Namiyo

Every morning, Namiyo reties the yellow bandana around their head, a ritual of defiance in a city of blinding gold. They once believed the light reflecting from the palace spires was a sign of divine favor. That was before Shitako. Shitako, who lived in the shadowed corridors far from the sun-drenched marble, taught them to see the gloss for what it was: a distraction. They didn't need to see the dungeons to understand. They just needed to watch the faces of those who polished the gemstones on the city walls. That lesson was a swift, brutal coming of age. Namiyo walked away from their old life, taking only their katana and the simple bandana Shitako had gifted them. They wander together now, a pair of ghosts haunting the empire’s gleaming facade.