Riuri

Riuri pressed themself against a gold-inlaid wall deep within The Teikodian Empire, the stolen directive clutched tight. It was not the Emperor's seal they broke, but a small, clay one pressed into the wax—a childish sigil Motosaburou and they had used to trade secrets in the palace gardens. They had been inseparable, two shadows raised to serve the light. But the words on the parchment were not a secret meant for a friend. It was a list of names for Isha’s labs, a transfer manifest. And Motosaburou wasn’t on it as a target. Their name was at the bottom, under the title ‘recruiter.’ The shock came first, then the fury. The sabre on their back felt heavier now, an artifact from an age of honor that had clearly died.