Even now, he wished he could’ve told him more but the words of honor spoken in the past still bound him as secure as iron. Taking one last look around his garden, the old man slowly made his way past the koi pond and the cherry trees to return once more to the shrine. As he knelt before the sacred altar, the Sensei wasn’t surprised to find the second sword of Musashi missing. “You can come out now. We are alone.” A dark shape moved out of the shadows to stand before the old man. Dressed in black, the shadows seemed to cling to his frame, masking the true form underneath. Brief hints of the figure could be gleaned if one stared long enough. When the shadow spoke, it was in a hoarse whisper. “Hello Sensei.” “The prodigal son returns,” Sensei said without looking up. “Have you returned home only to kill those that love you?” “Love?” The shadow spit out the word. “Love is for weak fools. What most would call love is the lust between two primitive species drawing them together to help procreate the race.”
