Chapter 34: Another Way

The Spirit World lit up in white, illuminating the surroundings. He could feel the glow radiating from his chest, but he wasn't tempted as anxious as he was; he maintained his strict penance before he was sure she was here. Darkness was seething around him, and although the strange dance of light from the partial phase of the eclipse menaced the physical world, he could feel it swiveling over him, too.

"La?"

His eyes flashed open. They could see nothing but light, her face lost in the dust of white smoke. The grief and burden inside of him was replaced with deeper anxiety. "I don't see you," he said gruffly.

"You don't need to," she said lovingly. "I am a part of you."

Pain. A human emotion that struck him so hard. Harder than ever when she said those words. "A part of me? If you acknowledged that yourself, you wouldn't have left. You wouldn't have meddled with the humans."

"But isn't that what you're doing now, my love? 'Meddling with humans'?"

The smoke cleared, and he was finally able to see the snowy figure he missed for these painfully long twenty two years. She wasn't angry with him; she could never be angry with him. In fact, the slightest trace of a knowing smile was lingering on her lips. Tui.

"I know you well."

"Then you should know I'm not like you," he defended, holding back his grief. "I don't do things for mankind's benefit anymore. I was tired of listening to that pathetic human rant about how unfortunate he is for a woman he lost-"

"There is no point in hiding anything from me," she said softly. "I know your heart. Only I would know how much respect you have for that human."

"Respect? Hmph."

"You were willing to help him gain his love back without thinking of the imbalance you would face."

"What imbalance would I face?" he said irritably, gazing at her sincerely. "I depend on you."

"You depend on the moon-"

"You are my moon, and you'll always be my moon."

"Yue is now the Moon Spirit, La."

"What are you then?" he snapped.

"You can't deny the fact that Yue is forever bonded with me," she said patiently. Your duty is to her. If not with love, then with responsibility."

"Impossible."

Tui sighed, pulling him close. "La, please-"

"This is exactly why I didn't want us to waste our life for human benefit! Ugh!" He groaned in distress, pushing her away. He sounded so human. "This is what I get for loving you," he muttered.

Tui knew it was La's nature to be naturally aggressive, but now, she saw nothing but tenderness in his aggression. A wounded fish he was. Despite immersed fully in the water, he was still flailing for her on the inside. She tried not to let her affections take over what was troubling her at the moment.

"You can thank me later for all of this," she said. "But you have to first realize that what you're doing is wrong."

The Ocean Spirit frowned. "What?"

"I understand that you feel sorry for the warrior and his lost love, but a child? You bestowed them with a child?"

"There is nothing wrong with that," he said.

"You know their fate has no room for union."

"But we have the power to change their fate," La reasoned. "Besides, if they're not destined to be together, they can at least have a living image of their love. Isn't that what all humans feel good about?"

"If they were meant to have children, they wouldn't have them against the way of nature."

"You're one to talk, my love," he said, amused. "Wasn't your sacrifice against the way of nature? Especially when you let a human take over your position?"

"That was for the benefit of the world," she answered. "What you have done is for your benefit and their benefit."

"Well the deed is done," he said nonchalantly. "I promised the mother I would make sure her child is given a stable life upon its change of birthright, and what stable life is there other than being under the protection of the chief?"

"But you ended up causing more calamity than good." Her tone was worried.

"What do you mean?"

"Your actions were for their benefit, but this child you have given them is to be their greatest loss."

La shuddered. "You can't be serious-"

"That child will not live long," Tui said sadly. "You placing it under the chief's care would cause him more grief. He's already writhing from pain that he couldn't protect Yue. If he loses their daughter- their unnaturally conceived daughter- what would happen to him?"

"I don't understand how this can be-"

"That child was meant to be a stillborn. You giving it life is not wrong, but you changing its birthright is inacceptable," she explained. "It will only survive if the birthright is naturally gained."

He waded deeper out into the water, unable to grasp her words. He smashed the water, getting more and more frustrated. "Is it my fault for wanting to see those two together? I-I wanted to see ourselves in them." He sounded so cheesy and he knew it, but he was being eaten away too much to take note of it. "I wanted them to have a happy ending...something we didn't have."

