Here we have yet another character from the story I hope to tell someday. The enigmatic and famously reclusive leader of a kitsune village whose influence is second only to Akarai's.

Enormous lore dump incoming:

Practically an anomaly from birth, Nakajima Ginsei has not had an easy life. Although being born a silver fox is considered a sign of luck in his village, his fur has always earned him a few strange looks. Luckilly his incredible talent in swordsmanship more than made up for it and at a young age he was chosen to become the next leader of his village.
Then misfortune struck. When was only twenty (barely puberty for a kitsune) he fell ill and showed symptoms similar to acute narcolepsy, passing out at random times and often unable to focus. It was eventually discovered that he suffers from an incredibly rare disease known as Soul Separation.

Kitsune posess an ability where they can project their consciousness out of their bodies and subdivide it into smaller "shades". Ginsei's disease causes his shades to constantly detach from his body, rendering it unconscious, and he can't combine his shades into more powerful ones like other kitsune.

Normally the disease completely disrupts everyday life and eventually leads to a permanent coma and eventual death. Ginsei's resolve would not allow this though. Though his consciousness was permanently shattered he uses his shades to externally move his body and perform every single action most of us do unconsciously (even blinking.) The result is that his movements are jerky and deliberate and his eyes never focus.

Eventually he had to relearn combat and that is where his legacy began. Before falling ill Ginsei was a master of the Niten two sword technique, and his muscle memory was preserved in his shades... And so it came to be that he started carrying two swords for every shade as well as his body. At the time the story takes place he has accumulated six tails, and carries a total of fourteen blades.

Then there is his affinity for mirrors. It has long been known that one can project images between two reflective surface through a technique know as "scrying". But Ginsei discovered that can project shades like this as well and set up a network of mirrors around his village, allowing his shades to travel at quite literally the speed of light. Then he found out that he can further fragment his shades with the use of a circular room lined with mirrors, giving him the title of the silver mirror.

His armour is considered fairly old fashioned by the time Akarai's story takes place, being made mostly out of bamboo to cut down on weight.

Lore dump concluded

Done in watercolours, India ink, acrylic ink and colour pencils. Critique and feedback be welcome!