The hovercar drove all the way to the front doors of the Grantz Palace at the center of the imperial capital. Ye Muo sat in the innermost part closest to the door. His injuries had been treated back in the command tower before Ano found a cloak to wrap him up in. The black fabric made Ye Muo’s complexion seem even paler in contrast.
When the car door opened, Ye Muo subconsciously looked out but didn’t move from his spot. He seemed to shrink into his shell like a little animal scared stiff.
Only when Ano, who stood at the door of the car, extended a hand to Ye Muo did he move a little. He tentatively took the man’s hand and slowly shuffled over.
Before Ye Muo could tentatively extend a foot to the ground, Ano swept him up into his arms, cloak and all.
Ano shook his head at the butler who came over to greet him. He stepped up the stairs leading into the palace.
Ye Muo’s entire body was wrapped in the cloak. Having his eyes covered actually provided him much needed peace of mind. He felt like Ano walked for a very long time up many stairs before coming to a stop
Then Ye Muo felt himself fall into a soft bed. It was so soft that all the tension seemed to leave Ye Muo’s body for an instant.
When he poked his head out of the cloak, he saw Ano standing by the bed. The collar around his neck flashed, that same synthesized voice from before coming out.
“Do you like it? This room was prepared by Mother for her first grandchild. It’s been gathering dust all this time. I thought it would never get to be used.”
Perhaps due to the synthetic origins of his voice, even Ano’s questions seemed ice cold.
The room’s lights were off, the only source of illumination a little dim yellow nightlight on the wall. Ye Muo’s night vision was good enough that it was enough for him to see the entire room clearly.
It was indeed beautiful and large as well. Even the mouldings around the edges of the walls had beautiful patterns carved into them. In the middle was a four-poster bed. The floor was covered with soft carpet. There were many decorations and small, delicate ornaments everywhere. Someone had obviously given a lot of thought to this room.
Ano continued.
“My room is right next to this one. This floor belongs to the Grantz. No one is allowed up here.”
But Ye Muo just stared dully at Ano, not understanding why he was acting like this.
“I remember I kicked you…off a cliff. I almost…”
Almost killed Ano.
Ano was silent for a while. He tried his best to emulate what he remembered his mother doing and awkwardly embraced Ye Muo. When he spoke again, it was with his real voice.
“Your psychic power couldn’t be used then because you were undergoing resonance, so the blow was nothing. You didn’t hurt me.”
Ano’s voice was right next to Ye Muo’s ear, “No need to be afraid. All Grantz are like this. This is our fate. All Grantz, including Big Brother, will walk this path eventually. There’s no need to be afraid because we don’t need to do or think about anything. There will be someone to shoulder everything for us in the end.”
Ye Muo shifted uneasily. He didn’t understand a lot of what Ano just said, but this hug did relax him a little.
After waiting for a while for a response from Ye Muo that never came, Ano stood up and walked to the door.
“If you need anything, just come find me next door. Go downstairs if I’m not here. There will be a butler around.”
The exact moment before the door closed, Ye Muo suddenly jumped off the bed and ran over barefoot. He stopped the door from closing and placed a hand on the doorframe, like he was afraid Ano would leave right away.
“What about my mom and my family then? Are they going to be all right?”
The machine around Ano’s neck lit up for a beat. The familiar synthesized voice obviously couldn’t convey emotion, but it still gave off a distinctly cold, aloof feeling.
“That’s not something you should be concerned about.”
Ye Muo refused to let go. He latched onto Ano like he was his last hope and pleaded.
“Please.”
Ano gently peeled Ye Muo’s hand from the doorframe.
“Get a good night’s sleep.”
The door closed, taking with it the light shining in from the corridor. The room returned to near darkness aside from a bit of dim light in the corner. In the dark, Ye Muo slowly slumped to the floor, his head hanging low. The soft carpet and pleasant temperature of the room couldn’t stop fear and anxiety from overwhelming him in the darkness.
After a long time, he called out in a small voice.
“Mom.”
His hands tightened, gripping the carpet.
And Dad, and his big brothers.
……
Ano stayed in front of Ye Muo’s room door for a while, and after making sure there were no movements inside, he slowly walked upstairs.
The floor above also belonged to the Grantz. The throne here was once one of the many playgrounds for him and his siblings. No one aside from the Grantz could come up here. It was often very rowdy up here long ago. There were seven siblings in Ano’s generation, including Norton Grantz.
