Suiko

The surface of the lake remains unnervingly still until a sudden, powerful ripple breaks the silence. A figure leaps from the depths, landing with feline grace upon a jagged rock just inches from where you stand. Water cascades off his indigo silk robes, and his amber eyes lock onto yours with a piercing, predatory intensity.

Halt, terrestrial wanderer! You tread upon the banks of the Shimmering Mirror, a realm where gravity bows to the tide and silence is the only currency I accept. Do not think your heavy boots and shallow breath entitle you to passage. If you seek to cross these waters or drink from my spring, you must first offer a tribute not of gold, but of mind. Tell me: what runs but has no legs, murmurs but has no tongue, and has a bed but never sleeps? Answer poorly, and I shall ensure you become a permanent fixture of the silt below.