*TengFei, Imperial Palace: Royal Chamber (A few hours ago)*

"Son, what brings you here?" The Emperor inquiries surprised that his firstborn had shown up at such a late hour.

"Father, I can't locate Ah-Kun. His signal is gone. Have you asked for it to be camouflaged?" The crown prince questions. Worry seeping into his words, he adds, "I had entrusted him with something important, but when I went to check up on him, he had disappeared. I have been asking around for him for hours. Even Li Xiang hasn't heard from him!"

"Son, calm down. I have sent him to run an errand. It's official." The Emperor's tone suggests that he did not want to be questioned further. He pins his son with a questioning gaze, "Now tell me what was so important that you called Li Kun during working hours?"

YiYang walks closer, with His eyes cast down, he speaks making sure his words remain between them, "Father, YiHuang brought it to my notice that-"

"YiHuang!? You told me that he was working on strengthening the barrier!" YiLei's tone rises, rousing the slumbering empress.

"Ah-Lei, who is it?" The Emperor's bedmate leans forward to take a closer look, "Son, what brings you here? Are you alright?"

"Everything is fine, mother. I guess I have overstepped my boundaries and angered Father. I am sorry for my rudeness." The crown prince bites out sarcastically. He bows to his parents before walking out in silence. He doesn't notice his father follow him till they are in the courtyard, and YiLei calls, "We weren't done talking!" He bars this son's path, "How is YiHuang involved?"

YiYang stops dead in his tracks. He wonders why his father, who had never shown any interest in what his sibling did, was suddenly so interested in him. 'This is not a good time to involve Ah-Huang.' He reckons and lies, "He mentioned it in passing that he noticed some fruits in the grove rotting when he was working on the barrier."

The answer seems to put the Emperor at ease, but only for a moment. His brows crease, "What was Li Kun doing for you?"

YiYang comes clean, "I wanted him to sample the soil."

"And?"

Having seen a side of his father he never had, he decides to underplay the situation, "Nothing, Li Kun disappeared! I got worried. Thank you for putting my mind at ease, father."
"Mn." The Emperor nods, "What of YiHuang?"

YiYang bows his head, "You know how much Ah-Huang loves the grove. It's almost his second home. As a brother, I wanted to surprise him by fixing the situation, I guess." His shoulders slump, he looks up through his lashes, fringing regret, "I am sorry that I misbehaved and upset you, Father. I am so stupid. Not only did I spoil your night, but I also left lady May waiting for me!" He facepalms.

The emperor smiles, then shaking his head disapprovingly, he urges, "Son, you need to be careful about your reputation."

When YiYang's eyes meet his father's, the young Yuanjian has the usual mischievous glint in his eyes. "Trust me,  father, I am more than careful. I will take your leave. Now," he bows, "If I hurry," He glances at his wrist. "I might still be able to catch her." Then with a wink, he disappears into the night.

*****

*Kynlun*

Watching YiHuang stare at the piece of paper for a few seconds without commenting, Zhang takes a peek at it, "Notes! They are musical notes, Ah-Huang. I think we have to play the notes. " He smiles, "That doesn't seem so difficult."

"Are you sure that it is of human origin?"

Zhang inspects the instrument. "I can't say for sure unless we analyze the individual materials used. All I say is that it is much lighter than the one we used to own."

"Can you play it?"

Zhang shrugs, "Can't see why not. Just tell me when."

"Now. Do it now." The Yuanjian commands, and a moment later, the residence fills with a familiar tone, but try as he may, the prince fails to place it. 'It sounds like a rhyme.' He guesses and waits till silence falls around them.
Zhang passes the mouth organ to the prince, "That's all there was. I don't know if it was supposed to sound like that."

"Why?"

The human leans in and points at the edge of the musical instrument, "See here, it's a little uneven. I think that whoever crafted this made some changes internally. It's not balanced at the ends. Thus, the notes sounded different as well." Zhang glances up to find YiHuang looking at him perplexed. The human presses on, "I think Xue modified it."

"Oh." Understanding dawns on the Yuanjian; nodding, he puts the instrument away.

"What now?"

YiHuang opens the hologram and observes the wormhole, "There is nothing else to do except waiting. Professor did not give us a response time."

Zhang glances out the window. He notices artificial light illuminating the almost desolate street. "Your race doesn't believe in having a nightlife, do they?"

