Crowed sound followed by a loud gong signaling the start of the festival and the locals began pouring into the town square. The stalls were quickly packed, their stall too was crowded with people buying their stuffs. Their hairpins and embroidered fabric sold like hot cakes. Everyone fought to get one, causing quite a ruckus.

"Calm down! we have enough for everyone!" Kincade waving his hands.

“Line up please! Stop pushing!” Fabian directing the crowd.

"Sorry Rein.. I think we were too enthusiastic when making it," said Eleanor.

"At least we don't have to worry about money now," Rein chuckled.

A young girl wearing a cloak covering her face, she seemed interested with one of their. butterfly hairpin.

"Welcome!" greeted Rein.

The girl was startled, but she quickly payed for the hairpin and scurried away.

"Wait!" Fabian tried to stop her, but she vanished among the crowd.

"Eh? What’s wrong?" Rein looking at him confused.

"That girl.." he muttered "she is severely ill.."

Rose appalled "Huh?"

"How did you know?" Eleanor asked.

"I did a quick scan on her," said Fabian "that girl has dangerously low temperature, and what bother me is something obstructing the chest area.. like a cloud.."

Garland flicked his beak "I don't see the cloud, but my sensor was distorted when i saw her. Cade, did you see her too?"

"Huh? what? oh welcome, welcome," he greeted another customer "that will be three shilinq."

Rose crossed her arms, looking at Fabian "Can't you do something?"

"Maybe, but i have to thoroughly examine her.."

"We don't know where she's gone to.." said Rein "for now.. let's just focus selling our stuffs first.."

 

In just about an hour, they sold all their merchandises. Rein informed the disgruntled crowd that they were closing for the night. They packed their stall and stored everything inside their carriage.

“What are we going to do now?” Dianna tilting her head.

"How about we stroll around?" Eleanor suggested "To find the girl.."

"Great idea!" said Rose.

Garland shrugged his shoulder while Sierra nodded; Dianna raised her hands happily.

"Hmm.. to find her, we have to split into three groups. Only me, Cade and Garland could see her..” said Fabian.

Rein distributed the coins they get from selling their merchandises before going on separate ways.

 

He, Eleanor and Fabian walked around the festival area, but they still couldn't find her. The others apparently have decided to enjoys the festival instead. They spotted Kincade joining eating competition along with Rose, while Laylah nervously watching them from the side; Garland and Dianna were checking a pet store; Sierra was observing a smith crafting something.

Rein sighed "let's find something to eat, i’m starving.."

"How about that one?" Eleanor looking at stall selling steamed bread.

“Then I’ll continue looking for that girl..” said Fabian.

Rein nodded. He and Eleanor went to the stall. It sold steamed cake not bread and there were so many fillings to choose from. Wanting to tried all of it, he bought everything, they also ordered drinks from the other stall.

“That will be sixty shilinq,” said the owner.

“Here you go..” Rein handing the coin.

They sat beside the stall and began eating.

"Mmm.. this one is toothsome.." said Eleanor.

"This one good too.." he sliced it in half and gave it to her "it’s like strawberry.."

Seeing them enjoying the cake, the owner gave them extra portion for free.

“Wow! thank you miss!” Rein cheered.

After eating all the cakes and thanked the owner. They went to checked on a stall selling hair ornaments. He asked the clerk about the price which perplexed him, it was twenty five shilinq for a piece, No wonder ours sold so fast.

He saw a star shaped hairpin adorned with crystal beads "i think this will look good on you.." handing the hairpin to Eleanor.

She looked at the hairpin before putting it on her hair “Does it suits me?”

"Beautiful.. uh- i mean the hairpin- really- uh it really suits you."

She giggled "Thank you.." she handed coins to the clerk "I'll take this one.."

Stashing the hairpin in her bag "Where we go next Rein?"

"Hmm, how about-"

A loud gong startled him. The local started gathering around the podium near the gate to the palace, even the merchants left their stall. Curious, they joined the crowd. He spotted Garland, Dianna and Sierra on the other side.

"Some kind of event?" asked someone beside him.

Rein turned his head, it was Kincade. He, Laylah and Rose stood next to him.

