Peace. It was not just an absence of chaos, but a tangible, beautiful presence. The spider lily garden was a living painting of victory, each red blossom a testament to resilience, each birdsong a note of hard-won serenity. Yet, the final blessing, the most cherished one, was still to come.
As they breathed in the tranquil air, savoring these last moments of shared calm before returning to their own worlds, she appeared.
She stood in the heart of the garden, her dress the same vibrant red as the lilies around her. A soft, weary smile graced her face, and her eyes, though shining with affection, were undeniably swollen. The evidence of her earlier tears was a silent badge of the battle fought and won.
Her creations—no, her virtual family—turned as one. There was no hesitation, only a collective movement toward their center, their source.
"Wèi's mom is back!" Kirihito cried, his voice pure joy. He ran to her, arms spread wide like great swan wings, his long black hair streaming behind him, a delightfully creepy-cute smile on his face.
Suji and Wùji exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between the brothers before they followed.
Sozai's grin was brilliant, triumphant. "We should celebrate our creator's comeback!" he announced, his lotus-green aura sparkling with familiar mischief once more. "We have to seal her here in our memories! She should never, ever forget us!" His dramatics were a welcome return to normalcy.
Língxi smiled faintly at Kage Ou before moving forward. "She looks… happy now," he whispered, relief softening his features.
Kage Ou chuckled low in his throat, arms crossing over his chest. "Your words never fail," he murmured, the possessive pride in his voice unmistakable.
"How are my loving babies?~" she said, her voice thick with affection. Her hands opened like flowers, ready to cup their faces.
A wave of almost shy smiles passed through the group, the irony not lost on them—they all stood taller, older than the young woman who had willed them into being.
"Wèi is your baby!!" Kirihito declared, playfully nudging his way to the front to claim her hands. He pressed his cheek into her palms, his black hair spilling like ink over her pale skin, his cheeks puffing out like an adorable pufferfish.
"Of course, of course… all of you are my babies," she chuckled, a faint, happy pink coloring her cheeks.
Kage Ou and Sozai drifted closer, a shared, mischievous energy crackling between them. They sized her up, biting their lips to hold back identical smirks. In unison, they teased, "You're short!~"
The others giggled at the irreverent affection.
"What are you doing to her? She's our creator…" Língxi chided softly, a hand near his mouth, his eyes gentle.
"We are too big to be her sons," Kage Ou said lightly, his eyes—usually so dark—now a warm, visible red. "We are worthy… to be husbands more~" he added, the playful edge in his voice unmistakable.
Língxi's cheeks flushed. "Have some censor," he hissed faintly, though there was no real heat in it.
She playfully puffed out her own cheeks, mirroring Kirihito perfectly. For a moment, they looked like mischievous twins before breaking into matching giggles.
"No wonder that snake was her first and youngest baby," Wùji commented dryly. "Their behavior matches more than ours." Suji gave a single, agreeing nod beside him.
"I've lightened the mood, as always~ See?" Sozai said, almost pridefully, as he bent down so she could cup his face. His eyes turned doe-like, and he let out a soft, contented purr at her touch.
"Yes, always," she said fondly, her fingers tenderly messing his silky black hair. "But this time, all of you did."
"Hey~ don't mess up my beautiful hair," Sozai pretended to whine, a playful wink following. "Or… you know it's an important part. How will I… impress him without it?~"
She nodded knowingly, her gaze flickering to Yurei. Yurei blinked, his expression stubbornly adorable.
"Where is my white birdie?~" she called sweetly, searching the crowd of beautiful men.
Língxi peeked out shyly, a soft smile painting his cheeks a delicate rose-red, like a white bird that had dipped its face in wine.
"He's my white bird, too," Kage Ou muttered, looking away as if he'd said nothing at all. But she heard it, and her smile deepened.
Língxi bent to her level. His eyes, usually like shards of ice, were soft, melted pools. She traced the line of his cheekbones, brushed his soft white eyelashes, and then pressed a tender, lingering kiss to his forehead, right upon the delicate gem there.
His eyes fluttered shut, a sigh of pure contentment escaping him. She handled him with a reverence reserved for something precious and fragile, gently fixing a strand of his white hair that glowed softly against her wrist.
"Wèi needs more…" Kirihito mumbled, already trying to wiggle back into her hands.
She sighed softly, a happy sound, and opened her arms wider, pulling both Kirihito and Língxi close in a hug. She seemed almost guilty for being smaller, her arms unable to encompass them all at once. Still, she spread them in a silent, universal invitation.
Wùji, Suji, Kage Ou, Kansai, Kyoren, and Kuradome stepped into the circle of her small arms, each wearing a small, peaceful smile.
"We'll hug you whenever you're sad," Língxi promised, his voice warm and quiet.
She smiled, nuzzling her face into the softness of their sleeves and hair. "I ruined your day this time…"
"Wèi knows you were sad," Kirihito mumbled, his voice growing sleepy with comfort.
"As we said… we just want you to stay with us," Língxi continued. "Even if nobody claps for us. Even if nobody else reads us. Our very first reader, the one who loves us most deeply, is you." His soft smile was a blessing in itself, echoed on the faces around him.
"We still had fun," Sozai added, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "The way we fought… the way we talked… that felt like more than just fluffy conversation. It felt real."
Moved, she couldn't help but press gentle kisses to the cheeks of Kirihito, Língxi, and Sozai. Then she looked around. "Where are my Hàngwō, my Yin Lan jade, and my Lanxie?~"
Wùji, Suji, and Xio drew closer. Today seemed to be for pouring out the affection she often kept guarded. Her touch was especially tender on Wùji's cheeks. Wùji, who thrived on physical warmth, seemed to grow heavy-lidded, leaning into the sensation.
"Next time, we'll have a beautiful picnic here, okay?" she said softly, her fingers carding through Wùji's violet hair. The others nodded with smiles. Only Wùji was silent, too lost in the feeling, utterly drained from bearing the world's weight.
"Okay?" she whispered near his ear.
He slowly opened his eyes and gave a single, soft hum of a nod.
"Ah, my violet jade is too tired," she murmured, letting her face rest lightly against his hair.
Wùji seemed to lose the last of his tension, leaning heavily into her small frame as if he'd found his only anchor of peace.
"You really do carry a large part of me… my tiredness flows into you, too," she whispered, careful to keep her voice soft for his sensitive ears. "I'm sorry…" Her voice began to fade slightly at the edges.