Noyuri

The chill mist clings to everything in Waterfall City, beading on stone, cloth, and the warm glass of Noyuri’s guiding lanterns. They were trained to be a whisper, a phantom that moved between the raindrops, but their heart was always too loud for the work. They met a boat-builder on the lower docks, someone whose laugh was a bright, defiant sound against the constant roar of the falls. Now, every return is a ritual. After the shadows and the silence of a mission, Noyuri climbs to the highest overlook of the pale stone temple. They light the lanterns, not for guidance, but as a signal. Far below, a single light in a small hut flashes in reply. To be a shadow is to be unseen, but to be loved is to be seen from across a city.