Re-birth: The Beginning after the End

They pushed through the enormous double doors, which opened silently despite their immense weight. Once inside, Li Hua glimpsed a swirling portal at the end of a long hallway, its surface rippling with colors that didn't exist in the natural spectrum—but she couldn't afford to investigate it now. A quick scan of their surroundings revealed two large chambers adjacent to each other, their entrances framed by archways covered in luminescent script.

She guided Mo Xing to the nearest chamber, his weight increasingly heavy against her shoulder as his consciousness began to fade. Inside, a large bed occupied the center of the room, its surface seemingly woven from moonlight and shadow. Li Hua carefully lowered him onto it, her heart constricting as she observed his condition. His eyes had closed, consciousness finally surrendering to the strain, while his brows remained furrowed in pain. Sweat beaded on his forehead and ran in rivulets down his temples, his skin alternating between burning fever and unnatural chill.

Beside the bed stood an ornate basin carved from what appeared to be a single piece of jade. Acting on intuition, Li Hua placed her hand over it and filled it with spiritual water. She retrieved a soft cloth from her inner space and immersed it in the water, then gently began to bathe Mo Xing's face, her movements methodical despite the worry that threatened to overwhelm her composure.

"Master," Little Firefly's voice resonated through their mental connection, drawing her attention from Mo Xing's feverish form.

"Hmm?" Li Hua responded distractedly, wringing excess water from the cloth before placing it on Mo Xing's forehead.

"He should be fine. He consumed too much dark matter," Little Firefly explained, his mental voice carrying unusual authority on the subject.

"Dark matter?" Li Hua questioned, the term triggering distant memories from her previous life—scientific concepts of invisible substance that comprised much of the universe's mass.

"Yes, Master. In my world—dark matter forms when beings die with their souls in disarray or are forcibly separated from their spiritual essence. It's neither energy nor matter as conventionally understood, but something between existence and void." Little Firefly paused, as if organizing complex memories. "Those entities were composed almost entirely of it—fragments of consciousness that couldn't properly transition between realms and became corrupted. His body needs time to process and convert what he's absorbed, but he has experience with this. His nature is...uniquely suited to handling such substances."

"What do you mean?" Li Hua asked, her hand pausing in its ministrations. "How can anyone's nature be suited to handling such entities?"

"If I'm correct, Master..." Little Firefly's mental voice lowered to a reverent whisper, "This man once existed in the Underworld. For him to consume dark matter with such facility, he must be of noble lineage—or perhaps the Emperor himself."

Li Hua's brows furrowed as she gently wiped perspiration from Mo Xing's neck. "Little Firefly, please explain clearly. I'm not understanding. In my previous life, Western religions had concepts of heaven and hell, but I wasn't religious. These concepts shouldn't be literal realities."

"Master, in the world we originally came from—not Earth, but before that—there were only three distinct realms of existence." Little Firefly's explanation came with surprising clarity. "The Celestial Realm, where immortals and divine beings resided. The Mortal Realm, where humans and cultivators dwelled. And the Underworld, governed by the Demon King, home to demonic cultivators and natural demons."

His consciousness formed a visualization in her mind—three concentric circles, each with its own internal structure and governing principles. "Dark matter is what remains when a soul loses its essence or identity. In most realms, it dissipates harmlessly. But in the Underworld, such essence can be harnessed, shaped, even consumed—but only by those of the highest bloodlines. For an ordinary being to attempt what he just did would result in immediate spiritual corruption."

Li Hua studied Mo Xing's face, noticing how his expression had eased slightly—his brows still furrowed but without the earlier tension of acute pain. The veins of darkness beneath his skin pulsed more rhythmically now, less chaotic than before.

"What can I do to help him?" she asked, her voice soft as her fingers gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. The tenderness of the gesture surprised even herself—a vulnerability she rarely permitted.

"Just stay close," Little Firefly advised. "Your presence stabilizes him. I'm not entirely sure why, but your spiritual signature seems to calm the dark matter within him. There's a resonance between you that defies conventional spiritual laws."

Li Hua nodded, settling herself on the edge of the bed with newfound purpose. She took Mo Xing's hand in hers, interlacing their fingers with deliberate care. Immediately, she observed how the darkness beneath his skin retreated from the points where their flesh connected, creating islands of clarity in the turbulent sea of shadow. His breathing gradually steadied, becoming deeper and more regular as his body relaxed under her touch.

"It seems we'll need to wait until he's recovered before making any moves," Li Hua observed, her gaze never leaving Mo Xing's face. "Tell me, Little Firefly, what memories have you recovered so far?"

"Master, as I said, much remains fragmented," Little Firefly's voice resonated in her mind. "But I've at least uncovered the truth about my own identity."

A brilliant golden light suddenly emanated from Li Hua's spiritual core, coalescing into a physical manifestation between her and Mo Xing. Little Firefly's form materialized, his once purely golden feathers now interwoven with strands of crimson flame after his breakthrough—each plume a living tapestry of sunlight and blood-red fire that pulsed in rhythm with his newfound power.

"I am the Golden Fire Phoenix," Little Firefly announced. "In my world, I was the rarest of Divine Spirit Beasts, born once every ten thousand years from the heart of the Primordial Flame. My kind were sought by cultivators and immortals alike for our ability to travel between planes of existence."

Li Hua's jaw dropped, her composure momentarily shattered by the revelation. The spirit beast she had bonded to—the companion who had followed her from one life to another—was one of the most legendary creatures in existence.

Little Firefly performed a small aerial spin, golden-crimson sparks trailing behind him. "Master, aren't I incredible?" he preened, his mental voice carrying unmistakable pride.

Li Hua nodded, composed herself, and let a small smile curve her lips. "As impressive as always, Little Firefly," she acknowledged, the familiar fondness in her tone betraying the depth of their bond despite her measured words.