Amid the shower of light drifting across the sky, Na'er fell silent for an unusually long time.
She reached out and caught a golden fleck that had floated across the void. Watching it slowly fade in her palm, her eyes reddened. She turned and buried her face deep in Tang Linyuan's chest, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist, as though she feared he might turn into a shower of light and fly away at any moment.
"They knew they'd disappear completely if they rushed in. Why did they still do it?" Na'er's muffled voice came from against his chest, thick with tears.
Tang Linyuan raised a hand and gently stroked her silky silver hair. His gaze passed beyond the layers of starfields, and his voice was steady and warm.
"Because their lives were too short. Only by doing something so harrowing could they pass on their civilization and their lives." Tang Linyuan lowered his head and kissed the crown of her hair.
"But we're different, Na'er. We've already reached the pinnacle of the universe, with years as long as the stars themselves. You don't have to face that kind of parting between the living and the dead. No matter how the ages turn or the universe changes, I'll always be by your side."
Feeling her breathing gradually settle, Tang Linyuan patted her back. "Come on. There's a planet not far ahead where flowers bloom through all four seasons. Let's stay there for a few months."
Even amid the romance and tenderness, Tang Linyuan never forgot his duties as Speaker of the Star Alliance.
Early in their honeymoon, he had used the Primordial Beginning Origin to create thirty-six spiritual-sense avatars capable of independent analysis.
The avatars became invisible streaks of light and spread in a fan toward dozens of unknown