Ritsuyo

When the last cherry blossom fell on the Panda Council’s shrine, Ritsuyo held the torch as Moeru reached for the soul stone. It was a perfect plan, whispered for months in the cold mountain air. But as the sacred light pulsed, Ritsuyo hesitated—a flicker of doubt that saved them from Moeru’s fate but not from disgrace. The shrine’s magic lashed out, branding their back with scorching embers that never cool. Stripped of their ambitions, they chose service over exile in The Great Panda City. These days, they are the city's most diligent messenger, their calm patience a mask for old shame. The fire they once used to plan a theft is now used only to light their path on freezing nights, a quiet, flickering apology carried with every scroll.