Ye Muo’s comms device buzzed incessantly. Messages bombarding his ocular implants, yet he had no time to heed them.
He dared not turn his back on Norton, retreating cautiously until his back pressed against the rock formation behind him. A paradoxical calmness descended upon him now that there was nowhere left to go.
Failure meant a gruelling ordeal upon returning to base. As punishment, the researchers would withhold the temporary psychic soothing agent and any painkillers. Just the thought terrified him.
Death might be preferable to that. It would put an end to everything. What did dying feel like? Would it hurt terribly?
He hoped it would be swift.
Ye Muo closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side to expose his neck– the posture of complete surrender. Yet his heart still raced at a mile a minute, betraying his lingering terror.
A new command crackled over the comms, transmitted directly from base with the highest priority: [Retreat! Operation aborted! All units, full retreat!]
Though he’d already decided to give up, Ye Muo’s eyes snapped open at the command. His body instinctively sprang into action, for obedience had become second nature.
He shot towards Norton like a bullet.
Norton halted before him and withdrew his blade. Instead, he pressed his other hand against Ye Muo’s chest. Subtle strands of psychic power coiled around his fingertips.
Any object could become the metaphorical sharpest spear when imbued with the psychic power of a Grantz.
Strictly speaking, the most suitable vessel was actually their own bodies.
The Grantz themselves were the most exquisite of humanoid weapons. They wielded swords merely to avoid soiling their hands.
Even Norton himself couldn’t explain what compelled him to avert his blade and go with a more troublesome approach in that moment.
Norton’s fingers plunged into Ye Muo’s chest as he charged forward. Fresh blood splattered everywhere, a few drops splashing onto Norton’s cheek.
Norton’s pupils dilated slightly the moment he made contact with Ye Muo. His eyes snapped to the child.
Ye Muo was practically propped up by the hand impaling his chest. The chest of his combat suit was rapidly dyed a dark red. He coughed, expelling a mouthful of blood that trickled down his chin.
Dylan approached from the side. “What, still not finished?”
He frowned, observing Norton more carefully.
It was rare for Norton to toy with his prey. Such behaviour was more typical of Bert.
Not to mention the opponent was a mere child. Normally, when facing such a peculiar, even youthful adversary, Norton would show even greater mercy, swiftly disposing of them before they could fully comprehend their situation and sparing them a painful death. That was the benevolence of a Grantz.
Yet Dylan remained silent and waited off to the side. After all, he had been the one to leave the matter to Norton in the first place.
Dylan glanced off in a certain direction. “Looks like more are coming.”
Norton remained absolutely still.
Dylan gave him a strange look. “Big Brother–”
He fell silent mid-sentence.
The berserk psychic power of an unfamiliar Grantz erupted from Ye Muo in an instant, engulfing the entire battlefield.
Dylan’s eyes widened as he snapped to face Ye Muo. “He’s a…”
Before Dylan could react, the little Grantz’s uncontrolled psychic power began coiling around Norton. This was the prelude to psychic resonance.
Dylan knew very well what this implied.
The warship approaching from the other direction drew near, unleashing a fierce, indiscriminate bombardment. Shells scattered chaotically in their vicinity. Rather than going on the offensive, it was more like they were trying to put up a panicked, futile defence.
Yet neither Grantz paid them any heed. Their gazes remained fixed on Ye Muo, as if unsure how to respond.
Ye Muo’s consciousness grew hazy as new orders arrived from base, accompanied by more precise coordinates.
He fired a smoke grenade at Norton at point blank range. His movements were far more sluggish due to his injuries, but the shot went off. The recoil even managed to separate him from Norton. He swiftly retreated towards the target coordinates.
The short-range flight device strapped to his body immediately propelled him away. It traced a clear arc through the air towards the warship also heading this way.
Dylan watched him leave. He had countless opportunities to attack. Even now, he could end things with a single psychic power blade.
Yet he remained rooted to his hoverboard. He even instinctively drifted forward a few paces as if to give chase.
He turned to glance at Norton, who pulled up beside him.
Norton’s expression was colder than usual as he gripped his sword tightly. Dylan looked away and continued to watch the fleet depart. Neither man continued the pursuit, simply remaining where they stood.
Only when the warship carrying the little Grantz had vanished from sight did Norton stir. The Grantz fleet, having long sensed their anomalous position, were closing in from afar.
Norton turned. “Kill him on sight next time.”
