Every year, as early spring slowly fades, giving way to full spring and the rebirth of nature, the streets of all the cities in Elandor become filled with the petals of blooming flowers, predominantly in shades of violet and white.

  It is then that the continent’s inhabitants celebrate a festival, known by different names and traditions depending on the region—yet they all share one common purpose: honoring the guardian of the great and life-giving forest of Austeria, the goddess Rosmerta.

  Naso is no different from the rest. The Feast of Blossoms, as it is called, is held on the second day of spring, lasting from midnight to midnight, just as in every other part of the continent.

  It is one of the few days in the year that everyone, regardless of their place in the social hierarchy, eagerly awaits—a time to celebrate, dance, and sing together in honor of the goddess.

  The students and professors of Aurelia University were no different in this regard. As soon as the clock struck 3 PM, marking the end of all mandatory classes, they all made their way toward the city's main plaza, where the festival had been in full swing since morning.

  At that very moment, as she stepped out of her classroom and headed toward one of the two main exits, Saelwen noticed Shalyn sitting patiently in front of the teachers' lounge, waiting for Ceana.

  "Shalyn!" Saelwen called out, waving enthusiastically in her direction. The girl flinched slightly at first but then stood up, offering a small bow of her head.

  "Ms. Saelwen..." she muttered with a faint smile before sitting back down on her chair.

  "Ah, stop with the 'Miss' already... it makes me feel a decade older," she remarked with a slight wave of her hand before stepping up to the door and pushing it wide open. "You coming?" she asked as she walked inside, where Ceana and **Astram** were already deep in conversation about their festival plans, sipping on their coffee.

  Shalyn nodded and followed her in, just in time to catch the middle of Astram and Ceana’s discussion.

  "—yes, with Saelwen," Ceana mentioned, leaning against the table. Astram nodded in response, settling onto the couch.

  "Hmm? What with Saelwen?" the elf woman chimed in, approaching the table, with **Shalyn** following closely behind, shooting Astram a sharp, disapproving look.

  "Ah..." Ceana jolted slightly, quickly setting her cup aside, a faint blush creeping onto her face. "...Well, um..."

  "She said she was going to the festival with you," Astram turned toward them, causing Shalyn to quickly hide behind Saelwen with a swift motion.

  "Oh?" The elf raised an eyebrow, shifting her gaze to Ceana.

  "Well... I was just about to ask..." Ceana replied, lowering her head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed for the hesitation she had

  Saelwen chuckled softly at her explanation, stepping closer to her, and picking up one of the empty cups that was lying on the counter.

  "Now's your chance." She said with a smirk.

  "Then... do you want to go?" Ceana asked, raising her head, her eyes meeting Saelwen's.

  "Of course... and while we're at it, we’ll show Shalyn how things work." The woman nodded toward the girl clinging to her leg, who was exchanging sharp looks with Astram, just as he began to rise from the couch.

  "You won't make me disappear just by looking at me like that..." Astram scolded the girl, returning her sharp glare with one of his own.

  Without saying a word, Shalyn furrowed her brows even more, locking eyes with him, clearly unwilling to back down.

  "Ugh, whatever," the man muttered, averting his gaze and heading toward the door.

  "Leaving already?" Saelwen turned around, tossing a handful of coffee beans into a steel grinder.

  "Yeah, I’m meeting my wife at the plaza," he replied in a calm, slightly melancholic voice. Without another word, he shut the door behind him.

  "Hm, how Bonita puts up with him, I have no idea," the elf muttered under her breath, swiftly grinding the beans. As she poured the freshly ground coffee into a cup, the rich, bold aroma of black coffee filled the entire room.

  "So, shall we go once you finish your coffee?" Ceana asked, her tone optimistic, clearly not expecting a refusal.

  "Yeah, we can go." Saelwen took a deep sip of her coffee, glancing at Shalyn.

  The girl met her gaze but took a few steps back from her leg.

  "Are you coming? A little break would do you some good," the elf asked, her expression slightly twisted.

  "I can, if you don’t mi—" Shalyn began, her voice slightly excited, but she was abruptly interrupted by Saelwen's coughing.

  "Damn it..." The woman set down her half-finished coffee and reached for a napkin.

  "What? What happened?" Ceana stepped closer, peering into the cup, with Shalyn following right behind her.

