Chimper #4855
Rikuya remembers the heavy scent of moss and the chilling silence of the outer woods the first time they left the amber clearing. Life within The Heart of the Forest was a gentle harmony of shared food and song; their hands knew paintbrushes, not the pommel of a sword. But when a childhood friend, a fellow dreamer, followed a river into the wilder territories and did not return, the village’s music felt hollow. So Rikuya, with a knot of dread in their stomach, packed a bag, took up a ceremonial katana, and lit the lantern that now never leaves their head. They found their friend safe but lost. For that, the village calls them 'the Bold.' The name feels like an ill-fitting garment. Every new journey starts with the same quiet fear, a ghost only banished by the lantern’s steady glow.
