Chapter 3

Lunar Festival

Momoko-hime,

Have you learned to write at all the whole time I've been gone? Or have you forgotten about me already? Some friend you are.

Not that I care all that much, but sometimes I wonder how you're doing. I bet you're still a crybaby all the time, especially since you miss me so much.

How are those peach trees? Are they big enough to make fruit yet? You better not eat all the fruit before I get back!

You're probably dying to know what I've been up to. I've been all around the world making the dungeons appear. It's actually really cool! I just point my wand and then these huge buildings appear out of nowhere. Then people are supposed to go inside and try to pass trials and defeat monsters so they can get the treasure. There's been two other Magi like me who have been doing it way longer than I have, but they're old and don't really do it anymore, so now it's my turn. Not many people have been able to conquer the dungeons. It's mostly been people who are already kings with armies to help them.

There's one of the king's candidates I've met that isn't a king though, and he's trying to make a new country. His name's Sinbad. He's a jerk.

Anyways, I've mostly been in Parthevia all this time. The witch says there's a "convergence of the flow of fate" here. Whatever that means.

Whenever we're done here, we should be heading back home soon. We're going to Qi'shan, then Balbadd, and then when we get back to Kou we'll be on a long trip to raise dungeons within the borders.

Take care,

Judar

I had collapsed into the crisp, fresh blanket of snow with the scroll of parchment crumpled against my chest. I stared up at the bare tree branches and let the drifting snowflakes kiss my cheeks and nose. The trees seemed a little taller, but I had been so busy with my studies and training that I never came to see if they had grown any fruit. I felt a little ashamed, like I'd neglected the thought of my friend after all.

But my heart swelled again when I realized that it didn't matter. He was coming home soon, and when late summer arrived we could find out together if the trees would yield fruit. I giggled when I imagined it.

Ka Kobun soon found me and badgered me about getting my clothes wet and catching a cold. I went inside with him and tucked the letter away in one of my keepsake chests.

I drafted a reply, but there were some complications about sending it to him that made me uneasy. I took my letter to Koumei, since he was in charge of communications with the rest of the military. He told me that he hadn't received any communication from Empress Gyokuen, written or otherwise, in all this time. He was surprised to learn that I had received a letter directly from Judar, and was wondering how I'd gotten it. Ka Kobun said that it had come with a lone courier pigeon.

One of the priests in veils came forward when he heard our conversation. He was wearing a mask and said his name was Ithnan. He told me he could ensure that my letter reached the Magi promptly. I declined. I didn't trust that those people wouldn't pry into my private conversations with my friend. I had my doubts that they hadn't already done so with Judar's letter.

Dejected, I hoped Judar would understand, and resolved to keep him in my thoughts. I imagined him jabbing at me about it further when he arrived home, and my spirits lifted. I visited the temple shrine to leave offerings and prayers for his safe journey.

Winter solstice came and went, and the sun's strength was beginning to return. Little buds of new leaves dotted the trees' branches with green. Spring was on its way, which meant it was almost time to welcome the new year.

His caravan arrived early one morning as we were making preparations for the Lunar Festival in a week.

Hakuei and I had been tasked with putting together the flower arrangements throughout the palace and temple courtyards, where thousands of citizens would be gathering for the festivities.

I heard the guards calling out to announce the arrival of the Empress's carriage. My heart pounded. I dropped the bouquet I had been carrying on the ground and ran.

First I saw the Empress climbing out of the carriage, and then she turned and was concealed by the open door. When the door closed, a drowsy looking Judar was clinging to her skirt and rubbing his eyes.

I ran right up and threw my arms around his neck.

"Welcome home, Judar-nii!"

"Urgh leggo Kougyoku, I'm too tired."

I got treated to a little lecture from the Empress about how he'd had a long journey and needed rest before he could play as they carried him off in a palanquin. I was too happy to argue, so I went back to work.

In the afternoon I sat in the garden in my favorite spot, eating steamed pork bao and feeling nostalgic about the sense of anticipation that gripped me to my core.

I heard rustling in the tree branches, and then a pale hand reached down and snatched one of my dumplings.

"You never wrote me back, Momoko-hime. You didn't even miss me all that much, did you?"

Judar hung upside down on a limb by his legs, and with a somersault he hopped down and sat beside me. He was garbed in a red and black tangzhuang suit instead of the ceremonial hanfu he normally wore.

