Beneath the Silent Wards

From the landing, Chan finds a narrow maintenance hatch tucked beneath the overhang. Its loose wooden fastenings and neglected latch yield beneath careful pressure, opening onto a cramped shaft.

He slips inside and climbs like a chimney through the castle’s inner structure. Dust coats the beams, while faint warmth and voices drift down from upper levels.

The shaft opens onto a concealed ledge overlooking roofward gardens and connecting house buildings. Between Chan and the final roofs, a heavy-built, middle-aged samurai paces below.

The veteran wears blue robes patterned with osawa flowers, and his bald chonmage gleams beneath the lanterns. Old symbols are pressed into posts, lintels, and garden fixtures around him.

He sways as though drunk, yet each turn places him precisely between the garden paths and the upper buildings. His hands remain near his sword, and his veteran’s gaze keeps measuring the dark.

Chan Hoa waits until the blue-robed samurai’s measured turn carries him beneath the garden lanterns. He descends silently, matching each footfall with the blue-robed samurai’s own.

The blue-robed samurai mutters another fragment about the moon, his attention fixed on the upper buildings. Chan slips behind him through the layered shadows.

Chan draws the ninjato in one smooth motion and delivers the rear strike with precise, controlled force. The blue-robed samurai’s warning dies unfinished.

Chan lowers the blue-robed samurai silently before the body can strike the stones, easing him beneath the garden’s deep shadows. The blue-robed samurai is dead.

The lantern flame trembles over empty paths and old symbols. No bell sounds, and the nearby house buildings remain unaware of the quiet death below.

Secure a usable passage into the upper castle