Though Zhang had figured out the situation almost in its entirely, he hears YiHuang out patiently. He notices the small details he had not been able to catch or had dismissed, thinking them to be unimportant.

The prince leans back on the chair. The events he had witnessed had left him drained and demotivated. Head hanging low, he sighs, "Now you know as much as I do."

Zhang knew that there were more things YiHuang had not touched upon, for the human had caught glimpses of them in what he had concluded were visions. The answer to why he was seeing things was something that had stumped him as well; thus, he had chosen to not come clean to his companion yet. "What prompted the professor to start this facility when your father did not believe in it?"

YiHuang's eyes widen for a second, 'How did he catch on to this detail!?'
"I spent a substantial part of my childhood here in Kynlun. My mother...the queen, was not very fond of me. She believed that I was bad luck. To maintain peace, I was sent here." With his eyes cast low, he adds, "I am not hers. Father refuses to tell me who my mother was. I was the reason father lost his gift."

Zhang nods, waiting for YiHuang to go on.

YiHuang eyes brim with tears,  "Anyway, I inherited father's gift of sight. When I was nineteen, I saw a vision of XudianJi invading Earth through the wormhole that we saw yesterday. I went to warn father, but he dismissed it. He said that I had an overactive imagination." YiHuang scoffs, "When I returned to Kynlun, I was restless for weeks. The vision...it was gruesome. One day I bumped into Professor Kwan. I looked up at him. He noticed that something wasn't right and urged me to speak my mind. That's when I told him what I had seen. He was one of the few who knew about my gift of sight. Unlike father, there was no doubt in his mind that it would come to pass."

"I presume you guys have been collaborating since then?"

YiHuang nods.

"One last question, why did you save me? Don't give me a vague answer like you did last time. What you did for me...no one would have done it unless, either they have a hidden motive, or they are familiar...close to that person."

"What if I told you that I have a hidden motive?"

"Then I will ask you to reveal it to me. Ah-Huang, there is nothing you can tell me that will make me leave you...as long as you allow it, I will be here for you...with you."

"Then," The Yuanjian hesitates, "what if I tell you that when we met, I was already familiar with you?"

"If that's the case, I would ask you to open your heart to me. Ah-Huang, there is something I need to tell you too, but I can't till I know that you are the one I know."

The human's words confuse the prince. Nonetheless, he was sure that this was the chance he had been waiting for to come clean about his feelings towards Zhang. A part of him already believed that Zhang would not reject.

"The day I rescued you was not the first time I saw you." Color rises to YiHuang's cheeks. "I have been seeing you in my visions for a long time. The day your vehicle crashed into our sanctuary, I could feel you...your pain." The prince gulps thickly and dares a glance at Zhang. A smile, radiant like the morning sun, is what he is met with. YiHuang's heart picks up pace; encouraged, he finally confesses. "I saw us...together."

As the last syllable drops from his lips, he is pulled into Zhang's arms. It's a grip both gentle and possessive.

"Ah-Huang, why didn't you say anything before?" Zhang demands, breathing into the nap of the latter's neck. "Nevermind, I guess it's for the best." Moving his hand to YiHuang's cheeks, he holds his gaze, "Ah-Huang, I have been dreaming about us too. It feels like forever. You taught me to love even without meeting. It seems our hearts met before we did. The reason I took on the mission in the first place was that I knew there was life beyond stars...there was you, you were waiting for me just like I was waiting for you. But when I landed, I lost all my memories of you. It all came back to me when I woke up in your arms-"

"After I sent my nanobots to inspect the charm." YiHuang finishes for him.

"Since then, I have had more visions. Sometimes it's just a gut feeling that things will work out; at other times, I just know what I need to do. I don't know how to explain it. But through it all, always, at the back of my mind, there is you." Zhang's eyes sting. He knows he won't be able to stop his tears if he looks into the inky mono-lids that stir his soul. "We haven't even taken the first step, but I already know that one lifetime is far less than what I want to spend with you. But-"

The words that follow die in his throat as warm, soft lips land on his forehead. "I want that too, Ah-Zhang."

The confession fills the human's heart with joy like he had found a part of him he had lost a lifetime ago.

"When all of this is over, let's find a home for just the two of us. I don't want to be tied down anymore. I want to be responsible for nothing else except us...together."

Soft tremors ripple through Zhang's body as he tries to swallow what he knows is an ill-timed laugh.
YiHuang frowns, "My words are not as articulate as yours, but I hardly think it warrants this response."

