The emotions suffusing me left no room for speech. It was as though the sun had emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating the sky. The shadows might return, but for now I would bask in its radiance.
As dusk crept up, we flew back to the moon. Before he left, Liwei helped me to set up the protection wards. Our home was no longer forbidden to immortals and while we welcomed visitors, we needed to exercise caution. Together, we wove our magic into threads of power which stretched all around the Pure Light Palace. When I paused, exhausted by my efforts, Liwei took over. As he closed his eyes, his energy erupted in a surge of light, circling our wards before vanishing.
“I’ve added another layer of protection to detect those who conceal their form, whether Demon, spirit, or Celestial. While it cannot prevent their entry, it will hopefully give you sufficient warning,” he explained.
At the gravity in his tone, the blood drained from my face. “Celestial?” I repeated, stumbling over the word. I had thought we were done with the intrigue, the danger and fear.
Liwei’s face darkened. “There are no plots that I am aware of. However, my parents are displeased that the army intervened to lend you their support. Whispers have reached their ears that their capitulation here is viewed by many as a sign of weakness. Some begin to question again the wisdom of their past decisions—imprisoning the dragons, exiling the Moon Goddess. Allowing the sunbirds to roam unfettered.”
A chill swept over me. “All I ever wanted was to go home and free my mother. I never intended any of this as a challenge. I just want to live here, in peace.”
“We cannot control what others fear. But you won’t be alone. I will be with you, for as long as you let me.” Liwei took my frozen hands, lifting them to his lips and blowing his warm breath over them. “I’m just being careful. These are rumblings and rumors, nothing to worry about for now.”
I nodded woodenly. Rumblings and rumors in the wrong ears could still bear dire consequences.
That night, after Liwei had left, I tossed and turned before I fell asleep. And even in slumber I found no rest—lost in a vivid dream where I stood on the balcony, gazing at the sky. The clouds were a strange color, almost violet. As a tall figure came to stand beside me, his green robe swirled in the breeze.
He stared at me with those silvery eyes, as though waiting for me to speak.
“Thank you for letting us go. But it does not erase all you did,” I said stiffly.
“I meant what I said. That I would never force you against your will again.” There was a wistful note in his tone, one I had never heard before. “I did not realize what we had until it was lost. If only we could start over, I would do things differently.”
I did not answer him. I did not know what to say.
“There is something I want to ask you.”
“You can ask but I may not answer,” I countered, unwilling to be drawn deeper into a conversation that brought back too many unsettling memories.
Though he smiled, there was a hollowness about it. “Would you indulge me? I’ve missed your company.”
“I’ve not missed yours.” A half-truth, a half-lie. I reminded myself that whatever I missed was the illusion of our companionship, not the reality of his deception.
His eyes flashed. “On the rooftop, before the dragon carried you away—would you have shot me?”
I had asked myself that countless times before. And now, I finally knew the answer. “No.” His honesty deserved no less than mine.
At that single word, he let out a drawn breath, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Could you ever care for a Demon as you did for the Celestial?”
“The Celestial never existed. It was the Demon all along.” Somehow, I kept my voice flat, ignoring the twinge in my chest.
He inclined his head gravely. “Perhaps. However you see me, I will wait until you do.”
“Do what?”
“Love me again.” His fingers brushed the side of my head, lightly stroking my hair. “Or at least, not hate me anymore.”
Before I could jerk away, a scathing retort on my tongue, he had disappeared.
I awoke the next morning, sandy-eyed and grim. My dream was so vivid, the emotions it evoked so real—I was lost in thought for a long while. Alternating between outrage that he might have infiltrated my dreams, and resentment that the thought of him still troubled me so. Finally, I rose to get dressed. In front of the mirror, I froze at the sight of the silver pin in my hair carved with a pattern of clouds. My fingers grasped the cool metal, plucking it out and hurling it into a drawer.