What Still Blooms
422 Words
They left the ruined temple behind.
Fenghua carried Fenglei on her back for the first three days. She never complained. Neither did Li Shun, even though his ribs were cracked and his steps slowed by pain. The storm had passed, but the weight of what had happened still clung to them like dust.
On the fourth morning, Fenglei woke.
She sat up slowly, blinking at the sunlight streaming through the canopy above.
“You saved me,” she said.
Fenghua nodded.
“Why?”
“Because you’re my sister.”
Fenglei looked away. “That word doesn’t undo what I did. I almost—”
“Burned the world?” Fenghua offered. “Yes. But you didn’t.”
She offered her a waterskin.
Fenglei drank, then whispered, “I wanted to be chosen. I wanted to matter.”
“You do,” Fenghua said. “You just forgot that being loved isn’t weakness.”
⸻
They made their way to the southern mountains, where an ancient shrine still whispered with the magic of Lian Yue’s bloodline. It was quiet, wrapped in vines and moonlight. There, Fenghua lit incense for their parents.
“Wherever you are,” she said aloud, “I hope you know I kept the flame safe.”
And for the first time in days, she felt peace.
⸻
Li Shun stayed behind at the shrine. His injuries needed time. But Fenghua and Fenglei traveled on — together.
They visited forgotten towns, helped rebuild temples, and in secret, kept watch over the shifting stars.
Fenghua learned to laugh again.
She taught Fenglei how to fish.
Fenglei, in turn, began to smile — uncertainly, but sincerely.
The bond between them grew, not from blood alone, but from shared silence, forgiveness, and the choice to try again.
⸻
One Evening
They sat by the river, watching the sky bloom with stars.
“I’ve never had a future before,” Fenglei said. “I don’t know what to do with it.”
Fenghua chuckled. “None of us do. We just live it.”
Fenglei turned to her. “You’re not afraid?”
“Every day,” Fenghua admitted. “But I’m more afraid of letting fear decide who I become.”
They sat for a long time.
Then Fenglei asked quietly, “Do you think they’d be proud of us?”
Fenghua stared up at the sky — at two stars glowing side by side, brighter than all the others.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I think they already are.”
- Writer
