On one particularly cold New Year, the sea held its breath. Yue Kelan had grown from a curious child into a young adult, still following his uncle’s ritual out of habit and reverence. As the cannonball arced, the town’s lanterns seemed to wink in time. The splash sounded like a promise. People who’d come to scoff left with softened faces; those who’d come heavy with regret felt, for a moment, lighter.