It's festival day. I open my eyes to a gentle wash of forest green. The mosaic glass window on the door to our guest room lets in a calming glow, blocking out the flurry of activity undoubtedly underway outside. I shift in my soft silken blankets, unwilling to wake from my night of luxurious sleep, even as I know that our patron Dunyarzad must be waiting for us already. As I lie in bed, enjoying these last moments of rejuvenation, I feel a chilly updraft blow in from under my blankets. Strange. The windows should be closed.

As I peek my eyes open, I immediately see why. Paimon is fluttering just above the foot of my bed, trying with all her might to pull my blankets away while I'm asleep.

"Hey!" I shout, sitting up suddenly.

Paimon lets out a surprised squeal and slams against the wall. Swoosh. The rest of my blankets drop onto the ground, and I'm left in my pajamas. At least it doesn't get very cold in Sumeru. Throwing a dirty look at Paimon, now hiding behind an urn, I slip into my clothes and grab my bag.

"Come on!" I say. "Dunyarzad's waiting for us at the Grand Bazaar." I can't wait to learn more about the Dendro Archon, at last.

"I wasn't the one who overslept!" Paimon huffs. "All the food's going to be cold by the time we get there!"

As soon as we're through the double doors of the Grand Bazaar, we're hit by a blast of music, played upon traditional strings and woodwinds. Newly polished lamps line every corner, and fresh flowers have been placed at every shop. Though we were last here only a week ago, the Grand Bazaar has transformed into a space even more colorful and spectacular – a feat I never imagined possible.

"Lumine, Paimon! I've been waiting for you!" Rising from a bench by the entrance, Dunyarzad waves us over with a broad smile.

"Good morning!" Paimon exclaims. "Sorry we're late. She overslept." I raise my hand to swat Paimon in midair, but she anticipates my move and escapes to Dunyarzad's side.

Laughing, Dunyarzad shakes her head. "Not at all! I was so excited I arrived early." Gazing upon the scene around us, she lets out a breath in admiration. "Today is truly here, at last. I must cherish every golden moment to its fullest so I can remember this day forever."

"You deserve it," I say. "You worked so hard for this." Despite her condition, Dunyarzad had been assisting in festival preparations nonstop for the past week. I send a prayer to the Dendro Archon that everything comes to fruition as she had imagined.

"I hope so." Dunyarzad pauses and her smiles falters a little. "It's just that I was so excited I had trouble falling asleep last night. I hope my body won't be too much of an issue today." She shakes her head to dispel the thought. "Well, shall we?"

As we walk down the narrow alley between the rows of stalls, many of the owners greet Dunyarzad by name and wave at us enthusiastically. Rounding a corner, Paimon zips towards one stall packed high with fruit.

"Morning Amal!" Dunyarzad says cheerfully. "This is a stall offering foods from the Haft-Mewa Feast," she explains to us.

"She's an expert!" Amal replies. "I wouldn't expect most people to know about these traditions nowadays. Please, look around."

Paimon flies around the stall but comes out with a disappointed expression. "Mushrooms, flowers, and different kinds of fruit – it's all vegetarian!" She exclaims. "I thought you kept the real food inside."

Amal chuckles. "Traditional foods for the Haft-Mewa Feast," he repeats.

"Seven different foods for the seven virtues of the Dendro Archon," Dunyarzad elaborates. "The most common selections are rukkhashava mushrooms, nilotpala lotuses, Sumeru roses, sunsettias, kalpalatas, harra fruits, and zaytun peaches."

"So the Sabzeruz Festival is a vegetarian holiday," Paimon mutters in disappointment. Paimon was so worried about the food's getting cold, but all the food was cold all along! I try not to laugh.

Without such reservations, Amal chuckles and shakes his head. "You don't have to be vegetarian to enjoy the spread," he says. "They're simply to honor the Dendro Archon."

Still Paimon is unconvinced. "Well if Sumeru uses vegetarian food to represent the Dendro Archon, then wouldn't the Pyro Archon's festival be full of roasted fowl, juicy meatballs, and grilled steak?" She turns towards me. "Lumine, we need to go to Natlan as soon as possible!"

Now I'm giggling too. "Let's try our luck somewhere else," I say, not wanting to offend Sumeru traditions. I lead us further down the alley before stopping at a mystical-looking setup, complete with crystal balls and a turquoise smoke machine. What bizarre tradition does this stall represent?

"Dear customers! My name is Kimiya, student of the Rtawahist." The stall owner shouts towards us. "Would you like to try your hand at alchemical divination?"

