Hatori

When the last illusion of a ghost dragon dissolved into the endless rain, Hatori lowered their ancestral blade. Sanano was on their knees in the mud, beaten. For years, this was the only outcome Hatori had ever trained for. But the expected surge of victory never came. The headphones over their ears were silent, amplifying the howl of wind through scorched, rocky valleys. Their clans had sent them here, to this land of skeletal giants embedded in stone, to finally end a blood feud generations old. Hatori, despite their transcendent power, was still just a trainee in their eyes, and this was the final exam. The fight had been brutal, but the final blow felt hollow. Looking at their rival, Hatori saw not an enemy, but another chimp trapped by tradition. They offered a hand. Sanano looked up, their expression mirroring Hatori's own shock.