A gold sheer enveloped Rui, and suspended her from falling before taking control and lifting her to the sky. The light radiated a halo that pierced the night. With her eyes glowing she turned to Fenglei with a look of anger and spit. It was as if Rui was watching from another perspective without any control of what was happening, but—"Fenglei!" Xinrui cried through her voice, taking her body back. A golden spear materialized from the air, and Xinrui sliced the nearest shade in two. With a shriek, it dissipated into nothingness and Xinrui seethed with anger.
Fenglei froze, his face twitching, his heart caught in his throat. "Xinrui! Don't!"
"How dare you!" she shouted. "You will stop this at once and surrender yourself for judgment!"
"I can't do that," he replied. Quickly, he snapped his fingers and the shades shrieked around them. "Secure her! If she disrupts the ceremony her soul will be shattered!"
"I cannot let you do this!" she retorted, lunging at him with a downward thrust. The spear clashed against the blackened sword, which caught and deflected the spear's force. In the swift readjust, Fenglei captured the hilt and aimed it at her. The black blade shimmered with an oil that leaked and radiated the same evil that escaped him in waves.
"Be still," he retorted. Lashing out, his violent movement matched by her graceful moves. As if echoing each other techniques, the spear and blade met each time with a crack. Fenglei did not fight to hurt her, though he attempted to capture and restrain her in a way that delayed and staggered his reactions. Every strike calculated, every riposte maneuvered with elegance and ferocity, sending the two into an array of fluid movements. Their dance was one of fear and catching blades, as loud as thunder and resonating sparks that tickled the skin on her forearm.
A crash of lightning raged, and Xinrui glanced briefly to see the qilin stampeding towards her through the air, light striking at the shades that'd escaped. The static in his hair billowed in the wind as he charged in the storms around him, a harbinger of power that buzzed through her entire being.
Xinrui smiled, catching another blade. "Surrender Fenglei!" she ordered, prideful at every thrash of her spear. Fenglei took a hit, his arm sliced, and a splatter of red that did not reach Xinrui's golden gown. Holding her spear down, she settled on a formation suspended from the ground as Fenglei rolled across the grass.
He stilled. A sudden fear clutched at her chest. "Idiot," she thought, rushing towards him and grabbing his shoulder. "Fenglei!" she called to him, and he attacked as she rolled him to his back, casting a spell that threw a jet javelin at her chest. She recoiled in time for it to miss, flying backward away from him. Taking advantage of her distraction, a shade wrapped around her neck from her blind spot, latching itself and shrieking in dismay.
Fenglei panicked, "Do not let her disrupt the summon!"
Xinrui struggled with the fiend, dragged down to the earth by the creature. Out of nowhere, a spark of light incinerated the shadow, and Xinrui found her arms free once again. Only one person she knew could cast such a perfect formation, her father. He flew above the battlefield of shades alongside the others from San Pujian. A numb sensation shot up to her elbow in a pain that seized her movements, but she pivoted to destroy two more spirits that came from behind her.
Her father and his student launched a synchronized assault on the evil shades, their formations perfectly timed to the pulsing rhythms of the darkness. Suddenly, Master Jianyu ascended, his hands fluttering so rapidly they left blurs in their wake, conjuring an immense cube of shimmering energy. Chains of brilliant red and pure white burst from the cube's edges, ensnaring and immobilizing all the shades within. Each link glinted like a fiery comet trail, locking into place with a series of sharp clinks that echoed through the air. As she looked up, Xinrui couldn't help but smile at the dazzling spectacle unfolding above her—a maelstrom of glimmering lights and vibrant colors, far surpassing any display of fireworks, each movement leaving behind trails of stars in the night sky.
The numbness carried onto her shoulder, starting to travel across her face, as she took up arm against Fenglei again. He landed a blow only because her other arm seized, and she fell, holding up her other to guard against the attack. From out of nowhere where, the Qilin charged, ramming Fenglei in the stomach and sending him flying through the air. He looked back to Xinrui, rushing to her when she collapsed.
