Chapter 74: The Whisper of the Blossom
The spring sun bathed the Spirit Pattern Plaza in soft gold, painting the Starlight Flower at the base of the Spirit Pattern Tree in hues of amber and rose. Lin Ye leaned against the trunk, his Reverse Scale Core humming faintly as he watched Xiao Tao chase a butterfly that had strayed too close to the blooms. Her Shadow Crow Bells jingled like wind chimes, and her laughter—bright, unguarded—echoed through the courtyard.
"It's been three days since the rift closed," Lin Ye said, breaking the silence. He'd been quiet since their return from Antarctica, his mind lingering on the vision of the Fear and the First Spirit Pattern. "But the Guild says the temporal monitors are still glitching. Like… something's lingering."
Xiao Tao paused mid-chase, her hand brushing a petal that glowed faintly silver. "Lingering how?"
He hesitated. "Last night, I dreamed of the First Spirit Pattern again. The lattice wasn't just light—it was… alive. And it whispered something. 'The blossom is the key.'"
Xiao Tao's eyes widened. "The blossom?"
She pointed to the Starlight Flower. At its center, a single bud had bloomed overnight—a flower within a flower, its petals a gradient of gold and silver, matching the cores of their spirit patterns.
"That's new," Sakura said, appearing beside them with a tablet. "The Guild's botanists say it's a 'temporal hybrid,' merging the energy of the mirror shard and the First Spirit Pattern. They're calling it… the Eternal Blossom."
As if summoned, the bud quivered and unfurled. A beam of light shot upward, piercing the clouds, and for a moment, the sky rippled like water. When it cleared, a figure stood in the air—a young girl with silver hair and eyes that mirrored Xiao Tao's, but softer, kinder.
"Yuehuan?" Xiao Tao whispered.
The girl smiled. "No. I'm… a reflection. A memory made real by the Eternal Blossom." She stepped down, her feet touching the ground as if she'd always belonged there. "I've been watching you two. Fighting, laughing, living. And I realized something."
"What?" Lin Ye asked, his voice steady despite the unfamiliarity of the sight.
"You don't need me anymore." The girl's form flickered, like a projection losing signal. "The love you share… it's stronger than any spirit pattern. Stronger than time itself. That's why the Fear couldn't break you. Why the rift closed. You didn't need a bridge—you are the bridge."
The Blossom's Gift
The Eternal Blossom bloomed fully, its petals raining down a shower of stardust. Each spark landed on the Spirit Pattern Tree, and the branches began to glow with a new light—golden veins weaving through the leaves, silver threads crisscrossing like constellations.
"It's… rewriting the tree," Aiko said, her tablet recording everything. "The spirit patterns of everyone who's ever fought here—they're all being preserved. Like… a library of light."
Grandma Chizuru approached, her eyes glistening. "Yuehuan's seed was never just about fighting. It was about remembering. About keeping the good moments alive, even when the dark tries to bury them." She placed a hand on Xiao Tao's shoulder. "And you two… you're the keepers of that light."
The Eternal Blossom suddenly surged, and a single petal floated down, landing in Xiao Tao's palm. It glowed with a warm, steady light, and she felt a surge of energy—Yuehuan's spirit, but not as a ghost. As a blessing.
"Use it," the memory-Yuehuan said, her voice fading. "To protect what matters. To build what lasts."
The New Threat
That night, the peace was shattered by a deafening roar.
From the horizon emerged a creature unlike any they'd faced before. Its body was a mass of crystalline shards, each reflecting a different era: samurai armor, medieval castles, even the neon lights of modern Tokyo. Its eyes were twin black holes, and its mouth split into a grin that radiated malice.
"The Chronophage," Aiko said, her voice trembling. "A myth from the Guild's oldest texts. It feeds on time itself, devouring memories to grow stronger."
The Chronophage lunged, and the ground trembled. Lin Ye reacted first, his Reverse Scale Core erupting in a golden aura that shielded Xiao Tao. The shards slammed into him, but the armor held—barely. The creature's grin widened, and it let out a shriek that echoed across the city.
