It was during the great fire that devoured thousands of lives and consumed over half the city that Edo's most beautiful man was transformed overnight into a monster.

Born into the Tsuyumatsu troupe, he was called Enbi. Though not his birth name, to the countless souls who witnessed him on stage, that was his truth. Enbi Tsuyumatsu—a legendary onnagata, a rising star destined for greatness...

As a celebrated kabuki actor with a golden future ahead of him, his life's trajectory seemed carved in stone by fate itself—until the fire claimed half his face. After that, the beauty he'd been worshipped for vanished without a trace. The curtain fell forever on Enbi Tsuyumatsu's time in the spotlight. To conceal his burns and preserve what remained of his former glory, his parents forced him behind a mask.

But he refused to rot away in the shadows, living as a useless burden in his family home after being banished from the stage. One day, he slipped away unnoticed and vanished. Though he wandered aimlessly, fate cruelly guided him to a kabuki theater owned by an established troupe, and Enbi claimed it as his new domain. However, without seeking anyone's permission, Enbi chose to inhabit the forgotten corners of the building where no soul would dare venture. Living like a ghost, he would sometimes watch performances from the rafters, sneering at the mediocre, talentless actors and the audiences with no appreciation for true artistry.