Takinosuke

When the river pirates tried to scale the great stone stairs under the cover of the falls' mist, most of the guard ran for their spears. But the old-timers down by the fishing boats just pointed up toward the plaza. They told us to watch Takinosuke. They didn't move, didn't draw a blade. Just stood there in their shades, patient as the stone fish statue in the square. Then, the embers on their back began to glow, not with rage, but with a quiet, intense heat that turned the mist to steam. The pirates never made it past the tenth step. They say Takinosuke never even took their hands out of their pockets. They just… burned the ambition right out of them. We don't know what they see behind those shades, but we know the fire they carry keeps the water safe.