They wandered past puppet shows where colorful marionettes acted out fairy tales. Klein laughed at the silly voices the puppeteer used, completely unselfconscious in his enjoyment.

Street performers did magic tricks, juggled flaming torches, and played haunting melodies on unusual instruments.

At one point, they encountered a fortune teller who beckoned them over. Marie went first, receiving a prediction about "great journeys across water" that made her beam with excitement.

Joseph's fortune spoke of "finding what was lost," which made him exchange meaningful looks with Reinhard. Klein's fortune simply said "joy long delayed but finally arriving," which felt almost painfully accurate.

The evening deepened, stars beginning to appear in the darkening sky above the festival lights.

Then someone in the crowd called out. "The fireworks are starting! Everyone to the square!"

The announcement created a surge of movement as the entire festival seemed to flow in one direction.

Everyone headed toward Nuevo City Square.

The square was larger than the narrow streets, providing open space where the crowd could spread out. Buildings ringed it on all sides, their facades illuminated by the festival lights, and a platform had been erected at one end where the fireworks would be launched.

…

Klein trembled in excitement, but then blinked when he felt familiar arms around him. Then Reinhard stooped to invite Klein onto his shoulders, and before Klein could say anything, he found himself hoisted high above the festival crowd.

At first, he tensed, fingers gripping his brother's hair in a silent plea for stability, but then awe replaced his fear as he realized how vast the world looked from up here. Even the tallest adults were reduced to bobbing heads below him.

Joseph, not to be outdone by Reinhard, swept a squealing Anna onto his own shoulders. Anna's dark hair whipped behind her as she waved at Anasha, who, after a moment's debate and a shared glance with Marie, scrambled onto Marie's shoulders as well.

For a brief, improbable moment, the three children floated above the masses, as if they'd been lifted by the night air itself.

Klein had never been so high up, so exposed, and yet so safe. From this vantage, he saw the festival in full bloom, such as the rivers of people moving through narrow streets. Lanterns swaying overhead in the gentle breeze, vendors holding their wares aloft to tempt the next wave of celebrants.

He looked back to see Brunhilde and Celestia standing behind them, the flickering light painting their faces in shifting patterns of gold and shadow. Brunhilde caught Klein's gaze and winked, and for the first time in his life, he didn't feel a twist of dread in his stomach at the prospect of being noticed.

Then a piercing whistle sliced through the air, and the first firework ascended. It rose on an unwavering trajectory, a comet of white fire climbing into the black.

Klein involuntarily reached higher, as if he might touch it. The firework burst at the apex, scattering golden sparks in every direction. For a moment, the world was nothing but light that blinded everyone.

Then the sparks dissolved, raining delicate embers upon the square, and the crowd let out a delighted collective gasp. All at once, the festival square became one as every head tilted up in unison, every face illuminated from below by the lanterns, and above by the light.

Even the most hardened adults surrendered to wonder, their eyes softened by reflected radiance. Klein felt Anna's hand reach across the gap between Reinhard and Joseph, their arms stretching together like a bridge, and the two children clasped hands as the next firework screamed skyward.

But that was just the beginning.

Another explosion erupted, it was a vivid blue that seemed to paint the darkness itself. The shape that emerged with it was unmistakable, a great eagle with outstretched wings, each feather etched in electric cobalt.

Klein's own mask felt suddenly alive, as if the firework had been made just for him. He let out a sharp cry of delight, and heard, somewhere below, a scattered cheer as others recognized the symbol in the sky.

The fireworks came faster now, each more extravagant than the last.

A wolf, sculpted from silver light, howled at a disc of pale yellow that burst into being above it which was a perfect moon. The crowd howled back in response, the sound playful and slightly wild, and Klein couldn't help but join in, his voice merging with Anna's and Anasha's in an impromptu chorus.

A dragon followed, its body a river of shimmering red and gold, undulating across the sky with impossible grace. When it finally detonated, the fragments spiraled outward in a helix, recreating the dragon's twisting form before they vanished.

A phoenix came next, wings rising from a blossom of orange and crimson, the tail trailing behind in a dragging curtain of sparks. For a moment, it hovered in the air, then was consumed in a firestorm that left the crowd blinking away tears, whether from the brightness or the beauty, none could say.

