Soganoumako

Soganoumako held the marshmallow stick over a tiny, magically-warmed stone on the rooftop ledge, the freezing wind doing nothing to their skin. Far below, bamboo-lined streets bustled under a perpetually purple sky. Their childhood friend, Rinai, had given them the sweet that morning. “For the small victories,” they’d said, just as they always did. It was a ritual from a life Soganoumako barely remembered, a life with a pulse and warm hands. That life ended on a botched mission for the Council, leaving them cold, quiet, and eternally weary. They were remade into a shadow agent, an asset who didn't need to sleep. But Rinai refused to let them forget. The marshmallow browned perfectly. It wasn't about the taste anymore; it was an act of rebellion against the silence in their chest.