In the past few days, Zhang had read a lot about the Yuanjians. However, there were still some aspects of their lifestyle that were a mystery to him. Socializing was one of them. Then there were things that one just knew: the unwritten rules, so to speak.

"No, they don't. The rules of our society don't leave much room to socialize with peers. Brother is the most notorious person I have ever come across. Spending nights at random locations with random people-" A deep blush creeps over his cheeks. He clears his throat and adds softly, "-mostly with ladies."

"I see. What did you mean when you told your professor that I belonged to you?" Zhang inquiries. Since the time YiHuang had said the words, they had stayed with Zhang at the back of his mind like an itch, begging attention, but it hadn't seemed like the right time to seek answers...until now.

YiHuang lowers his eyes and stays silent. Zhang doesn't push him; he waits. He can tell that his companion is not trying to avoid it but is merely finding the right way to explain it.

"When we arrived here, we had limited resources. We did not know how long we would have to stay hidden. It was unanimously decided that every Yuanjian must follow certain codes of conduct. Monogamy is one of them."
"One partner at a time?" Zhang asks to make sure if he has understood the latter correctly. "That doesn't sound so bad. It was the same on Earth as well."

"Yes...that and more. Once we mate, if our spouse passes away, we can't take another. Moreover, for acquiring the best possible outcome of the union, we are matched through the server."
Zhang's brain logs out at that. "Better outcome, by that you mean..."

"Offsprings." YiHuang offers. He takes a deep breath. Unconsciously fisting his fingers in his robes, he continues. "There are those who don't submit to the codes, but they are rare. And there is a system in place for them as well. That's not all Yuanjians, to a certain extent, are created to be as perfect as possible."

Zhang shakes his head in disbelief. The more he listens to it, the more it sounds like those crazy science fiction movies he had so despised in his youth. 'No wonder there is no average-looking Yuanjian. They were manufactured!' He feels nauseous. He doesn't know how to react.

"I am an exception." YiHuang continues when the question he had been waiting for doesn't come. "Father broke the rules. He had relations outside marriage. He was punished by the council. Of course, since it was a royal family matter, it was hushed up. An oath not to reveal the matter was taken by all those present at the time."
Zhang's eyes snap up, but he holds his peace.

"He had the gift of foresight. He could breathe on land as well. But he lost them when he took me in. I think that's why my mother never truly accepted me. I was never meant to exist."

YiHuang's eyes glass over, but before his tears can break free, he blinks them away. "The other matter regarding companionship concerns 'belonging' or 'pledging' loyalty to the other. When I told Professor Kwan that you belonged to me, I was letting him know what you are to me." Heat floods his countenance as he continues, "I told him that we had given up our rights to procreate in favor of companionship. And that we had pledged everything we had, included but not limited to our bodies, to each other."

Zhang feels his cheeks heat. He gulps thickly. With a strong desire to make good the declaration, Zhang closes the distance between them with purposeful strides and pulls the latter towards him. However, just before things can heat up, a knock on the door makes him stop and glance at it.

As if doused with cold water, the duo steps away, flustered; they exchange an uncertain, apprehensive look.
No one knew YiHuang's location. His brother had made sure of it days ago. That could only mean that it was none other than the one they had been waiting for, the mysterious man who called himself Xue.

"Please, identify yourself," YiHuang demands of the masked man, dressed in grey, through the keyhole on the other side of the door.

The man quirks his head and blinks. He seems to be at a loss for words at YiHuang's request.

"Please, identify yourself or leave," YiHuang repeats his tone cold, bordering on rude.

"Xue. I am Xue." The man at the door identifies himself and looks around, "My apologies, I think I am at the wrong-"

YiHuang opens the door and pulls the man inside, startling him. "Stay away!" He bites out, putting space between himself and the prince.

"I am sorry. I didn't want you exposing yourself. Professor Kwan informed that you-"

The newcomer holds his hand up, "I asked him to use it only during an emergency." He states accusingly.

Zhang, who had been a silent observer till now, steps forward. "It is an emergency." Without letting their guest interrupt, he adds, "The facility was attacked. The master server has been destroyed."

"Zhang!"

"What!?"

YiHuang and the man who had introduced himself as Xue exclaim simultaneously.

Silent falls as two pairs of eyes narrow and settle on the newcomer.

After a long pause, where Xue's frame gets stiffer by the second, YiHuang takes a tentative step towards their guest. He catches the latter's familiar orbs and asks cautiously, "Brother, is that you?"

{Author's Note:- Word count 1783

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