Paimon looks at me and shrugs. "Sure. Sounds fun," she says.

"Right?" Kimiya says eagerly. "That's what I thought too! It's said to be a mysterious craft invented by none other than Lesser Lord Kusanali herself."

Somehow I doubt that, but I walk over anyways. "How does it work?" I ask politely.

"Quite simple," he replies. "You give me any two alchemical reagents, and I'll use them to perform a random transmutation."

"Any two?" Paimon says. "Sure sounds random."

"So random it'll probably fail," I mutter dismissively. Nowadays, it feels like more and more self-proclaimed mystics are milling about.

"Precisely!" Kimiya replies. "After the transmutation fails, your one and only diviner here will interpret the remnants."

Well it's too late to back out now, I suppose, mentally going through my list of excess ingredients. Lizard tail, loach pearls, or perhaps – lavender melon? Not crystal cores, for sure. Those are far too valuable.

Sensing my skepticism, Dunyarzad steps in. "According to Lesser Lord Kusanali," she says, "everything is interconnected. All that occurs, including your selection of reagents today, can be traced back to the strings of fate."

"Why does everything sound much more credible when Dunyarzad says it?" Paimon mutters.

"This lady sure knows her stuff," Kimiya says. "So how about it? Want to try?"

Rummaging through my pack, I retrieve some dried lavender melon and a loach pearl. That dried fruit must be rancid by now, and though visually striking, loach pearls are near useless for anything alchemical.

"Excellent!" Kimiya beams at my choices. Taking them from me, he rubs them between his hands and drops them into a steaming cauldron. Spluttering with smoke and noxious gas, the cauldron bubbles over and soaks the tablecloth. "Wow, what a reaction!" Kimiya exclaims, wiping the residue with a rag. By the amount of gunk already deposited on this rag, I can tell it's not the first time he's done this today.

After the table is presentable again, Kimiya stares into the bottom of the cauldron. A moment later, he declares, "it's the Moon."

Paimon flies over the cauldron and stares inside herself. "It looks more like a pie Paimon bit into," she reports.

"Generally speaking, the Moon symbolizes–" Kimiya breaks off and turns around, frantically consulting a thick tome.

"Is he looking it up in a book?" Paimon mutters. So much for our "one and only diviner."

"Ah, I remember now," Kimiya says, turning back as if nothing had happened. "The Moon symbolizes illusions and lies."

"Oh dear," Dunyarzad says. "That sounds quite ominous."

"Yes, but this book says that if you trust your intuition and overcome your fears, the sun will surely rise," Kimiya explains.

"So you admit you looked it up," Paimon says.

Dunyarzad smiles. "Naturally, fate will only ever show us the beginning of a journey. It is up to us to forge our own endings. Thank you for your reading."

"Oh it's nothing," Kimiya replies quickly. "I'm still learning, after all."

Our next stop proves to be our first today that offers something tasty, if the crowd of kids is any indicator. Children of all ages are crowded around a jolly man, dressed in an outfit of crimson, teal, and gold. Atop his head sits a pointed hat, like that of a jester's with only one point.

As we approach, we heard the children shouting, "Farris! Farris!"

Farris claps his hands. "Attention soldiers! Fall into formation if you want any Yalda Candies!"

The children immediately start piling into a thick line, shaped more like a potato than a line. At the sight of Dunyarzad, however, they start breaking formation and run towards us.

"Miss Dunyarzad!" They cry in delight, rushing to hug her. Smiling warmly, Dunyarzad bends down and opens her arms to the children.

Putting the candy down, Farris grins. "Miss Dunyarzad, the children love you even more than candy!" He says in a jolly tone.

"Ah–" Dunyarzad says, embarrassed. "Oh hallowed Knight of Flowers, it is an honor that you know my name!"

Farris snorts, chokes, and catches himself. "Ah, ahem. Attention. In the name of Farris, the Knight of Flowers, I commend you on your contributions to the glorious Sabzeruz Festival!" He manages at last. Turning back to the children, he holds out a fistful of candy and tosses it in the air. "Little soldiers, take your Yalda candies in exchange for your loyalty to Lesser Lord Kusanali. Dismissed!"

"Yes, Knight Farris!" They shout in unison. The children scramble to pick up the candies from the ground. As soon as everything is claimed, they salute clumsily and scramble off.

"Does anyone want to tell me what's going on here?" Paimon asks finally.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Dunyarzad pats Farris on the back. "Farris, the Knight of Flowers, is another Sabzeruz Festival icon," she explains. "In the past, the actor portraying Farris would also sit on a flower carriage."

