Night had fallen, but tonight was no ordinary night.
The moon, in all its brilliance, poured its silver light into every corner, as if it longed for the entire world to witness Yu Sui's departure.....every tree, every stone, every shadow.
Inside the quiet home, Lady Guso Hun hummed softly as she prepared her signature bamboo leaf tea. Tomorrow would be an important day...not just for her, but for Joye, Shu Bi Suan, and Fui Lon as well. Her heart was full, her spirit light. She sat down at the table in her room, and a gentle smile refused to leave her face....as if it had been stitched there permanently, glowing with maternal warmth.
With her tender, delicate hands, she lifted the kettle and cups onto a small tray and began walking toward Fui Lon's room. She hummed along the way, her voice like a lullaby cradling the very house in comfort and serenity.
But the moment she opened the door...
just for a moment...
her smile faltered....ever so slightly.
Like the sun briefly obscured by a passing cloud.
Because in that room... there were only two people.
Shu Bi Suan and Joye.
Fui Lon was missing...
like summer vanishing quietly before the winter arrives.
The room was deathly silent.
Its stillness...along with Joye and Shu Bi Suan's downcast expressions...screamed the truth that someone was no longer among them.
Lady Guso Hun stepped toward the table slowly, her eyes scanning the room as if seeing it for the first time. She placed the tray down gently, her hands trembling slightly, and stared deeply into Joye's face....as though searching for the truth written in his expression.
Where was Fui Lon?
Why did her chest feel tight, heavy, like something unbearable was settling over her heart?
Before she could speak....
the sound of the front gate creaking open echoed through the air.
And with that sound…
everything fell apart.
Joye and Shu Bi Suan's souls shattered.
Their hearts crumbled into pieces.
They sat still.....like wax dolls.....clutching the silence, paralyzed by helplessness.
Lady Guso Hun still didn't understand what was happening,
but the heaviness in the air pressed down on her chest like a mountain.
Suddenly, she stood up.
She ran.
Straight toward the front gate.
Seeing her bolt, Joye and Shu Bi Suan snapped out of their trance and chased after her, trying desperately to stop her. Their minds raced, the noise around them vanishing beneath the deafening roar of their own thoughts.
She was already in the courtyard, running.....
her steps frantic, heart pounding,
and Joye and Shu Bi Suan's voices echoed after her, calling her name, pleading...
But she heard none of it.
Her mind was spinning. Her heart sinking.
And then
she saw him.
Just beyond the gate.
Walking away.
Fui Lon.
Dressed in black.
The wind whipped around him, lifting his garments as if the night itself wanted to touch him one last time.
In the silver glow of the moon, his figure looked almost monstrous.
A dark aura radiated from his body, like dry wood burning without fire.....emitting only black smoke that trailed behind him like a lingering curse.
Lady Guso Hun collapsed to her knees.
Her eyes locked onto his back.
Her lips trembled.
And all that echoed in her mind were questions
"What… what was that?
Was that my Fui Lon?
No… that wasn't Fui Lon.
Then… who was he…?"
Her tears kept falling, though her eyes were frozen.
Her body refused to move, struck numb by shock.
Her heart beat not to keep her alive, but as if it were asking the same questions, over and over again.
She couldn't hear what Joye and Shu Bi Suan were saying.
Couldn't feel the wind...
Couldn't tell when her eyes began to close.
All she knew was....
everything felt like it had ended.
Everything.
Flashback ends...