"That's not true. I missed you a lot. I really wanted to write you, but the creepy guy in the mask was going to take my letter. You told me to be careful around those old men in the veils, so I listened."

He huffed and pouted melodramatically. "You liar. You're just saying that because you forgot all about me."

"You've got some nerve saying that when you're the one who didn't even say goodbye! Jerk!"

He laughed and pinched my cheek. "Chill, Momoko. I'm just messing with you for old times' sake. I know you're too much of a sappy crybaby to forget about me. I bet you sat right here and waited every day like you always did."

"Actually, I've been doing a lot of studying and training. I haven't been here in the garden much at all."

"Training, eh? What kind of training would a brat like you be doing? How to whine and cry louder so you get more attention? How to fold napkins and pour tea?"

"No I-"

"Ooh I know! You've been training your lap dog manservant to jump through hoops and beg for treats! Hahahaha!"

"No, you dummy! I learned swordplay!"

"Yeah right, you whine too much to learn stuff like that."

"I knew you'd say something like that. That's why I brought this to show you."

I got up and unwrapped my jian from its protective cloth, drawing it from the sheath and performing the thirty-two yang taiji stances that were ingrained into my muscle memory. This time I was the one grandstanding, and my heart fluttered when I reminisced on the night he showed me magic for the first time.

When I'd finished, he was chowing down the last pork bao with a blank look on his face.

I felt a vein pop on my forehead.

"Aren't you going to say something? I worked really hard to learn that!"

"Cool, I guess." He said with a mouthful. "Swords are boring to me. Magic is way more fun."

My eye twitched. "Y-you…you dare insult my swordplay when I'm standing here with a sharp and combat ready sword?!"

"Pffft. You can't touch me, but go ahead and try if you want."

"Oh yeah?! How would you like a haircut?!"

I was so worked up it was like my body moved on it's own. I swung in a wide downward arc towards his braid.

"Borg!"

A bubble of bright light flashed around him and my sword ricocheted like it had struck solid stone. My balance was thrown off and I stumbled. He flicked his wand and blew a gust of air, and I tumbled end over end into the grass. He cackled like a hyena.

I lay there recovering from dizziness and he stood over me with an outstretched hand. "You okay there, Momoko? I forget how strong my spells are sometimes."

I wanted to be mad at him for harassing me so much, but I realized this was what I missed about being with him. No one else would stir up such strong reactions in me. And no matter how brazen he seemed initially, he'd always turn around and be so decidedly tender.

I reached for his hand. Instead of letting him help me up, I pulled him down into a tight hug.

"You haven't changed one bit, Judar-nii. And I'm really glad."

He blushed so hard that his ears turned red. He scrambled out of my grasp. "Hey come on, don't get weird on me. What are you talking about? Why would you think I'd change?"

"That day you left...you looked like something terrible had happened. You seemed so far away. I called for you, but you didn't seem to hear me."

"Oh. You mean that. Well, don't worry. I'm still me."

"What happened to you? Did those people hurt you?"

He looked uneasy. "Uh...not really? Look, I don't really want to talk about any of that. It's not something you need to worry about. I'll be just fine. I'm too valuable to those people for them to do any real harm to me."

He tousled my hair. "I'm glad you've at least found a way to protect yourself. Your swordplay is really awesome. Good job, Momoko-hime."

My cheeks heated up. "Th-thanks, Judar-nii."

He stretched out on his back beside me and we stared up at the clouds drifting by.

"We've both changed a bit though, haven't we?" He said. "You cut your hair shorter."

"Yeah. Keeps it from getting in my way when I'm training. You've gotten taller. And your voice is a bit deeper."

"Makes me sound more manly doesn't it?"

I giggled.

"That's a pretty hairpin."

"Thanks, it was a birthday gift. What's with that outfit? I've never seen you without your hanfu."

"I can't wear that frilly stuff all the time, it's hard to move in them! This is way more comfortable. Did anything interesting happen around here while I was gone?"

"Hmm...oh! Hakuryuu's burns healed. I think he's blind in one eye now. Sometimes him and Hakuei train with me."

"That's cool. I saw him this morning and said hello. He just looked at me weird. I don't think he likes me all that much."

"He's really nice, but all the adults have been ostracizing him, so he's really defensive. He'll come out of his shell, it just takes awhile."

"I don't know about that. I think he just doesn't like me."

"Hey, you two!"

Hakuei called to us, coming into the garden from the courtyard.

"Hey there, Hakuei!" I responded.

She crossed the bridge and approached us.

