Theodore stepped forward and crouched down in front of Xavier.
No one stopped him. Bert just glanced at him before looking away.
The LEDs on the server in the center of the room continued to flicker.
Theodore did not answer Ye Muo back then. He was at a loss for words even now. All he could do was focus on piecing his data together, causing that familiar projection to reappear.
This was all he could do with the psychic power storm intensifying around Ye Muo.
Only the howling wind outside the room could be heard. Ye Muo’s uncontrollable psychic power had thrown the planet’s weather system into disarray long ago.
Theodore stared intently at Ye Muo. It was just as he remembered.
Xavier lay there, straining, tilting his head up to look at the projection. He broke into a smile. “You’re so beautiful, Theodore. More beautiful than any other star in the sky.”
Theodore too looked up at the projection in the middle of the room. This was his first time viewing it from a third-person perspective. A ripple spread through his data. Was this what Xavier saw? Beautiful was far from the word he would use to describe the fragmented projection cutting in and out.
Yet Ye Muo stared on, unwilling to miss a single second even as this posture sapped the last of his strength.
A shrill crash came from outside as debris pelted the building, bringing a sudden end to the silence.
Xavier flinched, his eyes darting away.
The unnatural weather phenomena outside only intensified with time. Even this room hidden in the depths of the base would inevitably be engulfed.
“I can’t control them.”
Norton’s head rose as Xavier’s words fell, his gaze holding something fiercer than even the storm outside.
He knew what was about to happen. Xavier was dying.
[Yes.]
“They’re still spreading outward. I’ll consume the entire world.”
The server’s lights flickered with renewed urgency. There was a prolonged pause from Theodore: [You won’t.]
Xavier seemed genuinely convinced. “Thank goodness,” he murmured.
It was a long moment before he spoke again.
“You should go, Theodore.”
[Where–]
Ye Muo cut him off soon after, “Something’s growing inside my heart, something similar to those insects.”
[Where could I possibly go?]
“Go find the Grantz. Tell them to come and kill me. I’ve been waiting for them all this time, but they never came.”
A paper-thin lie, and everyone here knew it. Xavier just wanted Theodore to leave.
Nothing could survive at ground zero, not even an AI. Theodore could no longer move freely within the base.
But Xavier was such a timid child. It was far too cruel to leave him here to die alone.
Ano hovered nearby, uneasy despite having a hunch that Theodore didn’t leave back then. “What will happen to Xavier?”
No one answered. Norton only had eyes for Ye Muo.
Ano looked to Theodore for an answer. “He died here, right?”
The other Grantz also looked over. Theodore continued to gaze at Ye Muo. “Yes, he did.”
Even Ano was beginning to believe that Norton should have killed Xavier when they first crossed paths. Death would have been a more merciful end for the child than this.
The synthesized voice sounded again as Past Theodore spoke once more: [If only I had brought you out sooner, the Grantz could have soothed your psychic power. Things would not have come to this.]
Ano forced himself to look over once more.
[However, we can start over. With sufficient energy, even the reversal of time itself is possible.]
[We could use the crystal in your heart as a catalyst to reset this world.]
Ano’s eyes widened slightly as he processed the implications. What did Theodore mean by ‘starting over’? A reset using Xavier’s heart?
Ye Muo let out a visible sigh of relief where he was crumpled on the floor. “Then this time, I hope I can hurt less.”
Ano couldn’t tell if Ye Muo’s relief stemmed from Theodore’s continued presence or the absurd plan he proposed.
His pupils constricted sharply as he watched Xavier cut open his own chest. Blood trickled onto the floor as the gore-soaked organ and the blue crystal within were exposed to the air. Half of the child’s body was soon stained crimson.
Xavier was still alive, excruciatingly so.
Dylan and the others seemed to take an involuntary step forward.
Ano’s lips parted and closed in disbelief. In the end, no sound escaped him.
Is this how his Xavier had died?
Theodore, meanwhile, focused on holding Ye Muo’s hand. Although he knew the gesture couldn’t change anything now that Ye Muo’s psychic power was rejecting him, he couldn’t leave Xavier lying there all alone.
His voice overlapped with the synthesized one that had just responded to Ye Muo: [En.]
With that, the entire world began to fall apart. The surroundings morphed at an alarming pace. Even Ye Muo was slowly fading away.
Theodore couldn’t help but tighten his grip, knowing full well it was futile.
