We began our trek through the Yuhan Forest after packing up our instruments and putting on our finest clothes. Our musical troupe consisted of four people, all residents of the water dragon district. Our goal was to raise enough money to assist other water dragons who had been attacked by water demons in the Suzihua Sea. And the attacks were frequent. Although we could have petitioned the Emperor to assist us, almost all the resources were given to the soldiers defending the country against mage invasions and patrolling the borders.

Lin Xiu provided the melody with her guzheng, a twenty-five string zither. She was the youngest in our troupe, at seventeen years old, but was tremendously experienced for her age. Zhao Lei played the erhu, a two-stringed fiddle, and the pipa, a pear-shaped lute. He would play whatever suited the song we were going to perform. Hou Shi provided the beat and often carried small drums for easy transportation. I was the final member and responsible for dancing. It was easy to calm my nerves, especially when it was something I loved.

"Did you hear what happened in Zhenyuan?" Lin Xiu asked. "The entire district was destroyed by fire mages. The rumors say they were wielding water dragon scales. We should say something to the sect leader, they'll go after Xianyang next."

"Don't be so morbid, Lin Xiu. The Emperor would never allow the mages to infiltrate so close to the Mainlands," I lightly chastised her.

She hoisted her guzheng up to Zhao Lei before adjusting the sleeves of her white and teal blue hanfu. We all added a bit of white to our costumes as a tribute to all of the fallen soldiers and citizens as of late. "I wonder whether there will be anyone at the Mid-Autumn Festival. It seems a little insensitive by the Emperor to insist it continue. Everyone is mourning and they need time to accept the deaths of their loved ones."

I placed a hand on her shoulder to capture her attention. "Don't say that. I'm sure the Emperor is mourning in his own way. Imagine all of the difficult decisions he has to make and the number of people depending on him to make the right choice. It has to be a lot of pressure and he's doing it all by himself. I almost feel bad for him," I explained.

"Sometimes your heart is too big," Lin Xiu responded.

"What do you mean?"

"I think what Little Xiu means to say is it's difficult to hold pity for someone who holes himself up in the Imperial Palace with plenty of food and water. Would it be so difficult for him to share some of his resources with the people?" Zhao Lei chimed in. "He may be the Son of Heaven, but he is still a dragon like the rest of us and we deserve to receive equal treatment."

I thought over what Zhao Lei said, his words held truth to them. But I found it hard to believe he didn't care. How could anyone sit back while their country was slowing burning away? Surely, he would do something, save someone, restore Wuzhen, something. 'You have a heart too, don't you?' I thought, knowing my unspoken words would never reach him.

As we trekked further through the forest, we found ourselves in the middle of what appeared to be a refugee camp. Tents forged with branches, leaves, and twine stood tall between the mass of trees. A large campfire sat in the middle where children cried about how hungry and scared they were. Most of the people had green eyes, an indicative trait of earth dragons. That's when it dawned on me, 'These people are from Zhenyuan.'

"I want my mommy!" a nearby child cried out, their cheeks were slick with tears. Noticing that their parents were nowhere to be found, I assumed they died in the conflict with the fire mages.

I made my way towards the child, intending to quell her sobs. On the way, I heard Lin Xiu mutter, "Here we go again." She often became annoyed with my habit of stopping to help anyone who needed it. It always hurt my heart to see someone suffering, I felt I needed to do something to alleviate their pain. Before I made it to the child, an old woman came forward and shushed the child.

The bottom of her gown was singed and covered in dirt like she'd been running through the fire. Specks of ash stuck to the strands of her white hair stubbornly. Despite this, she wore a warm smile like nothing else in the world mattered. Her eyes locked onto mine and she said, "You must have come from Xianyang. I've never seen you from around here."

"We are traveling to the Mainlands for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Will anyone of you attend?" I questioned, even though I already knew the answer to the question. The last thing these people wanted to do was celebrate. Most of them wouldn't have a home to return to after the celebrations concluded.

"Most of us are staying behind to hold a ceremony for our fallen. However, I was planning on going to the Mainlands to sell some wine and find my son. We don't have much money and most of the people here are injured."

Her eyes lacked emotion when she mentioned her son. 'She must have lost him in the battle,' I thought. 'And the shock of recent events hasn't settled yet.' I let out a sigh and reached into my sleeve to retrieve the money we were carrying. The old woman's eyes widened in surprise but I interrupted her before she could say anything, "Don't worry. Use this and live long." Gently grabbing her hand, I dropped the bag of coins in her palm, urging her to take it.

"Thank you. May Meihui bless your soul," she replied tearfully.

"What are doing, Cai Min? That was all of our money," Lin Xiu hissed from behind me. Thankfully, the old lady's hearing was not good enough to hear her. "What are we going to return to the sect leader once we're back in Xianyang."

"Hush, Little Xiu. She did the right thing. I would have done the same thing," Zhao Lei added.

"I agree," Hou Shi quipped.

'We are only as strong as our weakest person, Lin Xiu,' I murmured in my mind.