Chapter 39: This Is My End, Mom

At the wetland park on the eastern side of Tongzhou City, the area was deserted due to the earlier evacuation alert and the citizens seeking shelter.

Yuehua and Corona gently landed on a small plaza by the lake within the park.
Yuehua handed Lu Ming back to Corona, then drew her Moon Spear · Crescent, preparing to set up the ritual.

Using the spear’s tip, Yuehua traced a large, perfect circle around herself on the ground, symbolizing the core of alchemy: all things are one, derived from the primal Taiyi.

She then carved two sharp lines, forming a cross that divided the circle into four equal sections, representing the four elements of the world—earth, wind, water, and fire.
In each section, she etched symbols for these elements.

Next, on the horizontal line of the cross, she inscribed runes for the sun and moon on either side, representing the world’s masculine and feminine forces, symbolizing the fundamental laws of existence.

On the vertical line, she carved symbols for sky and earth above and below, signifying the cycle of all things rising from the earth to the heavens and returning to the ground—the law of the world’s rotation.

Finally, within the Taiyi circle, she drew three intersecting, symmetrical circles, representing the three wisdoms of Hermes, the progenitor of alchemy.

Yuehua didn’t know what was needed to invoke a miracle; her intuition, guided by her subconscious, led her to create this unfamiliar array.

She took Lu Ming from Corona again.
Corona, watching Yuehua hold Lu Ming, grew tense, clutching her hands to her chest, praying for both Yuehua and Lu Ming.

Yuehua laid Lu Ming along the vertical line, her head positioned at the center of the cross, within the space encircled by Hermes’ three wisdoms.

She removed the steel rebars from Lu Ming’s body, realigned her broken limbs, and crossed her hands over her chest, like a devout believer.

With preparations complete, Yuehua held the glowing red Philosopher’s Stone with golden veins in her right hand and stood below the earth symbol.
She began walking clockwise around the Taiyi circle, chanting in an arcane tongue:

“Truth never errs, it bears the real.”

“As below, so above; as above, so below, to achieve the miracle of Taiyi.”

“All things are one; one begets all things.”

The red crystal in Yuehua’s hand began to emit a red glow.

“Separate earth from fire, refine purity from impurity.”

“Rise from earth to heaven, descend from heaven to earth, to gain the power of both above and below.”

“Thus, attain the glory of the world, banishing ignorant darkness.”

Yuehua reached the sky symbol, and the array began to glow with pure white light.

“This is above all powers, unbreakable.”

“The world is thus created.”

“With this, reach the miracle.”

Yuehua returned to her starting point below the earth symbol, facing Lu Ming at the array’s center.

She released the glowing, scalding Philosopher’s Stone, but it didn’t fall to the ground.
Instead, it floated, spinning a few times before drifting slowly to rest above Lu Ming’s forehead.

Defying logic, the seemingly solid Philosopher’s Stone began to melt.
Droplets gathered on its surface, forming a stream that dripped from its sharp base onto Lu Ming’s forehead.
The moment the liquid touched her, it vanished, as if absorbed into her body.

As the crystal continued to melt and shrink, Lu Ming’s wounds began to heal.
The holes pierced by the rebars closed, her broken bones realigned and mended, and her bloodless, pale face gradually regained color.

Finally, with Yuehua and Corona’s heightened senses, they heard a heartbeat—like the first pulse of life—within Lu Ming’s chest.
The Philosopher’s Stone had fully melted into liquid, completely absorbed into her body.

Yuehua rushed to Lu Ming’s side, lifting her to check her condition.
Her injuries were nearly fully healed, her breathing steady, and her mage’s mana core normal.
Yet something seemed missing.

Corona approached, looking at Lu Ming, who resembled a sleeping beauty.
Her suspended heart finally eased, and Yuehua appeared unharmed.

But when Corona looked up at Yuehua, she saw her grave expression, devoid of the joy of reviving Lu Ming.

Is something wrong with Little Moon? Corona worried.

“I’m sorry… Captain,” Yuehua sighed, speaking to Corona with regret.

“With my abilities, I can’t detect any signs of active thought in Lu Ming.”

“In other words, I can’t sense her ‘soul.’”

“I’m so sorry. The Philosopher’s Stone saved her body, but it couldn’t retrieve her soul.”

Corona froze, her emotions a mix of grief, daze, and regret.
She realized the child she had raised from infancy would never wake again.

Her face ashen, Corona said to Yuehua, “Thank you, Little Moon. Thank you…”
Then she suddenly collapsed, fainting.

…………

Lu Ming felt herself traversing a dark realm.

Though blind and without touch, her mysterious senses allowed her to observe this strange place.

The ground was made of ash, yet her steps left no footprints.
Lu Ming realized she was dead, existing only as a soul.

This must be the underworld, she thought, gazing at the distant black mountain range.

Empty, lonely—that was her immediate impression.
This underworld seemed a hollow sham; she saw no other souls besides her own.

Or is this underworld just my imagination?
Lu Ming knew the concept of the underworld was a construct by ancient mages to explain what happened after death.
Souls were believed to dissipate upon death, and belief in its reality was merely a desperate hope for continuity.

So how was she persisting now?
Was she just a bundle of memories?
Or something else that had absorbed Lu Ming’s memories?

Was death real?
Or was it an illusion of endlessly prolonged thought?

How was her consciousness persisting?
Did it reside in the soul or the brain?

The more Lu Ming pondered, the more questions arose, threatening to drown her forever.
But suddenly, she felt the ash beneath her feet.

Puzzled, she lifted her foot and found her vision restored, seeing the ash clinging to it.

Raising her hands, she realized she had a body again—naked, but that wasn’t an issue in this empty “underworld.”

The strange sensation persisted.
Her body began to rise from the ashen ground toward the gray sky.
The clouds parted, and a beam of light bathed her, warm like a fetus in the womb.
The thought surfaced in her mind.

She understood—this was her end.

Born without a thread.

Dead without a thing.

This is my end, Mom.

Lu Ming closed her eyes peacefully.