As Kassashimei and I walked back to our rooms I found myself overcome with a sort of joy that I thought I‘d never experience.

With my tiny, insignificant performance, I had somehow influenced a small part of my world. More importantly, it was the course of my own life that I had changed. I finally had a chance to prove that my life had worth, that I was standing on my own feet, and moving forward to a destination that was just a bit clearer.

"The prayer beads," Kassashimei said quietly. "The beads I gave you. They're special you see. They can make all sorts of things happen. They can even give you courage. You do believe in them don't you?"

She seemed so earnest, stricken with a sincerity she could hardly contain.

"There's a reassuring sound they make when I shake them, " I replied. "When I hear it, I feel like I can keep going."

"Then I was able to help you."

"Kass, I haven't forgotten what you said when we left the tea house that day. You told me that you were useless.

Well you're not. As long as I know that you're here, you're never useless. And I can only imagine what would have become of me if you weren't around. So I guess I should thank-"

"No, don't thank me. Now is not the moment for that."

There was a small, pleasant gleam in her eyes that told me she was all the more content; and that was all she needed for now.

"The Boar?" she teased, changing the subject. "How could you give anyone such a terrible name?

"Well that's what he looks like. Can't you see the resemblance on his face?"

"Do I resemble a certain animal? The day you first saw me, you had an animal name picked out for me didn't you?"

She gave me a playful shove.

"No, I swear. To me you're just Kass, and that's all."

Her face soured.

"I don't believe you. I'm coming into your room tonight just to listen to you talk in your sleep again. If I hear you say, “Kass the monkey” or “Kass the rat“, then I'm going to take an ink brush to your face."

I accepted her challenge and dared her to prove me a liar.

To my surprise, she did visit my room that night, but for far more desperate reasons.

Like so many times before, I felt her hand grab the collar of my shirt. After a sudden tug, I fell out of bed and moaned unhappily on the floor, before getting up and darting a fierce look in her direction. She plopped down and thrust her face in front of mine. She had a look of triumph about her, as if she were proud of some sort of recent mischief. She asked if I was awake, then rasped, her knuckle against my forehead to be sure. I groaned and told her to stop but she immediately slapped her palm against my mouth and told me to hush.

"Terr, I did some exploring on the upper decks and you wouldn't believe what I found."

Annoyed, I peeled Kassashimei's hand from my mouth.

"Kass, we're supposed to stay on the ritual decks. What were you doing out there?"

"You wanted to talk to the Boar didn't you? So I was spying on him, waiting for the right moment to get his attention."

"You can't just break the rules when you please. Besides, the old man told me to stay away from him."

She gave a sinister smile, then grabbed me by the collar again and proceeded to lead me out of the room.

A few scattered oil lamps dimly lit the corridor in pale neatly-spaced patches. Unlike the rest of the ship, which was lit by electric lights, the ritual decks maintained a certain respect for older, less modern traditions. Oil lamps were one of these. Even monks walked the halls at intervals, carrying paper lanterns to ward off malicious spirits. Still, there was a gentle, natural touch to be found among such halls of wood and metal, where the lucid glow of the lamps gave way to the bluish beams of moonlight that shone through the various portholes.

I stumbled, trying to keep up with her.

At one point, I managed to wrest free from her grasp and tried to tell her to stop, but she once again demanded that I keep quiet. She felt for my sleeve, then took hold. With a hard yank, I found myself stubbornly pulled along once again. Eventually, my protests died, as I became increasingly curious.

"While I was spying on the Boar, I found something," she whispered as we climbed a ladder to the decks above. "It's in the ship's tower. The place where important people stay."

We snuck onto the surface deck, where the open air crashed like a wave over my face and body.

The breeze was warm that night and the air smelled of seaweed and left an odd, salty taste on my lips. Quietly, she opened the entrance hatch to the ship's tower, then ushered me inside.

I shielded my eyes from the bright, electric lights that illuminated every inch of the corridor. There were only a few people about and all of them were crewmen who looked focused on more important things than minding two harmless children who seemed to be out on an evening stroll.

As we rounded a corner, we bumped into a set of faces that I immediately recognized.

"Terr!" Han blinked in surprise.

"You see, look at their clothes," Kassashimei declared. "They're students from the temple."

It was Han, Kidou and a few of my other classmates, all who looked as though I had somehow returned from the dead.

Kassashimei and I followed Han and the others to their quarters near the top of the tower, just below the bridge. Along the way, we passed by many other students, some wearing the uniforms from the ocean and river temples.

A rumor emerged that I had become Master Lu's permanent servant, never to be seen again. Many of them were elated to see that such a rumor was untrue, and although they were captivated about my story about how I had come to serve in a tea house at the capital and how I had come aboard to fly my first airship, I remained secretive about the news I heard about Rune, about how the illness had taken so many lives, including my sister's.

How could I tell Han and Kidou that, like my sister, their families were most likely gone as well; that they had been lied to about the safety of their mothers, fathers and siblings. I kept this news buried deep inside and carried a mask of relief and joy, glad to see the faces of my only friends left in this world.

Han asked about my silver eyes. I told him they came to me in a dream.

“They’re a divine gift,“ Kassashimei interrupted. “A blessing. And with them, he’s going to be the best shyo mu in the country.” Everyone laughed, but Kassashimei stubbornly kept her face serious and prideful.

We gathered into a large room flanked by long rows of beds, some chained to the ceiling, others laid out along the floor. It was a cramped place to be and it only added to the restlessness and dread that many of the children were showing on their faces. Han waited until the hatch behind us was sealed before he spoke.

"There's turmoil at the Imperial Temple. The military has forced Master Hotaka to step down, and now all of us are under the rule of Master Lu and a man called General Fung."

"I've seen that man," I said. "When I used to serve tea to Master Lu, I saw the general visit him many times. They always had these private conversations in some far off room where I couldn‘t hear. They always seemed rather suspicious."

"Terr, not all of us believe it's a plot," Kidou said sternly. "Master Hotaka didn’t show any sign of anger or distress when he announced that Master Lu would take his place. Hotaka simply admitted that it was his time to retire."

"You're blind Kidou, you're completely blind to what's happening," Han blurted out in earnest. "Don't you see, the temple has been disbanded; and we're all being sent to the National Academy. The general wants us to train alongside the military, so that we can take the nation's battleships to war."

"Is that all you can do, is spout conspiracies?" As Kidou's anger grew, it became more obvious that the room had become divided. Some gathered beside Han, while the others beside Kidou. "Our duty is to the will of the nation, and if we must train elsewhere to better serve this country then who are we to protest? Whether we fly merchant ships or battleships, what does it matter, as long as we perform our duty honorably."

I’d always known Han to be a gentle, forgiving person, but the passion I saw in him now, the concern that radiated from his expression was stronger than I had ever seen. "Are you completely stupid? We serve the Emperor, not the military, not anyone else. The Emperor would never allow us to go to war."

"Stop it please," I pleaded. "I don‘t care who‘s right; what does it matter? We're friends aren't we? Let the world do what it wants. What matters to us, is that we‘re all here together."

The two groups regarded me as if I’d somehow offended them. An uncomfortable silence fell that briefly left me feeling segregated and alone.

A small shove nudged at my back.

I turned to see Kassashimei grinning.

"Whatever happens," she announced. "It won't help to be angry at each other."

The room was still silent, glimmering with accusing looks; as if everyone were waiting for me to choose a side.

The metallic groan of the swinging hatch brought an abrupt end to the stand-off. All eyes turned to the Boar, who stood at the doorway, nonchalantly smoking his pipe.

He wasn’t at all surprised to see me.