Shijirou

The Robo-Panda Oracle is what they call them in The Great Panda City. A walking archive, a quiet mind sought by members of the Panda Council for forgotten histories and obscure prophecies. Shijirou accepts the title, adjusting the heavy mask that grants them an air of omniscience they rarely feel. They did not seek this life. They were simply a fisher, someone who understood the patient language of the river that flows through the city. But their knack for reading currents translated to reading scrolls, and soon the robes replaced their simple tunic. They provide the answers everyone needs, but inside, they confess only to themself: this knowledge is a cage. At night, they trace the worn grip of their fishing rod, wondering if the person who once held it for joy could ever truly come back.