Niyabi

Niyabi dusted the last of the sweet rice flour from their apron, the guiding lanterns outside their stall already beginning to glow against the fading sunset. Everyone in The Crystal Highlands of Armaria thinks the ninja mask is just for show, a silly gimmick to stand out from Kiwana's explosive culinary presentations. They think the rivalry is bitter. It isn't. The truth, the thing Niyabi never says aloud, is that Kiwana is the reason they get up before the magical rocks start humming. Every new recipe is a silent reply to Kiwana’s last one. The mask isn't to hide; it's to focus. It blocks out the praise and the criticism, leaving only the challenge. Kiwana can have the crowds and the spectacle; Niyabi just needs the one set of eyes that understands the craft. Without that shadow to compete against, their own light would feel awfully dim.