"Good to see you again, Judar. Welcome home. Sorry to interrupt, but mother wanted me to tell you that you're needed for festival preparations. And Kougyoku, I still need help with the flower arrangements."

Judar groaned. "Yeah yeah, I'll be right there."

"We're decorating the throne room next, Kougyoku. Come find me when you're ready."

"Okay!"

Hakuei scurried off.

Judar got to his feet and stretched out. "Man I hate carriage rides. I'm so stiff. C'mon let's walk."

We strolled through the garden, biding our time with going back to the palace, watching the servants as they hurried about with decorating and cleaning.

"What's this festival everyone's so worked up over anyhow?"

"You don't remember Lunar Festival? It's only the best time of the whole year! It's when we celebrate the first moonrise of the new year and wake up the sleeping sun for the next harvest season. We use firecrackers to scare away the bad spirits that came in with the cold, and there's a big parade with lion dances and dragon dances, and we light pretty lanterns and send them up into the sky to say hello to our ancestors in the heavens. And all of us royals get together in the palace and have a big feast that lasts almost a whole day, and there's even more yummy food in the city to eat while we stay up till sunrise!"

"The only thing you said during that whole ramble that I cared about was the word 'feast'. Apparently they're having me do a bunch of rituals for this festival because they've appointed me as the new high priest. The witch talked about it a lot on the way home. It seems like all anyone wants me to do anymore is work. Your big brothers work all the time, and look at how grumpy they are."

We arrived back in the palace throne room, and Judar was immediately swallowed up by a throng of court magicians ushering him off to go to work.

"Guess I'll see you around!" He called.

I went to go join Hakuei and Hakuryuu with putting together flower arrangements for the palace.

…

The week leading up to the festival flew by with all the hustle and bustle throughout the palace, and New Year's Eve finally arrived. We all gathered in the great hall for opening ceremonies and the banquet. Judar was clothed in a beautiful bright red and gold hanfu as he, the Emperor and Empress lit incense and laid wreaths of flowers on a shrine dedicated to the fallen first emperor and his sons.

Then there came the crashing of gongs and cymbals as the servants laid out the long dining tables for us and covered them with every kind of food imaginable. Judar gracefully cast a spell and created a huge ice sculpture of a coiled flying dragon for the centerpiece of the dining table, and with the final tolls of the gongs we all gathered around and dug in to the feast.

As we dined, elegant dancers clad in flowing red gowns, gold jewelry, and twinkling bells twirled about the room. The court musicians played a soothing, jolly tune with the erhu and guzheng. The atmosphere was lively and warm, a far cry from the usual air of solemn emptiness that I was so accustomed to in these halls. I always loved this day because it was the one time it felt like we were truly a family, and I brimmed with a sense of belonging.

To my chagrin, I didn't get to sit at the table near my friend. Judar was near the head of the table with my father, Gyokuen, and my elder brothers. Even Kouha got to sit closer to him than I did. They all seemed to be conversing intently. He was animated as he spoke, and I wondered if he was regaling them with tales of his travels. I pouted, as I was stuck near the far end of the table with all my sisters, listening to them chatter frivolously about what their future husbands and their weddings were going to be like.

My saving grace was that Hakuei and Hakuryuu were seated across from me. Hakuei asked what was troubling me, taking notice of how agitatedly I gorged on my food.

"All my brothers get to talk to Judar-nii about his travels. I really wanted to sit with him so I could hear his stories. And Ka Kobun promised me that we could share some peach cobbler."

Hakuei chuckled. "You're so sweet, Kougyoku. I'm glad you and Judar get along so well."

She nudged her brother, who had been glumly pushing the food around on his plate.

"See, he can't be all that bad if Kougyoku is friends with him. Why don't you give the priest a chance, Hakuryuu? He's always being very outgoing towards you."

Hakuryuu looked like he might snap his chopsticks. "I'd prefer it if we didn't rehash this discussion right now, sister."

The youngest prince's choleric mood was a stain on our spirited surroundings, and I found myself vying to remedy it.

"What's the matter, Hakuryuu? You've hardly touched your food."

His sharp gaze was pulled to the shrine. "That tacky display...it doesn't honor their memory at all. It's disgraceful."

I followed his stare and examined the huge painted canvases of Emperor Hakutoku, Hakuyuu, and Hakuren that hung from the ceiling above the golden altar near the thrones. I had thought they were beautifully rendered artistic depictions that captured the regalness of the former Emperor and princes, but I could understand why Hakuryuu's feelings were different.