  "Ugh... damn Sabah and his burnt coffee," the irritated elf muttered under her breath, spitting out the remains into the napkin.

  It took Ceana a moment to piece everything together, but after connecting the professor’s name with the fact that Saelwen despised Kriorian coffee, a quiet chuckle escaped her lips.

  "...Did you drink his?" Ceana giggled, offering her another napkin.

  "Don’t laugh..." Saelwen scolded her, taking the napkin while trying to hide her own smile, brought on by Ceana’s laughter.

  "Well, I guess you've finished your coffee then..." Shalyn mumbled, completely bewildered by the situation but attempting to take part in the conversation with a small joke.

  "Then let’s go, right?" Ceana chuckled, trying to hide her silly grin behind her hand.

  Saelwen let out a dramatic sigh, tossing the napkin aside. "You girls are impossible..."

  Shalyn hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, no longer clinging to Saelwen’s leg but still keeping her distance from where Astram had been sitting moments ago.

  Ceana, still stifling a chuckle, pushed open the door, letting the fresh spring air sweep into the room. The scent of blooming flowers instantly replaced the lingering aroma of coffee.

  "Alright, time to see what this festival has in store for us," Saelwen said, stepping outside, her long coat swaying with the breeze as they made their way toward the lively streets.

  White and violet blossoms of apple trees and magnolias adorned the streets and buildings, giving them an almost heavenly charm.

  Streams of water flowed through small, grate-covered channels along the sides of the roads, carrying the delicate petals along with them—some drifting onto the streets, others ending up in the fountains.

  Shalyn walked a few steps behind the two women, her gaze wandering over the countless decorations—flower crowns resting atop many heads, garlands strung between buildings, and floral ropes hanging gracefully from posts, swaying gently in the breeze.

  Here and there, dancers dressed in traditional attire could be seen preparing for the evening performance of the Blooming Waltz.

  "Things are different here than in the north..." the girl mumbled under her breath, quickening her pace.

  "Hm? Oh, by the way, where are you from?" Ceana, walking on the right side, turned her head toward her.

  "A small village just by Austeria... it usually snows there, so we don't have many flowers." she answered, glancing away toward the opposite side of the street, where the main plaza of the city was visible, surrounded by a small stone wall.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The plaza itself is where the main part of the festival will take place, and in the center, attached to a pole, stands a giant doll made of straw and flowers.

  "Ah, so you’re from Caerno?" Saelwen chimed in, turning left and crossing through one of the eight entrances to the square, placed along the stone wall surrounding it.

  "Yes..." the girl muttered, slightly afraid of the women's reaction.

  The Kingdom of Naeron and Caerno had never had good relations, often clashing in bloody battles, such as the one from a few months ago.

  Seeing the worried expression on Shalyn's face, Ceana smiled faintly and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

  "I know what you're thinking... don't worry about it."

  Shalyn nodded, her smile slowly returning. "Thank you," she mumbled.

  "Don't worry about anything. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known where Sylleth was... now at least we can save him." The woman smiled, walking toward one of the benches, decorated in the same manner as the rest of the structures in the city.

  When the three of them had finally sat down on the bench, waiting for the sunset and the start of the final part of the festival, after several minutes, a loud male voice reached them from a distance, with a very strong exotic accent.

  "Sael?!" the man shouted, running a hand through his short black hair.

  Saelwen turned around, her face contorting at the sight of the man. "Sabah..."

  "Why the long face?" the man asked, looking her in the eyes before glancing around.

  "I told you to keep that damn exotic coffee of yours away from the regular stuff..." she muttered through clenched teeth, glaring at him.

  At her words, the man began to laugh loudly, causing several people around them to turn and stare.

  "Is that why there was less of it?" he managed to say through his laughter, resting his hands on his knees.

  "Ugh, get lost," she muttered in an annoyed tone, turning her back to him.

  "AHHH, don't be like that!" The man leaned against the bench right between Shalyn and Saelwen.

  At the sight of the man, the girl quickly moved away, pushing herself toward Ceana.

  "Oh? And who’s this?" The man turned his head toward Shalyn, who was glaring at him.

  "Shalyn, she’ll be a new student at the academy," Ceana answered, glancing at the annoyed Saelwen.

