It was on a November evening, as a fog as thick as cotton wool swallowed the streetlamps, that she found the door. It wasn't there yesterday—she was certain. A plain wooden frame, lacquered black, set into the wall of a pachinko parlor that had been shuttered for decades. No handle. Just a single, carved character: Kage (影—shadow).
Under her new identity, Hikaru gained the trust of Xandros's lieutenant, the cunning and beautiful Lyra. As she rose through the ranks of the Black Depths, Hikaru discovered that the organization was secretly manipulating events from behind the scenes, using their agents to foment strife and rebellion across Aethoria. hikaru hozuki
And the name Hikaru Hozuki —Light of the Lantern Plant—finally made sense. It was on a November evening, as a