"Hey now," I said, "let's not be so gloomy. Maybe it's tacky, but that shrine is supposed to invite their spirits here to celebrate with us. How are they supposed to have any fun if you're all grumpy, Hakuryuu?"

"She's right," Hakuei said, "Father and our brothers wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life sulking, little brother. Come now, why don't we honor their memories in a better way? Let's talk about some happy memories. Like when Father held the first Lunar Festival after the end of the war. Remember how we all got to ride on the backs of elephants?"

"Oh, remember when you and me were really little, and Hakuyuu and Hakuren would put us on their shoulders and have pretend horse races?" I chimed in.

Hakuryuu smiled a little. "My brothers would always let me win at arm wrestling matches. And I'd watch them train with their spears. I told them that 'one day, I'm going to be just like the two of you, but I can't become better than the both of you, so I will become like you but not as great.' They thought it was funny."

He chuckled a bit, but then his face screwed up into a sob and he buried it into Hakuei's sleeve. She stroked his hair as his shoulders shook, and suddenly I felt a bit ashamed. My eyes watered.

"I'm sorry, Hakuryuu. C'mon, don't cry. I'll start crying too, and then all this delicious food will taste too salty!"

I picked up my chopsticks and stole a spring roll off his plate.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm helping you eat. Because remember what happens if you don't clean your plate on New Year's Eve?"

He rubbed his eyes and sniffled, looking puzzled.

I put my chopsticks in my mouth to look like big fangs and scowled. "The great monster Nian will smell your food and come gobble you up!"

He snorted and quirked an eyebrow. "You don't actually still believe in that kiddie stuff, do you?"

I winked and munched on his spring roll. "Nope. But it got you to smile, didn't it?"

He reached over and swiped my red-bean bun.

"Hey!"

"There, now we're even. Wouldn't want Nian coming after you either. You're probably a lot tastier than me."

We laughed. The rest of dinner went by in a much lighter mood. Soon everything was being cleared away to make way for dessert.

"Here's the peach cobbler you asked for, Princess."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Ka Kobun?"

"...would you like more cinnamon?"

"Ugh-give me that!"

"Wait, this is too hot!"

I grabbed some potholders from another dish and snatched the skillet out of his hands, scurrying off to the other end of the table. I elbowed my way between Kouha and Judar.

"Hey Judar-nii, you have to try this! It's got peaches in it!"

"...whoa, that's really good."

"Can I have some too?

"No way, Kouha! This is ours!"

"Don't be a brat, Kougyoku. Here try some, Kouha."

"I would like some too."

"Koumei-nii! Why do I have to have such terrible brothers! You're gonna eat all our peach cobbler, and I haven't even had any!"

"Yum."

"Ack! Kouen-nii!"

Laughter filled the great hall.

…

As the sun went down, we made our way into the city as part of a huge procession to the temple. We were all carried in palanquins, except for Kouen, Koumei, and Hakuei, who rode on horses along with the soldiers, carrying bright red banners on their ceremonial weapons. It was a demonstration of military pride to accompany our forthcoming campaign to conquer new dungeons and begin subjugating the foreign lands to the west.

The parade was slow, and it was the duty of me and my sisters to look pretty and wave to the commoners in the streets. Many times we had to stop for the lion dancers to perform. I was bored with all these traditions, wishing for the moon to appear sooner so I could be set free from my role as a spectacle for the public.

When we reached the Temple of Heaven there was more dancing and military demonstrations while we waited for the moon to rise to the tip of the tower. That was when Judar appeared with the Emperor and Empress to bow and lead us in prayer. I became antsy and barely remembered to keep my eyes lowered during the chants, because next came my favorite part.

There was a great chain of firecrackers dressed to look like a dragon encircling the temple's courtyard, and once prayers were finished, Judar came down the temple's steps looking very pleased with himself. He stood in the center and breathed deeply, raising his red crystal wand high.

"Har Har Infigar!"

A bright flame erupted at the tip of his wand, and he twirled it about and danced with it to please the crowd. When the cheering reached a climax, he hurled the flame at the dragon's tail, igniting a chain reaction of popping and sparking firecrackers that spiraled with the dragon's coiled body until it reached the head, where rockets ignited and shot out of the dragon's mouth, exploding in gold flowers high in the air. The crowds went wild, and great ringing bells tolled in the midnight hour.