"Wait, so your name isn't Farris?" Paimon asks.

"Ahem–" Farris's actor starts. "Every other day I go by Vihar, but today, I assure you: I am Farris, the Knight of Flowers. Do you want some Yalda candies?" He steps back and gestures towards five identical boxes. "Take a look and pick the one you prefer."

Paimon flies over and scrutinizes each box. "Don't they all look the same?" She says after a moment. Frankly, they do look the same to me as well.

"This is the fun part," Vihar replies. "Each box contains a random flavor. Based on your luck, you could get lavender melon, harra fruit, or sunsettia–"

"Oh those sound delicious!" Paimon interrupts. She looks at me with puppy eyes. "I want the sunsettia one!"

"–And there's also lizard tail or onikabuto," Vihar finishes.

"What's up with those flavors?" I say, choking on the thought of onikabuto.

"Onikabuto is a little spicier than lizard tail," Dunyarzad replies matter-of-factly.

Paimon gapes at our lady host, and I cannot imagine her eating these flavors either. "Don't blame me if I choose the wrong one," I say to Paimon.

"Paimon believes in you!" She replies.

"Great!" Vihar says. "These boxes are numbered one to five, from left to right. Which one do you want?"

I hover my finger over each box, trying to sense if I feel attracted to any one of them. Finally, my finger settles on the first box. Vihar retrieves the box and offers a candy to each of us. Taking the candy suspiciously, Paimon and I pop it into our mouths at the same time. Salty, spicy, and more than a little smelly.

"Attention!" Vihar announces. "That is, unfortunately, lizard tail."

"Blech!" Paimon says, spitting out the taste from her mouth. "Paimon thought you survived so many epic battles because you had incredible luck, but it seems like Paimon was wrong."

Vihar laughs and shakes his head. "The most important thing is that everyone has a good time at the festival, so please take this sunsettia candy too," he offers, picking up box number four. He gives another candy to each of us, and I pop it into my mouth gratefully. The aftertaste of lizard tail is soon washed away by sweet, juicy fruit.

"Thanks a lot, Knight of Candies!" Paimon says, mollified. She's enjoying the candy with a dreamy expression.

"It's the Knight of Flowers!" Vihar shouts at our backs, "not the Knight of Candies!"

As we leave this booth, Dunyarzad suddenly stops dead in her tracks. "I forgot my medicine at the inn," she whispers. She looks at us apologetically and says, "do you mind coming with me to retrieve it?"

"Of course. Don't worry about it," I say, "you only forgot because you were so excited about today's festival."

Dunyarzad nods in thanks and blushes. "This way," she says, leading us back out of the bazaar.

As we approach the narrow alley towards our inn, however, our way is blocked by several Eremites with chilling grins. I have a bad feeling about this, but Dunyarzad gets to them before me.

"I don't believe the Homayanis hired you," she says boldly, crossing her arms and facing them head on.

Paimon gives me a kick forward. "Of course not!" She hisses. "They're probably kidnappers! Do your thing – protect her!"

I reach for Dunyarzad and pull her behind me. "Get back," I say urgently. Drawing my blade, I stare resolutely at the Eremites. They chose to confront us at the entrance to a narrow alley, and as a result, they confined themselves to the tighter space. Foolish choice on their part.

Then suddenly, a red shadow tumbles from the sky. Dehya lands between the Eremites and us, greatsword in hand. "Did you scumbags even consider that the Homayanis might have hired someone who outclasses you?" She says by way of greeting.

"Dehya, the Flame Mane?!" An Eremite snarls. "No wonder you've been missing in action. You sold your unruly mane to the highest bidder."

"Don't speak so disrespectfully!" Dunyarzad protests from behind me. "My family started working with her as gratitude for her past kindness to us."

"Don't worry about it," Dehya cuts her off. "Just some friendly banter. One punch and those rabid dogs will expose themselves for who they really are."

"Don't get too cocky," another Eremite shoots back, advancing on us. "I bet your claws are all dull by now."

"Lumine, take Miss Dunyarzad to a safe location," Dehya orders without looking back. "I have this situation under control."

"You sure?" I say. Despite Dehya's fiery reputation, there are a lot of enemies on the other side.

"Yes, go!" She shouts. Lifting her greatsword, Dehya summons rippling flames of Pyro down its blade.

With one last glance at the battle scene, I grab Dunyarzad's arm and break into a run. Dehya's top priority is Dunyarzad's safety, and she's entrusting us with that task. Following the Akasha's direction, I lead us back towards the Grand Bazaar through back street alleys and roads that only locals would know.

