CHAPTER 40: 40. I DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO SUPPORT HER!

AT THE SAME TIME

EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:

The moment I saw her on the other side of the courtyard, my stomach dropped like a stone. Mei Shen stood at the stable doors, her cloak whipping around her in the wind, one hand already gripping her mare’s reins. The storm lashed at her like it was trying to pull her away from me. For one heartbeat, I couldn’t move then my body took over.

"Mei Shen!"I shouted as loudly as I could to get her attention.

She turned just slightly at the sound of my voice, too slightly. Her face was pale, shadowed beneath her hood, but her eyes... her eyes were fixed on something far beyond me. Behind me, the palace door slammed open.

"Mommy!"I heard Huan’s voice.

Huan’s feet pounded on the wet stone as he raced past my mother, hair plastered to his forehead, cheeks flushed from the cold. He didn’t even seem to notice the storm soaking him through, he just ran straight for her, hands outstretched.

"Don’t go, mommy!" He shouted, his little voice breaking. "Don’t leave us!"

That, gods that made my chest twist so hard it hurt. I ran after him, catching up just as Mei Shen stepped back toward the horse. I grabbed the reins out of her hands before she could mount, planting myself between her and the horse. She looked at me then, really looked. Rain streamed down her cheeks, but her expression was unreadable, too calm and too desperate all at once.

"Lianwei." She said quietly, like she was afraid to raise her voice. "Please. Let me go."

"No." My voice came out sharper than I meant, almost a growl. "Not tonight. Not like this."

Her hands trembled at her sides.

"You don’t understand. If I stay, I’ll bring it to our door."She whispered.

"I don’t care what it is." I snapped, stepping closer, keeping my voice low but fierce. "You are not walking out into this storm alone. I will not lose you. Not now. Not ever."

Huan latched onto her leg, small arms wrapping around her like he could anchor her in place. His face was pressed to her skirt, and I could feel his tiny body shaking.

"Mommy." He whispered, "I can’t sleep if you’re gone."

That... that undid something in her. I saw it, her mouth trembled, her eyes softened, but still, there was something in her stance, like a bowstring drawn to breaking. And then the thunder changed.

It wasn’t just rolling, it cracked like stone shattering, the sound coming not from the sky but from somewhere deep beneath the ground. The air around us tightened, almost humming. My guards shouted from the gate. One of them pointed upward. I followed his gaze and my breath froze in my throat.

The clouds were wrong. They weren’t moving like storm clouds at all, they were spiraling, pulling inward toward a single black point above the palace. Lightning arced inside it in unnatural patterns, like a web of light trying to hold something in. The Zeirith voice was in my head, not aloud but really clear.

"You cannot let her leave."He said.

I gripped Mei Shen’s shoulders.

"You’re coming inside. Now."I said.

She opened her mouth to protest, then another bolt of lightning struck, this one slamming into the courtyard so close that the shockwave knocked us all back. The mare screamed and bolted in terror, hooves splashing mud. I didn’t give her another chance. I scooped her into my arms, ignoring her startled cry, and ran for the palace doors with Huan at my heels.

The palace doors slammed shut behind us with a sound like a war drum, muffling the worst of the wind but not the feeling of it. The whole building seemed to tremble with each crack of thunder, the lanterns swaying in their sconces. I didn’t set Mei Shen down right away. Her cloak clung to her like a second skin, rain still dripping from her hair onto my arm. She was light in my hold, too light, and that alone made my throat tighten. Huan clung to her skirts the moment I set her down on the sofa near the hearth. His little hands gripped fabric like he was afraid she’d vanish if he let go.

"Mommy." He whispered again, his voice shaky but stubborn. "You can’t go away. You can’t."

She touched his cheek with trembling fingers, trying to smile for him, but the smile never reached her eyes.

"Get a blanket." I ordered to the nearest maid. "And hot tea. Now."

The servants scattered to obey. I crouched before Mei Shen, taking her hands in mine.

"Look at me. You’re safe. You’re not going anywhere tonight."I said.

She opened her mouth, maybe to argue, but then her eyes suddenly went wide. Her whole body went rigid.

"Mei-?"I started.

Her hands flew to her temples, and she doubled over with a sharp, guttural cry. I caught her before she could slide to the floor, my heart slamming in my chest.

"It hurts-" She gasped, voice breaking.

The air shifted. Cold. Heavy. And then that voice, deep, resonant, and unmistakably not mine curled inside my skull like a slow tide.

"The strands are knotting together, Lianwei. Her soul remembers more than one life now."God voice appeared in my head.

"Zeirith." I hissed under my breath, holding Mei Shen tighter. "What do you mean?"

"The Mei Shen you love is remembering the one before the first one, the one who lived through fire and ruin. But that is not all. The spirit you call Rosalie her memories too are fusing with hers. Two lifetimes of grief, loss, and knowledge... being forced into one mortal mind."

Mei Shen whimpered, clawing at my sleeves as if to anchor herself.

"It’s, too much-" She gasped. "It’s all there the fire, the ashes the screaming and Rosalie, her voice she’s inside my head-"Mei groaned.

I smoothed my hand over her soaked hair, desperate to soothe her even as panic burned in my veins.

"Breathe, Mei. Stay with me."I whispered.

Huan climbed onto the couch beside her, patting her arm with tiny, frantic motions.

"Mommy, stop hurting. Please stop hurting." Huan muttered.

Another crash of thunder shook the room, but this time I barely heard it over the pounding of my own heart.

"She cannot hold it for long without breaking." Zeirith warned. "If the flood is not eased, she will shatter, and when she does, the door between worlds will tear open."

I looked down at her, my anchor her face pale and drawn, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

"Then tell me how to stop it." I growled.

"There is no stopping it now." Zeirith said, voice heavy as stone. "Only guiding it... before it consumes her."