In a sudden, profound silence, the blinding light and roaring magic fell away. Mei-Ling opened her eyes-and the world was no longer the same.
She stood in an ethereal realm of impossible beauty. The sky above shimmered with hues of gold, silver, and deep iridescent blues, constellations shifting lazily like dancers in a celestial waltz. Gardens of glowing, luminescent flora stretched endlessly, while rivers of starlight flowed in streams, their currents weaving pathways through the radiant landscape.
Gone was the sound of wind, leaves, or distant voices-only stillness, perfect and serene. Then, a soft, melodic voice filled the air, wrapping around her like the warmest embrace. "You've grown so much, my little Lotus."
Mei-Ling turned, breath catching. Before her stood a woman of breathtaking beauty-graceful, timeless. Her silk gown shimmered like moonlight on water, flowing effortlessly around her. Long, raven-black hair framed a face so familiar it ached, eyes sparkling like twin galaxies. A crown of delicate, celestial flowers rested atop her head, completing the vision of divinity.
Mei-Ling's lips trembled. "Mother?" she whispered, the word foreign on her tongue yet so natural it brought instant tears to her eyes.
The woman smiled gently, eyes soft with maternal love. "Yes, my daughter. It's me." She reached out, fingertips brushing Mei-Ling's cheek with such tenderness it nearly unraveled her. "I've waited so long to see you."
Choking on emotion, Mei-Ling barely managed to whisper, "Mǎ sè ěr..." before throwing herself into her mother's arms.
Her mother held her tightly, stroking her hair, soothing her like she had never stopped. "Shh, my darling... Don't cry. I've always been with you-every step you took, every night you looked at the stars, I was there."
Mei-Ling clung to her. "I thought... I thought you were gone forever. Am I... am I dead?"
Her mother chuckled softly, the sound like wind chimes. "No, child. Not yet, anyway. This is the Celestial Realm-beyond life, beyond death. Neither heaven nor hell, but a place between."
Wiping at her eyes, Mei-Ling dared to ask, "Why now? Why appear to me now? You died when I was just a baby... I never even got to remember your face."
A shadow crossed her mother's radiant features. "I did. My earthly vessel failed, but our kind... our souls live on. I returned here, but I couldn't leave you unprotected. That... that object in your heart-it was my doing."
Mei-Ling stiffened. "The thing Vedran spoke of?"
Her mother nodded solemnly. "Yes. A seal. A safeguard. The gods and demons... they knew what you were, what you could become. They'd have torn you apart to claim it. I couldn't allow that. I chose your father's world-his people, his love-to raise you far from their reach."
Mei-Ling swallowed hard, her voice breaking. "You... you did that for me?"
"Of course." Her mother's voice trembled. "And now... I fear I've held you back instead."
There was silence. Then, with a small, watery laugh, Mei-Ling shook her head. "If it kept me alive this long, I guess I can't be too mad. But... I have people now. People I love. There's a war coming, Mother... I can't just stand back."
Her mother smiled, pride shining brighter than the stars. "There she is. My daughter, brave and stubborn. Like your father."
"Don't say that," Mei-Ling chuckled, "I'm trying to forget I'm like him sometimes."
Her mother laughed gently, cupping Mei-Ling's face. "Then stand tall, my girl. You don't need the seal anymore. It's time you became who you were meant to be."
A soft, silver light began to glow from her palm as she pressed it gently to Mei-Ling's heart. "I am sorry... I never meant to stifle you. I only wanted you safe."
Mei-Ling's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "I know. And I forgive you. But now... I need to fight. For them. For him."
Her mother's eyes twinkled knowingly. "Ah... him, hmm?" She smiled warmly. "Then fight, my love. And when you do... know that I am with you. Always."
The light flared, enveloping Mei-Ling, warmth and power flooding through every fiber of her being. She gasped, feeling strength she'd never known surge within her-old power, her power.
"I love you, my daughter," her mother's voice echoed as the world began to fade. "Go. And show them what my bloodline truly is."
With a final, blinding burst of light, Mei-Ling was gone-hurtling back to the mortal world, her heart alight, her spirit burning with newfound purpose.
And far above, in the celestial realm, her mother watched... smiling.
****
Time moved like a lazy river in the celestial realm-flowing, bending, ignoring the rules of the mortal world. Hours passed in that ethereal plane, but to Aelric and Vedran, it was no more than a heartbeat.
And then, like the eye of a long-awaited storm, the swirling chaos of blossoms and magic around the Ancient Tree began to slow. The furious wind eased, leaves drifting gently to the ground like snowflakes, the air shimmering with the last vestiges of celestial power.
From the heart of it all, Mei-Ling stepped forward.
Both Aelric and Vedran froze.
Mei-Ling's hands fell gracefully from the tree, her every movement fluid-otherworldly. The air around her still shimmered, light clinging to her skin like it feared to leave. What stood before them wasn't the same Mei-Ling who had walked into the clearing.
She was... more.
Her cascading hair, once dark and simple, now flowed like a living waterfall of prismatic light-shifting, shimmering with every subtle movement. Her eyes, deep as the cosmos, glistened with the wisdom of stars long dead. Her skin carried the soft radiance of distant constellations, glowing faintly like moonlight on snow.
The robe that adorned her seemed woven from the night sky itself, threads of starlight dancing between intricate embroidery-flowers blooming, mythical beasts leaping, birds mid-flight. The crown of blossoms-her mother's-rested upon her head, each petal aglow, flawless.
Aelric blinked. "By the gods..." he breathed. "You're-"
"You can say it," Vedran muttered beside him, mouth half-open. "I'm the wizard and even I don't have words for this."
Aelric gave a half-laugh, half-sigh. "I was just starting to think I had a chance with you. Now look at you-"
Mei-Ling arched a brow, amused. "What? You didn't expect a divine glow-up?"
Vedran snorted. "Glow-up? Girl, this isn't a glow-up. This is... transcendence. This is... unfair, frankly."
"You should've seen the shoes they gave me up there," Mei-Ling teased, glancing down. "Lost them in the light show."
Aelric's grin finally cracked through the stunned silence. "Well, just know if you float off, I'm dragging you back by that fancy crown."
Vedran coughed. "That's... also mine now. Wizard's rule-finders keepers, if the goddess ascends."
Mei-Ling laughed-light, melodic, the sound itself seeming to make the leaves tremble. "Sorry, gentlemen's not ascending anywhere just yet. There's still a war waiting."
The humour eased the tension, but both men stood, staring-awed not just by what they saw, but by what they felt.
"You're different," Aelric said quietly. "Stronger... You're glowing, Mei-Ling. You're really glowing."
Mei-Ling's smile softened. "I feel it. Like... everything I am finally fits." She placed a hand over her heart. "For the first time, I'm not hiding."
Vedran nodded slowly, eyes glinting with pride. "I was wrong to doubt. You're... remarkable. A living conduit of celestial power." He grinned suddenly. "And here I was, worried I'd be the most powerful one on the field."
"Don't worry," Mei-Ling teased, "You can still carry the fireworks."
Aelric laughed, the sound full and bright. "Gods help the golden army when they see you."
Mei-Ling's gaze hardened with purpose. "They won't just see me." She looked at Aelric, her voice quiet but fierce. "They'll see us. All of us. And they'll know what it means to stand against the people I love."
For a long moment, the three of them stood together-magic humming in the air, the Ancient Tree watching silently, as if bearing witness to the birth of something vast.
Vedran broke the silence with a grin. "Right... So... Shall we go terrify an army?"
"After you," Mei-Ling smirked, her aura shimmering brighter. "I insist."
And with that, they turned-war waiting, but hope now blazing in their hearts.