"While it is true that they would be highly compatible, who are we to mess with their lives?"

La scoffed, lamenting in his uncharacteristic manner.

"You still have a chance," Tui urged. "That child is technically not theirs until the moment they're united by marriage and until Yue gives her part of her life force."

"So you're saying we can't let them-"

"Exactly."

"But...what if we just prevent Yue from giving her life force?"

"That's not possible, though. She's the Moon Spirit now."

He felt the waning power of the moon drench his features. The churning light of the eclipse dipped into his transparent being and filled him with an idea. No. He wasn't going to end his hard work like this. For so long, he thought he wanted the warrior and the princess to unite in marriage if not be together, but if tragedy after tragedy was in store for them, then marriage wasn't enough to soothe such pain. If anything, he felt that Tui had no right to interfere in what could've been a deep relationship between the two. As foolish as he sounded, he couldn't help it.

"We can't undo what has happened so far," he said finally. "It's only fair that we have to provide a compensation. Not to mention, we have an eclipse before us- the most spiritually enhancing eclipse after thousands of years."

"Uh...yes…"

"Do you remember the last supermoon eclipse? You were almost gone from spiritual deterioration." He shivered at the memory. "But you made it. We made it. Nothing like that was expected to happen."

Tui raised her eyebrows. "I'm not sure where you're going with this."

"Like I said before. We have the power to change their fate, and this kind of eclipse can yield unbelievable spiritual energy. It would only make sense for us to give them the life they've always wanted using this year's eclipse."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"This eclipse could grant Yue her human life back." His eyes softened. He gently took Tui's opaque arm. "It could make you come back to me-"

"You're getting far too excited, La. This is how it's meant to be."

He frowned. "Is it just that? Or do you not want to be with me?"

She gawked at him in surprise and slight anger. "How could you say that? You know my feelings for you!"

"Then agree to this. We can utilize this eclipse to our advantage and their advantage."

"I fear this will not end well-"

"What will not end well?" he asked impatiently. "You say I should be more considerate about humans. The one time I am and you fear for negative circumstances?"

"I just can't."

"Think about it, Tui," he said. "Yue is in no position to focus on her duties even after the eclipse ends. You don't want her to go through the same deterioration you had to face, do you?"

"No!" she said. "Never."

"But that will be the case if she's separated from that warrior again. And this time, she won't be cured because there will be no way of uniting her with her lover at that point."

"This all escalated so quickly," Tui said in disbelief. "They were fine before. They accepted their separation."

"And now, they're yearning for one another. Just think on it. Wouldn't their strengthened attachment be a sign for us?"

Tui thought for a long moment. It does all makes sense in a way. Besides, she always did bear the guilt of Yue's indebtedness to her. It would only be fair that second chances are given. "Alright, but...how does your promise to the woman come into play?"

"I've thought this far. I'm not going to abandon the child I blessed." He smiled. "She will be their child. Naturally conceived. It may take time since we can't say she will be immediately conceived, but we must let the river run its course."

"Then we must let Yue know-"

"No. We can't."

"Why?"

"She's resolute about her duty more than anything else. She would never agree to this. Afterall, she is your successor." He sighed. "If we tell her, she will find a way to resume her duties. That's why we have to be harsh."

"Harsh?"

"We have to make it seem like she's not worthy of the position," he said sternly. "Only then will she find contentment with her new life. It will be hard for both of us, but this is the way it has to be. It's for her own good."

Tui frowned. "Are you sure this is the best way-?"

"Of course it's the best way." La glanced towards the physical world, seeing the partial phase of the eclipse approach its peak. The totality phase was almost here. "We have to hurry," the Ocean Spirit said.

They joined their hands, focusing on one another. The white glow that encased Tui wound itself around La, and the dark glow emitting from him in the form of black mist surrounded her. The darkness that covered the Swamp of Lost Spirits enveloped them, and before long, their transparent human-like forms morphed into two koi fish. They dove deep into the water and headed for the Spirit Oasis.