At the very front of the Night Watchers stood a mature, steady man around Bai Yuan’s age.

The man looked at Bai Yuan with a grave expression. “Stand down.”

Bai Yuan raised his head and stared at him. Calmly, he said, “Xiao Jin, if you still consider me your brother, then let me through.”

“It’s because I still consider you my brother that I can’t let you do whatever you want!”

Xiao Jin was a Radiant Sun Rank Night Watcher, one of their strongest forces for breaking through enemy lines.

Bai Yuan knew that with Xiao Jin here, there was no way he could take Ye Qingya away, no matter how hard he fought.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve ever asked you for anything.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a Night Watcher first. I can’t agree to this.”

Bai Yuan gritted his teeth. The Stars within him showed signs of slipping out of control.

The temperature around them kept dropping. The wind was icy, and most of the Night Watchers had ordinary people’s physical strength. They couldn’t withstand such extreme cold.

Xiao Jin roared, “Bai Yuan! Are you going to lose control too? Think of your daughter!”

“Qingya just wants to see Bai Yu one last time before she goes! You won’t even allow her that one small wish?” Bai Yuan roared back.

Xiao Jin froze. “What are you talking about? Qingya has already become a Star Eclipse! Letting a highly infectious Star Eclipse near your daughter—have you lost your mind?”

“I haven’t lost my mind! Qingya is trying her hardest to hold it back. She’s still conscious!”

“!!!”

Xiao Jin looked at the figure in Bai Yuan’s arms. The black mist rising from her body really was staying close to her. Even Bai Yuan, pressed against her, had barely been affected.

Xiao Jin saw her eyes. Unlike the strange eyes of the Star Eclipse hosts he’d seen before, hers were clear and full of emotion.

Just then, a Night Watcher beside him spoke up.

“Captain... The life signs of the person in Bai Yuan’s arms are growing weaker. The Star Eclipse reaction is declining too...”

“What?!”

Bai Yuan, too, began to feel the body in his arms growing weaker.

“Qingya! Hang on. We’re almost there. Just a little farther...”

“I’m sorry... Bai Yuan. This is as far as I can go... It’s a shame I couldn’t see Bai Yu one last time, but as long as she’s alive, I can rest easy...”

Ye Qingya placed a hand on Bai Yuan’s face and looked at his bloodshot eyes with a pained expression.

“Thank you for granting my selfish wish. You don’t have to trouble yourself anymore...”

Ye Qingya gave Bai Yuan a gentle smile, then slowly closed her eyes.

At the same time, the black mist rising from her skin gradually faded, and her life signs slowly disappeared, like a candle guttering in the wind.

The Night Watchers stared blankly at the motionless figure in Bai Yuan’s arms.

“The Star Eclipse presence... It’s gone.”

Bai Yuan knelt on the ground, his eyes vacant, holding Ye Qingya’s hand. All warmth had left her body.

The scene fell utterly silent. Not a soul spoke, as if they were observing a moment of silence.

Xiao Jin let out a silent sigh and started toward Bai Yuan, intending to pat him on the shoulder.

But at that moment, an utterly terrifying presence burst from within Bai Yuan. The Star Eclipse presence surged once more!

“Bai Yuan!” Xiao Jin cried out in alarm.

At the sound of his voice, Bai Yuan turned to look at Xiao Jin. There was no light left in his eyes, as if his heart had died.

“Xiao Jin, take care of Bai Tu and Bai Yu for me. Please...”

The next second, the Star Eclipse presence vanished, as if it had only been an illusion.

When everyone looked back at Bai Yuan, they saw that his body had turned to ice. He, too, was lifeless.

The moment Ye Qingya died, the despair in Bai Yuan’s heart caused his Stars to lose control.

In that instant, he chose to end his own life and follow his wife into death.

The entire scene was silent.

“Ah...”

Ye Lan stared blankly at the two lifeless bodies. She reached out, then pulled her hand back.

So sad.

How had things ended up like this?

Were the Stars to blame for this tragedy?

Was it because of the Star Eclipse?

Or was it the other Night Watchers’ fault?

Bai Yu’s parents had died like this.

Her mother had only wanted to see Bai Yu one last time. So she let herself become a Star Eclipse to lessen the effect she had on Bai Yu. Even when she was close to her, she wouldn’t hurt her.

After becoming a Star Eclipse, she had kept her sanity, suppressing its power so it wouldn’t affect those around her. She’d held on for as long as she could.

But the Night Watchers had a duty to fulfill. With so little information, they’d rushed out and blocked the two from going any farther.

Ye Qingya was already at her limit. Before she lost her sanity completely, she ended her own life.

Ye Qingya’s death plunged Bai Yuan into despair. His Stars lost control in an instant, and he chose to die as well.

Was that how the story went?

Just as Ye Lan’s spirits sank, she sensed something wrong with Bai Yu, too.

Inside the hospital room.

Bai Yu woke with a start from her deep sleep. She clutched her aching heart as tears streamed down her face, falling one by one to the floor.

“Why...? My heart hurts so much, like I’ve lost something important... Mom, Mom!”

Yexing felt it.

Cracks were appearing in the Stars within Bai Yu.

At that moment, Bai Yu could no longer bear the pain and lost consciousness. Medical staff rushed in to save her.

Yexing’s translucent figure stood among the crowd, dazed and lost. No one noticed her.

“I think I got something wrong... It wasn’t supposed to happen like this...”

Time flew by.

Bai Yu remained unconscious for four years, her life sustained by advanced equipment.

That year, Bai Tu was fifteen. She had awakened her Stars long ago and was already an intern at the Night Watchers Base.

Compared to before, she’d lost much of her energy. She rarely smiled, and always wore a distant expression around others.

After Bai Yu woke up, she seemed dazed and confused. Even after treatment helped her regain some ability to move, she barely moved at all.

Bai Tu stood beside Bai Yu. She was so happy her sister had woken up, but seeing her in this state broke her heart.

“Bai Yu... You’re finally awake.”

“How long has it been?”

“Four years.”

“What about Dad and Mom?” Bai Yu’s voice trembled as she asked, on the verge of tears.

Bai Tu couldn’t lie to Bai Yu anymore.

“Dad and Mom have passed away.”

“......”

Bai Tu was filled with guilt.

She’d been born into a happy family and had enjoyed what could be called a whole childhood.

For a time, she’d had all of her parents’ love, free to enjoy both her father’s and her mother’s affection.

Even after Mom “got sick,” she’d been able to stay by her side and feel her mother gently stroke her head.

But Bai Yu hadn’t.

While Bai Tu had been happy from the moment she was born, Bai Yu had been struck by terrible misfortune as soon as she came into the world.

Bai Tu loved her family dearly, including her little sister.

Sometimes, Bai Tu even wondered: Why hadn’t she been the one to suffer this misfortune? Why had her little sister been made to bear it?

Why... hadn’t she been the one to inherit Mom’s Stars?