Based on the route Qiu Xue took yesterday while looking for the crystal shop with the snow globe, Chang Ying walked along, connecting all the events and clarifying her thoughts.
From the moment Chang Ying became conscious, she realized she was the snow globe, a spirit of the "fairy tale."
To Chang Ying, Qiu Xue was her master, much like a pet being cared for meticulously by its owner every day.
At first, the spirit was like an infant, a blank slate that learned about the world through its master, with the master becoming the spirit's model for imitation.
The careful nurturing from the master provided the spirit with energy, and over time, the spirit grew stronger.
As the spirit began to develop self-awareness, it separated from the snow globe, existing in the form of a human spirit, allowing it to explore and move around, though its true form remained the snow globe and it needed to return to the globe to rest.
The spirit's traits, ideology, and values were shaped by long-term imitation and indoctrination from the master, making it almost like living inside the snow globe's master. This is why Chang Ying and Qiu Xue have many similarities; she could be seen as Qiu Xue from another world and the one who understands Qiu Xue the best.
Of course, with self-awareness came deviation; the stronger the self-awareness, the more independent the thinking, leading to greater differences.
In an effort to help Qiu Xue, Chang Ying was not as pessimistic as Qiu Xue to avoid sinking into despair; she also seemed to be learning, sometimes appearing somewhat indifferent, like an emotionless robot.
Initially, Chang Ying existed in the form of Qiu Xue. If Qiu Xue could see the spirit, she would have noticed someone exactly like herself following her around. Although it might sound a bit eerie, Chang Ying merely silently protected her without overstepping any boundaries.
Later, Chang Ying discovered she could use energy to alter her appearance. However, she did not create a unique form for herself because, to her, it was not important. Since no one could see her, she preferred to use her energy to assist Qiu Xue.
Aside from forming a spirit, the snow globe had a primary function of predicting the future to protect its master from danger. The stronger the energy of the snow globe, the greater the danger it could withstand. At its limit, the globe would shatter and be beyond saving.
When the snow globe shattered to protect its master, the spirit would also vanish unless it had enough willpower to survive. Even if it survived, the spirit could not return to the snow globe and would become a solitary spirit.
A solitary spirit's energy would gradually diminish, eventually leading to its disappearance, just as Chang Ying felt her strength waning.
Chang Ying did not mind the diminishing energy; after all, to help Qiu Xue, she had used all her strength, and it was surprising to her that she had not vanished.
She had already shielded Qiu Xue from many dangers, but this time was the most severe. When she received the prophecy, she had a premonition that this time she would not make it through.
Chang Ying had witnessed Qiu Xue's pain and struggle during this period. She lived in a state of numbness, being consumed bit by bit. If nothing was done, it seemed likely that Qiu Xue would soon pass away without any accidents.
Thus, Chang Ying decided to use this opportunity to expend all her energy not only to protect Qiu Xue from physical death but also to help her regain hope spiritually and mentally, leading to a comprehensive rebirth.
Chang Ying was unsure of her success but resolved to give it her all, doing everything she could.
On the night before the car accident, Qiu Xue's mental state was at its worst. She poured out her emotions in a notebook and fell asleep at her desk. Chang Ying used her energy to create a dream.
She made Qiu Xue see the car accident that would happen the next day as foretold by the prophecy, followed by a fabricated dream. Although fabricated, it was not without basis; Chang Ying balanced reality and fantasy by considering the behavior and psychology of people around Qiu Xue. In Chang Ying's view, the subsequent events were all possible.
She showed Qiu Xue her inner desires, overlooked perspectives, and the fact that she was not alone.
In the dream, Chang Ying appeared as a mysterious female voice and as a character alongside her, conversing with Qiu Xue to provide direct spiritual support and guidance. It was at this stage that Chang Ying, who had always existed in the form of Qiu Xue, gained her own identity as Chang Ying.
When the alarm went off, reminding Chang Ying that it was time for the dream to end, she quickly wrapped things up. Fortunately, the information she wanted to convey to Qiu Xue was all delivered.
Back in reality, Chang Ying was the first to wake up from the dream. Just as she had turned off the alarm in the dream, her spirit form in reality used its energy to physically touch the phone and turn off Qiu Xue's preset alarm, delaying Qiu Xue's work time to avoid the foretold car accident.
She knew that after waking up, Qiu Xue would likely think it was just a dream. To make her realize that it wasn't merely a dream, Chang Ying took the snow globe, which needed repair and had been forgotten on the desk.
At that time, Chang Ying felt her energy rapidly depleting, with cracks appearing on the snow globe's surface. Even so, she did not stop and used her energy to teleport to the accident scene before it happened.
She then used her energy to make herself visible in reality.
She approached a little girl with some chocolate that was found in Qiu Xue's home, directing her to a safe place.
Chang Ying's body was becoming increasingly weak and painful, and by the moment of the accident, her form had turned semi-transparent and was flickering unstable. Fortunately, the little girl was distracted by other things and did not notice anything unusual.
Chang Ying endured an unknown duration of intense pain and weakness, relying solely on her willpower to maintain her physical form as much as possible.
When she finally saw Qiu Xue's figure emerging around the corner, she used her remaining energy to pick up the snow globe box from the ground and handed it to the little girl, pointing towards Qiu Xue to indicate the target.
The little girl carefully took the box and quickly headed towards the target, while Chang Ying, having used up all her remaining energy, gradually faded and finally dissipated from reality.
Chang Ying thought she would completely disappear like this, but unexpectedly, she had another chance to open her eyes.
The same place, the same scene, but the intense pain was gone, and she was now an invisible spirit.
YOU ARE READING
My Funeral
General FictionHave you ever wondered what your funeral would be like if you died one day? Qiu Xue had attended several funerals, including her paternal grandfather's, paternal grandmother's, maternal grandfather's, and maternal grandmother's. Every one of them, w...