  "Ah, I see!" The man shouted, pushing himself back. "Well, maybe you want to meet my student?" He addressed the girl only with his voice, his gaze scanning the entire plaza.

  "No, thank you—" Shalyn was about to refuse right away, but Sabah interrupted her.

  "No, no, no, I don’t accept 'no'!" He said quickly, almost intentionally blending it with his accent, making it hard for Shalyn to understand what he had said.

  "I’m going to find him now! Wait for me!" He shouted again, rushing quickly toward one of the exits. "Once the festival starts, call for me quickly!" His voice echoed just before he disappeared.

  As soon as he was gone, Saelwen muttered, "Does he know it starts in about two minutes?"

  Ceana chuckled, and Shalyn quickly pulled away from her side.

  As the last moments of daylight faded and the air grew colder, the loud sounds of the festival slowly quieted, and the attention of the crowd focused on a group of dancers dressed in green, who stood around the giant doll.

  One of them moved toward it, lighting a bouquet of roses and raising it high into the air.

  Shalyn went silent, slightly anxious, as the celebration in her homeland was very different.

  From all sides around the square, the rhythmic sound of drums mixed with the singing of women whose faces were covered by white cloths.

  "It’s starting..." Saelwen murmured, as the dancers began to move in a circle around the doll, holding hands and hopping joyfully, causing the crystals attached to their costumes to make melodic clicks, bouncing off each other.

  The music grew louder as the drummers and singers moved closer to the plaza, making their sound much clearer.

  Small bonfires placed on the stone walls were lit by other dancers standing at the sides, improving the visibility of the performance.

  Suddenly, the music stopped. The sound of drums faded, and the singers fell silent, sitting down on the ground, their crystals the only sound that echoed.

  The dancers in the center also stopped, leaving only one of them, still dancing around the doll with his bouquet.

  The air was filled with the crackling of flames and the clicking of crystals, as the last dancer threw the bouquet directly onto the doll’s head, setting it on fire.

  As the doll was engulfed in flames, Shalyn jumped back slightly, but Ceana caught her hand and, with a smile on her face, pointed at her own ears. At that moment, the sounds of the drums returned, the singers stood up, and their melodic voices rang out, reaching the furthest corners of the city.

  The group of dancers in the center separated, now moving individually, pulling out bird feathers from small pockets on the sides of their costumes, arranging them like fans in their hands, and waving them in time with the music.

  The doll, now fully enveloped in flames, illuminated the entire plaza, casting light on the backs of the dancers, who threw their dancing shadows around.

  As the music began to pick up speed, shifting from a calm melody to a more energetic one, the rest of the city’s residents began to join the dancers, singers, or drummers, filling the city with even more voices and sounds, ultimately creating a folk song more known as the "Prayers to Rosmerta."

  Ceana also stood up, the music resonating in her ears so strongly that no thoughts of hesitation could enter her mind.

  With a smile on her face and without hesitation, she extended her hand toward Saelwen.

  "Ah? And what about Shalyn?" the woman asked, glancing at the girl who was gently but rhythmically nodding her head, evidently slowly getting used to the festival.

  "You're not going far, right? Besides, I'm not a child." The girl smiled slightly, giving Ceana an unreadable look.

  "Alright then..." Saelwen took Ceana's hand, following her toward the center, joining the rest of the dancers.

  Saelwen, slightly stressed, wasn't sure what to do, as it was only her second dancing during the Blooming Waltz

  Ceana chuckled lightly, seeing her expression, but then said, "Just feel the rhythm, the rest will come naturally."

  The music grew louder, to the point where neither of them could hear each other, but Ceana wasn’t bothered by it. She slowly got into the rhythm, lightly hopping on her feet and moving her hands in sync.

  Saelwen tried to mimic her, but—seeing Ceana's amused reaction—she was doing it rather awkwardly.

  Ceana quickly turned her, directing her gaze toward Sabah, who was dancing a few feet away.

  The man was spinning his arms and legs as if there were no tomorrow, loudly humming the rhythm of the song, throwing an inviting glance at his student, Shani, who was sitting on one of the benches nearby with a not-so-pleased expression on his face.

  "You’re not going to let him have more fun than you, are you?" Ceana whispered in her ear, making sure she was heard.

