Taketsu City, Kurogane Province.
Masahiro Arakuro climbed the stone steps in silence, the air around him thick with the scent of rain and cedar.
Red torii gates stood in rows, their paint weathered by time. Wind rustled through paper charms and hanging bells, carrying faint echoes of prayers long past.
At the top, a two-story pagoda awaited. It was wooden, simple, and ancient. Moss crept along its base, and a faint wisp of incense drifted from within as Masahiro arrived before the building, then respectfully bowed.
"Lady Chiyo, I have arrived," Masahiro Arakuro humbly greeted.
The elderly woman was the Head Diviner of the Arakuro Clan. She was also the only other Mana Core Magus other than the Patriarch.
However, her proficiency didn't lie in spells or combat. Instead, she had the gift of sight.
Any prominent faction, not only in Yen-Lu, but across the world, had a Diviner tasked with uncovering the heavenly secrets and guiding their path towards a more favourable future.
