“Bai Yu’s here!”

Ye Lan skidded to a stop beside Yexing, then gently set Bai Yu down from her arms.

“Mm...”

Bai Yu slowly opened her eyes. She’d been keeping them shut, but now she realized she’d left the hospital.

She looked around in a daze. A crowd of strangers stood there like statues.

“Where am I?”

Then Bai Yu spotted a familiar man. It was her dad, who came to visit her every now and then.

“Dad?”

Bai Yuan froze, too.

He hadn’t expected things to happen exactly as Yexing had said—to actually bring Bai Yu here.

“Little Yu...”

“It really is Dad...”

The moment Bai Yu saw Bai Yuan, her face lit up.

After all, he was her dad.

Even though he rarely came to visit, she loved being hugged by him. It made her feel warm and safe.

Then Bai Yu remembered that Ye Lan had said she was bringing her to see Mom.

Where was Mom?

Only then did Bai Yu notice the figure lying in her dad’s arms. She was a beautiful woman, and Bai Yu felt an instant closeness to her.

Bai Yu had seen pictures of her mom. She recognized her at once.

“Mom...”

Bai Yu’s eyes immediately filled with tears. She wanted to go to her, but after taking one step, she backed away. She seemed afraid this was only an illusion, a dream that wasn’t real—that it would shatter the moment she got close.

She wanted so badly to run over and throw herself into her mom’s arms, to cling to her and cry.

But she was so scared, too.

Scared it was all an illusion. Scared she’d blink and be back in that empty hospital room.

Ye Qingya was looking at Bai Yu, too. Her eyes were full of warmth, and she gave her a lovely, if somewhat strained, smile.

“Little Yu, Mom kept her promise and came to see you. Are you happy?”

“Uhh...”

Tears were already streaming down Bai Yu’s cheeks. She kept wiping them away, but they wouldn’t stop—as if all her pent-up feelings were bursting out at once.

“Little Yu, don’t cry. Come here...” Ye Qingya held out her hand.

Bai Yu walked toward her carefully and gently placed her hand on her mom’s. But the moment they touched, she seemed to try to pull away—only for Ye Qingya to catch her hand.

“You don’t have to be scared. Don’t you want to see Mom?”

“No... I’m so happy, but I don’t know why I can’t stop crying. I finally get to see you, and I don’t even know what to do. I used to imagine throwing myself into your arms and clinging to you, but... but...”

At a moment like this, Bai Yu didn’t cry like a little child at all. Her helplessness showed in every possible way.

Yexing and Ye Lan looked like they were about to cry, too.

“I’ve got something in my eyes...”

How could she be this contagious?

As for the Night Watchers, they remained standing quietly where they were, making no further move.

Maybe the Star Eclipse hadn’t affected them. Maybe their leader simply hadn’t given an order. Either way, they watched in silence.

Bai Yu noticed that something was wrong with her mom, too.

Ye Qingya was lying in Bai Yuan’s arms, looking pale, with strange black wisps floating over her body.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing... I’m sorry, Little Yu. I think I’m the reason your body became like this. But I’ve found a way to make you healthy again...”

Even at the very end, Ye Qingya’s eyes were still clear, still full of hope and joy, as if she were finally able to fulfill one of her deepest wishes.

The Night Watchers also sensed the Star Eclipse energy around Ye Qingya growing stronger. It seemed ready to spread, and they all tensed up.

Bai Yuan tightened his arms around Ye Qingya. As if he could already guess what was coming, he slowly closed his eyes, not wanting anyone to see the sorrow in them.

With Bai Yuan’s help, Ye Qingya got to her feet, seemingly regaining her strength.

The black wisps rising from her body grew thicker and thicker. Anyone who came into contact with them would surely be cursed.

The Stars ability [Life Curse] could make any living creature’s life force rapidly wither away. It was Bai Yu’s Stars ability, too.

But Bai Yu couldn’t control it, and the resonance with Ye Qingya’s Stars ability backfired on her frail body, cursing her as well.

Now Ye Qingya had become a Star Eclipse. Her unwavering fixation was keeping her mind intact, and it was also changing the very nature of her Stars.

Her greatest fixation was her love for Bai Yu.

Now it was time to put an end to this.

Ye Qingya stroked Bai Yu’s head and smiled gently. “Take Mom’s final blessing.”

“Huh?”

Black wisps began to appear on Bai Yu’s skin, as if something were being drawn out of her.

She suddenly felt strange. Something inside her was changing, little by little, and warmth spread through her body.

“What’s happening...?”

People could influence the Stars.

The same was true of the Star Eclipse.

Ye Qingya had triggered the Star Eclipse, but she’d managed to keep most of her mind intact. She was using her life and power to change the very nature of the Stars, turning the Life Curse into a... Life Blessing.

The weakness in Bai Yu’s body was steadily fading, as if sunlight were driving away the darkness.

By now, the black wisps around Ye Qingya had changed color, turning gold.

After removing the hidden danger in Bai Yu’s body, Ye Qingya smiled with satisfaction. Her gaze grew even more tender, though it was also filled with deep reluctance.

She crouched down and hugged Bai Yu, speaking softly. “I’m sorry I can only stay with you this long. I hope you’ll listen to Dad and your big sister after I’m gone. Mom loves you...”

Bai Yu stared at her, stunned. She’d already realized what was happening.

When she saw her mom’s figure begin to turn hazy, she wrapped her arms tightly around her.

“Don’t leave me!”

Bai Yu had known what death meant for a long time.

Fear welled up inside her. She clung to her mom and didn’t dare let go.

But Ye Qingya’s body gradually grew hazier, and the life within her slowly began to fade.

Changing the Stars that shared her origin came at a price.

Not everyone would dare pay that price. But Ye Qingya had the courage—and the reason—to bear it.

Bai Yu was her reason.

“Goodbye...”

As the golden wisps vanished, Ye Qingya’s life came to an end.

This was an ending that couldn’t be changed.

Ye Lan and Yexing watched in sorrowful silence. They suddenly felt so weak, so useless.

In the end, it seemed they’d only been able to change a tiny little bit.

“Waaah—!”

Bai Yu burst into tears, letting all her emotions out as they streamed endlessly down her face.

Bai Yuan went over and held her, gently patting her back as he tried to keep himself together.

Bai Yu was here. He absolutely couldn’t lose control—not when his heart was wavering and he was in so much pain.

If he lost control, Bai Tu would be all Bai Yu had left.

The Night Watchers bowed their heads in silence, paying their highest respects to a former comrade who had passed away.

And in that very second, time and space seemed to stand still.

Yexing and Ye Lan appeared in a dark space. A white point of light floated before them.

“So that’s the story?”

Ye Lan fell silent for a moment.

“Yeah.”