A Dance Farewell — Yulan

My children.

It’s been too long.

I wrapped my daughters in a tight embrace. Fengxin still had that bright smile painted on her face. Linhua still had her gentle gaze, watching over her younger sister.

That was not how they looked the last time I saw them. Back then, both of them had genuine terror in their eyes, and their bodies were shivering uncontrollably.

My children had brought me back to a small hut where they resided. Delight swelled at seeing my daughters again, but once I got hold of my emotions, something struck me.

Illusions were an unusual occurrence in Elysium. They can only be generated using illusion orbs—one of the orbs on the rarer side of the spectrum. But due to a scarring experience of fighting monsters who were former illusionists, I’ve developed a sixth sense that gives me the ability to recognise an illusion.

I embraced my children, but something felt off. That sense tingled without end.

Even with just common sense, it wouldn’t be hard to notice that the children in front of me aren’t Fengxin and Linhua. They were just shadows of them, gathered from pieces of my memory. That meant an illusionist was around. Suppose my daughters had indeed survived—which, to my dismay, is not possible. I witnessed my dear Linhua’s death with my own eyes—they would’ve grown into flourishing young women already. Four years had already flown by since their passing; there was no way they would still possess the look of a child.

Yet in front of me stood the sweetest of smiles on the face of a child, not a young woman. My heart melted again and again, and tears began to run down uncontrollably.

Why did the illusionist have to torture me like this?

I know I won’t be able to see their smiles again, or witness their growth—

Showing me something that didn’t exist, something I’d never get, was truly painful. It was as if the illusionist had deliberately pierced a hole in my heart.

“Mother? Is something wrong? Why are you crying?” Linhua patted my head in an attempt to comfort me, “There, there.”

I put on a happy smile, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about mommy.”

Fengxin pouted, “Stop faking it, Mom! You know you can tell me anything! Whatever you want, I can try to make it happen!”

The rational thing to do when approached by an illusion was to destroy it. Illusions were dangerous, and being close to one could cause your mind to be blurred, making people unable to make logical decisions. I learned that the hard way.

But seeing the faces of my daughters, I was unable to raise my sword. A lump was stuck in my throat, and I didn’t know what to do. My mind was becoming increasingly fuzzy.

I didn’t know what the illusionist had wanted, but to me, it seemed like he didn’t want to cause damage, but to create a place where the dreams of visitors could be fulfilled. Perhaps I could stay with my girls a bit longer…maybe the illusionist meant no harm.

Then my mind turned to Himari and Meilin. If the illusions deliberately separated us from each other, that meant they were likely in the same situation as I was in. I knew Meilin was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but Himari doesn’t know one bit about protecting herself. That crowd who claimed to be her fans must be illusions. That's not good.

I slapped myself, trying to focus, but the effects of the illusions were overwhelming, and I was beginning to lose my ability to think properly.

One thing I know is that Himari could be in danger. I wasn’t able to save my daughters, and that engraved a hole in my heart. I joined Meilin’s party in hopes I could fill that empty hole. If I lose Himari and Meilin too, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

I looked at the illusions of my daughters. They were staring at me intently. I must say, for an illusion, they were replicated perfectly. Every detail was meticulously crafted, as if the illusionist had conducted a thorough search through my memories to recreate Fengxin and Linhua.

I had so many things I wanted to do with my daughters, but time was running out.

I finally decided on one thing. Instead of killing the illusions, I would bid farewell to Fengxin and Linhua by dancing.

Tian Wu—the traditional dance of Tian Cheng. It’s performed in festivals, and used to glorify the gods from above. It was my daughter's favourite dance. And I’m going to dance for them, the girls in front of me, as well as my girls in the sky—one last time.

I began by humming the melody softly. The girls observed silently. I wasn’t wearing the appropriate garments for a dance, but it didn’t matter.

“I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, my dear Fengfeng and Huahua.” The tips of my mouth curled up. It might’ve just been my imagination, but the soft background music of Eikasia changed into a festive one, matching my dance perfectly, as if the illusionist themselves had lent me their stage.

Whoever you might be, illusionist, thank you for assisting in my performance.

My arms waved to the rhythm, my feet tapped to the beat. The children's hands clasped, eyes shining as if they truly remembered.

As soon as I finished my dance, a knock came from the door. The children peeked out curiously. I opened the door, and Meilin stood on the front porch with an elf sitting in a chair.

“Ah, Meilin, great timing.” I smiled. The poor child seemed tired, dark eye circles were visible under her eyes, and she looked grumpy. Perhaps because of the smug elf at her side? Even at a first glance, the elf was clearly prideful, sitting cross-legged on the chair like a boss. But despite everything, Meilin’s face lit up at the sight of me.

“Yulan, let’s go look for the creator of Eikasia!”

I gasped softly, surprised by the absurd idea. What idea did the elf give Meilin?

I looked back at the hut. The children were no longer in sight. I breathed out. I’ve finally gotten a second chance to bid my children farewell properly, something I didn’t get to do in the midst of the chaos four years ago. My heart felt lighter. I felt content. Maybe I’m finally starting to let go.

“Okay.”

I followed Meilin and the elf to find the others.

I wonder what that child is up to.

She requested to meet the creator of Eikasia; I assume she meant the illusionist.

What brilliant plan did she have in that intelligent mind of hers?