“Looks like it..” he looked at the crowd, they were all enthusiastic.

The palace gate opened, a young man wearing a spiral horns hat sat on the green ornamental chair while being carried by bunch of people appeared from the gate. Followed behind him were five old ladies sitting on chairs draped with iconography of each deities, also being carried by people. Standing beside each of the old ladies, were young girls wearing beautiful themed dress of the deities. He felt sorry for the people who carried them, some of the old ladies were on heavier side.

"That fancy looking clothes, he must be some kind of big shot," Kincade stated "and those ladies, they- hey, why is everything flickering?"

"That girl.." said Fabian "that is her."

"Which one?" Eleanor asked.

"The one with butterfly dress."

"What with this flickers when i saw her?" Kincade asked Fabian.

"Garland said the same thing," Rein stated.

"She's so cute.." Rose eyes sparkled "I want to hugged her.."

The crowd began bowing when the man with spiral hat passed them. Rein motioned at his friends to bowed their heads too. They placed the spiral hat man chair and his entourages behind the podium. The spiral hat man stood from his seat and began of his speech about the start of the new year and preparation for tomorrow goddess Yapgom festival.

Rein asked "There are more deity?"

That spiral hat man was apparently the emperor, raised his hands at the skies and began praising the moon, calling it the goddess of creation Yapgom.

“Goddess of creation..” Rein rubbing his chin.

"God and goddess huh.." Fabian snide.

"So it is like those beliefs from earth.." said Sierra.

"Kincade practiced one of it, right?" Eleanor looked at him.

He nodded "It helped calming my mind.."

The emperor thanked the goddess for creating the six holy animals who guards the Yapgom creation. Each of the girls will took turns performing a dance under the watchful eye of the goddess.

“Wait, six holy animals?” Rose looked at them confused.

“I thought there are only five?” Sierra wondered.

The girl with turtle dress walked to the podium. A group of people began playing a calming music and she started dancing. The bells on her wrist chiming each time she waved her hands. Her dance ended with bowing to the crowd who gave her an applause.

“Her dance was rather stiff..” said Kincade.

“What?” Sierra smirked “are you some kind of dance connoisseur?”

Next was the short girl with dog dress, she seemed nervous. She started by twirling her body and later ended her dance with both hands stretching towards the Emperor, receiving cheers from the audience. She tripped over her skirt when walking back to the old lady side.

"Aw.. she's so cute.."

The next was the girl wearing the bird dress. She elegantly flows across the podium, whenever she raised her hands, her dress flapping like wings. When she’s done, the crowd giving her a loud praise.

“Now that’s a dance!” shouted Kincade “She’s beautiful too!”

Rein noticed Laylah was pouting at Kincade. The next was the dragonfly girl. Her dance was really bad according to Kincade. Although Rein didn’t know about dancing, he also thought hers was pale in comparison to the girls before her.

"As always, consort Xuqing.." snide one the crowd.

"She's the worst,"

"I always wondered why noble lady Xuqing chose her, she’s not an empress material.."

The crowd badmouthing her as she stepped out from the podium. Rein shook his head, he felt sorry towards her. He noticed the dragonfly girl has a weird expression when staring at the butterfly girl who now stepped into the podium.

"it's that girl turns.." said Fabian.

"Will she be able to do it?" Eleanor worried.

The butterfly girl waved her hands to the side and began dancing by twirling her long transparent cloth which glitters under the bask of the moonlight. Her dance was spectacular, it’s like she flew across the podium. As if joining her, dozen of shiny butterflies appeared and synchronized with her dance. Everyone watched in amazement. She ended her dance by raising her hand, the butterflies flew to skies and vanished under the moonlight. A momentarily silence, the crowds began loudly cheered for her when she stepped down from the podium.

Praised the crowd "You're our future empress!"

"Consort Huidi!!" shouted the other.

The girl smiled and waved at them, the crowd went crazy. The emperor raised his hand to silent them. He stood from his seat and gave each of the girls an ornamental orb like object, although the one given to the butterfly girl was much more ornate. He returned to his seat before announcing the end of today festival. They watched as the emperor and his entourages were carried back to the palace. The crowd began dispersing, went back to their home while the merchants closed their stall. Rein and his friends locked their carriage before leaving the festival area.

