Ikumatsu

Should a traveler venture too far off the path, where the happy songs of the amber-leaved clearing fade, they might find Ikumatsu. They never asked for the whispers that now crowd their thoughts, nor the unsettling glow behind their eyes. They were simply charting the forest's edge with Hen'i-tai when they stumbled upon a pool of water that shimmered with an unnatural light. The chaotic energy warped Hen'i-tai's body, but for Ikumatsu, it twisted their soul. Now called a heretic, they find it easier to keep moving. They explore not for fame or treasure, but because the constant walking quiets the voices. The grin is for anyone who thinks they chose this life; a bitter joke for a pilgrim who never wanted a pilgrimage.