  A smirk appeared on Saelwen's face, and she turned to Ceana. "Of course not!" she shouted.

  Even though Ceana couldn’t hear her words due to the increasingly loud song, her response was clear.

  The woman closed her eyes, trying to lose herself in the rhythm of the music.

  Ceana was having fun, just as before, her gaze wandering around as she noticed many familiar faces.

  Astram, with his wife, were dancing more on the sidelines, spinning in a circle.

  Not far from them stood even a board member, Alaric Frye, who, despite his high position, was also enjoying himself, dancing with the rest of the townspeople.

  Other musicians slowly joined the drummers, most of them playing tambourines, and in rare cases, violins.

  Saelwen began to slowly get into the rhythm, her legs naturally starting to move with the dance.

  The woman opened her eyes, glancing at the amused Ceana, dancing right in front of her with her hand outstretched toward her.

  But before she could grab it, she glanced one last time at Shalyn, who had also joined the fun, dancing with a group of girls dressed in the academy's uniform.

  A smile appeared on the woman's face, and then she took Ceana's hand, allowing herself to be swept away by the dance.

  A few minutes passed, and the dance slowly slowed down, along with the flames on the doll, which had begun to burn out.

  The group of dancers circled the doll again, and the people who had been dancing moved a bit further away, though still dancing and singing.

  "It's almost over..." Saelwen muttered, with a disappointed tone.

  "Not yet, after they throw the doll, we’ll have a little more time to dance," Ceana chuckled, pleased by Saelwen's reaction.

  Then the group began showering the doll with flower petals, keeping the flames burning for a little longer, until four of the largest and most well-built dancers grabbed the pole on which the doll was perched from below. At that moment, the music quieted again, leaving only the crackling of the flames and, once more, the tapping of crystals.

  "Shall we go get Shalyn?" Ceana asked, looking around in search of the girl.

  "No, I saw her dancing with some girls, probably from the university, so let's let her be." Saelwen replied, letting go of Ceana's hand and glancing at the doll.

  The group began carrying the pole with the doll across the plaza, heading toward the largest exit, directed toward the stone bridge on the outskirts of the city.

  The musicians and singers followed right behind them, starting the song again, but this time slower, more in the rhythm of a march.

  Some of the townspeople stayed in the square, some continuing to dance, others preparing to return home.

  However, most of them followed the doll, walking along the wide road toward the bridge, with Saelwen and Ceana among them.

  As they reached the center of the bridge, the music returned to its original rhythm, and the dancers once again circled around the pole, now positioned at the very middle of the bridge, leaning slightly over the river.

  In a single moment, the rhythm of the drums and other instruments faded away, leaving only the singing.

  "And so, spring begins..." Ceana said, leaning against the edge of the bridge and watching the burning doll slowly descend.

  Saelwen nodded, and at that very moment, with a loud final beat of the drums and the last note sung by the vocalists, the doll was cast into the river, its flames extinguished by the rushing currents.

  Minutes passed, and the dancers, along with the rest of the people, began making their way back to the plaza, leaving the doll to drift down the river toward the ocean—a symbol of winter’s departure.

  Just as the elf was about to follow them, Ceana grabbed her hand, keeping her gaze fixed on the doll.

  "You know... people used to make wishes for each other on this day," she chuckled softly, pushing herself away from the stone railing.

  "Oh yeah?" Saelwen smirked. "Do you have a wish for me?"

  Ceana blushed slightly but then turned toward the elf. "Yes… I want to wish you… that you always have a reason to smile, just like tonight." As she spoke, she was so nervous that it was almost strange how steady her voice remained.

  Saelwen chuckled at first, but then, in a calm voice, she replied, "I wasn’t expecting that… but thank you."

  A brief, awkward silence settled between them, thickening the atmosphere.

  "And, uh… that you don’t trip over your own feet while dancing… you know, for next year," Ceana added, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

  Saelwen laughed, leaning against the railing and glancing at the moon, nearly full.

  "…It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" she asked, focusing her gaze on the largest of the three moons, around which the two smaller ones orbited.

  Ceana’s eyes widened slightly as she looked up as well, though she focused only on the smaller moons—she had always liked them more.

  Then, quietly, as she stepped beside Saelwen, she murmured, "…Yes, it is."