Beside Moon Pond, deathly silence reigned. Only night wind blew across the water's surface, bringing waves of chill. All Shadow Village residents watched us silently, their eyes full of sympathy and helplessness.
I slowly stood up from the ground, step by step approaching Xiao Yu. I wanted to embrace her, to feel her warmth, to tell her how much I regretted, how much my heart ached. However, just as my hand was about to touch her shoulder, an invisible yet powerful force gently pushed me away.
"There exists a boundary between the living and consciousness fragments that cannot be crossed." The teacher's voice rang out timely. "Forced contact will only accelerate her energy consumption, making her dissipate faster."
I could only stop one step away from her, separated by that invisible barrier, looking at her tear-stained face, my heart breaking. "I'm sorry... Xiao Yu... truly sorry... it's all my fault... if thirteen years ago I hadn't been so selfish, if I had chosen to stay, if I had always been by your side..."
"There are no 'ifs' anymore, Daddy." Xiao Yu gently shook her head, her face showing a relief beyond her years. "The past cannot be changed. What matters is now, and the future."
She raised her head, those eyes so similar to my daughter's now filled with a moving determination and tenderness I had never seen: "I risked bringing you to Shadow Village not to make you stay here, much less to let you wallow in regret. I hoped you could truly see into your own heart, understand what you missed. Then, return to the living world, return to her side, and use your remaining time to make proper amends, to strive to become... a father she deserves to have. Even if... even if I disappear, even if she completely forgets her love for you because of my disappearance, you must still do this."
"I promise you!" I choked out, nodding solemnly. "I swear! I will use the rest of my life to make up for my mistakes, regardless of whether she forgives me, regardless of whether she still loves me!"
The teacher stepped forward, glancing at the sky: "Time is running short. The full moon's power is weakening, and the lantern alley passage is about to close. Lin Yuan, you must leave immediately."
My gaze reluctantly moved from Xiao Yu's face, my heart full of endless sorrow and reluctance. "Before I go... is there anything... I can do for you?"
Xiao Yu pondered for a moment, then took out a small cloth bundle carefully wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to me: "Inside... is a painting I drew in my spare time. Please... please be sure to take it back and give it to her... to the me in the living world. Tell her that no matter what happens, she must live well."
I tremblingly accepted that small bundle, feeling it weighed a thousand pounds. I carefully placed it close to my chest: "I will. I promise."
The teacher nodded to the nearby guardians: "Escort him to the lantern alley."
Under the guardians' escort, I took one last deep look at Moon Pond. The water surface remained calm, reflecting the waning moon, as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream. Yet somehow, a faint hope quietly rose in my heart—perhaps not all endings were predetermined.
The guardians led me along the path we had come, toward the lantern alley. Xiao Yu and the teacher silently followed behind, seeing me off.
The night grew deeper. At the lantern alley entrance, those large fish lanterns swayed silently in the night wind, emitting soft, warm red light, as if guiding the way home.
"Remember my words, Lin Yuan." The teacher stopped at the alley mouth, giving me one final solemn warning. "Once you step into the lantern alley, no matter what happens, no matter what you hear or see, absolutely do not look back, do not hesitate for even a moment—charge straight ahead! The energy in the passage is extremely unstable; any hesitation could doom you forever!"
I nodded vigorously, then turned to Xiao Yu, thousands of words stuck in my throat, finally becoming just one sentence: "Thank you... Xiao Yu. Thank you for everything you've done for me."
Xiao Yu's face bloomed with the most brilliant, pure smile I had ever seen. She gently shook her head: "No need to thank me. This was my choice, and my... destiny."
Just as I took a deep breath, preparing to activate the jade pendant and step into the lantern alley, commotion and exclamations suddenly came from the distance. Several guardians ran over in panic, urgently reporting to the teacher: "Sir! Something's wrong! The yin energy around Moon Pond is suddenly fluctuating abnormally, and the passage between worlds seems to be suffering strong interference from the living world!"
The teacher's face changed dramatically: "What? What's happening?"
"Unclear! But the energy fluctuations are very violent, seemingly... seemingly someone in the living world is trying to forcibly establish contact with Shadow Village through Moon Pond! The lantern alley's energy field is also becoming unstable!" the guardian replied rapidly.
The teacher immediately turned to Xiao Yu and me, his expression grave: "The situation has changed! The passage could collapse at any moment! Lin Yuan, crossing now would be extremely dangerous!"
"Then what do we do?" I was frantic. Could I really not return?
