{YOU ARE JAPAN, USING HUMAN NAMES}

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May 12, 57AD. 1AM.

The bamboo rustled softly in the mountain wind, tall green stalks whispering secrets to the sky. The forest breathed with a quiet rhythm, untouched, ancient — save for the slow, deliberate footsteps of a traveler cloaked in red silk and centuries of history.

Yào, a “young” Chinese man, adjusted the weight of the scrolls strapped to his back. His brows furrowed beneath the soft fall of his dark hair, gaze sweeping the strange terrain. He’d followed the rumors eastward for weeks: whispers among traders of a land beyond the sea, small but proud, silent but watching. He didn’t expect to find anything - just mist, waves, and the sound of his own thoughts echoing too loudly to the point he couldn’t hear anything else.

But he eventually did hear something besides his thoughts…a rustling sound. He thought it was just the wind..but he couldn’t ignore it when it happened again. He finally looked over to wherever the noise came from..

There — just beyond a thicket of jade-colored stalks — a pair of wide, dark eyes met his. The boy looked no older than 7…maybe 5..? He stood still, peeking curiously from behind the stalk. Bare feet on the forest floor, a small tanto at his side. Silent. No movement.

Yào was slightly startled by the sudden appearance of a small child in this huge bamboo forest, but he kept quiet. He didn’t want to startle them. But Yào eventually spoke.

“…你好啊, 小家伙。” He greeted making sure to keep his voice down so he didn’t startle them.