A year passed. The Rainbow Alliance had long been disbanded. Those who had homes returned to their homes. Those who had sects returned to their sects. Many who witnessed the four sacred beasts would continue to tell it to their descendants for generations to come, even after the four mythical beasts had gone back into indefinite slumber.
"You're finally leaving," the Empress held back tears.
Nodding, Liu Guiya smiled. It had been two decades too long. Now that the dust had settled and the calamity was over, it was time for her to return to her rightful place.
The two women stared at a small longevity lock with an incomplete number of ribbons that did not match in colour. Even after a year, the memory remained vivid in everyone's mind.
Time could not cure all wounds. It simply made the pain more bearable. Life continued as long as the sun rose from the east. But memories lasted for a lifetime.