"I'll go to Moon Pond to check the situation and stabilize the passage!" The teacher decided immediately. "You wait here for my news! Remember, before I return, absolutely do not act rashly!"
With that, he flashed away with most of the guardians, disappearing into the night like a gust of wind.
At the lantern alley entrance, only Xiao Yu and I remained, along with two guardians left to watch us. The atmosphere instantly became tense and eerie.
"What... what's happening? Interference from the living world?" I looked at Xiao Yu in confusion.
Xiao Yu's face showed shock, bewilderment, then a flash of incredible wild joy. Her voice trembled with excitement: "It's her... it must be her! It's my main body... it's the me in the living world!"
"What?" I was greatly surprised. "You mean... the real Lin Xiao Yu? What is she doing?"
Xiao Yu nodded vigorously, her eyes flashing with unusual light: "Between us... between consciousness fragment and main body, there exists a subtle soul connection, especially on full moon nights when this connection reaches its peak. She must have sensed something and is trying to contact me through Moon Pond!"
My heart began racing wildly. Could it be that my daughter in the living world had somehow sensed my presence in Shadow Village?
"If that's the case..." Xiao Yu's eyes suddenly blazed with unprecedented determination, "then this might be our only chance! While the energy is chaotic, while the teacher is away, we must act immediately!"
"But didn't the teacher say it's very dangerous now?"
"Dangerous, yes, but this chaos might also create an opportunity." Xiao Yu gripped my hand tightly, her palm ice-cold yet conveying firm strength. "If my main body is really trying to establish contact, then the passage's energy, though unstable, might be more accessible. We must take this risk!"
I looked into her eyes—those eyes identical to my daughter's, now burning with desperate courage and deep love. In that moment, I made my decision.
"Alright! Let's go together!"
Xiao Yu smiled, that smile radiant as a blooming flower yet heartbreakingly tragic: "No, Daddy. I can't go with you. But I can help you one last time."
Before I could react, she suddenly pressed something into my hand—it was that jade pendant, but now it was glowing with unprecedented brilliance, as if all her life force was concentrated within it.
"Xiao Yu! What are you doing?"
"I'm giving you all my remaining energy." Her voice grew weaker, but her smile remained beautiful. "This way, you'll definitely be able to return home safely."
"No! I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me!"
But it was too late. The jade pendant in my hand blazed like a small sun, and Xiao Yu's figure began to fade gradually, becoming translucent.
"Go quickly... Daddy..." Her voice became ethereal, like wind. "Tell her... tell the me in the living world... that the part of her that loved you... never truly disappeared... it just... took a different form... to protect you..."
"Xiao Yu!"
I reached out desperately, but my hand passed right through her increasingly transparent body. She was disappearing, like morning mist touched by sunlight.
"Remember your promise... love her well... even if she doesn't love you... love her well..."
With these final words, Xiao Yu's figure completely vanished, leaving only the blazing jade pendant in my hand and the two stunned guardians.
I had no time to grieve. The jade pendant's power was pulling me toward the lantern alley. I stumbled forward, tears streaming down my face, clutching that small cloth bundle she had given me.
The lantern alley was in complete chaos. Fish lanterns swayed wildly, red light flickering like a storm. I charged forward desperately, the jade pendant's light carving a path through the chaotic energy.
Behind me came the guardians' shouts, but I didn't look back. I couldn't look back. I could only run forward, toward that distant light, toward home, toward my daughter who was still alive, still waiting.
The passage felt endless, filled with howling winds and flashing lights. I seemed to hear Xiao Yu's voice echoing around me, gentle and encouraging: "Go home, Daddy... go home..."
Finally, I saw a familiar light ahead—the warm yellow glow of the inn window. I burst through the final barrier and collapsed on the cold stone floor of my room.
When I struggled to sit up, dawn was breaking outside the window. Everything seemed like a dream, but the jade pendant in my hand had turned to ordinary stone, and the cloth bundle in my arms was real and warm.
I carefully unwrapped the bundle. Inside was a delicate ink painting—a father and daughter walking hand in hand by Moon Pond under moonlight. At the bottom, in childish handwriting, were the words: "Daddy, come home."
Tears blurred my vision. I finally understood that this wasn't an ending, but a beginning. My daughter's love for me hadn't disappeared—it had just taken a different form to guide me home.
I had to return to her, to that living, breathing daughter, and spend the rest of my life making amends, regardless of whether she would forgive me.
Because love doesn't need forgiveness to exist.
Because redemption begins with taking the first step home.