White Empress, Ashes of Love Sequel

Chapter 37

"Yu-a," she whispered softly, "Stop crying, please?" she pleaded. "I'll be back," she assured him gently as her hand reached out to touch his hair as she stood above him.

Her fingertips swept through his head as if it were nothing more than an illusion. His chest was jerking from the strength of his choked sobs, the words he was saying would melt even the iciest of hearts. He cradled her battered, broken body to his, rocking gently in his grief.

There was a pull behind her, something tugging at her that she resisted before it's persistence finally won out. Her arms reached out to him as her view changed from the back of his head to the ground littered with bodies and boulders, his form becoming more and more distant the further she was pulled. 

The fighting had stopped completely, she noticed as soldiers staggered through the collective destruction on the land below.

Her eyes swept to the flat land at the outer edge of the parcel, the combined Realm's forces still stretching far and wide, causing a moment of satisfaction before her vision darkened.

Her hands swept out, feeling for, but encountering nothing as panic started to set in.

There was certain pressure, a squeeze from all sides that seemed vaguely familiar before her surroundings began to lighten. A blue glow could be seen far off in the distance, brightening as it neared, muted at first before defining itself into what looked like bodies. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands, she thought as they walked slowly toward her. 

Several of the faces in the front were instantly recognizable. 

"Mother?" she whispered as the features became more clear. "Brother? Father!" she exclaimed, moving toward them, her hands outstretched but transparent, her touch encountering nothing by air.

"Bai Long," she heard her Mother say with a smile on her lovely face. 

"Mother! I want to...hug you. Why can't I hug you?" she asked desperately, her hand sweeping through the misty blue glow before her.

"We can't touch anything in the Spirit Realm. Nothing is solid here. It's just a plane of existence, nothing more."

Her gaze swept past her family to the others collected before her. All of them dead, including her.

"I need to go back," she murmured before turning her eyes to her Mother once again.

"You cannot go back. I told you this was the last time, do you not remember?" she asked.

"Yes, but..." she trailed off, her thoughts grasping desperately for some argument. "I need to go back. I wasn't done...I'm not ready...I didn't...I never told him...I love him," she finished weakly, her eyes imploring the woman before her.

"Bai Long -"

"Call me Annchi!" she interrupted forcefully. 

"We are powerless to send you back. It's all in Fate's hands. We are all equals here, no one more powerful than the other. It is the way of the Spirit Realm. You must resign yourself to it," she stated gently.

"No," she shook her head vehemently. "I do not accept that. When you say Fate, do you mean the Goddess of Fate?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, but -"

"Then I will speak to her. I know her. She's a friend of Dan Zhu's. Dan Zhu..." she groaned out. "I left him in an awful state. I didn't get to say goodbye! You don't understand. He's very sensitive. Let me go back to say goodbye," she pleaded. 

"Bai Long, stop. You cannot speak to Fate. You cannot speak to anyone in any Realm save for this one."

Her eyes darted around, her mind conjuring up a response before her gaze caught and held on a face.