Toyotoshi did not ask for the power that crackled in their bones, the same untamed energy that legends attached to Akurai. They were sent to The Underworld to learn control, a place where a mistake would only scorch more scorched earth. Their assigned rival, Zan, was born in the ash and moved with a terrifying precision Toyotoshi could only envy. Zan despised the clumsy force Toyotoshi wielded and saw the ramen hat as a mockery of their harsh home. Yet, they never fled. During a duel by a lava flow, Toyotoshi’s energy exploded outward. Zan didn’t dodge but met the wave, shattering it with a dozen precise strikes that left them exhausted but standing. They are two halves of a weapon, each sharpening the other on contempt and a sliver of grudging respect.