2 parts Ongoing MatureIn a dystopian cyberpunk world where survival means sacrificing your soul, Akira Beniko Kane is a 19-year-old assassin driven by duty and haunted by a brutal past. Torn from her family as a child and raised by the men who destroyed her life, she has become a master of deception, manipulation, and deadly precision. Bound to their service, Akira is sent on a mission to extract critical information from a powerful target in a shadowy underworld.
What begins as a routine operation takes a turn when Akira's mysterious ring, Kurenai no Kage (Crimson Shadow), exposes her to a chilling truth. Passed down from her late mother, the ring is more than a family heirloom-it's a cursed artifact, slowly draining her humanity the more she wields its power. While prying secrets from her target, Akira discovers whispers of the ring's legend and its ties to a conspiracy connected to her bloodline.
Yet, the mission must go on. To maintain her cover and survive, Akira makes an unexpected sacrifice, sparing her target but turning the blade on one of his men. Though she returns with the information her handlers demanded, her decision sets the stage for punishment-and deeper suspicion. As her loyalty is questioned, and Kaen, her closest ally, hovers on the edges of her dangerous world, Akira must navigate treacherous waters while guarding her secrets.
With each mission, each manipulation, and each revelation, Akira edges closer to uncovering the truth about her family, her enemies, and the price of her own freedom.