Dylan cast one final glance before following suit. He made a sound of acknowledgement after a prolonged pause.
Another encounter was almost inevitable. Norton’s intentions were clear.
Since he hadn’t killed the little Grantz this time, they would inevitably cross paths again. How could a Grantz possibly hide? His formidable psychic power and his inevitably deteriorating ability to control them would serve as the most conspicuous of beacons.
……
Elsewhere, Ye Muo staggered aboard the warship, only to crumple barely two or three metres into the corridor. Several people came to haul him to the medical bay, where they roughly shoved him into a treatment pod.
“HQ is asking for an update on the situation.”
“Tell them the operation failed, but there’s no pursuit. The Grantz and their forces are leaving. We’re lucky to be alive.”
He sounded somewhat relieved. “That took years off my life. I’m never taking another mission involving this test subject again.”
They departed while continuing their conversation.
“HQ wants us back ASAP for the researchers to assess the situation.”
“I know, I know. We’re already hustling at top speed. The Grantz duo gave the flight crew the fright of a lifetime earlier.”
Ano paced around the treatment pod. “Those bastards! They haven’t even treated his wounds yet! How could they??”
Wounds must be cleared and sutured before entering treatment pods for the best results.
Theodore also paused before the treatment pod to observe Ye Muo inside. In the previous timeline, he’d only seen Ye Muo return covered in wounds and remained unaware of the specifics. Was this what happened?
You must’ve been terribly scared on the brink of death, Xavier.
He should have made up his mind to take Xavier away sooner.
Helene slammed her hand into Dylan’s back with such force he lurched forward. “It’s all your fault!”
The other Grantz also cast reproachful glares his way.
Dylan just glanced at her without retaliating for once. Then he silently turned his attention to Ye Muo’s treatment pod.
Ano was the only one to whirl on Norton, admonishing him, “And you, Big Brother! How could you hurt him like that?!”
The room instantly went dead silent.
Norton was standing before the treatment pod. He reached over to lay a hand over where Ye Muo’s chest would be.
“En.”
Though he hadn’t done anything, he appeared weary as he slowly bent to rest his forehead against the glass cover. He murmured as he closed his eyes. “It’s my fault.”
He couldn’t see the specifics of what went down from Theodore’s perspective before, but the scattered fragments he’d glimpsed from Ye Muo’s retreat after failing his mission was enough to identify the Grantz involved– himself and Dylan.
Norton knew himself well. He understood precisely how he would react if confronted with Xavier under such circumstances. His response would scarcely be considered gentle, even if the stars were to align.
From that moment on, he began to wonder what would happen if Xavier were to regain these memories.
He didn’t wish for Xavier to remember, to suffer. Yet Norton couldn’t overlook the secret, selfish part of him that hoped Xavier wouldn’t remember so he didn’t have to see the fear in Xavier’s eyes.
The Grantz exchanged glances. They’d scarcely ever seen Norton like this. Open. Vulnerable.
Norton always stood tall and strong. He was always at the forefront, to the point where they mostly saw his back. He had never been like this even during the toughest of times.
Bert stepped forward and awkwardly placed a hand on Norton’s shoulder. “Hey, if I was there, I would’ve done an ever worse job. You always handle things better than I do. Most of the time, that is.”
Nearby, Aria nudged Ano. He hesitated for a few seconds before speaking up somewhat guiltily. He knew he wouldn’t have done much better if placed in Norton’s shoes. Besides, it wasn’t his intention to blame Norton. He didn’t have a better solution either. Every Grantz knew to never show the enemy mercy.
“It’s not your fault, Big Brother.”
He didn’t know what else to say. “Things are better now, Big Brother. I hope it stays this way forever. Xavier’s doing well, everyone else is as well…”
Norton straightened moments later, regaining his usual composure. He shot Ano a wordless glance. It was as if the scene they’d just witnessed had been a figment of their imagination.
Ano actually relaxed at that. This was normal. This was his usual big brother.
The scene began to shift once more, causing several of the Grantz to breathe a sigh of relief.
They didn’t want to see Xavier lying in that treatment pod anymore, yet they couldn’t bear to miss any part of his life. Their hearts remained in their throats as they worried over what might come next– whether things would continue to deteriorate.
Meanwhile, Theodore discovered with some dismay that his previous meddling had caused Xavier’s psychic power to reject him. Now, like the other Grantz, he could only watch helplessly.