After a couple of minutes of stumbling behind me, Dunyarzad tugs on my arm to stop. Pulling her behind the side of a building, I support her as she doubles over, coughing. I immediately regret not stopping to rest earlier.

"Are you okay?" I ask quietly. "You look pale."

"I– I'm fine," Dunyarzad breathes heavily. "My body always reacts like this whenever I exert myself too much."

"Are you sure?" Paimon says, throwing me a dirty look.

"I'll be fine after some rest," Dunyarzad reassures me. She leans against the building and catches her breath. "I'm more worried about Dehya. None of this would have happened if I didn't insist on coming out today."

"Don't worry about her," I say. "She's tough." Despite my verbal encouragement, there were a lot of Eremites waiting for us, and I can't help but worry. "I think we lost them," I say finally. "Are you sure you don't need medical attention?"

Dunyarzad shakes her head. "I shouldn't have hidden this from you, but I was actually born with a disease called Eleazar. It's terminal."

"Oh no!" Paimon exclaims, putting her hands to her mouth.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," I say. "A close friend of ours suffers that same ailment too, and it's really an awful condition."

"There's no need to be sad," Dunyarzad says. "I've always lived with Eleazar, and I came to terms with my condition a long time ago."

"Will you feel better if you take your medicine?" I say. Nominally, the goal of this disastrous trip was to fetch her medicine from the inn.

Dunyarzad shakes her head. "There is no cure, and my medicine cannot alleviate any acute symptoms. The disease's progression can only be delayed through environmental therapy," she explains. "Besides, compared to its physical manifestation, Eleazar's effects on my life have been much more painful."

"What do you mean?" I ask softly.

"My family loves me dearly," Dunyarzad replies. "They've done all they can to provide the best living conditions for me, so that I can survive for that much longer. However, no matter how hard they try, my body will succumb to this illness one day."

"Did you know that before I ran away from home this time, I had never stepped foot outside my house?" She says. "For more than twenty years, all I could do was sit on my bed and stare at the world outside my window. I'm sure my family is worried and disappointed at me for running away, but I didn't want to have any regrets. I wanted to meet real people. I wanted to see new sights, try new foods – make new friends. This way, when my final day does arrive, at least someone outside my family will remember that I once existed in this world, right?"

I am silent for a long moment. In my eons of life, I have encountered countless perils, but I have never once considered that my body would have an expiration date.

"You have happy times still to come," Paimon says in encouragement.

"I will remember you," I say. Just as we used to remember everything else in all the worlds, I add to myself.

"Thank you two so much," Dunyarzad says. "To be honest, it was Lesser Lord Kusanali who gave me this courage. If it weren't for her encouragement, I wouldn't have taken that first step."

"It was you who has remained strong," I say.

"That's very kind of you," Dunyarzad replies. "There will always be setbacks in life, but I know now to walk forward without hesitation."

Minutes later, the sound of running footsteps almost gives me a heart attack. Hovering my hand over the pommel of my sword, I prepare myself to fend off our pursuers, but it's only–

"Dehya!" Dunyarzad calls out in recognition. "Your arm, you're injured!" She breaks free from behind me and rushes towards her companion.

"It's nothing!" Dehya says, smiling. "Just a scratch. Normally these maggots wouldn't be able to land a hit on me at all, but I'm still getting used to this new greatsword."

"New greatsword?" Dunyarzad asks, concerned. "What happened to your old one?"

"Well," Dehya shifts uncomfortably, "I sold it 'cause I was low on mora."

"Low on mora," Dunyarzad repeats in a suspicious tone. "It can't be, unless– that anonymous donation that secured the venue's final round of preparations? That was you?"

Dehya glances at us sheepishly and doesn't respond.

"Oh Dehya!" Dunyarzad cries, breaking into tears.

Immediately, Dehya rushes to embrace her. "Miss Dunyarzad! I wasn't trying to make you cry," she says hurriedly. "I'm not going to lose my commission because I made my employer cry, am I?" She adds, trying to cheer her up.

The tactic worked. Dunyarzad chokes on a laugh and her sobs gradually subside. "You– you– okay, making your employer cry won't affect your commission," she says, "but selling your weapon without permission and getting hurt? I'll have to re-evaluate your performance."

Dehya grins and strokes Dunyarzad's hair gently. "You're so unreasonable, my lady," she says. "Anyway, isn't it almost time?"

