Ushinosuke

Ushinosuke remembers the weight of the lantern dimming for the first time, not from lack of fuel, but from the sheer thickness of sorrow in the air. It was in the immediate aftermath of the final battle that ravaged The Dragon Wastelands, when they were still just a young noble who believed light was a gift to be shared freely. They offered its glow to a band of survivors huddled in a ravine. But in the magical fog of this place, desperation looks a lot like camaraderie, until it isn't. They left Ushinosuke with nothing but their pink yukata and a cold suspicion. The mask became their true face after that. The lantern is no longer a welcoming beacon; it's a tool, used to cut through illusions and expose the truths people hide. They still guide the lost, but they never let them get too close.