Reborn to find you

The voices in her head echoed through her body as she floated through oblivion. There was no sky above and no ground below, it was just a wide quietness and emptiness. Time did not exist here, and she floated on, asleep with eyes shut. She was now inside the life pearl. The heavenly womb of reincarnation. She rotated silently in an unseen realm, a realm where souls were made and destinies were rewritten. The life pearl held the power to decide who she would become when she was reborn, where she would go from here, and if she would remember any part of her past life. Her mind was clouded and blocked, her body was weightless and translucent, she tried to remember how long she had been here, but she could not. She was suspended between death and rebirth. She could not remember what it felt like to breathe and live. She could not remember her name. But this jade ring she held pulsed with so much life. Its warmth filled her in this empty and cold realm. Its surface was smoothly carved with ancient runes, and it brought her a strange kind of solace. She did not know why she had it or what it was, she just knew it was important. She tightened her ghostly fingers around it like her life depended on it. From time to time, a face appeared in her mind. It was blurry and shadowy under a setting sun. His hand was reaching out to her with eyes filled with love and agony. Her heart raced whenever the thought crossed her mind. It was as if something in her soul was remembering what her mind had forgotten. The jade pulsed again with a soft beat, like a heartbeat that was not hers. 'Does this belong to me or him?. Why is it so precious? ...I forced him inside to rescue him.....'. She struggled to get a hold of the memories, but they were like smoke, and they slipped right through her tiny fingers. Then, she heard a sound echoing through the stillness, it was soft and faint. A voice barely above a whisper. "Xue......". 'That name had to be mine. ' A soft breeze moved in the stillness, and for a split second, she remembered the wind, tall trees, and a blue sky above a rose field. 'That field ...yes, that field where we often played as kids'. There were more flashes of kids playing, and echoes of laughter rang. A boy whose dark hair shone like the sun ran beside her. The scent of roses filled the air, and his gentle little hands brushed against hers. Then, she heard the echoes of the name. "Yong". The name slightly escaped her heavy lips. She suddenly opened her eyes. She did not know how she remembered the name, but she did. The jade shone brighter and throbbed harder as if it was responding from its sleep to the name she spoke. The memories hit her like lightning now, but this time with more emotion. The face remained blurry, but she felt it, the strong feeling of love, grief, desperation, and fear. She saw it clearer, his life was slipping away, she screamed and broke her body apart to save his soul. She tore him from his body and led him to this vessel, her jade ring. "I saved him and lost myself". She whispered. The void that surrounded her shook violently. Waves of energy moved through the stillness as it was drawn to her jade's growing energy. Her body began to form into a solid mass, little by little, though she was still far from human. She studied her hands, they were pale and ghostly. The pearl's light reflected her image; long white hair that reached down to her waist, a pretty unfamiliar face, and eyes that shone brightly. "Who am I?". She whispered. She tried to connect deeper with the jade for his face and the memories again, but all she felt was overwhelming emotions. The fear of losing a fierce battle that disrupted even the heavens. Then it came to her, the battle. The sky was ablaze, her sister's eyes lit with fury, and she defied her father and sister to save a boy who swore to annihilate every one of her kind. The war raged, and there was blood and sacrifice. She shivered and clutched the jade ring in her hand like she was protecting it. "I chose you above all odds". She whispered to the soul in the jade. Even if the universe called it treason. But what next?. Floating in this void, will the pearl let her keep her memories when she is reincarnated? Will their sacrifice go down to the drain? "I will find you..". She whispered again into the jade. A wave hit her, she could feel the pearl awakening, observing her, and deciding her fate. Her silent pleas manifested into screams. "I must find him. No matter what form I take, please let me remember.... please!!". And she broke down in tears. She held the jade closely to her chest and shut her eyes. "I do not need anything, not my name or powers. Just allow me to find him when I am reborn". She pleaded with the pearl. The pearl's light surrounded her as it grew stronger. She cried more as she feared this was the end of her love life that defied even the Supreme Lord, and the beginning of a new life. The voice from the jade echoed again, broken and weak, like a fading smoke. "Xue......". And all of a sudden, everything fell apart. A strong light approached until it swallowed her whole. But she did not waver, she held on tightly to the jade that held her lover's soul. And so, her descent into a new world began. Her name is Xue, the great Tengshe. She is the daughter of the Supreme Lord, Tai Shang, and this is the story behind her rebirth.