She smiled at him hovering over her, reaching to pet the softness of his beard. "Stop him," she ordered. With that, Rui sharply gasped, coughing until she retched at her side. As the qilin turned on Fenglei to protect her. The men had subdued most of the shades, and the portals were no more, but Fenglei's hollered in pain.
He grasped his head, his nail digging into his scalp, as he began to morph. Twisting in cruel and jagged jerks, all his limbs elongated, while a thick mist formed around him. Blood-red eyes glowered from his distorted blackened face. A monster, a demon, roared to life from that mist, emerging as a massive creature with bulging sniewy muscles compiled of ink swirls. The long swing of its massive arm bashed against the dirt, sending debris flying in a wide arc. Skillfully, the Qilin dodged, swooping low to toss Rui on his back and rushing her away from the danger.
The monster only grew, massing into the size of a great storm cloud with a throbbing crimson core at its chest. It swiped viciously as the Qilin dodged with all his might to narrowly catch the rim of clouds one after another. Rui held on; her breath caught in her throat as her heart pulsated against her skin. "Qi..."
He reared, stopping at a wall of darkness and turning on the entity that Fenglei had become. The energy around them surged, lifting her hair in an electric frenzy. He would strike! "No! He has Fenglei!" Rui pleaded, pulling at his mane as the lighting charged and flashed into the clouds. The Qilin built his power against the fiend, the tips of his horns radiating light as a crown of thunder cast through it.
She looked from him to the Fenglei. The strike could render them to ashes! She had to save Fenglei! Taking a breath and a leap of faith, Rui kicked off against the Qilin and sent herself soaring through the storm. If this was flying or falling, she didn't care; she focused on the pulsating heart like a beacon. That's where he would be.
She broke through the dark cloud's chest, latching onto the red light that had been its heart. Grasping for a hold a hand caught hers, and she realized what she was looking at.
Blood red, like a statue, tears streaming down his cheeks in ebony rivers. She brushed the streams from his face and pressed her forehead to what remained of Fenglei.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Love is precious and rare—it overcomes grief." A warmth fell through her, extending her arms to wrap around Fenglei. He didn't respond. His eyes closed, and as if melting away, his black robes radiated with light overcoming everything else. A flash of light reminded her of Qi's thunder crown, and linked chains manifested themselves around the beast. The creature flailed in duress, but Rui pressed her feet against the heart, cradled Fenglei, and threw herself into the storm.
Thunder boomed, lightning illuminated the shadows around her, but she gripped him as if in a death vice. Xinrui had given her a second life, the least she could do was save the man she loved. She blinked a few times, her arms feeling lighter. She stood on the ground, and Fenglei lay a little ways away, crumpled, but not alone. A warm glow of a golden dome encased her. She witnessed as Xinrui gently stroked the man's cheek. Whatever their conversation, it was a private goodbye that lasted a few minutes and ended with Xinrui's hand on his. The spirit of Xinrui in humble white robes with an intricate belt turned to look over her shoulder and bowed to her.
Then, Xinrui rushed to cup Rui's face. "Thank you," she said, her hand dissipating in the light. "Thank you for answering my last wish."
Her eyes widened, but she could not ask her question. Xinrui's opaque body faded every second that ticked away. "I wished to do one last act of good in this world. Goodbye, sweet Rui. I wish you health and happiness for all times, and may this world be kind," Xinrui whispered, disappearing into the light that flooded her. Rui stood in the warmth of the dawn, completely unharmed, while an unconscious Fenglei lay at her feet.
A moment later, a blur of light descended, and the San Pujian Sect surrounded her in an arch. One shuffled forward to Fenglei and dragged him back into the group. Rui witnessed them checking his pulse and nodded to another in confirmation. Fenglei takes a smooth, even, deep breath, and she released hers. The tension wasn't quite gone, as Ruixin's father stood at the center of his circle. He did not meet her eyes, a weight Rui recognize as someone whose loss is fresh and heavy.
