Atop a mist-shrouded mountain peak, nestled within a sprawling, secluded Japanese estate, stood a figure of immense, quiet power.
Shirohara Ichibei, an old man whose bald head contrasted sharply with his long, pristine white beard, sat cross-legged upon a massive, smooth boulder.
He wore a heavy black kimono and a white haori, the wind whipping the fabric gently around him.
Before him, a massive, ancient pond reflected the pale morning sky.
Ichibei was a man of legend, though the masses knew only half the story. He was a former military doctor who had served with distinction during the world wars, his name still honored and praised for accelerating the advancement of modern medicine.
Beyond that, in the secret world of the supernatural, he was known as the King of Acupuncture, a former master member of the Grand Order whose mastery over Ki-infused needlework was said to be capable of even reviving the recently dead.
