~ 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑺𝑶𝑶𝑵 - In the heart of an ancient Chinese dynasty, a young emperor reigns with wisdom beyond his years but carries a heart heavy with unresolved grief. Years ago, he lost his beloved under mysterious circumstances, a loss that has...
In the quiet of my office, I found myself fixated on her photograph. There she was, her image captured in timeless grace—dark hair softly framing her face, her smile wide, exuding a carefree joy that seemed to belie the complex legacy she had left behind. The photograph, an echo of a past that continued to haunt the present, served as a stark reminder of the unresolved mysteries surrounding Lian's extraordinary experiences.
As I sat there, lost in thought, twirling a small envelope opener between my fingers, my contemplation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The palace librarian, a keeper of countless records and secrets, entered first, followed by a woman whose reputation for understanding the esoteric was well-known within the palace walls. She was an expert on rebirth and the mystic threads that connected past lives to current existences, reputed to have a deep understanding of spiritual continuities.
Her presence in my office was both unsettling and reassuring. The confirmation of the librarian's choice to bring her here meant that the phenomena we were dealing with were indeed profound and required expertise beyond the conventional.
The moment she began to speak, reciting the poem once whispered to me—a poem of promises and parted souls—my heart sank. It was the same verse Lian had uttered, the words resonating with a haunting familiarity. The impact was immediate and visceral, pulling me deeper into the whirlpool of emotions and memories that I had been trying to navigate.
"Your Majesty," she began, her voice clear and compelling, "the experiences that Lian is encountering are not just echoes of the past; they are manifestations of a soul's promise trying to fulfill itself. It's rare, but not unheard of in the annals of the spiritual histories I've studied."
I listened intently, my grip on the envelope opener tightening slightly. "How is this possible?" I asked, the question a heavy weight in my voice. "How can she—how can her essence traverse time and embed itself within someone else?"
The woman nodded, understanding the depth of my confusion and distress. "It can happen when a soul makes a vow so strong, so binding, that it transcends the ordinary limits of time and existence. It seems that she promised to return, and that promise has found a vessel in Lian. It's both a miracle and a burden for him."
