Shikae

On the day their spice caravan was seized by Ten'no's guards, Shikae learned the difference between a business and a front. They rebuilt their trade network in the heart of The Teikodian Empire, this time with a second, unlisted manifest. Publicly, Shikae is the jovial silk merchant with a charming goatee, a master of pleasantries in sun-drenched courtyards. Privately, their lanterns light the shadowed corridors beneath the palace, guiding deserters and scientific subjects to freedom. The playful chatter is a carefully constructed illusion, one that nearly shattered when they met Sakkaku. Near the transformed warrior, reality buckled, and for a terrifying moment, Shikae couldn't tell the merchant from the guide, the gilded cage from the escape route. Some truths are too bright, and their work depends entirely on the shadows cast by their lanterns.