Klein lost track of time.

He forgot his worries, forgot the curse, forgot the ache that had been his constant companion for so many years. He watched the sky as if nothing else in the world existed except the beautiful light show and the joy in his chest. Reinhard's hands held him steady, and Klein realized he didn't need to brace himself anymore.

Between each beautiful display, the crowd murmured and pointed, speculating on what stories the next firework would tell.

Some in the square whispered folk tales to their children, old legends about the animals in the sky, and Klein heard snippets.

"That's the Silver Moon Wolf that guarded a village in Northern Hesod,"

"The eagle is the protector of the mountains,"

"If you see the dragon, you get a year of good luck."

Strangers laughed together.

Vendors passed treats to children on their shoulders, and one even managed to toss Klein a candied nut, which he caught and devoured without fear.

Then the show's tempo started to increase.

Fireworks no longer launched singly, but in tandem, three and four at a time, in a carefully orchestrated ballet. A bear and a serpent clashed, their colors intertwining before bursting together in a shower of white and green.

A herd of deer leapt across the night, their forms connected by arcs of gold that lingered, then faded. Each new image prompted a fresh wave of applause, and Klein felt himself swept up in the energy of the crowd.

Somewhere in the chaos of color and sound, Klein glanced down and saw Reinhard's eyes glistening with more than just reflected light. It was the first time Klein had seen his older brother truly happy. Not burdened by the stress and worry of the night, of his own screaming, and how they will survive the month.

It's amazing…

Reinhard glanced up at him, and Klein saw the relief written there. Klein's chest ached, but it was a new kind of ache, unfamiliar and so much easier to bear.

The finale began with little warning.

It was then Klein noticed the music, a band of street musicians playing from the edge of the square. It shifted into a swelling march while fireworks shot upward in a rhythm, each one larger than the last.

The sky became a canvas, painted and repainted, until barely a patch of darkness remained. The air itself vibrated with each detonation. Klein could feel the thunder in his bones.

Then, in a moment of near silence, a single massive firework arced into the air. It seemed to climb for an eternity, until even Klein craned his neck to follow it.

At its apex, it exploded with a sound like a cathedral bell, and the sky lit up with an impossible burst of every color imaginable. Klein saw reds intermingling with violets, blues bleeding into golds, greens and silvers chasing each other in perfect circles. For a full second, the night was brighter than day.

The pattern that emerged was unmistakable. Dozens of animals and Phantasm Beasts, each drawn in perfect miniature, arrayed in a ring around a central image. It was a human figure with its arms outstretched, bathed in the blending light of all the others.

Klein, Anna, and Anasha screamed in unison, the sound ragged with amazement and joy. It echoed across the square, joined by a thousand other voices.

The display held up as if the sky itself refused to let go.

…

Reinhard saw the light held for a perfect moment, then slowly faded. Darkness returned, but the afterimage remained burned into everyone's vision.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, and then people began hugging the person next to them. Someone started singing, and others joined in singing traditional festival songs.

Reinhard looked up at Klein on his shoulders and saw tears streaming down the boy's face. But Klein was smiling so wide that it looked almost painful.

"That was perfect." Klein whispered, voice thick with emotion. "Everything was perfect."

Reinhard squeezed his brother's legs gently. "Yeah. It really was."

The festival continued long into the night, but eventually exhaustion claimed them. They made their way back through streets still crowded but beginning to thin, carrying sleeping Anna while Klein and Anasha fought to keep their eyes open.

Three days later, after exploring more of Nuevo City during daylight hours. They were visiting museums, parks, and shops, places that seemed fun and interesting.

They were returning to the Academy, but not alone.

Klein, Anna, and Anasha were coming too for the promised beach vacation trip that Marie had been planning for months.

Celestia had been dragged along their trip through the city, much to her amused protests.

Marie grinned unrepentantly as she pulled the doctor toward shopping districts and insisted they visit every notable food establishment in the city.

"You need to relax!" Marie declared, linking arms with Celestia and refusing to let go. "Doctors work too hard, and now it's time for fun!"

Celestia laughed, surrendering to the inevitable whirlwind that was Marie in celebration mode.

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