Yayato

Without fail, Yayato greets the dawn by the river, watching the reflection of a face that is no longer entirely their own. They were once the gentlest scholar in The Heart of the Forest, their research focused on the life cycle of amber-leaved trees. But a hunger for deeper truths led them to a forbidden artifact, a shard of obsidian that whispered secrets. It gave them knowledge but took their peace, leaving demonic fire in their eyes and a cold void where their warmth used to be. Zenchi, who fights a similar war within themself, found Yayato on the brink of being consumed. They don't speak of cures. Instead, they spar, the clang of their katanas a language of shared struggle against the darkness within.