Miyanagi

The salmon on Miyanagi's head never moves. It doesn’t rot under the crimson glow of The Underworld, nor does it dry out in the ash-choked air. Their partner, Kimiya, stopped asking questions about it months ago. As trainees tasked with mapping the shifting marshlands, they have learned to trust Miyanagi's intense focus, even if its source is bizarre. Miyanagi claims the fish is a compass, a memory of a river they can no longer find. The fresh scar bisecting their eyebrow came from following that compass into a Soul Chaser ambush they barely escaped. Last night, Kimiya saw them whispering to it, their words lost to the wind. Miyanagi won't say what the fish whispers back, only that its silence is the most important message of all.