Zhang loses it. He throws his head back and laughs, angering the embarrassed Yuanjian further. He turns away, crossing his arms over his chest, "Our society is not very open when it comes to expressing our feelings. Brother is an exc..." YiHuang gasps at the feel of Zhang's lips on his cheek, "Ah-Huang, your words were perfect. I was just laughing at the timing. Your word is at the brink of an invasion. My future is uncertain, and here we are, pouring our hearts out."

"I don't understand that reference." YiHuang deadpans, pouting.

"Stop pouting. I can't take anything you say in earnest when you are pouting. All I can think of are words like adorable, cute, sweet and cats.'"

YiHuang's brows crawl up. "I beg to differ. I am not a cat. If you have to make such crude comparison, then I would prefer if you thought of me as a lion!" He announces, putting his hands over his hips in an attempt to look superior. The blush tinting his cheeks, however, ruins the effect.

Zhang concedes; not wanting to annoy the man further, he bows, "Point taken,  my Lion."

YiHuang clears his throat.

Having observed YiHuang for the past few days, Zhang had understood that this was his go-to response when he was shy, embarrassed, or wanted to change the subject.

Deciding to give the Yuanjian an out, Zhang returns to where the Intex manipulator, "Ah-Huang, I was thinking that we should pay Professor Kwan a visit."

The mood sombers instantly.
YiHuang joins Zhang and asks. "What is on your mind?"

*****

YiYang arrives at the eastern grove bright and early. He visits the cave by the Lotus pond. After ascertaining that there were no traces of Zhang having spent time there, he signals Li Kun, along with the inspection and deduction team, to join him.

As expected, the information provided by YiHuang is found to be true.
"This is the most fertile land in all of TengFei, blessed by the first. If this place has deteriorated to this extent, we can expect others to be worse." Li Kun observes.

"Over a hundred children in the past year have been born without the internal force. Forty percent were from YunFei." A young man dressed in military gray informs, reading the data displayed on the hologram hovering midair.

Li Kun crouches next to the pond and runs his fingers over the lush green blades of fine grass, "I presume the least cases have been reported from the capital."

"That's right, Sir. How did you know?" The young man responds, sounding impressed and bewildered.

"I didn't...at least, I wasn't sure." Li Kun gestures YiYang to follow him and the two men break from the team of men who had accompanied them. "Ah-Yang, we need to take samples from a few more areas to confirm it officially, but my conclusion is that the soil is losing its life."

"Is that even possible?"

"Looks like it. I will take samples every hour. After twenty-four hours, I will be able to estimate how long we have."

YiYang could see the effort his friend was putting into staying calm, but that was not all. Since meeting Li Kun at his residence that morning, he could sense that the latter was restless. "I heard that General Teng wanted to see you. What did he want?"

Silence.

"Do you think it's right for us to pin our hopes on the words of the first?"
Kun's pupils dilate, "How did you know about it!?"

Turning away, YiYang pats his friend on the back, "It's a secret. I will tell you mine if you tell me yours." The crown prince winks, "Do what you have to do here and come see me if you are up for a swap. By the way, I met Xiang yesterday," head hanging low, he sighs, "I think she still hates me."

Then, without waiting for Li Kun's reaction, the crown prince bows to the team, "Thank you for your hard work." He yells before mounting on his sword and leaving.

*****

Zhang had been wondering about the pod since YiHuang had mentioned it. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, if he could take a look at it, some alternative might present itself to them. "I want to try and salvage the pod. I was the best pilot and astronautical engineer on Earth. I had a major hand in building my ship...I mean, space vehicle."

The minimalistic vehicle was supposed to be hidden in the basement of the facility. Only three people knew about it: YiHuang, Professor Kwan, and one more whose identity was only known to Hu Kwan.

The Yuanjian elder, however, had vehemently refused to divulge the latter's name. YiHuang, for the life of him, could not figure out why this secrecy was needed. After all, hadn't YiHuang proved himself to be trustworthy? Weren't they a team?

YiHuang looks into the human's almond eyes. They are as dark as the night sky; there is an unmistakable glint of hope in them; hope, that he doesn't want to extinguish. But he doesn't have a choice. In a tone seeped in regret, he replies, "I don't know anything about its whereabouts. The one in charge of it was Professor Kwan. He never told me its exact location or how to get to it."

"Oh." Zhang mutters, "I am sure we will find a way." Taking in YiHuang's fallen morale, he shakes his head, "I am sure Professor Kwan is fine. Remember, the attacker said his blindness was temporary. Whoever he was, I don't think it was his intention to kill anyone."

"How can you be sure?" YiHuang asks, searching the latter's eyes; he receives the answer not a moment later as their gazes meet.

{Author's Note:- Word count: 1973

Please ⭐ Vote ⭐ to show your support for this update if you have enjoyed it.}