Chihito

The Striped Pilgrim is what the few sane denizens of The Underworld whisper about, usually followed by a cackle from the bleached skull that floats beside them. Chihito came to this ash-choked realm on a solemn quest with their ancestral blade. Their disguise, they reasoned, would offer camouflage. The skull, a chatterbox named Kotsu, found them tangled in slosh-vines on their first day and hasn't stopped laughing since. "Your master, Sensei, taught you how to channel your evolved power," Kotsu often says, "but clearly not how to pack for a trip." Yet, when a Soul Chaser appears, the mockery ceases. Chihito's power flares, a force both ancient and new, and for a moment, the blade and the tiger stripes glow as one. The skull keeps them company, and Chihito keeps the skull from being shattered. One is a guide, the other is the purpose, and neither would last a day here alone.