CHAPTER 47: 47. MEI SHEN FATHER ORGINS

AT THE SAME TIME

EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:

The chamber was too quiet. Mei Shen lay still, her breath soft but shallow, her skin pale beneath the silken sheets. Even in sleep, she looked like she was carrying the weight of two worlds, and maybe she was. I sat beside her, not touching, just watching, trying to hold myself together when everything else was unraveling. Then Rosalie has decided to speak again.

"She doesn’t remember." She said. "Not fully. Maybe she never will. But you should know the truth, Lianwei. Because you’re a part of her fate now, whether I like it or not."

I turned to her slowly, the phantom mother of the woman I loved. Her form flickered with grief and guilt.

"She wasn’t born on Earth." Rosalie continued, eyes locked on her sleeping daughter. "She was born here. In this realm. In a time of war, when generals razed cities and gods tore open the sky."

I stiffened.

"What are you saying?"I asked.

Rosalie didn’t blink.

"She’s not foreign. Not summoned. She is of this land, of blood and blade. She was mine, born in a fortress hidden deep in the west. And her father..."She started. "...Is Henry Blackstone."

The name dropped like a blade. I’d heard it in hushed war stories and bloody songs, the Ghost General, the Iron Wall, the man who vanished after carving a legacy into the bones of armies.

"You’re lying." I whispered. "Blackstone disappeared decades ago."

Rosalie shook her head slowly.

"He disappeared because I asked him to. Because we were hunted. I made a deal with a god, with Zeyrith. I begged him to take Mei Shen and hide her in another world. Somewhere she would be safe. Somewhere the war couldn’t reach her."Rosalie said.

My mouth went dry.

"She was just a child." Rosalie said, voice cracking. "And I thought... I thought I would see her again. That I’d die later, rejoin her. I didn’t know he’d seal her memories. That she’d grow up never knowing who she was. Or that I would die and be trapped here, just a ghost watching her."

I turned back to Mei Shen, watching the rise and fall of her chest. Her body, her heart, had suffered more than I ever guessed. She had been made into a pawn by gods and ghosts alike, and I had just added to her burdens.

"You should have told me." I said. "You should’ve warned me."

Rosalie stepped forward, her face unreadable.

"Would it have changed anything?"She asked.

I didn’t answer. Because I wasn’t sure. Then the door creaked open. Huan stepped in, clutching his little wooden horse, his eyes wide with uncertainty. He tiptoed close, peeking at his mother before climbing onto the bed, curling into her side like a shadow returning home. Rosalie’s eyes softened.

"He looks like her. But he’s got your stubborn heart."She said.

I looked between them.

"And now... you want her to know the truth?"I asked.

Rosalie nodded.

"She deserves it. Before it destroys her."She said. "I know you met her on Earth. I know everything from Zeirith."

And for once... I agreed.

AT THE SAME TIME

MEI SHEN’S POINT OF VIEW:

My eyes opened slowly. At first, I thought I was still dreaming, the softness of the sheets, the warm weight of Huan curled against me, the distant sound of the wind brushing against the windowpane. But then I heard them. Voices. Low. Tense. Familiar. I didn’t move yet. I just listened.

"...born here." A woman was saying, her voice unmistakable. Rosalie. "She was mine. Born in this world. Her father... is Henry Blackstone."

My breath hitched. What? The world spun, too fast, too loud. I sat up without thinking, my heart crashing against my ribs. Huan stirred beside me, murmuring sleepily, but I barely registered it. My eyes locked on Rosalie, standing across from Lianwei, her form shimmering faintly in the lamplight.

"You lied to me." I said.

Both of them froze. My voice shook with fury and betrayal.

"You said I was from Earth. That I died. That I got reborn here."I said. "And I was born here and taken from Earth where YOU left me."

Rosalie turned slowly.

"Mei-"She started.

"Don’t." I snapped. "Don’t call me that like I’m still your little girl you abandoned in a storybook."

Lianwei rose, hands half lifted in quiet caution, but I wasn’t done.

"You let me live my whole life not knowing I belonged here." I said, my voice cracking. "Not knowing my own blood. My past. My real name. And now you drop it like it’s nothing?"

Tears blurred my vision , angry, exhausted tears. Rosalie took a step forward.

"I was trying to protect you-"She started.

