On the night of Xinglan's first birthday party, the moonlight poured like liquid mercury into the garden of the Zhou family's old estate. I adjusted the pearl headband on the little girl's head, but she twisted impatiently, her small hand always reaching for the "Eternity" pendant around her neck — the blue teardrop reshaped from the Stone of Destiny.
"Don't tug on it, sweetheart," I gently pried her tiny fingers away, but the moment I touched the pendant, it became warm.
Before I could react, the pendant suddenly unfastened itself and floated into the air! At the same time, the two fragments my mother and Chen Mo kept also flew out of the display cabinet. The three stones began to spin in the moonlight, forming a glowing blue triangle.
"What's going on?" Marcus Lu quickly stepped in front of Xinglan and me.
My mother looked at the scene with realization. "A full moon... energy resonance..."
The blue light projected by the three stones intertwined in the air, gradually forming a holographic image — my young mother and Zhou's mother were standing in a laboratory, each holding a baby in their arms. That was me and Marcus Lu!
"Today is a special day," the mother in the image gently caressed the baby version of my face. "We have successfully encoded the energy of the Stone of Destiny into the life frequencies of these two children."
Zhou's mother, holding little Marcus Lu, nodded. "When they meet in the future, the stone will guide them to find each other and protect them from harm."
"Is this... a prophecy?" I looked at my mother in shock.
The real-life version of my mother burst into tears. "No, it's an arrangement. We discovered that the Stone of Destiny can recognize specific DNA sequences, so..."
"So, you deliberately made sure we were born with the ability to activate the stones?" Marcus Lu's voice was tight.
The mothers in the hologram continued their conversation: "If the plan works, when the two stones are reunited in 20 years, the children will see all the memories we left behind."
"Including the location of the third stone," Zhou's mother added. "And the secret hidden by Lu Zhentian."
The holographic image abruptly switched to a different laboratory, where Lu Zhentian was analyzing some instrument data. In the corner of the screen, a familiar figure was locked in a chair — it was Xiaoyu! Or rather, someone who looked exactly like Xiaoyu!
"That's not Xiaoyu." Chen Mo suddenly stood up. "It's my sister, Chen Xue!"
As we tried to gather more details, Xinglan suddenly let out a gleeful laugh. She stretched out her hand and actually caught the blue light in the air! In an instant, all the images surged into the pendant like a tidal wave. The three stones fell back onto the table with a soft "clink" sound, returning to their ordinary gem-like appearance.
The guests at the party exchanged confused glances, unsure whether to applaud or scream. Little Xinglan, however, continued munching on her cookies as though nothing had happened.
"It looks like our little princess has inherited the ability to communicate with the stones," Marcus Lu said, picking up his daughter with a complicated expression.
Late at night, the entire family gathered in the study to analyze the strange events of the evening. My mother and Chen Mo believed that the "Chen Xue" in the image was likely another researcher imprisoned by Lu Zhentian, and Xiaoyu's real biological mother.
"So, Xiaoyu might not be my twin sister?" I was a bit confused.
"No, you are definitely twins," my mother said firmly. "But back then, to protect you both, I entrusted you to two of the people I trusted most — your father and Chen Xue's sister, Chen Mo. But Chen Xue and the children she cared for were later captured by Lu Zhentian."
Marcus Lu thought for a moment. "In other words, there could be a third pair of 'stone children' out there?"
The possibility made us shudder. If Lu Zhentian had not only imprisoned my mother and Chen Xue, but also other researchers, and if not only Marcus Lu and I were "encoded" but also other "stone children"...
"We'll begin a full investigation tomorrow," Marcus Lu said, gripping my hand tightly. "All the labs that worked with the Lu family."
Just then, the nanny rushed in in panic. "Miss! It's Xinglan—!"
We rushed into the nursery to find Xinglan crying uncontrollably, her forehead burning with a high fever. By the time the pediatrician arrived, her temperature had spiked to 40°C and she was beginning to convulse.
"Take her to the hospital immediately!" The doctor checked her in a hurry. "It could be meningitis!"
My legs went weak, and Marcus Lu swiftly scooped her up and rushed out. At that chaotic moment, the pendant around Xinglan's neck suddenly cracked open, and blue light began to seep out from within!
"The stone is reacting!" My mother exclaimed.
Even more astonishing, the other two stones flew from the study, magnetically attaching themselves to Xinglan's forehead and chest. Under the combined glow of the three stones, Xinglan's crying gradually quieted, and her fever began to subside.
When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors were astonished to find that her temperature had returned to normal, and all the tests showed surprisingly healthy results. "Maybe the thermometer was faulty," the doctor scratched his head in confusion.
Only we knew the truth — on the return trip, the three Stones of Destiny had turned into fine blue powder and lay quietly in Xinglan's small pocket.
"They sacrificed themselves," my mother explained with tears in her eyes. "Once the stones bond with their masters, they release all their energy when the master's life is in danger."
I looked at my sleeping daughter, my chest aching yet warm. These stones, which had once caused tragedy for both families, had finally completed their protection through self-destruction.
Three days later, I carefully collected all the gem powder and blended it into a special enamel solution. When the deep blue "Eternity" series was unveiled at the Milan Jewelry Exhibition, no one knew the secret it held.
The next day at the exhibition, a silver-haired woman stopped in front of my booth for a long time. She finally chose a necklace inlaid with sapphire fragments. When I put the necklace on her, she suddenly burst into tears.
"Strange," she wiped her tears. "It's as if I can feel my daughter's presence... she left us ten years ago..."
My heart skipped a beat. Could the memory energy of the Stone of Destiny be transferred to others? My mother's research was far deeper than I had realized!
After returning to China, I began systematically organizing the research notes left behind by my mother and Zhou's mother. The deeper I went, the more shocked I was — they had discovered not only the secrets of the stones, but also a way to materialize human emotions.
"This could change the world," Marcus Lu said seriously after reviewing the materials. "No wonder Lu Zhentian was so desperate."
On a rainy autumn day, Marcus Lu brought back startling news: he had found his long-lost adoptive father — Professor Lin, Chen Mo's husband! It turned out that the geneticist had been hiding in the mountains of Myanmar under an alias to protect the research data.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the entire family was finally reunited. Professor Lin, Chen Mo, my mother, Xiaoyu, Xinglan, Marcus Lu, and I sat together in the garden to enjoy the moon. As the moonlight shone at its brightest, several crystal-blue flowers suddenly emerged from the soil where the three Stones of Destiny had been placed, glowing softly under the moonlight.
"Crystal Orchids..." Professor Lin knelt in excitement to study them. "A rare plant that only grows in strong energy fields!"
My mother and Chen Mo exchanged a smile. "The stones return to the soil and give birth to new life."
At that moment, I suddenly understood — this is the most beautiful form of rebirth — not going back to change the past, but allowing all the pain to become nourishment for the future.
Late that night, as I removed my earrings in front of the vanity, I noticed that my period was late this month. The two red lines on the pregnancy test stick were clearly visible in the moonlight.
"Marcus Lu," I gently woke my husband and showed him the pregnancy test stick. "It seems the stone has given us another gift."
He blinked in confusion, then suddenly woke up completely and hugged me tightly. At that moment, Xinglan's cry echoed from the nursery. We exchanged a smile and got up together to comfort our daughter.
As we approached the door, Marcus Lu's phone lit up. It was an email from Interpol: "Regarding the information you provided about the Stone of Destiny, we have found that other fragments may be scattered in..."
I pretended not to see it, but in my heart, I knew our story was far from over.