Moneri

The sticky smudge of berry jam on Moneri’s cheek is from a breakfast they ate seasons ago, just before the world burned. They shared it on a checkered blanket deep within The Heart of the Forest, laughing as a loved one teased them for being a messy eater. That was the last laugh they ever shared. The attack came without warning—not a raid, but an immolation. A rogue fire spirit, maddened and wild, tore through the amber trees. Moneri was thrown clear into a river, but their companion was consumed by the blaze. Moneri carries the scorching embers of that day on their back, a searing, physical memory. The dark armor is for mourning, but the jam stain is for what was lost: a simple, sweet morning that can never be reclaimed.