Chapter 110 (Continued): Old Threads, New Flame

As the sun began its descent, warm and golden, Chen found himself walking the edge of the sanctuary gardens alone. The laughter of training recruits echoed from the distance, but here, near the quiet spring that had formed from divine energy seeping into the land, all was still.

Except—he wasn't alone.

A familiar figure sat on the smooth stones near the water, her legs drawn up, long hair cascading over her shoulder. Mei.

She wore a soft, simple robe—one of the few times she had ever looked like the mortal girl he once knew. Not a divine emissary. Not a court-seized pawn.

Just Mei.

She heard his steps and glanced back, offering a tired but genuine smile. "I was wondering when you'd come find me."

Chen chuckled, lowering himself to sit beside her. "I figured I'd let you breathe first."

"Too much of that," she murmured, gazing at her reflection in the water. "And I start remembering things I shouldn't."

He looked at her—really looked. The sharpness of her eyes dulled slightly by unspoken grief. The weight of everything she'd seen since being dragged into this divine storm. "Like what?"

Mei didn't answer right away. Then, softly, "Like sitting by the riverbank when we were ten, trying to skip stones. You got so mad because I could do it and you couldn't."

Chen grinned faintly. "I was mad because you laughed every time I missed."

She glanced sideways. "I only laughed because you cared so much. You always cared."

The wind stirred, catching the surface of the spring. Chen turned toward her fully.

"You don't have to carry this alone anymore," he said. "None of us do."

Mei hesitated, then shifted to lean into him. Her head rested against his shoulder, her fingers curling gently into his sleeve.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "I used to think I was just a girl from a small town. Now I feel… something blooming inside me. Like power that isn't mine. Like memories that aren't mine."

Chen's heart stilled.

"You're changing," he said softly.

"I don't want to lose who I was."

"You won't." He brought his hand up to touch her cheek, guiding her to meet his gaze. "You're still Mei. Still the one who kicked my ass at skipping stones. Still the one who believed in me before I even believed in myself."

A tear slid down her cheek.

"I missed you, Chen."

He leaned in, forehead to hers. "I never stopped missing you."

Their kiss was soft. Not lustful—not yet. Just the reuniting of two hearts that had always been intertwined, even across worlds.

She drew him down with her into the soft grass, and as the golden light bathed them in warmth, they didn't rush. They simply held each other—two childhood souls now wrapped in something far greater.

Something divine.Something deeply human.