Ju Xian sat in silence, her back straight, yet her soul was drifting like a leaf
in water. Her hands clutched the edge of the cushion as the last fragments
of her past life settled fully in her heart.
"I remember everything," she said aloud, voice soft but certain.
Taotao entered, his boots silent against the polished floor. He studied Ju Xian
for a long moment before speaking.
> "That explains why you've been staring at the floor like it confessed
something tragic."
Ju Xian turned her face toward him.
> "We died. In that war. I never reached my parents' grave. I never said
goodbye to Sky. And he waited… all these years."
Taotao shrugged, trying to appear casual. "He's a loyal bird. Much better
than people, if you ask me."
> "This isn't a joke."
He folded his arms. "Didn't say it was. But tears won't bring back what's
lost."
She stood suddenly.
> "I want to see Sky. I want to take him with me."
As she reached for her robe, the door opened, and General Yuwen entered.
His expression was unreadable, but his presence quieted the room.
> "Sky is under the Emperor's protection now," he said calmly. "He cannot
be handed over without consent."
Ju Xian's jaw clenched.
> "He is not an artifact. He is not a tool. He's family."
> "And the Emperor considers him a living relic of the late empror son Ren
Xu and the battlefield healer, Li Xian."
> "Which we are."
> "Perhaps. But the court needs proof, not emotion."
The general muttered dryly, "Sometimes memory returns with time. Or with
pain."
Lian gave him a side glance.
> "We cannot act recklessly. If you truly want to reclaim Sky, you must do it
the proper way."
Ju Xian looked away, frustration tightening in her chest.
> "He waited for me."
> "Then wait a little longer," Lian said, softening. "And do it right. For his
sake."
She sat back down, feeling helpless again — but no longer alone.
And somewhere beyond the palace walls, Sky looked to the horizon, sensing
something was finally shifting