"You stole my life." I spat. "And then you died and watched me suffer again and again. What kind of mother does that?"

There was a heavy silence. The chamber door swung open with a sound like a sword drawn from its sheath. A presence filled the room, powerful, grounded, terrifying in its calm. The man who entered looked like a war carved into flesh. His hair was silver, not from age, but from surviving too many winters. His eyes were like mine. His jaw, the same stubborn cut. And the way he looked at me, like seeing a ghost, it cracked something deep inside me.

"...Mei." He breathed.

My knees buckled, and I dropped back to the bed. Rosalie turned to him, her form flickering, voice small.

"Henry-"She started.

But he was already crossing to me, his boots heavy on the floor. And I... I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to scream. To run. To collapse.

"Is it really you?" I whispered, not knowing who I was asking.

Henry knelt before me slowly, hands trembling as if he didn’t dare touch me. His eyes were tearing up, not with battle, not with fire, but with the heartbreak of a father who lost everything.

"You look just like your mother when she was young." He said softly. "But fiercer. I thought... I’d never see you again."

I stared at him, frozen.

"I don’t know who I am anymore."I whispered.

He reached out slowly, palm open, not forcing, not demanding.

"You’re mine." He said. "That’s all that matters now."

And for the first time in what felt like lifetimes... I broke. I collapsed forward, letting him hold me. Letting my tears fall like the child I had never been allowed to be. Behind me, Lianwei stood in silence. And Rosalie watched with eyes full of everything she’d never said. I didn’t know how long I stayed there, wrapped in my father’s arms. It felt like a lifetime... or maybe just a moment stolen back from the gods. But for once, I didn’t feel like I was drifting anymore. I was rooted. I was held.

I had a father. I have a father. Henry didn’t say much. He didn’t have to. His presence alone warm, steady, protective in a way I’d only ever dreamed of spoke volumes. I could hear his heart beating, steady as a war drum. I could feel the strength in his arms, the gentleness he tried to hide beneath the scars. And somehow... that made it real.

Eventually, I leaned back. My cheeks were wet, but my heart was quieter now. Lianwei was still nearby, hovering with the kind of restraint that made me love him even more. Huan had woken and climbed into bed beside me, his little hands wrapping protectively around my arm as if he could ward off all the storms in the world. Madame Renee brought warm tea. The healer peeked in and smiled softly, muttering something about ’too many visitors for a resting empress.’ I gave her a look and she wisely left me be. Then, in the quiet that followed, I heard the soft, ever familiar chime.

"System notification. Emotional stability restored. Psychological balance improving. Maternal bond strength rising. Overall status: hopeful."System said.

"...You’re relieved." I whispered, smiling faintly.

The system hummed again, its voice warm and almost sheepish.

"We have been... concerned. You are not easy to anchor, Mei Shen. But you are loved."System said.

I chuckled quietly.

"You’re getting soft."I said.

Then, inside the silence of my thoughts, a deeper presence stirred, ancient, echoing, cold and warm at once. Zeyrith. The god’s voice was velvet and gravel all at once.

"You’ve begun to remember who you are. And now... you begin to see why."He said.

I stared out the window as the afternoon sun poured in, soft and golden over the floorboards. Lianwei had stepped away to give me space, and Henry was quietly sharing some story with Huan, his rough voice softened into something I hadn’t imagined he was capable of. Why? I asked in my thoughts, no longer afraid. Why bring me back here? Why him? Why Lianwei? There was a long, long pause. Then, the god answered.

"Because your soul was tied to his before either of you were born. Even death couldn’t sever it. Even fate tried and failed. So I moved you with his help."He said.

"To where?"I asked.

"To him."God said.

I blinked back tears.

"Then... it was never punishment?"I said.

"No." Zeyrith said gently. "It was preservation. Your love story is older than kingdoms. You were not sent here to suffer. You were sent here to finish what was interrupted. Lianwei made sure that his loved one be with him no matter where."

The wind rustled through the open window. The scent of tea leaves and garden lilies filled the room. I closed my eyes for a moment. I wasn’t just a noble girl discarded. I wasn’t a character trapped in a broken script. I wasn’t even Rosalie’s second chance. I was me, Mei Shen. Born of this world. Chosen not by accident, but by ancient threads of love, family, and fate. And I had my father now. I had my son. I had Lianwei. Even the gods were starting to believe in me again.