Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Nine: Farewell to Xiwei — the Final Charge

Volume Five: Body-Perish Dao-Transformation — Myriad Realms First Born

The time came to say goodbye.

Pangu sat upon the highest mountain — the one that had been shaped by the crown of his head — and Xiwei hovered before him, her light subdued, her form trembling almost imperceptibly.

'You will be the light of this world,' Pangu said. His voice was very soft now, each word an effort. 'You will rise in the east and set in the west, and in your passage, you will mark the days and the seasons. You will warm the living things and guide their growth. You will be the fire that burns away corruption when the darkness rises.'

Xiwei's light flickered — a sob without sound.

'It is a heavy burden,' Pangu continued. 'I know. I have carried burdens all my life. But you are strong — stronger than you know. You were born from the first light of creation, and you carry within you a spark of the fire that opened this world.'

He reached out — his hand now so transparent that Xiwei's light shone through it — and touched her gently.

'You are not alone. Yuanji will be with you. And I — though my form will be gone, I will be here. In the light you shine. In the warmth you give. In every dawn that breaks across this world.'

Farewell to Xiwei, the final charge. Xiwei's light blazed — not from grief, but from resolve. She would carry this burden. She would be the light. For him. For the world. For every dawn yet to come.