Beyond the stargate lies endless void.
No light, no sound, no time. Only eternal darkness and solitude.
But Biori waited here for a long time. She knew he would come.
When she was first forced to seal the Star Gate, she thought she would die. But her body merged with the Star Mark, allowing her to survive in this void. She drifted, waited, and wondered how much time had passed.
Sometimes, she sees visions: Qingming standing on a mountain peak gazing at the stars, teaching his disciples spells, or lost in thought alone under the night sky. She knows it is the cinnabar mark on his brow that tells her he is still alive.
She smiled.
"Wait for me," she whispered. "I will come back."
Now, he's finally here.
They drifted slowly through the void, holding hands.
"Are you afraid?" Qingming asked.
"It's okay," said Bihuan. "You're here."
Qingming smiled. After three thousand years, he had finally heard those words again.
"Where are we going next?" he asked.
Bian'an pointed ahead. There, a faint light glowed.
"Over there," she said. "That's my hometown. Though it's been destroyed, I've always wanted to return and see it."
"Alright," Qingming said. "I'll go with you."
They drifted toward the light.
Behind them, the star they called "Beyond Star" shone even brighter after their departure. Hanging in the night sky, it warmly illuminated Earth, as if saying to everyone:
They have left. But they were good.