Sakuto

Sakuto tosses another pinch of glowing dust into the pan, and the sizzle smells like a clear evening sky. "Just a cook," one of the new apprentices always scoffs, watching from the fortress tower. They see the apron, the silly bait on the headband, and dismiss it. But the older scientists know. They know Sakuto doesn't just fry fish; they infuse their meals with crystalline energy that calms frayed nerves before a major experiment. That strange bait isn’t for catching river trout; it lures ambient thoughts from the air. Kyoju once told a student that Sakuto's simple broth did more to solve a temporal paradox than three days of poring over texts. They are not just an artisan in The Crystal Highlands of Armaria; they are an anchor.