"Oh!" Dunyarzad exclaims. "The dance of Sabzeruz is about to begin. It's the part of the festival that I've been most excited about."

"Nilou's dance!" Paimon says, eyes glistening.

"It'll be the highlight of the festival!" Dunyarzad says. "Nilou will recreate that legendary scene, and with that, my wish will also–"

"Let's go!" Paimon shouts. She flies off in the direction of the Grand Bazaar, and we follow close behind.

As we squeeze through the crowds forming at the Zubayr Theater, we look upwards for a glimpse of Nilou on the stage, but a sea of heads blocks our view. By the time we reach the front, the music still hasn't started, and the performers are nowhere to be seen. It appears that we are on time.

With each tick of the Grand Bazaar's clocktower, however, Dunyarzad grows noticeably more worried. Based on her expression and the uncertain crowd, the performance should have started by now. Finally, a half hour later, Nilou emerges from behind the curtains to roaring applause. Though dressed in her impeccable costume, Nilou looks ashamed and flustered. What's wrong, Nilou?

A moment later, several Akademiya scholars step out behind her. The clapping suddenly thins to a halt. People shuffle about uncomfortably, as if debating whether to step away.

"That's the Grand Sage," Dunyarzad whispers to us. "What's he doing here?"

"Scholar Setaria, the dance of Sabzeruz is one of the key parts of the Sabzeruz Festival," she says. "If we can't perform it–"

"The law forbids the private hosting of large-scale, religious festivals," Setaria replies coldly. "Only the Akademiya can host such an event."

Nilou stares at her feet, speechless. The Akademiya never showed any inclination in hosting the Sabzeruz festival, so why couldn't they?

"If you resist," Setaria continues, "we will have to order an investigation into every single event organizer. The Grand Sage has already granted you much leniency. I advise that you exercise tact."

"Oh, how did everything turn out like this!" Nilou exclaims, almost in tears. Her hands are shaking, even she holds tightly onto her skirt in frustration.

The Grand Sage walks forward and lifts her chin with a single finger. "Art, dance. Aren't you ashamed of pursing such frivolity in this land of knowledge and reason?" He says.

"Grand Sage Azar!" Nilou gasps, staring into his soulless eyes.

"Our Archon created the utopia that is Sumeru City for all who seek validity, verity, and truth," Azar continues, "while people like you defile her gifts."

"No!" Nilou protests. "I believe that our Archon never rejected the arts. The Goddess of Flowers even dedicated a dance to her."

"With your lack of intellectual credentials, you are not qualified to debate with me," Azar says with a note of finality. "What you should be doing instead is finding workers to tear down this monstrosity." Beckoning Setaria along, Azar storms off the stage and through the crowd, as onlookers scramble to clear a path.

"Have the Scribe draft an ordinance banning public art performances before the next Jnagarbha Day," Azar says on his way out.

"I will inform him when I return," Setaria replies.

"As for the Sabzeruz Festival, let them celebrate the birth of that god to their heart's content," Azar says with a smirk. At that, they are gone.

Pushing through the remaining audience, I make my way onto the stage with Paimon and Dunyarzad close behind. "Nilou, are you okay?" I shout, running towards our friend.

"Oh, Lumine! Dunyarzad!" Nilou cries, pent-up tears flowing freely now. "The Grand Sage ordered us to stop the performance."

"I know," I say, draping an arm over her shaking body. "It's okay."

"Let's go somewhere the Akademiya can't find us and perform there," she says in between sobs. "But how do we let everyone know? What about the atmosphere and the theater?" She gazes sadly upon her stage, decorated with a sea of fresh Padisarahs.

"Nilou, it's all right," Dunyarzad says gently. "Don't worry about it."

"But you've been looking forward to this dance for so long, and I don't want you to have any regrets," Nilou says. "I know how important this festival is to you."

"It's okay," Dunyarzad coos. "I'm touched that you care this much about me, but it would be too risky to continue."

"If you say so," Nilou says, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "But you can sneak out for the next one, right? We'll make sure the next one is a success."

"The next one," Dunyarzad murmurs, a blank expression on her face. "Yes, the next one. It's a promise."

As I lay back into bed, one of the Grand Sage's comments nags at my mind. Let them celebrate the birth of that god to their heart's content. Was that supposed to be irony, or something else?

No matter. We need to find a new lead tomorrow. I let my eyelids close as I sink into sleep.

[*beep*]

[All connections have been secured to construct the most stable framework possible.]

[The project has entered its most critical phase. Power has begun to flow from *static*.]