The laughter from the Lantern Square drifted up like fireflies in song—soft, flickering, and fragrant with the scent of roasted chestnuts and candied lotus. Astra sat near the edge of the woven mat, fiddling with a cluster of glowing orbs shaped like koi. They danced in her palm until her head slowly dipped.
Kaen, who was meticulously folding the paper charms into cranes beside her, noticed her stillness. "Don't tell me you didn't sleep all night."
Astra blinked. "What? No—I'm just… thinking."
Kaen arched a brow. "About?"
She hesitated. "Guo Ping. I wonder if they managed to seal that ghost inside him."
That made both Kaen and Ryoma pause.
"Wait," Kaen leaned forward slightly. "You mean… they sealed it inside him?"
Astra nodded faintly, brushing back her hair. "I—I think I might've suggested that? I don't know why. Cultivator Mo was about to behead him, and suddenly that idea popped into my head. Like I'd heard of it before, somewhere. Even though I've never actually studied anything about soul containment."
Kaen froze mid-fold. Ryoma stared. "…You suggested that?"
Astra gave a sheepish shrug. "It sounded smarter in the moment. But now I'm wondering—what if it's a terrible idea? Two souls in one body… that can't be good, right?"
Kaen quickly shook his head, eyes focused a little too intensely on the crane in his hands. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything about that sort of thing."
Astra narrowed her eyes. "Right. Maybe I should ask Seirou instead. He might know… Did they come back already? They left yesterday, didn't they?"
"They returned this afternoon," Ryoma replied, dryly. "But don't go pestering him with your random and unnecessary doubts."
"They're not random," Astra countered. "They're knowledge-seeking inquiries."
Ryoma rolled his eyes. Kaen smiled faintly but then glanced toward the bell tower rising at the city's edge, its bronze frame glinting in the waning light. "The citizens are getting restless. The Fifth Bloom was supposed to happen by now."
Ryoma glanced up at the sky, where thick grey clouds pressed low over the city.
"There are still eight hours left. The bloom could happen anytime," he said quietly. "But… it's unusual. The fifth bloom's always tied to the God of War. It's never been this late before."
Kaen nodded. "People are waiting for the five rings of the War Bell. They believe if it doesn't sound before sunrise, the God of War is angry."
Ryoma added grimly, "And if he's angry, it's the Empire's military that'll feel it first. His blessing is what keeps their shields unbroken. Without it…"
"…they're just men with steel," Kaen finished.
A gust of wind stirred the lanterns above, causing the koi in Astra's palm to shimmer and scatter.
"Well," she muttered, lying back with a stretch, "it just means no special food at the restaurants… and no cheers and celebrations anytime soon."
At the Inn – Late Afternoon
In the dim, quiet corner of the inn's garden balcony just above the pond, where the lanterns swayed faintly in the breeze. The scent of wet stone lingered from earlier rain. Seiya paced behind Seirou, who sat on the railing, eyes half-closed, fingers tracing the wooden grain.
Seiya leaned forward, his brows furrowed. "Was it before the Eighth Bloom or the Seventh? I can't remember exactly when it happened… The massacre, I mean. Everything's… blurry around that time."
Seirou stood silently, gaze unfocused. Without answering, he rose and began walking away down the stone path.
Seiya groaned and trailed after him. "Oi! I'm asking a serious question here! Don't ignore me. I'm being serious. Seirou!"
He trailed behind him, still pressing. "At least tell me what time of year it was. Mid-spring? Late winter? It's your fault I don't remember any of this properly!"
Just then, Astra rounded the corner, nearly crashing into them.
"Aha! There you are! I have questions too!"
Seirou raised an unimpressed brow. "Of course you do. About what this time?"
"About sealing a spirit inside a person," she said with utmost seriousness. "Also… what happens if the ghost sneezes while inside?"
Seiya blinked. "Why would a ghost sneeze?"
"I don't know," Astra shrugged casually. "But Seirou, can you tell me more about that thing… you know, sealing a spirit inside a person. Like if they're possessed—turning them into a prison themselves."
Seirou narrowed his eyes, arms folding over his chest. "Why do you need to know that?"
"Because I want to," she said, stepping a little closer. "So, do you know how it works? Of course you do—you've probably read a hundred forbidden scrolls. I'm not asking for the full ritual, just the theory. You know… spirit-into-body kind of thing. Also, I heard there needs to be a—"
"Ignore her," Seiya muttered under his breath. "She starts saying strange things when she hasn't slept."
Seirou raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"I do sleep!" Astra shot back. "I just have productive nightmares."
"I don't understand what you're even asking. And no, I haven't heard of whatever it is you're talking about," Seirou said flatly, already turning to walk away.
"I don't believe you," Astra called after him, narrowing her eyes. "I know you know."
"I said I don't!"
Seiya and Astra exchanged a look, then muttered in unison, "He's definitely lying."
Seiya glanced at her. "But why do you even need to know?"
Astra just shrugged. "Because I want to. But what were you asking him about earlier?"
"Why should I tell you?" Seiya replied, crossing his arms.
"Why shouldn't you?"
"Because I don't want to."
They both turned their backs on each other in exaggerated huffs—only to whip around as Seirou continued walking further ahead.
"Wait! You still haven't answered our questions!" they shouted, hurrying after him again.
"You two are impossible!" Seirou groaned. "Astra, go ask Kaen!"
"Kaen said he doesn't know either!" she grinned, catching up. "We're just curious. For knowledge purposes!"
"Unwanted, useless, unnecessarily loud knowledge—very dangerous," Seirou muttered under his breath as he rounded another corner, still relentlessly pursued.
Later that Night – Inside Seirou's Room
Moonlight filtered through the wooden lattice, painting silver veins across the floor. Seirou sat alone now, knees folded, eyes half-lidded.
But he wasn't alone in his mind.
Inside his mind, the world was unraveling. Every whisper of wind, every faint creak of footsteps beyond the walls. Each stirred a new vision. A new thread. A new possibility. One became ten. Ten became a thousand. And then to Millions. Each flickering version of a future, a past, a present—Different, yet drawn to the same inescapable end.
Timelines split and spiraled around him, crisscrossing in wild directions only to converge again, always at one fixed point.
His breath hitched.
It was a slow descent into madness—And his eyes, once sharp with knowing, now burned from the weight of too much truth. He could no longer tell which thread was real.
Astra's voice echoed like a ghost in the storm:
What happens if the ghost sneezes?
He blinked and saw her laughing in three different timelines, crying in two, missing in another. None of them certain. All of them real. He clutched his head as if trying to hold his mind together with trembling fingers.
Then came Seiya's voice, distant and distant still:
When exactly did the massacre happen…? Before the Eighth Bloom? The Seventh?
A hundred answers echoed in return. A thousand fractured memories twisted behind his eyes. Each one true. Each one false. The weight of a million "what ifs" crashed against him like a tidal wave. His vision blurred. His sense of self unraveled. He drew his knees tighter to his chest, shutting his eyes. Trying to silence the flood. He could see everything… but he no longer knew which world he truly belonged to.
Seiya entered the room as quiet as breath and the noise dulled. The whirlwind in Seirou's mind stilled just slightly. The door creaked shut behind Seiya. His gaze fell on the figure curled in moonlight.
"You're doing it again,"