Chapter 7: ⚔️ Scene: The Predator Meets the Judge
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Tai, still bandaged up, asked Hiroshi:
Tai: "So… you and Kon were really best friends?"
Hiroshi, voice heavy with old guilt:
Hiroshi: "Yeah. Best there was. But he left Kisdain. Broke every oath… for this. He wants everyone erased. Says it's the only way."
Tai, looking at the ground:
Tai: "So… all that talk… all that kindness… it was fake?"
Hiroshi: "To you? Maybe. To himself? Who knows anymore."
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🌿 Cut to: A Forest Shrine — Kamino's Balance
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A clearing deep in the misty woods.
A man with long dark hair — Kamino — knelt beside a fallen deer. He brushed its fur gently, eyes closed, whispering:
Kamino: "Tell me… why should you die, when humans live?"
Nearby, a trembling poacher begged on his knees.
Poacher: "Please — don't kill me — I swear—"
Kamino's eyes glowed cold green:
Kamino: "You fed your greed. Now I feed the balance."
He raised one hand — a single strike. The man's neck snapped.
Blood dripped onto the forest floor.
Kamino turned to his servant, Pholm.
Kamino: "You know why I don't eat meat, Pholm?"
Pholm, bowing:
Pholm: "Because you believe all life must weigh equal."
Kamino: "Most humans consume the very monsters they fear. I consume none. I cleanse instead."
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🐴 Meanwhile — Kon Arrives
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Not far off — a huge spiked gate stood.
A horse thundered through it — black mane, blood on its hooves.
Atop it sat Kon, cloak billowing behind him.
A twisted goblin-like creature, Momzo, greeted him with jagged teeth:
Momzo: "Welcome, traveler. New face, huh?"
Kon, dismounted, patted his horse:
Kon: "Just passing through. Nice place."
Momzo eyed the horse, drooling:
Momzo: "Fine breed. Grass?"
Kon: "My horse eats meat."
Momzo grinned:
Momzo: "Ha! Human meat? Rare taste."
Kon: "The best kind." He handed the reins over.
Momzo offered raw, bloody slabs. The horse devoured it — flesh and bone.
Momzo: "Interesting taste you got, stranger."
Kon: "Call it… a hobby."
Momzo leaned closer, lowered his voice:
Momzo: "If you see him — the 'Judge' — walk away. No one comes back."
Kon, smirked, flipped a silver coin:
Kon: "Don't worry. I'm good at walking through things."
He plucked a single hair from his horse's mane — handed it to Momzo.
Momzo, delighted:
Momzo: "A charm for me? May the forest watch you, friend."
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🍵 The Tea Table
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Deep in the grove — Kamino sipped steaming tea on a carved wooden chair.
Across from him — an empty seat.
Kon, calm as death, stepped through the hanging vines, boots wet with moss.
Kon: "This place is pretty. You must be Kamino?"
Kamino, eyes half-lidded:
Kamino: "And you must be the hunter everyone fears. Sit, stranger."
Kon dropped into the opposite chair.
Kamino: "What brings you to my forest?"
Kon: "Beauty. Balance. Maybe meat."
Kamino, disgusted:
Kamino: "So you eat life for fun."
Kon, polite grin:
Kon: "Not fun. Purpose. Taste."
Pholm, standing at Kamino's side, hissed:
Pholm: "Why not tear him apart now, master?"
Kamino raised a hand:
Kamino: "Peace, Pholm. He's a guest. For now."
Kon: "So you're a proud vegetarian? Hah. Noble."
Kamino, swirling his tea:
Kamino: "Not noble. Necessary. The universe rots under human appetite. My work balances it."
Kon, leaning in:
Kon: "You think we're different. But we're the same. You cull humans — so do I. Only difference — I don't lie to myself about it."
A cold silence settled. The forest shivered around them.
Two predators at one table — only one would rise.
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⚡ Scene End — Next Up: A Deadly Conversation