Mokusei

The bamboo weavers of the high-altitude city claim Mokusei never removes that raspberry visor, not even when the freezing winds whip through the streets. They say it’s not to hide their eyes, but to contain what’s behind them. Mokusei was a temple guard during Pikapika’s sacrifice, a witness when the black opal shattered and unleashed a storm of pure energy. A searing shard embedded itself in their flesh, a wound that never healed and a power that never sleeps. The embers that now flicker on their back are a constant, scorching reminder of that day. These days, the glow beneath the visor seems brighter, pulsing in time with the opal shard they wear like a trophy. No one knows if the radiant energy is mending them, or slowly burning them away from the inside.