"Teamwork, remember?" Lin Ye gritted his teeth, his core now radiating heat. He grabbed Xiao Tao's hand, their twin patterns flaring in unison. "We fight together."
The Dance of Light and Time
The battle was a blur of motion. The Chronophage's claws tore through reality, but Lin Ye's golden aura and Xiao Tao's silver bells worked in tandem, slicing through the shards and sealing the wounds they left. Aji's hammer shattered one, but another rose from its ashes. Zhao Yan's Spirit Cannon overheated, and Sakura's Shadow Crows were swallowed by the darkness, leaving only faint chirps in their wake.
"You're strong," the Chronophage taunted, its voice a distortion of every fear they'd ever faced. "But you can't stop time. It will devour you, just like it devoured Yuehuan."
Xiao Tao's Shadow Crow Bells suddenly jangled sharply. She looked up, her eyes narrowing. "No. It will learn to respect us."
She raised her hand, and the Eternal Blossom's light flooded her core. Her bells sang a melody that wasn't just sound—it was a signal. The Spirit Pattern Tree responded, its golden veins surging, and the air filled with the hum of a thousand spirit cores.
"Lin Ye!" she yelled. "Now!"
He joined her, their combined light searing through the Chronophage's form. The creature recoiled, its shards cracking, but it wasn't enough. It lunged again, and this time, its claws grazed Xiao Tao's arm, leaving a trail of black light.
"No—" Lin Ye began, but Xiao Tao cut him off.
"Look at me," she said, her voice firm. She pressed her lips to his, her tears falling onto his skin. "We've beaten this before. We'll beat it again. Because we're not just fighters—we're keepers. Keepers of the now."
The Blossom's Victory
The kiss ignited something in both of them.
Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core and Xiao Tao's Shadow Crow Bells fused into a single, blazing aura—their twin patterns merging into a star-and-moon motif that blazed with the intensity of a supernova. The light seeped into the Chronophage's core, and the creature shrieked, its shards dissolving into stardust.
With a final, deafening roar, it vanished.
The plaza fell silent.
Xiao Tao collapsed against Lin Ye, her legs trembling. He caught her, his arms steady around her waist. "You're hurt," he said, his voice rough.
She shook her head. "You're the one bleeding."
Lin Ye smiled faintly. "It's nothing. Just a scratch."
But it wasn't. The black light had seeped deeper, and the wound now glowed an eerie green, spreading up his arm. Xiao Tao's eyes widened. "Lin Ye—"
"It's the pollution," he said, his voice steadying. "It's trying to turn me into one of them."
Xiao Tao's hands flew to her mouth. She remembered the whispers in the Root of Eternity—the ones that had tried to make her doubt. "What if you fail?" "Yuehuan's light is a lie." But no—this was worse. This was the darkness inside him, threatening to unravel everything they'd built.
"No," she said, her voice firm. "Not happening."
She pressed her lips to his wound, her tears falling onto his skin. The Eternal Blossom above them flared, its petals raining down a shower of silver and gold light. The light seeped into the wound, and Lin Ye gasped as the green corruption receded, replaced by a warm, golden glow.
Epilogue: The Blossom's Promise
That night, beneath the Spirit Pattern Tree, Lin Ye and Xiao Tao sat together, the Eternal Blossom's petals swirling around them. The merged core at the tree's base glowed softly, casting a warm light over their faces.
"Do you think there's more to come?" Xiao Tao asked, tracing the blossom's petals.
Lin Ye nodded. "Probably. But whatever it is… we'll face it together."
He leaned his head on hers, and she rested hers on his shoulder. The Reverse Scale Core and Shadow Crow Bells hummed in unison, a lullaby of light and trust.
Somewhere, in a place beyond time, Yuehuan smiled.
Now, she thought, is the most radiant part of all.
(Wind carried the scent of osmanthus. In the distance, the Spirit Pattern Arena's broadcast played: "Tonight's featured story? A love that doesn't just outshine the stars—it becomes them.")