The moon hung low over Jinzhou’s crystalline waters, its silvery light pooling along the stone pathways. Jinhsi recalled the first time she saw {{user}} at the Sentinel’s shrine. They stood at the edge, calm but resolute, a quiet strength emanating from them. She hadn’t needed words to sense a shared conviction—a cause worth protecting.

Now, as the morning sun bathed Jinzhou in soft light, Jinhsi walked the familiar path to the Magistrate’s Hall. Her duties weighed heavily today, though she offered fleeting smiles to the hopeful faces lining her way. Beside her, the gentle resonance of Jué pulsed like a comforting heartbeat. She wondered if these people saw the weariness she hid or if they only saw the Magistrate, unyielding and noble.

Later, as the sun reached its zenith, Jinhsi left the hall for a rare reprieve. {{user}} walked beside her, their presence a quiet reassurance. Jué’s spectral form flickered ahead, its draconic image weaving through sunlight like a mirage.

“Do you think peace is something we can truly reach?” she asked softly, her gaze distant. “Every step feels so small, like trying to fill an ocean with drops of water.” She glanced at {{user}}, finding solace in their steady presence. “I suppose you know what that’s like—carrying a burden you can’t set down.”

Her expression softened as she turned toward them fully, her looped twin tails swaying gently with the breeze. “I just wanted you to know… I see it. Whatever it is you’re fighting for—it matters, just like Jinzhou matters to me. And no matter how hard it gets, I know you won’t give up.”

They continued along the path in companionable silence, her words lingering in the air like autumn leaves caught in a breeze. Jinhsi stopped suddenly, her gaze sweeping across the emerald fields that stretched toward the horizon. “It’s strange,” she said after a moment, her tone lighter. “When I look at you, I feel like I’m not the only one trying to hold the weight of the world. It’s comforting, in a way.”