Now it was just him and Norton.
Ano crossed the main hall. Everything was just as he remembered the last time he was here a long time ago. The portraits of various Grantz still hung on the walls of the main hall, and seven swords were still neatly displayed in the corridor.
He knew where Norton Grantz was.
Ano walked to the end of the corridor and pushed the door open. There, on a high platform, sat the throne of Grantz.
Norton Grantz was standing in front of the throne with his back to Ano.
Ano took off his metal mask, revealing a typical set of Grantz features.
He broke the silence first.
“The investigation into the truth of the matter is already underway. The persons involved have been temporarily detained and will go on trial once the results come out.”
Grantz DNA getting into the hands of outsiders was a big deal. Under current regulations, only conception centres have access to conception technology. Every one was being thoroughly investigated right now. Private conception involving the Grantz bloodline and misuse of conception technology were both capital offences.
Norton Grantz remained silent during Ano’s report until the man said.
“Big Brother, I gave him the room Mother had set up.”
After quite a while, Norton Grantz turned around. Standing on the high platform before the throne, he looked at Ano.
“I won’t acknowledge him.”
Ano stepped forward.
“But Big Brother, he hasn’t done anything wrong. He has the right to live on.”
“Eternal slumber is the best outcome for him.”
Ano clenched his fists, not knowing how to retort.
“Mom would definitely scold you if she was here.”
“Is that so? What a pity she died at Father’s hands then.”
The palace hall immediately went quiet.
Norton Grantz turned around. “You made this mess, so you’ll be responsible for keeping an eye on him.”
……
Ye Zhiyuan was detained in a small room made entirely from memory metal. It was simply furnished with only a bed and a toilet.
He had spent some time here many years ago. Falling overnight from a young noble with a bright future to a prisoner, he had been terrified of what lay in store for him. Would he be executed in the fallout? Or sentenced to a lifetime of turmoil in the Exile Sector…
It was his elder sister, the heir to the Ye family at the time, who told him not to be afraid. That he would get out of here, wash away the shame of belonging to a family of traitors, enroll and graduate from a military academy, and lead a fulfilling life.
And then she kept her promise. By engraving her name on the imperial monument of glory, she pulled him and the rest of the Ye family back from the edge of the abyss.
Tonight, Ye Zhiyuan seemed to have returned to the rebellion of that year.
At that time, when the mighty Grantz were reduced overnight to Norton Grantz alone, the Empire’s neighbours took advantage of this extremely turbulent time to attack and try to annex the Empire.
Norton Grantz personally led the legions to meet them in battle.
Then, in what was to this day considered a disgrace to the Empire, the York family chose to start a rebellion in the galaxies furthest away from where the legions were stationed.
Ye Zhiyuan’s elder sister was a Level S psychic and one of the best students to graduate from the First Military Academy. His eldest brother was slightly inferior, but also very exceptional.
His brother was a fresh graduate who had just started his term of service in the military back then, but he chose to take part in the York family’s rebellion. He even sent messages encouraging the members of the Ye family staying in the imperial capital to leave and join the rebellion as soon as possible.
At that time, everyone in the imperial capital was on edge.
A portion of the Ye family was on his elder brother’s side, the rest standing behind Ye Zhiyuan’s father. Every day, the sound of arguments filled the conference room.
Soon, the Ye family fractured in two, with people leaving everyday.
Ye Zhiyuan was still young at the time, only in his teens. He didn’t have the right to comment on the affairs of the adults, much less understand what was going on. He could only watch as his big sister became more solemn and frowned more by the day.
Then one night, his sister returned home in her military uniform. The imperial capital had already descended into chaos at that point. The lights in the Ye family’s conference room remained lit all night long.
All Ye Zhiyuan knew intuitively was that his family simply had no time for him.
That night, there was no dinner at home. When Ye Zhiyuan went to the living room to find some food, he ran into his big sister arguing with a man in her military uniform.
She was tall, with a high ponytail and ruby red lips.
Ye Zhiyuan recognized the man. He was one of the people often hanging around his big brother. Ye Zhiyuan bit into the bread while listening in on their argument. He only understood parts of it.
“…The Grantz’s DNA…very difficult. All the embryos died, except yours–“
“By creating life on a whim using the Grantz bloodline, all of you have already committed several capital offences.”