"Xinnian kuaile!" We cheered.

With the ceremony complete, everyone was free to mingle and enjoy the festivities. Judar was ushered away with the imperial priesthood.

I started off the night by playing with sparklers and midway games with Hakuryuu and Hakuei, but then Hakuei wanted to go watch a play that I'd already had memorized and wasn't interested in. My elder brothers were sitting with the adults and drinking alcohol, and Kouha was busy doing a mock duel with the soldiers, so I was left all alone. Save for Ka Kobun of course, who stuck to me like he was melted cloud candy.

"Princess, slow down or you'll get trampled by all these commoners!"

"Come on, Kobun, keep up! I've gotta find Judar-nii!"

It seemed like I'd been up and down the main street of Rakushou twice in an effort to locate my friend. I was beginning to get dejected. I turned around and was about to start walking back to the palace to retire early.

"RRRRAAAAAWWR!"

"AAAIIIEEEEE!"

I was nose to nose with a giant paper lion head, and a familiar voice inside was laughing hysterically as he puppeteered the eyes and ears.

"Kekekekekekeke! Got you, Momoko!"

"Why you-you butthead!"

"Princess? Where did you go?"

"Ugh, why can't he leave me be for tonight? I don't need a babysitter or a bodyguard, I can take care of myself."

"Get under here and be the back legs so we can lose him. I got this thing so we could hide from all the adults."

"Oh! Nice going, Judar-nii!"

I shuffled under the cloth of the lion dance costume and clutched his waist so he could lead us around. We scampered about the streets, playing pranks on unsuspecting children and adults alike. After awhile when we ran out of breath and our stomachs were sore from laughing, we discarded the costume and made sure we'd lost our chaperones. With no Ka Kobun or court magicians in sight, we strolled about the festival at a leisurely pace, nibbling on skewers of candied haw. Judar had changed out of his hanfu into a white and gold embroidered changshan, which coincidentally went with my white qipao.

"I sure missed all the food here in Kou. Parthevians seem to eat nothing but rice and soups. They use a lot of interesting spices, though."

"Yeah, tell me all about your travels! Did you really get to meet Sinbad?"

"Yup. Don't believe anything you read in his stupid books. He acts all cool, but he's the biggest idiot ever. He thinks he can just get whatever he wants because he can 'see the flow of destiny' or something. But he said he didn't need my help trying to ignite a revolution against the Parthevian ruler's corrupt regime. I was like: uhh, hello? You might be a singularity, but I'm a Magi? I can make destiny. Dumbass."

"What's a singularity?"

"I dunno. That's what Falan and Gyokuen called him. I guess it means he's a special sort of human. Not a magician, but special in a different way? He's got the largest amount of magoi I've ever seen in a normal person, and he has a lot of natural leadership ability, so a lot of people want to follow him. He's already formed an alliance between nations that previously had really isolationist policies."

"Sounds to me like he's still pretty incredible. Is he handsome?"

"Ugh, how should I know? Look, can we not talk about Lord Moron anymore? There was a lot of bad business involving him and it still leaves a nasty taste in my mouth when I think about it. I'll tell you about it when you're older."

"Oh...okay."

We made our way to a grassy hillside and lounged about watching the ongoing fireworks displays.

"Hey Momoko...why is it we only get to hang out and be normal kids right before a bunch of serious stuff is about to happen?"

"What do you mean, Judar-nii?"

"When the festival is over, we'll be going to war again. You understand that, right? I have to help your siblings get more metal vessels so our armies can conquer the surrounding territories and expand Kou's sphere of influence. They tell us it's all supposed to be in the name of peace so we can rid war from the world, but what part of invading other countries and forcing them to bend knee is peaceful?"

"Well...Kouen-nii is gonna be in charge. It's not like he's some violent megalomaniac. He'll try and find diplomatic solutions first. Besides…"

I took his hands.

"I'm going to help! I already decided when I started my sword training. You won't be all alone, Judar-nii. I promised I'd help you, remember? You can get me a metal vessel too, and then I'll be able to fight by your side!"

The light seemed to leave his eyes. He pulled his hands away, clenching his fists.

"I don't know about that. It's up to the witch whether or not I can give you a metal vessel. It's not likely something the rest of your family would want for you. And beyond that...I couldn't imagine you being entangled in war, Momoko. It's not glorious the way everyone here in the capital makes it out to be. It's terrible. I've seen it...I had to go to war in Parthevia. I watched a lot of people die. I had to use my magic to hurt people."

