My Name Is Kazane

YC128-10-06
Ethernity, Gallente Federation

There are many ways to introduce oneself. Some people begin with their profession. Others with the place where they were born, the things they have achieved, or the people they belong to. I think I would rather begin with my name… my name is Kazane Hayashi.

I am a Jin-Mei, and I was born within the Gallente Federation. I have spent much of my life looking at the stars, although I have never been particularly interested in owning a piece of them. I have always been more interested in understanding what lies beyond the next horizon. I am not a wealthy woman, nor a particularly important one. I have no great title to carry and no ambition to become famous. I make my living through honest work, taking opportunities as they come and trying to remain grateful for the things that allow me to live the life I have chosen.

I like quiet places. I like old buildings, unfamiliar landscapes, the sound of rain against a window and the feeling of standing somewhere I have never been before. I like listening to people. Everyone has a story, even if they do not consider it worth telling. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I have always found the universe so fascinating. It is full of stories that are much larger than any one of us. Civilizations rise and disappear. Worlds change. People meet, love, fight, leave and begin again. And yet, beneath all of that, there is something remarkably simple. We are all here. Looking up at the same stars.

There is one other thing that has become an important part of my life. Her name is Izuna. I do not expect everyone to understand what that means to me, and I do not think understanding should ever be demanded. For me, Izuna is a presence I feel in nature, in life, in the quiet moments when the universe seems less distant. She reminds me to observe rather than possess, to listen rather than impose, and to appreciate beauty wherever I find it.

There will be time to speak about her properly.
For now, this is enough.
This is me.
My name is Kazane Hayashi.
And this is where my story begins.