CHAPTER 1
The Elders’ Meeting
Los Angeles: January 2, 2023
The glow of the lanterns flickered unevenly, throwing jagged shadows across the ancestral chamber. I sat cross-legged on the polished wooden floor, trying to steady my breathing. Despite its grandeur, the room felt suffocatingly small. Around me, the elders of the Kazuki syndicate sat in judgment, their eyes boring into me, full of doubt and expectation.
Hiroshi, the eldest among them, leaned forward, gripping his cane with a weathered hand. His sharp eyes locked onto mine.
“Damon,” Hiroshi began, his gravelly voice cutting through the silence, “you return to this council after years away. Do you believe a name is enough to restore the trust you abandoned?”
The question felt like a blade. My jaw tightened, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. The tattoo beneath my shirt pulsed faintly, feeding off my unease. I didn’t let it show.
“I didn’t come back to rely on a name,” I said evenly. “I came back because this family is on the brink of collapse. The cursed artifact trade is spiraling out of control, and if we don’t act now, there won’t be a Kazuki name to protect.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Masaru shift in his seat. He was the youngest of the elders, and his ambition was an open secret. He leaned back, fingers steepled under his chin, wearing that smug smirk I hated.
“Bold words,” Masaru said, his tone oozing mockery. “For someone who turned his back on the family when it needed him most. And now you flaunt that thing under your skin.” He gestured lazily toward my chest. “The same curse that brought your father to ruin. Tell me, Damon, how long before Kage-no-Oni consumes you too?”
My fist twitched at my side, but I kept it together. The glow of the tattoo brightened briefly before I forced it back under control. Breathe. Don’t let him bait you.
“I’m not my father,” I said, my voice sharper now. “And I’ll prove it.”
Akiko broke the tension with a soft cough. She raised a hand, her tone calm but firm.
“Enough,” she said, silencing Masaru’s next barb. “This meeting isn’t about the past. The reports from the docks are clear—cursed artifacts are slipping through our control. If we let this escalate, the consequences will reach far beyond our family.” She shot a sharp look at Masaru. “We don’t have time for petty squabbles.”
“Petty squabbles?” Masaru scoffed. “If Damon fails, it won’t just be his failure. It’ll be ours. And failure isn’t something this family forgives.”
Hiroshi tapped his cane once more against the floor, the sound reverberating through the chamber.
“Then let him prove himself,” Hiroshi said, his voice cutting through the murmurs. “The docks are your responsibility now, Damon. Show us you’re more than just a name.”
I rose slowly, letting my gaze sweep over the half-circle of elders. Their scrutiny felt like a vice, but I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing doubt.
“I’ll handle it,” I said coldly. Inside, doubt clawed at the edges of my confidence, but I buried it deep.
As I turned to leave, the glow of my tattoo dimmed, but the elders’ whispers of doubt lingered in the air.
Behind me, Hiroshi’s voice carried a quiet warning.
“The curse took your father. Don’t let it take you too.”
I paused for a moment at the chamber doors but didn’t look back. As I stepped out into the corridor, my shadow stretched long and ominously against the dimly lit walls.
The End of Chapter One
