Sounosuke

Sounosuke was always the last one chosen for training exercises. Sent to The Crystal Highlands of Armaria as part of a cultural exchange, their simple training gear seemed laughably obsolete among mages who could reshape stone with a whisper. The wizards saw their endless katas as quaint and their wings as ornamental. In response, Sounosuke developed an impenetrable poker face, a quiet defense against the constant underestimation. They just kept practicing, polishing their wings until they reflected the magical sunsets. When a rogue energy experiment breached its containment field, it wasn't a complex spell that saved the younger acolytes. It was Sounosuke, moving instinctively to shield them with their own body. They proved that day that true protection isn't always about power, but about presence.