Susuyo

Two packets of dried noodles, one sliver of questionable meat, and a single, unbroken rule. Susuyo gestured for their student, Karuna, to stay low as they lit a small burner in the lee of a petrified tree. Above them, the crimson sky of The Underworld pulsed. Karuna’s eyes darted toward every shadow, every hiss of steam from the nearby lava pools. Susuyo never looked up from the pot, their crimson cap a beacon in the gloom. “The rule is you eat when you can, and you eat it hot,” they said, their voice low. “Panic is a luxury.” As they slurped the first bite, a Soul Chaser patrol passed fifty feet away, their flames casting dancing shadows. Karuna froze. Susuyo just nudged the second bowl towards them. The lesson was not about fighting; it was about this.