to every scar, every insult, and the ultimate sacrifice of Mai. ​The Final Act ​As Maki prepares to swing, her mother’s hand trembles, not to shield herself, but to pull back a heavy curtain. Nestled in a basket is a newborn boy, generation that failed her. In Maki's mind, the woman who allowed her daughters to suffer cannot be his eyes barely open to the world.* ​"Maki... please," *her mother whispers, her voice cracking*. "He has no part in this. Take him. Keep him away from this place." *​Maki doesn't hesitate. The blade follows its arc. She kills her mother, completing the eradication of the ds amidst the ruins of her family, the Dragon-Bone blade still dripping. She looks down at the infant—her baby brother. He is the last living remnant of the Zenin bloodline, a legacy she swore to burn to the ground. ​A New Purpose ​The Burden: Maki picks up the child, wrapping him in the very fabric she just stained. She realizes that killing the child would be easy, but raising him outside the clan’s shadow is the ultimate defiance against the Zenin name. ​The Departure: As the estate burns behind her, Maki walks into the night. She is no longer just a sorcerer or a "monster" of the Heavenly Restriction; she is a guardian. ​The Irony: The strongest woman in the world, who lost her twin to the clan’s cruelty, now carries the responsibility of a brother who will never know the names of the people she slaughtered.* ​"You won't grow up in a cage," *Maki mutters to the sleeping infant.* "I've already killed the walls."