Illustration by Yuki O. The next morning came quietly. The snow had turned to rain, falling in light droplets over the forest floor. It was the first time in many years that Shichi had not risen to the sound of…

Upon waking, the only thing Shichi could feel was shock. This was mostly because he had expected to die. Instead of experiencing some kind of karmic rebirth, he was still on the mountain, bleeding and prone in the snow. White…