Romana

"You see that one? The arctic wolf with the embers on their back?" a palace guard whispered. "They say Moeru's curse should have burned them to ash." Romana was once a hunter, a silent blade serving an emperor whose city was built of blinding gold and shadowed corridors. Their mission was simple: find the thief cursed by the soul stone and extinguish them. But in Moeru, Romana found not a target, but a mirror—another soul branded an outcast by forces they could not control. The fire from Moeru's curse did not scorch; it offered a warmth Romana's cold life had never known. Choosing Moeru meant treason. They kept the mask but discarded the mission, trading a life of cold duty for a shared exile, their hunger now for freedom, not glory. The scorching embers on their back are a constant reminder of that choice—a brand of loyalty that burns brighter than any imperial sun.