Soon after leaving the premises of the temporary residence, as expected, YiYang notices a man dressed up as a local, following them. Sticking with the plan, the pair of brothers, now dressed in native attire disguised as a pair of lovers, pretend not to have noticed the tail and mount their swords and fly towards Kynlun.

On arriving at the town, YiYang bids his lady farewell. He proceeds to the underground scarce goods market. As predicted, the tail disregards YiYang's companion and follows him instead.

While YiYang aimlessly loiters around checking out various items on offer, YiHuang returns to his residence and places an untraceable detector on the charm before quickly creating a shield to protect YiYang's mind from being manipulated. The technique he had used was something he had come up with Zhang the day they had watched the Resistance Facility fall prey to memory manipulation. They were planning to use it if they got separated and needed to communicate. YiHuang had simply modified it to act as a shield and a communication device.

Hiding the charm and the mind shield: a 2 by 2 mm transparent film, within his robes, YiHuang meets his brother at a predecided location at the scarce goods market. After pretending to exchange pleasantries, the duo leaves for the Imperial Palace.

At the Council Hall, the brothers are greeted by General Teng and Professor Kwan, who seem to be in a stalemate. When they notice the princes, the two fall silent and school their features into a pleasant smile.

General Teng approaches the duo while Kwan hangs behind, looking uncomfortable.

"YiHuang, the crown prince told us that you were working on a solution to strengthen the barrier. How did it go?" Teng inquiries casually.

YiHuang knew that the first thing General Teng would like to do would be to verify his whereabouts. Having readied himself in advance, he reports his fake findings as confidently as always, "I regret to inform that I wasn't successful. Moreover, I found that the barriers around TengHo have weakened beyond repair. If they continue to weaken, I am afraid the atmospheric bubble will crumble. Brother caught me amid the final trial. I apologize for the delay it has caused."

General Teng waves his hand dismissively, "You don't have to concern yourself with that anymore. Your father and I will take care of it." The man looks over his shoulder at Hu Kwan, "Professor Kwan, why don't you come and meet your protégé. You haven't seen each other for so long. I am sure you must have a lot of catching up to do."

As the elder approaches, the duo bow to him.

YiYang shakes his head, "General Teng, I am sure you got that wrong. YiHuang told me that he met Professor Kwan recently to discuss some matter related to the barrier." He turns to YiHuang and gestures him to step in.

YiHuang is quick on the uptake, "Sir," he addresses Teng, "I have met the Professor a few times, actually. Twice at the facility and once at a refreshment station."

Teng narrows his eyes, "Why?"

YiHuang bows. When he glances up and meets the latter's eyes, he says in a solemn tone, "The first time was to run my barrier strengthening idea by him," he pauses, "As for the second and third, it was unofficial, Sir. It was a private matter."

"What private matter?" YiYang and Teng ask simultaneously, even Professor Kwan looks on surprised.
Keeping his eyes glued to the floor, he shakes his head, "General, brother, I am sorry, but I can't answer that."

YiYang gets what his brother is trying to do: buy time. He pours fuel to fire, "This is unacceptable. Haven't you always been forthright? Unlike me, you are an upright Yuanjian, a role model to this generation of youth. How can you refuse to answer? If you want, I can leave-"

"That won't make any difference. Please let it go, brother." YiHuang asserts, leaving his audience shocked.

General Teng fumes. He turns on Kwan, "Both of you are refusing to tell me why you met at the refreshment station. Do you want me to involve the Emperor?"
At the precise moment, the giant doors of the council hall open, and Emperor YiLei steps in. "What is this scene!? I demand an explanation!"

The four Yuanjians fall to their knees. As the Emperor approaches them, Teng rises to his feet. He pulls the Emperor aside, "The day before, one of my men spotted the second prince at Kynlun's refreshment station while in deep discussion with Hu Kwan. Now both of them are unwilling to disclose the matter."

"Do you think it has something to do with the wormhole? Could the child have failed to destroy the master server and manipulate Hu Kwan's memories? Perhaps Kwan has figured out that the feed he is receiving from space is fake."

"I can't be sure."