Instead, Master Jianyu looks over her at the rising dawn. "The evil has been quelled," he proudly says to the men, and cheers echo through the mountains. Birds sing in the distance and warmth passes her cheek as if live were breathing again. For the briefest of moments, he heart stilled at the serenity of the moment.
"Wait, what of Fenglei?" Rui asked. "What will you do to him now?"
Master Jianyu looked to him, shaking his head. "A small piece of that monster took residency in his heart and fed upon his grief," he paused. "A lesson for anyone as it could have easily happened to any of those who loved my daughter. However, he will repent and learn again. We will leave," Mster Jianyu dismissed. He snapped his fingers, and his men were whisked away in a beam of light. However, he hesitated, as if tempting himself to meet Rui's face, but he could not. The grief he felt too raw.
"Protect her," he announced and disappeared into a beam of light, leaving Rui behind. There, just as the sun peeked above the mountains, where the pink clouds reside, and the cool colors mix with warm light, the Qilin stood in all his magnificence. A glow imbued him, and in the aftermath a man with azure eyes stood taking her breath away.
The wind played with his hair and animated the clouds billowing on his hanfu. His dark ebony locks framed a face easing into relief and gratitude. Qi raced to her, swept her into his arms, and embeded himself into her essence. Rui allows herself to feel every instense bit of his emotions. A sigh of relief slipped his lips, while a hum gentle reminded her of his presence.
His scent more delicate than a rose and sweeter then hay tickled her nose. "Qi," she breathed it in. "I'm so thankful you're all right. Thank you for not striking me down," she said.
He ran his fingers tenderly through her hair, his touch sending shivers down her spine. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt?" he asked.
"Of course I am fine. I'm a survivor." She tightened their embrace, her heart swelling with affection. "I remember my name. I remember some of my past, but that's not important to me now. Qi, Xinrui—"
"I saw," he replied, his voice filled with a soft intensity.
A wave of relief washed over Rui, and she rested her head against his chest.
"Do you want to know my real name?" she whispered.
"I just need to know that you're here with me," he said softly. "I need to kiss you, to confirm for myself that you weren't swallowed by the darkness."
Her heart quickened in anticipation as his hands, gentle yet firm, caressed her face and drew her closer. She met his advance with a soft kiss, the touch of their lips tentative at first but growing in certainty. As he responded to her kiss, pressing into it with urgency and vigor, she felt herself melt into him.
Rui was here, whole and safe in his arms, and that was all he needed to know. Emotions surged between them, each holding the other tightly, affirming their shared passions without words.
His lips moved against hers with increasing depth, each kiss a testament to his resolve. The moment was both reassuring and fiercely protective. As he deepened the kiss, Qi felt a powerful blend of relief and determination wash over him. In that moment, he made a silent vow: to be her shield for all her days.
Rui broke the kiss, coming up for air, and stroking the side of his head. "Good, I want the same. I want to stay here with you. Can I stay a while with you?"
He chuckled and braced her arm as he leaped into the vast sky. "As long as your heart desires," he replied with glee. "Let's go home."
"Qi!" She squealed, thrilled by both his affirmation and the excitement of their leap. They soared among the clouds and birds, taking in the breathtaking beauty of her new world. Below, a panoramic view of nature's splendor whizzed by with reckless abandon. She held her breath, losing herself in the sensation of the qilin near and her heart brimming with joy.
They came to a mountain path shrouded in mist and walked for a while up the winding trail marked by post with colorful ribbons. When they arrived at a tall gate, Rui caught her breath. She shook her head and smiled, recognizing the rooftop of her home peaking over the mist and the warm rays of the sun breaking through the clouds. She rested her head on his shoulder, stifling a yawn from the long day.
"I am about ready to collapse," she stated.
He brushed the hair from her face. "You can rest now," he replied, taking her hand and leading her across the threshold.
There, at that moment, as they prepared to pass the gate, Rui came to a quiet decision. She had been given a gift, and her own wish had been answered; it is love that overcomes grief.