Chapter 7.1: Aftermath and New Beginnings

The clearing remained eerily still after the ritual had ended. The last remnants of the blinding light had dissipated, leaving only the faint smell of incense lingering in the air. Mei Lin stood frozen, still clutching the jade amulet in her hand. The weight of the decision she had just made pressed heavily on her chest.

She could feel the absence of the amulet's power, the emptiness where the constant hum of energy used to be. It was as if a part of her soul had been torn away, leaving a void that was both unsettling and freeing at the same time.

Li Sheng watched her carefully, his eyes full of concern. He had never seen Mei Lin so vulnerable, so fragile. He wanted to reach out to her, but he wasn't sure how to bridge the gap between what she had lost and the person she needed to become.

"Mei Lin," he said softly, his voice barely more than a whisper. "Are you alright?"

She turned to him slowly, her face pale and her eyes distant. "I... I don't know," she admitted. "It feels like I've lost a part of myself, Li Sheng. The amulet... it was everything to me. But now, I feel empty."

Li Sheng took a step forward and gently placed a hand on her arm. "You've lost something, yes. But you've also gained something—your freedom. The power was a curse, Mei Lin. You didn't need it to be whole. You are enough just as you are."

Mei Lin met his gaze, her eyes searching his face for some kind of reassurance. She found it there, in the depths of his eyes, a love so strong that it filled the emptiness in her chest, if only for a moment.

"I don't know if I can be the person I was before," she whispered. "I don't know who I am now."

Li Sheng smiled gently and cupped her face in his hands. "You are Mei Lin. You are the woman I love, and that's all that matters. We'll figure the rest out together."