Astral Odyssey: Dying Ember

BaoBao's Origin 5

Luna opened her eyes to see a white ceiling above her. It looked so familiar to her it made her stop breathing. She sat up slowly then took a good slow look around the room. What she saw completely shocked her to the core. It was her room. 

Everything was the same. The white walls. The elaborate  paintings. The green plants. The study table and chair. The tall and wide bookshelf. The wardrobe.

Before she could form a comprehensible thought in her head, BaoBao appeared at the doorway of her room. "Surprised, aren't you? Wait till you leave your room!" He sounded incredibly excited. 

"What's going on?" Luna asked in a soft bewildered voice. 

"I don't really understand either. When Austin wished you luck in returning to your family, the darkness slowly lifted like a fog and tadah!" BaoBao spread his arms wide open as if to show how much had been hidden behind the blanket of darkness. 

Luna was still too stunned to move so BaoBao flew forward to grab her hand and started pulling on her to move. "Come on!"

While she was pulled by BaoBao out of her room to explore the rest of the house, her eyes turned red and watered up. Her parents room, Desmond's room, Erica's room, and the rest of the house, everything was as it had been. BaoBao then led her to the main door. "Are you ready?"

Luna had a rough idea of what was happening outside. Every window of the house showed the same view. Mysterious glowing plum blossoms were drifting down against a black background. It made it look like it was raining flowers in the night. However, that was still far from adequately preparing Luna for what she would see outside her house. 

She pulled opened the door and her breath hitched in her throat. 

Although the sky remained as dark as ever, the faint glowing light of the raining plum blossoms lit up the surroundings in a pink hue. They drifted in a nonexistent breeze. Right beyond her doorstep laid an empty beach. The beach led into a deep blue ocean that was so calm that a ripple on the surface could probably travel a long way.

Without a sound, tears finally left Luna's eyes and streamed down her face. She finally understood what BaoBao meant when he described this space as something that reflects her heart.

She reached out a hand to catch one of the falling plum blossoms. It stayed in her hand for awhile before disappearing just like the ones that fell to the ground. She clenched her hand into a fist then brought it to her chest. She closed her eyes while tears continued to flow silently. Dad... Mom... Desmond... Erica... Everyone... I want to return to you... 

The darkness that had its hold on her for the longest time she could remember, that was always threatening to snuff out her will to live or want anything, finally eased up. She was now feeling a little more free and daring. Hope and desire has returned to her.

BaoBao looked at her sadly. He stopped floating and sunk down to the floor then hugged her legs without saying anything. He has watched how Austin and Luna comforted each other enough times to have learnt a thing or two.

Luna opened her eyes to look at BaoBao. She squatted down to hug him then pulled back to show a grateful smile, at which BaoBao returned with a smile of his own.

"BaoBao, tell me how I can go back to my world."

"Mm!" BaoBao nodded. 

"Ah! That's right, before that, how's Austin?"

"He listened to you and lived on, but... He looked almost like an empty shell... It was like how you looked when I first met you..." Baobao reported sadly.