"This getting complicated, how are we supposed to get to her?" Rose crossing her hands.

"A future empress.. what's an empress?" asked Dianna.

"She will be a queen." explained Eleanor "but.. with her illness.."

"A queen, wow.."

“Are you sure she’s sick?” Kincade asked “her dance-”

Fabian nodded “I never wrong.”

"How about we go to the palace and tell them the truth?" Rose suggested.

Sierra said "And getting us locked up?"

“There’s nothing we could do for her,” Garland shrugged his shoulder “Just leave her be..’

Fabien shook his head "Garland is right."

"But-" Eleanor about to said something.

"We’ll figure it out how to get to her later.." said Rein.

"So.. what are we going to do now?" asked Kincade.

"Let's find a place to stay for the night."

They went to the town to find a lodge. They walked around but every lodge they visited were already full. Fortunately one of the lodge owner gave them a location of a small bar called Izhan that doubled as an inn at the edge of the town. They thanked the owner and left to the said bar.

 

They arrived at the poorer side of the town. The people there was looking at them.

"Oh well.." mumbled Kincade.

“Let’s go, the bar should be nearby..” said Rein.

Fabian stopped to gave an old man a medicine for his knee.

"Fab, it's getting late!" protested Garland "stop treating everyone you see!"

"Hey! there it is," Rose pointed at a two storied building with crooked foundation, A sign said Izhan.

"Is it safe?" Dianna tilting her head.

Rein was uncertain "Well, better than nothing.."

As they walked closer, a little girl came out from the bar, carrying a bucket of water. She was surprised to see them there. Rein greeted her.

"A customer?" her face lit "Mom! we have customer!"

The mother walked out from the house, "Suni, don't shout in the middle of night. Oh!" she was surprised seeing them "Did you- need something?"

"The Fanshai lodge owner recommended us here for a place to stay," Rein explained “we-”

"Oh! Come in! Come in!" she smiled "We rarely have a customer.."

They followed the owner and her daughter into the house. Rein looked around, the place was empty and a bit dark with the only source of light was from the outside, but at least the place was clean.

"We want to rent, hmm.. for maybe three to five days," said Rein.

"It will be fifty shilinq for a day including meals."

"That's really cheap.." Garland whispered.

The little girl started coughing.

"Is she alright?" Eleanor worried "it sounded really bad.."

The owner received the the coins from Rein. "It's been a year.. but.. with this, i hope it's enough to bring her to the doctor.."

"Fab.." Rose poked his sides.

"Do not worry, her illness was not serious, i will treat her and her mother tomorrow."

"The owner too?"

After giving the little girl a water to alleviates her coughing. The owner asked them to followed her upstairs. There were three rooms, each with two wooden beds with several square pillows and blanket, no mattress on sight.

"Looks comfy.." said Kincade.

They decided to rent all three rooms and Rein was about to gave her more coin, but the owner explained the fee was already covering for all the room.

“Oh, okay..”

“Have a restful night..” the owner bowed her head before returning downstairs.

After saying good night to the girls. Rein and the rest went to their room.

“So.. who will get the bed?” asked Kincade removing his costume.

Winning an intense rock paper scissor, granting Rein and Fabian the right to used the beds, while the other two get the floor. Rein gave blanket and one of his pillow to Kincade. He lied on the bed, which made his back hurt a lot, the pillow too was hard as rock, but he tried to get some sleep.

 

Rein was awakened by a loud crack in the middle of the night. he looked around, the others also was alarmed by the sound.

“What was that?” Kincade asked.

Another crack.

Garland looking at Fabian’s bed “It’s coming from-”

Rein was perplexed seeing Fabian fell to the floor as his bed snapped in half; Garland and Kincade burst into laughter.

The door opened and Rose went inside, the other was peeking behind her.

"What happen-"

Seeing Fabian on the floor buried under the bed, they too laughed. Footsteps running upstairs, the owner flew into the room. Her eyes widen looking at the destroyed bed. Fabian apologized profusely to her and promised he will fixed the bed tomorrow morning. It seemed the owner was too shocked to notice them not wearing their disguises.