SHATTERED HONOUR

[Cryptic 549]

 

A folktale of the price of an unfinished blade

 

[!] Shimaku failing to save his Lord Samurai.

 

 

Long ago, when Sakuragakure was quieter, and the sakura bloomed a little closer to the ground, there lived a man named Shimaku, a retainer born on Ōskunoshima. On this great island, people believed spirits listened carefully to every promise made.

 

Shimaku was not a famous warrior. He was not written into songs. But he served his lord faithfully, standing behind him in rain and sun, believing that was enough. In those days, Shimaku thought loyalty alone could carry a man through life.

 

Then came the night he failed.

 

When danger found his lord, Shimaku was there—but not enough. Steel struck where it should not have, and by dawn, his lord was gone. Shimaku lived, kneeling in blood-soaked earth, unable to understand why his hands still moved when the man he served no longer breathed.

 

In his grief, Shimaku did what tradition demanded. He prepared for seppuku, washing, kneeling, and steadying his breath. He told himself this was the last duty he could fulfill.

 

But when the blade touched his skin, fear crept in.

 

Not fear of pain, but fear of ending—of never being forgiven, of never being understood. His hands shook. His resolve broke. Shimaku remained alive, ashamed and hollow, as the sun rose on a world that no longer had a place for him.

 

It was then, they say, that others found him.

 

[!] The ‘spirits’ that took Shimaku. @jqsmlne @Curry

 

Evil spirits, some say they were Oni who spoke of purpose where none remained. They did not ask if Shimaku wished to follow. They took him, carrying his shame into rites older than mercy.

 

When Shimaku returned, he was changed. His body became a pale, stone-like figure, tall and heavy, like a statue forgotten by time. His face was simple, unfinished, yet marked with anger that never faded. The spirits gave him a new name—Shuten-dōji—for Shimaku was no longer the man he had been.

 

Now, Shuten-dōji walks the roads of Yorumachi and Kurai-Kuni, neither alive nor truly dead. He does not seek praise or redemption. He carries an endless hunger—not for food, but for meaning, for the peace he once believed honour would bring.

 

They say he watches those who break their oaths, who abandon their duties, who turn away when others depend on them. He does not strike in anger. He strikes as a reminder.

 

So when parents tell this story to their children, they do not speak only of punishment.

 

They say: Be brave when it is hardest.

Keep your word, even when no one is watching.

Because living with regret is a heavier burden than dying with honour.

 

Spoiler

[OOC]: Extremely excited to play with this Pale Knight more! Hoping some cool RP comes out of it throughout my time with Shuten-doji!

 

[milksoda 2884]

rad. i like this a lot.