Shackles of Humanity

Lu Qing’s words sounded like her last, throwing Luo Kai into a complete panic. His breathing grew heavy and his heart began to race uncontrollably. ”Qing’Er, what’s happening?” he asked urgently.

Lu Qing leaned in and brushed a kiss against his lips, whispering, ”From now on, when you miss me, look at the moon. I’m just going to sleep for a little while. I’ll wake up soon.” After she spoke, the light in her eyes dimmed. Her breathing ceased, and she seemed to drift off into a deep, deep sleep.

...

In the Starry Sky, the solitary moon traced its ancient, unchanging orbit around the Earth. On its far side, nestled within a massive crater, rested a sleek, light Blue spaceship. Inside the vessel’s stasis bay, a young woman identical to Lu Qing awoke from a deep slumber. She floated gently toward a brightly lit Tongming shield and gazed down at the azure planet below. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye. She touched her cheek, bewildered, then stared at the crystal-clear drop on her fingertip. With a wistful sigh, she murmured, ”Human emotions are truly peculiar.”

A cold, mechanical voice sounded by her ear, ”Princess, how may I be of service?”

The young woman’s expression smoothed over, becoming impassive. ”How long was I asleep?” she asked coolly.

”Twenty years, ten months, and three days of the Earth Era.”

The young woman murmured, ”We’ve been trapped here for over a thousand years?”

The mechanical voice replied, ”Yes. The recent black hole collision triggered a massive gamma-ray burst. This Star Realm is engulfed in an Energy tide, and some physical laws have been nullified. We currently have no means of departure.”

”Any word from the Matrice?”

”Yes. The Matrice requests that you transmit the results generated since the dawn of Earth’s civilization.”

The young woman shook her head. ”The terrestrial species is in the Early Stage of its civilizational emergence. The data is incomplete. There’s no need to transmit it.”

”Understood. I will relay your reply to the Matrice.”

The young woman turned her gaze to the planet below once more, murmuring two words: ”Luo Kai...”

...

Luo Kai stood frozen, cradling Lu Qing’s breathless body. Overwhelming sorrow flooded his entire being. The world outside seemed to sense his mood; the temperature plummeted as a bitter north wind howled to life.

The cold wind shrieked in his ears, and his heart grew as cold and sharp as the gale. He lowered his head and kissed Lu Qing’s cheek, a tear tracing a path down his own.

He stared blankly at Lu Qing’s serene, beautiful face, and a phrase suddenly echoed in his mind: ’Those born under the Celestial Killer Star have a fate so unyielding they are destined for a life of lonely wandering. Those with this Destiny Chart are typically cursed with the Seven Calamities: bringing misfortune to family, harm to mentors, ruin to friends, remaining without heirs, destroying all they touch, failing in all endeavors, and living a loveless life!’

He threw his head back and let out a long, agonized roar. Immediately, thunder rumbled in the sky. Countless water molecules rapidly coalesced, and the rain turned to hail mid-fall, pelting the earth in large, heavy stones.

The icy sting of the hail jolted him. A thought suddenly struck him, and clutching Lu Qing’s corpse, he took off in a sprint. He frantically accelerated his heartbeat, going so far as to burn his own lifeblood until he was practically flying. By the time he reached Longyang City, it was still before dawn.

Granny Hua’s small courtyard was as fragrant as ever, but the Zilan plant was now just a withered stalk. Luo Kai’s heart plunged into despair. Lu Qing’s cryptic final words had made him think of the Zilan, which was said to have a genetic entanglement with her. But now, the Zilan was dead, too.

Luo Kai collapsed to the ground, still holding Lu Qing’s body. He sat there until a sigh sounded beside him. ”Young man, don’t be so grieved. Some things are bound to happen, sooner or later.”

Luo Kai turned his head and said numbly, ”Granny, Qing’Er is dead.”

It was Granny Hua who had spoken. She walked over and, with a look of loving kindness, gently took Lu Qing from Luo Kai’s arms. ”Death is not the end,” she said softly.

A sliver of hope sparked in Luo Kai’s heart. He asked hurriedly, ”Granny, what do you mean?”

Granny Hua pointed to the Star-filled Starry Sky. ”Some compare all Living Creatures to the stars above. Every Star represents a life. But even stars must eventually fall.”

Luo Kai shook his head in confusion, showing he didn’t understand.

Granny Hua continued, ”In your opinion, which is more important for life: the survival of the consciousness, or the survival of the body?”

Luo Kai thought for a moment. To him, consciousness was heaven and the body was earth—one could not exist without the other. But if he had to choose, consciousness was more important. ’I think, therefore I am.’ A body without a mind was just an empty shell. ”Consciousness?” he ventured.

”Correct. The Living Creatures of our world are Innately formed of flesh and blood, and their consciousness is something Acquired. But there are Living Creatures from another world who are the complete opposite. They are Innately formed from various kinds of Energy, and only later do they acquire a physical body!”

Luo Kai’s expression changed. ”Are you talking about Extraterrestrial Creatures?”

Granny Hua carried Lu Qing into the house, speaking as she walked. ”When Qing’Er was born, an Astrologer from the Dongyuan Kingdom’s Astronomical Observatory read her fortune. He prophesied she wouldn’t live past the age of three. Sure enough, when Qing’Er turned three, she fell gravely ill. She had already stopped breathing, but then... she came back to life.”

Granny Hua laid Lu Qing on the bed and turned back to continue. ”Zilan and Qing’Er share an Element entanglement. It was through Zilan that I learned the truth. A powerful will was sustaining her vital functions. Now that will has departed, and Qing’Er’s consciousness was naturally taken along with it. If I’m not mistaken, this will likely belongs to one of the Extraterrestrial Creatures. They enjoy observing human lives—sometimes even experiencing them firsthand.”

”Taken where?” Luo Kai asked. He recalled Lu Qing’s strange behavior before. ’It was like something else had possessed her body and mind.’

”I don’t know. The only reason I know Qing’Er’s consciousness still exists is because of Zilan.” Granny Hua brought over a small flowerpot from the windowsill. Inside was a light purple plant. As if sensing Luo Kai, its tender stalk and leaves swayed gently toward him.

”Is that Zilan?”

”Yes.” A hint of warmth touched Granny Hua’s face. She reached out and stroked the Zilan’s leaves. They immediately contracted, and in a moment, the entire plant had transformed into a single, light-purple seed. Granny Hua removed a necklace she was wearing; it had a locket the size of a peanut shell. Placing the Zilan seed inside, she handed it to Luo Kai. ”If you want to find Qing’Er, you’ll have to rely on this Zilan.”

...

Luo Kai left Longyang City. As if he’d lost all purpose in life, he wandered the wilderness in a stupor. He didn’t know how much time had passed before his stomach began to cramp with hunger. He tore out weeds from the roadside and chewed on them, but the more he ate, the hungrier he became. He got down on all fours like a grazing animal and kept eating. Much later, a warmth finally spread through his stomach. Following a familiar scent, he reached the Nili Long Riverbank and plunged into the water.

Luo Kai returned to Wanghai Cliff. The Small Fishing Village was overgrown with weeds, and the surrounding farmlands and orchards lay abandoned. The old fisherman’s grave had gone untended for a long time, with no one to pay respects. The world had long since forgotten him.