The Emperor sighs, "The wormhole will stabilize in less than twenty-four hours. We still haven't found 'the key'; If we don't find it soon, how will we open the beacon and raise The First? To join hands with XudianJi, and leave this place, we need him by our side. Otherwise, it's the end for all of us."

"Don't you think I know that? That's why I want to be certain that Kwan is not trying to sabotage our plan. YiHuang is his son. He loves him dearly. He has never let anyone know, but it is natural for a father to confide in his son. If it is nothing serious, why else are both of them refusing!?"

The Emperor contemplates for a few moments before joining his sons. YiHuang, who is still on his knees, glances at his father. "I am ready to receive any punishment that you choose fit, but I won't reveal the details of our meeting." He states politely before adding resolutely.  "Professor Kwan would not reveal it because he gave me his word. If you try to pressurize him, I will end my life here and now."

The seriousness of the words makes shivers run down the Emperor's spine. He couldn't afford to lose YiHuang. For the prince's life was tied to the fate of their race. But the fact that he was so vehemently protecting the secret peaks his interest.

The Emperor, for a second, forgets why he had summoned the younger prince to the Palace; he smiles softly. "YiHuang, walk with me." He commands, making it sound like a request. He holds the young prince by his shoulders and helps him rise. "Son," he calls the crown prince and issues another order, "Go to your mother. She wants to meet you. Tell her that Ah-Huang will be there shortly." He pauses and inquiries, "General Teng, I heard that Xiang has requested an audience with me. Do you know anything about it?"

"No, your Majesty. I haven't been home for weeks now. I haven't seen either of my children."

YiYang purses his lips and glares at the military commander of their race. General Teng was the worst father he had ever come across. Ah-Kun and Ah-Xiang were so scared of their father that they barely spoke in front of him.

YiYang knew that Li Kun had been confined by the Emperor. In all likelihood, his friend had come too close to knowing the truth about their sanctuary. After all, it was something that his father wanted to hide. YiYang, however, did not know whether General Teng was in on it or not. In any case, Li Xiang was the only one who was left in the dark about what was going on right under her nose. 'She must be so worried about her brother.'

YiYang muses before suggesting, "Father, how about I take her to meet mother? She loves spending time with Li Xiang. Once you have taken care of official matters, you can come over to mother's chamber with Ah-Huang."
The Emperor nods, "We will meet you there soon. Go on." He agrees, and with YiHuang in tow, he makes his way towards the observation tower.

*****

*GuHai Temporary Residence*

After ordering sustenance to his room, Zhang proceeds to the launch bay, where he checks the real-time feed to ascertain the time it would take for the wormhole to stabilize. He comes to a staggering realization that he would have to prepone the launch of the Intex manipulator by at least a few hours if he was to stop the XudianJi from accessing it to get to Earth.
'There is no time for a test run.' His heart sinks as YiHuang's words, 'I will come to you. Trust me.' ring clear in his ears.

"I am sorry, Ah-Huang. I can't wait for you. If I don't return, know that you will always have my heart." He whispers in the large empty area, hoping his words reach his soulmate.

Though YiHuang had left an unregistered ComD with Zhang, in case he needed to contact them while they were away, the latter knew that informing them wouldn't help their cause. There was a greater chance that telling YiHuang could potentially hinder it.

Zhang activates the ComD and records a message for YiHuang but doesn't send it. Instead, he picks up a blade from the workspace, and holding up a vial that he had bought from the busy streets of Kynlun, in case things went the way he had seen happen in one of his visions, he slits his wrist and lets the vial fill with his blood: the blood of the first seed.

Zhang returns to the room; he hides the vial next to the mouth of the entrance that leads to the launch bay and retrieves the ComD. He plays the recorded message: "This is all I can give you, my love. Perhaps, in this lifetime, we will not get the forever we have been waiting for. You know my heart, and I know yours. That will have to be enough for now." As the message ends, the room falls quiet again. Zhang wipes the tears that have slid down his cheeks with the back of his robes. Then placing the device next to his vial of blood, he enters the launch bay.

{Author's Note :- Word count 1713

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