Chapter 77: The Blossom’s Song
The Eternal Blossom hummed like a living chord, its petals shimmering with a light that seemed to pulse in time with the city's heartbeat. Morning sun filtered through its silver-and-gold layers, casting prisms of light across the Spirit Pattern Plaza. At its base, Yumi's seed had sprouted into a tiny sapling, its leaves glowing faintly—a promise of the light to come.
Lin Ye leaned against the tree, his Reverse Scale Core quiet but alert. The iridescent scar on his arm had all but vanished, but he could still feel the echo of the Eclipse Sovereign's roar in his bones. Beside him, Xiao Tao traced the Blossom's petals with her Shadow Crow Bells, her expression soft but focused.
"It's… singing," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not like the rifts before. This is… happy."
Lin Ye nodded. The melody was faint, but it resonated deep in his chest—like a lullaby he'd forgotten until now. "Yuehuan's song," he murmured. "The one she used to hum when we fought together."
Above them, the Blossom's center shifted, and a beam of light shot upward, piercing the clouds. For a moment, the sky rippled like water, and a figure appeared—tall, with silver hair and eyes that mirrored Lin Ye's.
"Grandpa?" Xiao Tao whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.
The figure smiled, his form solidifying. It was Mingyuan, Yuehuan's old comrade, his armor now replaced by a simple robe. "Hello, little ones," he said, his voice warm. "Or should I say… guardians."
The Memory of Light
Mingyuan stepped down from the Blossom, his gaze lingering on Yumi's sapling. "This flower—it's not just a relic of the past. It's a testament. To the light Yuehuan carried, and to the love that outshone even the darkest voids."
He turned to Lin Ye and Xiao Tao, his eyes twinkling. "Yuehuan told me once that love isn't just a feeling. It's a language. One that speaks across time, through pain, through loss. And you two… you've mastered it."
Xiao Tao's eyes glistened. "We didn't do it alone. You and Aunt Yuehuan… you laid the foundation."
Mingyuan chuckled. "Foundation? More like a spark. But sparks grow into fires—and fires can burn away even the oldest shadows." He paused, his smile fading slightly. "Though some shadows are harder to reach than others."
The Crack in the Sky
As if summoned, the air trembled. A new rift opened, larger than any they'd seen before—wide enough to swallow the plaza whole. Its edges glowed with a sickly purple light, and from its depths poured a rain of black shards, each etched with the same rune as the Eclipse Sovereign's armor.
"The Voidseed," Mingyuan said, his voice grave. "The Eclipse Sovereign's final weapon. It doesn't just devour light—it erases it. And it's drawn to the Blossom's power."
The shards slammed into the ground, shattering spirit cores and toppling spirit chariots. Sakura and Zhao Yan fought back with modified weapons, but their attacks dissolved on contact with the purple light. Aiko's data pads flickered with warnings: "Temporal corruption detected. Reality destabilizing."
"It's targeting Yumi," Xiao Tao said, her voice tight. She pointed to the sapling, where the black shards were now converging, as if drawn to its glow.
Mingyuan nodded. "Yumi's light is the Blossom's heart. If the Voidseed claims her, it will unravel the threads of time itself."
The Dance of Three Lights
Lin Ye activated his Reverse Scale Core, its golden aura flaring. "We fight together. Like always."
Xiao Tao joined him, her Shadow Crow Bells singing a high, urgent note. Their twin patterns merged, a star-and-moon motif that blazed with intensity. The light seared through the shards, but the Voidseed's power was relentless.
"Yumi!" Xiao Tao yelled, grabbing the girl's hand. "We need your help!"
Yumi stepped forward, her small frame trembling but determined. She held up her seed, its glow now matching the Blossom's. "I… I don't know how," she whispered.
"You do," Lin Ye said, kneeling beside her. "You're the light Yuehuan trusted. The light that outshines the dark. Just… be you."
Yumi took a deep breath, her eyes closing. The seed in her palm flared, and a new melody joined the Blossom's song—one soft, but unyielding. The purple shards faltered, their edges chipping away.
Mingyuan smiled, his form dissolving into stardust. "That's it, little one. That's the song Yuehuan wanted you to sing."
The Blossom's Victory
The Voidseed shrieked, its purple light dimming as the three lights—Lin Ye's gold, Xiao Tao's silver, Yumi's gold-silver blend—merged into a single, blazing aura. The rift shuddered, then closed, its edges sealed by the Blossom's petals.
Silence fell.
Yumi collapsed into Xiao Tao's arms, her small body shaking. "Did… did I do it?"
"You did," Xiao Tao said, tears falling onto her shoulder. "You saved us. Saved time."
Lin Ye placed a hand on Yumi's head, his voice steady. "Yuehuan was right. Light isn't just a feeling. It's a force. And you're part of it."
Epilogue: The Blossom's Future
Back in Tokyo, the Eternal Blossom bloomed with a new petal—one that shimmered with the colors of dawn. Yumi's sapling, now rooted at the tree's base, glowed softly, merging with the Starlight Flower's light.
That night, Lin Ye and Xiao Tao sat beneath it, their hands laced. Yumi and Mingyuan's forms flickered at the edge of their vision, smiling.
"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Xiao Tao asked, her voice soft.
Lin Ye nodded. "I think they're always with us. In the light, in the love… in us."
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.")