Yet his eyes widened in the final moment, right after Ye Muo vanished completely. His hand had felt a brief, tight squeeze.
The scene gradually fell into place, finally settling on the Grantz palace gardens.
It was nighttime. Ye Muo sat on the lawn, surrounded by the Grantz.
Pangzhua, wary of Norton’s presence, dared not pounce. Instead, it crept stealthily closer, peeking out from the bushes near Ye Muo.
The little robot was his constant companion, circling around him clumsily on its outdated wheels despite the grass that kept tripping it up. Eventually, Ye Muo picked it up and placed it in front of him, where it remained obediently. Norton was next to Ye Muo, while Dylan stood with arms crossed next to Norton.
Helene sneakily approached from the other side to try and ruffle Ye Muo’s hair. Aria and Jacob shared a hushed conversation in the background.
A furious Ano charged past Ye Muo in pursuit of Bert. Adrian eagerly joined in the fun.
Nearby, Adlet approached them with a picnic blanket brimming with food.
Further away, Sylvia and Herbert sat prim and proper at a table on the second-floor terrace, waving to Xavier. Herbert also had a basket in hand. He seemed to be filling it with desserts as the duo prepared to join them.
Ye Muo happily waved back at Sylvia before laying back down.
Norton gently supported him from behind before letting him collapse onto the grass. Pangzhua seized the moment and cautiously lay down beside Ye Muo. Mimicking his sprawled posture, it tucked its paws in and gave Ye Muo a reserved lick under Norton’s watchful gaze.
Ye Muo gazed up at the sky with glittering eyes.
Norton too lifted his head.
A sky full of stars.
“It’s so beautiful, ” he heard Ye Muo whisper.
Yes, it was.
The scene lingered on before the Grantz began disappearing one by one, signalling the connection’s end.
Ano and the others departed first, followed by Theodore, and finally Norton, Bert, and Dylan.
Darkness enveloped them as they returned to reality, leaving a lingering sense of dissonance.
But Norton snapped back to his senses and immediately went to check on Ye Muo. Bert paused briefly before following suit.
Ye Muo was in a deep and restful sleep. A faint smile still played at the corners of his mouth. He seemed lost in the last scene they’d shared as his psychic power slowly settled and returned to his psychic domain.
Norton stroked his hair, gently pulling the blanket back up from where Ye Muo had kicked it down to his waist.
His hand paused over Ye Muo’s chest.
He stopped, pressing his hand lightly there until he felt a strong, steady rhythm.
Norton kissed Ye Muo on the forehead and straightened up.
Beside him, Bert leaned down and quickly kissed Ye Muo’s cheek.
Dylan, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but click his tongue at the spectacle. Bert promptly reminded him to keep his voice down so as not to wake Ye Muo.
Norton glanced over, already at the door.
Both men immediately quieted down and followed Norton out of Ye Muo’s room.
Bert gently closed the door behind them. There was a tug at his sleeve as he turned to leave. It was Dylan.
Theodore was hovering on the other side of the corridor.
Norton had already departed for the observation deck. Dylan followed suit, leaving just Bert.
Bert sighed, “Here to check on him?”
Theodore stepped forward without hesitation.
Bert opened the door just a crack, barely revealing Ye Muo’s silhouette. He declared self-righteously, “Any wider and Norton will get angry.”
Theodore paid him no mind, watching intently until he confirmed Ye Muo was unharmed before looking away. “It’s enough.”
Bert gave him a long look before lightly shutting the door again. “Thank you for being there with Xavier. And…my apologies. My behaviour before was out of line.”
Theodore responded sincerely, “Thank you isn’t necessary. It was an act of my own volition to stay. You don’t need to apologize either. Your actions were understandable given the information that was available to you at that point. I’m just glad Xavier has family who care so deeply for him.”
Only on the subject of Xavier would he so readily speak.
Bert gave a dismissive wave. “I know, I know. Don’t sweat it. I was just saying things for the sake of it. But seriously, you really don’t seem human.”
He was more like a saint, possessing a selflessness rarely seen in humans.
“With that said, you still can’t go to his room at night. However, you can call Xavier as long as it’s before his bedtime.”
Bert conceded reluctantly.
This time, Theodore paused for several seconds before replying, “Alright.”
Though his voice remained emotionless and somewhat cold, it also seemed a touch aggrieved.