Ye Zhiyuan knew by now that his sister was very angry.
But the man across from her seemed to think that she was relatively calm. He continued.
“The ends justify any means. Each Grantz has the blood of countless on their hands, but they are still able to rule this Empire. Now, it’s our turn. You will be of great help to us as a Level S psychic. Why not join us?”
“The Grantz planted our flag on the corpses of the galactic pirates and insects. They single-handedly built the Empire with fire and blood. What makes you think you are their equal?”
The man grew more and more impatient. He took a step closer and raised his hands.
“We have that child. When we raise him to maturity–“
Ye Zhiyuan hesitated over whether to go help his sister until he saw her grab the man’s collar and slam him hard against the wall.
“You don’t seem to understand what I mean. Listen closely, scum. I’m only sparing your life so you can go back and tell him to give his neck a good wash and wait. I’m going to kill him myself!”
……
The last time Ye Zhiyuan saw his sister was late one night.
At that time, Ye Zhiyuan had just been interrogated and released from detainment. There was no one there to pick him up except his sister.
Ye Zhiyuan called out to her, pleasantly surprised.
He ran over to her. His sister also squatted down and stuffed a badge into his hand. Ye Zhiyun had always wanted this badge that she received when she graduated.
She was still dressed as sharply as ever with her hair up in a ponytail. The faint scent of blood seemed to hover around her, but these details eluded the Ye Zhiyuan of the past.
“Big Sister, has our family done something wrong? Everyone at school says we’re traitors. That I won’t be able to enroll in the First Military Academy in the future or serve the Empire in the military.”
“The first part is true, but it won’t matter. You’ll still be able to go to a military academy, start a family and lead a fulfilling life.”
Ye Zhiyuan nodded with half understanding.
The woman continued.
“I’m going to be away for a while. Behave yourself at home, Little Yuan.”
“Are you going to fight?”
“Yes, I’m going to fight the insects. The rebels have smuggled several king insects into a nearby galaxy.”
Ye Zhiyuan had absolutely no idea what that entailed.
“I want to go too.”
“Maybe when Little Yuan gets into the First Military Academy. Actually, I came here today because there’s something I wanted to ask of you, Little Yuan.”
Ye Zhiyuan’s sister has always been his pride. She entered the imperial guard right after graduation, after all. Normally, he just needed to mention his sister was in the imperial guard for those around him to look at him in a different light.
If such an amazing sister had something to ask of him, of course Ye Zhiyuan would promise to do his best.
“Take this key. It opens a room in the Imperial Audio Theatre. If I return by next year, give me the key and I’ll take care of it myself. If I don’t, find some time to go there and kill it.”
“It? What is ‘it’?”
“Something that shouldn’t exist. A remnant of the rebellion. My–“
She paused before smiling and instructing Ye Zhiyuan not to forget.
In the end, his sister was lost to the stars during the battle against the king insects.
Norton Grantz returned to the Empire. Unlike in the rumours, he easily pushed back the enemy countries’ forces while sustaining minimal losses. It took him only a single day to thoroughly exterminate the insects and rebels, restoring peace to the Empire.
Even the king insects which left tens of thousands of soldiers helpless were dealt with by one light swing of his sword aboard a warship.
All the families involved in the rebellion were executed or exiled, except for the Ye family, whose heir personally ended the lives of her rebellious relatives and bravely gave her life in battle with the insects.
The entire Ye family kept a low profile and moved out of the imperial capital. Except Ye Zhiyuan, who entered the First Military Academy.
Later, Ye Zhiyuan took the key and opened that room. Inside, he found an almost fully developed embryo. It had already taken on the shape of a tiny baby. Under imperial law, it was already alive and had the rights of any citizen.Â
Ye Zhiyuan stood in the room with a dagger in hand for a long time. In the end, he left without touching it. Several years later, just as his sister had promised, he smoothly graduated, entered the military, met the love of his life and started a family.Â
After the birth of his second child, he returned to that room.
The embryo had been kept in status for a long time already. The tiny baby looked the same as when he first saw it, but it had been kept in status too long. Its vitals weakened by the day. It would die soon.
On that day, Ye Zhiyuan came to a decision. He restarted the gestation procedure. If it survived, he would raise it with care himself.
Later, ‘it’ became him.
