Nakanosuke

Every morning, before the ghost dragons of The Dragon Wastelands have fully faded with the dawn, Nakanosuke makes toast. They coax a flame from damp twigs, shielding it with their back as the wind howls through the scorched plateaus. Their sibling, Koyura, watches from the mouth of their makeshift shelter, silent. Most survivors here would call it a waste of precious resources, a dangerous indulgence. But for Nakanosuke, it’s a promise—a memory of a home that was warm and safe. They always offer the first piece to Koyura, often with a smudge of jam on their own cheek, an accidental-on-purpose bit of foolishness. It’s the one thing that can still draw a weary smile from their sibling’s face. The bamboo on their back is for building shelter, but the toast is for building tomorrow.