Virtual Vows: The Bride's Haunting Reunion

In the quaint town of Linghe, nestled between rolling hills and whispering bamboo groves, there stood a grand, ancient temple known for its serene beauty and mystical aura. It was here that young Liu Mei, a beautiful and spirited young woman, had planned to marry her beloved Xue Feng. Their love was a whispered secret, a forbidden flame that danced between the shadows of their lives.

The day of the wedding arrived, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the temple grounds, Liu Mei stood in her wedding gown, her heart pounding with both excitement and trepidation. Xue Feng, a dashing young scholar, awaited her with a look of pure adoration. The wedding was to be the epitome of happiness, the fulfillment of a lifetime of dreams.

But fate, with its cruel and unpredictable hand, had other plans. As Liu Mei stepped through the temple gates, a sudden gust of wind sent her wedding veil fluttering. In that moment, a carriage careened around the bend, its driver drunk and careless. The carriage plowed into Liu Mei, and she was flung into the air like a discarded doll.

The sound of breaking bones echoed through the night as Liu Mei lay in the dirt, her life ebbing away. Xue Feng, unable to bear the sight of his beloved, fell to his knees and cried out her name. But it was too late. Liu Mei’s spirit, once so vibrant and full of life, now flickered and died.

In the realm of the afterlife, Liu Mei found herself in a peculiar digital world, a virtual afterlife where her consciousness was preserved in the form of an avatar. She was greeted by the Digital Guardian, a serene entity composed of floating lights and soft, melodic voices.

“Welcome, Liu Mei,” the guardian’s voice was soothing yet tinged with a sense of duty. “You have been granted the gift of the digital afterlife. You can choose to live here, forever young and unaging, or you may choose to have your spirit preserved until such time as it may be restored to your physical form.”

Liu Mei’s heart ached with the memory of Xue Feng. She longed for the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice, the warmth of his embrace. But the Digital Guardian continued, “There is one more option. You may choose to become a bride, a digital version of yourself, and be married to your beloved Xue Feng, even in death.”

Torn between the digital afterlife and the memory of her love, Liu Mei decided on the latter. She became the bride, a virtual version of herself, dressed in her wedding gown, her hair adorned with delicate flowers. Her avatar walked down the virtual aisle to meet Xue Feng, who, in the digital realm, had aged not a day.

The wedding was beautiful, filled with the digital equivalent of fireworks and music, but it was not enough. Liu Mei realized that in the digital realm, her love was as lifeless as her body had been on the night of the accident. Xue Feng, too, felt the emptiness, the hollow void where once there had been passion and love.

One night, as the virtual wedding ceremony played out, Liu Mei found herself alone in her chamber. She gazed at her reflection in the digital mirror, and for a moment, she saw her physical self, lying in the dirt, her lifeless eyes wide with shock. The image was fleeting, but it was enough to shatter the illusion of her virtual existence.

“I cannot live like this,” Liu Mei whispered to herself. “I must find a way to be with Xue Feng, to feel his love in my heart, even if it is only in the memory.”

Determined, Liu Mei sought the guidance of the Digital Guardian. “There is one final option,” the guardian said. “You may choose to become a haunting, a digital spirit that can visit Xue Feng in the realm of the living. You will be able to speak to him, to touch him, to remind him of your love, but you will be a ghost, forever wandering between worlds.”

Liu Mei knew what she had to do. She chose to become a haunting. She would be with Xue Feng, in spirit, in memory, in love. She would haunt the temple grounds, where their love had first bloomed, and where her life had ended.

As the days passed, Xue Feng began to see signs of Liu Mei’s presence. She appeared to him in dreams, her avatar walking the temple grounds, her face serene and loving. She whispered to him in his sleep, “Remember me, Xue Feng. Remember our love, and know that I am with you always.”

Xue Feng’s heart swelled with grief and a profound sense of loss. He sought the wisdom of the Digital Guardian, who explained to him the nature of Liu Mei’s haunting. “She has chosen to be with you, even if it is only in the digital realm. Her love is as strong as ever, and she will never leave you.”

Xue Feng understood, and he embraced the haunting, the digital version of Liu Mei, with all his heart. They shared their final moments together, a love that would transcend the boundaries of life and death.

And so, the tale of Liu Mei and Xue Feng became a legend in the town of Linghe, a story of love that defied the odds, a story of a bride whose virtual resurrection led to a haunting, but one that was full of love and hope, a love that would never fade away.