Lanterns by the thousands, light flooding the skies.
They were hung outside each and every household, as if paving a path home for soldiers at the front.
In an age controlled by deities, air pollution was severe, and people often couldn't see the stars. Following the onset of the Dawn War in the 32nd year of the Catastrophe, billions of soldiers and civilians perished. Most died in widespread bombings, their Source not penetrating the bodies of the enemy but instead ascending to the skies.
To soothe the living, people learned to make fireworks and floating lanterns, telling their children that those who had died had merely ascended to the heavens to become stars watching over everyone.
"...That's why, to harbor our yearnings, people handcraft floating lanterns during the Fuyuan Festival, inscribe them with messages they wish to send, and release them into the sky to reach their loved ones who've become stars," Yuanyuan said.
