Tsuzuka the Wary

Every morning, Tsuzuka sits by the pale stone temple in Waterfall City and listens to the great cascade, a sound that never changes. They trace the jagged scar that crosses their eye, a mark left from a battle they technically won. They defeated the entity, but lost their nerve, their unblemished confidence shattered by the ferocity of the darkness they faced. Their combat pole has leaned in a corner, untouched, for years. In its place, they took up scrolls and quiet counsel. This new path led them to Zenchi, in whom they recognized the same chaotic energy that had branded them. Tsuzuka now helps Zenchi fight their inner demons not with force, but with the hard-won wisdom of survival. The lantern they bear is no trophy; it is a promise to see the shadows for what they are, long before they can strike again.