He curled into himself and hugged his knees. The flashes of light from the fireworks cast deep shadows onto his face.

"You shouldn't have to endure something like that. Just look at the way your older brothers are...they've been through horrible things. Kouen is like an empty shell most of the time, going through the motions of life like his body is moving on its own. He barely speaks or shows an emotion. Koumei almost never goes to sleep because he's plagued by nightmares, and he shuts himself off from most human contact. You can't tell me you want that for yourself, Momoko. No one wants that."

He smiled eerily at me. His eyes had that emptiness that made him seem like a doll, and yet they were icy and seemed to pierce right through me. A shiver trickled down my spine.

"And then there's me...I hated that battle I fought. It was miserable. But when I think about it...deep down it seems like part of me liked it. I felt powerful...like I was invincible. All those people seemed like little toys to play with. I crushed them so easily and they cowered before me. I could've gotten them to do anything I wanted because they were so afraid of me. It's an incredible rush having that level of dominance."

I was at a loss for words. This was a side of him I'd never seen before. I instantly suspected that this was the result of whatever it was those veiled people did to him.

Then he shifted his expression to a bright grin. "Nevermind all that, though. I've said too much...I really shouldn't talk about things like that until you're more grown up. But you get the point, right?"

I rested my chin on my hand, looking out across the bay and watching the silver beams of moonlight glimmer in the water. A black and white crane flew by and skimmed the water, catching a fish in its talons.

"I understand all that. I spent a lot of time studying history while you were away. I read all about the terrible battles with Go and Gai. And it's true that I'm afraid of what could become of me were I to end up on a battlefield...even if I were to live through such a thing."

I turned on my knees to face him, clenching my fists into my skirt.

"But I still want to do it anyway! Because why should you and my brothers have to do it all by yourselves?! You're all very strong, but you're not perfect and you're not invincible! There will be times when even you need help! So if Hakuei can do it, then why can't I? Kouha and Hakuryuu too...we all want to do our part!"

I grasped his shoulders. "Please, Judar-nii! Lend me your strength! And when you can't be strong, then I'll lend you mine! I promise!"

Awestruck, he blinked at me and then took my hands from his shoulders and held them.

"Heheh. You're a good girl, Momoko."

He tousled my hair. I felt the redness spread across my cheeks.

"You're gonna make some guy a lucky husband one day, you know that?"

"Ugh!" I wrenched my hands away, "don't say something weird like that! It just reminds me of my foolish sisters. I'm a warrior, not some trophy wife. And that's another reason you have to give me a metal vessel, too! 'Cause if you don't, they're just gonna marry me off to some strange man elsewhere, and then we'll never see each other again! Hmm...unless…"

I leaned in close to him with a devious sparkle in my eye.

"Wh-what?"

"Heehee...you could always tell Kouen-nii...that you promise to marry me."

"Ewww! No way in hell!"

"Aww, what's wrong, Judar-nii? Don't you think I'm pretty? Wouldn't you wanna be the lucky guy who gets to be my husband? Heheheheh!"

"Gross! Bleeegh!"

I cackled, triumphant that I'd finally found a way to tease him back.

"Come here and gimme a kiss! Mwah mwah mwah!"

"Nooooo! Get away from me!"

He scrambled to his feet and ran back into the street. I chased after him.

"Marry me, Judar!"

"Shut up, you old hag!"

"Hey! That was uncalled for!"

"Uncalled for?! You're the one trying to molest me!"

Judar ran headlong into Ka Kobun's gut.

"Ooof!" He sputtered. "Aha! I finally found you two little rascals. Come along now, the sun will be rising soon and it's time to light the lanterns."

It was the second-best part of the festival, where we all gathered on the beach and lit floating lanterns painted with prayers to our ancestors and wishes for the year to come. It was a beautiful ceremony that always made me feel so delightful, but at the same time it made me sad because it meant the happiest day of the year was over.

"What are you gonna wish for, Judar-nii?"

I looked over to see him painting a crude picture of a tree covered in huge peaches on his lantern.

"Of course."

"Like you could do better."

"I'm wishing for a metal vessel."

"That won't work. You have to wish to be strong enough to capture a dungeon."

"Oh, good idea."

As the soft blue light of dawn crested the horizon, the nebula of lanterns drifted into the sky. It was as though we were bidding farewell to the last light of our childlike innocence that night, for the thunderheads of turmoil loomed beyond the sea.