Bai Tu sat quietly on a little stool.

Ye Qingya, who'd been feeling a little down, smiled warmly when she saw her.

“Tu, how has Yu been lately?”

Bai Tu parted her lips slightly, but said nothing. Instead, she nodded.

“Mm. She's doing well.”

Bai Tu was now the only bridge between Ye Qingya and Bai Yu. Almost every day, she'd take a few photos of Bai Yu and send them here, letting Ye Qingya watch her daughter grow up.

But Bai Yu had no idea what was happening on Ye Qingya's end. The medical staff didn't recommend upsetting her emotionally, since that could affect the Stars inside her.

So Bai Yu couldn't even talk to Ye Qingya over video. All she had were the occasional letters Bai Tu delivered, each one carrying a message of love and support.

But would that really help?

Bai Tu knew how her little sister truly felt. She wasn't happy.

But she didn't want to tell Mom that, either. Because...

Mom wasn't doing well, either.

Bai Tu lowered her head, like a child who'd told a lie. She felt guilty and scared.

“Good girl~”

Ye Qingya reached out and gently stroked her head. She didn't seem to see through Bai Tu's lie.

She always wore a loving smile in front of Bai Tu. She didn't want her daughter to worry.

Ye Lan watched them quietly, feeling a little envious.

She wanted Mom to pat her head, too.

Then Ye Qingya stopped stroking Bai Tu's head and said softly, “Tu, I have something to discuss with your dad. Could you step outside for a bit?”

“Mm.” Bai Tu obediently went outside.

Only Bai Yuan and Ye Qingya remained in the room.

“Bai Yuan, there isn't much time left, is there?”

“...”

Bai Yuan looked as though he wanted to say something, but he lowered his head and stayed silent.

Ye Qingya looked at the photo of Bai Yu in her hands and smiled with affection.

“Bai Yu's grown so much. Watching her grow day by day is almost like I've been right there beside her, seeing it all with my own eyes. Seeing her smile makes me so happy. I want so badly to give her a proper hug, but I can't.”

“I want to tell her myself that her birth wasn't a mistake, that Mom loves her, and that she doesn't need to be afraid... But fate tore us apart, forcing us to live on opposite sides. I can't accept it.”

Bai Yuan clenched his fists, veins bulging as a fire seemed to burn in his heart.

Damn fate!

Ye Qingya pressed Bai Yu's photo against her chest, as if that could let her hug Bai Yu.

“I know. Yu and I have the same kind of Stars. I'm stronger, so I can clearly sense how she's doing. A terrifying curse is constantly eating away at her body. She's in pain, and she's unhappy.”

Bai Yuan's eyes widened. He stared at Ye Qingya, stunned.

“Qingya, you...”

“There isn't much time left, is there? I can feel it.”

Ye Qingya gave a sorrowful smile. “Unstable Stars of the same origin will fight each other. Yu and I can't control them. The problem can only be solved if one of us disappears. That may be the only way right now. So why shouldn't it be me?”

“No! There's still time. Let's wait a little longer! If I really have to lose one of you, that's just too cruel!”

Bai Yuan grabbed Ye Qingya's hand, trembling all over.

“If you can't make a choice, you can't call yourself a proper Night Watcher...”

Bai Yuan pulled Ye Qingya into his arms and held her tightly.

“I'm sorry... I'm a useless man...”

“Ah... It's not your fault. It's time to make a choice, Bai Yuan.”

“...I understand.”

“But before that, I want to see Yu one last time. It's the last thing I can't let go of.”

“I'll take you there right now!”

Bai Yuan scooped Ye Qingya up in his arms and rushed out of the room.

Ye Qingya rested her face against Bai Yuan's chest, letting herself relax as a relieved smile appeared on her face.

Meanwhile.

An alarm suddenly sounded inside the Night Watchers Base.

A Star Eclipse had appeared!

The Night Watchers locked onto the location of the Star Eclipse, only to discover it was right near the Night Watchers Base?!

“What the hell is going on?!”

“The medical department just reported that Bai Yuan left with Ye Qingya. Initial reports suggest that the Stars inside Ye Qingya have gone out of control!”

“Send every nearby Night Watcher over there! We have to stop them immediately, before the Star Eclipse can endanger civilians!”

“Understood!”

At the order to deploy, every Night Watcher at the base rushed out toward the location they'd identified.

Ye Lan's soul could now move freely. She watched everything unfolding below with an astonishing, god's-eye view.

“How could this happen... Did Bai Yu's mom become a Star Eclipse?”

Ye Lan stared in shock, then followed after them.

Bai Yuan had already gotten Ye Qingya into a car and was driving at full speed. He'd abandoned the designated route and wasn't holding back anymore.

He was an unfit father, an unfit husband, and now, at a time like this, an unfit Night Watcher.

But even so, he was going to grant Ye Qingya's final wish.

“Qingya, hold on! If you fully turn into a Star Eclipse and lose consciousness, you'll never see Bai Yu again!”

“We're doing something wrong, aren't we?” Ye Qingya asked with a gentle smile, her eyes still clear and bright.

Black wisps were already rising from Ye Qingya's body. It was an incredibly terrifying mental curse.

If Bai Yuan weren't a Night Watcher, the curse would've already eaten away at him.

“It's okay. I'll take responsibility for everything that happens afterward.”

Bai Yuan drove the hovercar toward the hospital where Bai Yu was, going full speed. His mind was utterly calm.

At the same time, the other Night Watchers caught up and gradually closed in around them, forming a ring.

“Bai Yuan, what the hell are you doing? Ye Qingya has turned into a Star Eclipse. We need to deal with this right away. We can't let things get any worse!”

Bai Yuan knew how powerful the Night Watchers surrounding him were. Many of them were stronger than he was in one-on-one combat, and among them were even assault forces at Radiant Sun Rank.

The odds of breaking through their encirclement were low, but not zero!

Stars.

Please answer the desperate wish in my heart.

A blue light flashed in Bai Yuan's eyes. In just a few seconds, the temperature in the area plunged, growing cold enough to freeze things.

Every vehicle nearby was covered in a layer of white frost, and their internal systems began to shut down.

Most of the Night Watchers were forced to stop.

“Shit! Bai Yuan's gone crazy!”

Ye Lan stared down from above, dumbfounded by the vast world of frost and cold. The power of the Stars was incredible.

“That's amazing...”

But that wasn't the point. What Ye Lan was most worried about now was what would happen to Bai Yu's mom.

Then Ye Lan noticed that Bai Yuan's car was slowing to a stop, too, as if it had lost control.

The other Night Watchers' abilities weren't just for show, either.

Bai Yuan carried Ye Qingya out of the hovercar. A cold aura surrounded him.

The Night Watchers closed in around them, as if delivering a final ultimatum.

“Stand down.”