*Observatory Tower: Deck*

A guard hurriedly enters the deck, "Your Majesty, the crown prince is on his way back. While in GuHai...he got slapped by an official's daughter. He seemed to have done something to earn her anger. He showed no signs of regret."

"Is that it? Did he not do anything else?" YiLei questions the guard who had tailed the crown prince.
The guard nods; he omits to tell YiLei that he had indeed lost the crown prince for approximately five minutes soon after entering the Temporary residence, which was in a state of chaos, as soon as he had entered.
The Emperor dismisses the guard. "I don't think he is in league with YiHuang." He declares and glances at his unconscious adopted son.

"Ah-Zhang..." The Yuanjian prince whispers. Slowly regaining his bearings, he looks around the deck and blinks, disoriented. As his mind clears, his face pales. His head throbs, and his heartaches. Closing his eyes, he struggles to pull in a breath. When he puts voice to his thoughts, they are devoid of emotion, "Your Majesty, release me. I will do whatever you need me to do."

The attitude leaves the old Emperor stunned. "Son, it was not my intention to hurt you." He walks towards YiHuang, who moves away.

"Just...please." YiHuang throws his palms out, gesturing the advancing Emperor to stop, "I will do whatever you need me to do." He stands up.

The Emperor complies. Soon, YiHuang is standing next to a contraption similar to their space vehicle Xue; the only difference is the inky black with an indent in its middle.

"I used our blood on the Key and inserted it in the slot, but it's not working." Li Xiang joins the second prince and hands him the charm.
YiHuang rolls the item between his fingers and leaves a shaky breath, "You did the right thing. But there is something you don't know."

Li Xiang tilts her head. "What?"

A soft laugh erupts from deep within YiHuang's chest, "This," he holds up the disk, "is not the key. It never was."

A deathly calm falls over the deck, broken only by his manic laughter.
"Lies!" The Emperor bellows, "Hu Kwan has corrupted his heart and turned him against me."

"Your Majesty," Teng exclaims. "We are doomed." He buries his face in his hands and mutters, "The wormhole is gone."

"Impossible!"

"Your Majesty, it's possible. If you don't believe the General, then I suggest you take a look yourself." YiHuang states calmly.

"Ah-Huang!" A voice from the entrance of the deck makes the people turn.

It's YiYang; his eyes are glued to his brother's bleeding wrists. He pushes past the guards and takes the latter's hands between his. "Who did this!?" He fumes, fixing the nearest guard with a cold, calculating gaze, "Tell me this instant!"

Li Xiang moves out of Teng's shadow, revealing herself to the crown prince. "Ah-Xiang, what..." her bleeding wrists make him stop and scan the crowd.

"Brother, Ah-Zhang did it. He destroyed it." YiHuang's informs, tears stream down his face. "He saved us."
The meaning behind the exchange between his sons first perplexes and then angers YiLei, "You, my own son, betrayed me!" He accuses the crown prince and grabs his collar. "Do you know what you have done!?" He demands, pushing the young man to the floor; unsheathing his sword, he growls, "You...both of you have destroyed our future."

"Father, please calm down. Now is not the time to throw accusations. Please, give us a few minutes to explain ourselves." YiYang eyes come to rest on his brother, "Officer Zhang left his blood. That's the key to open it, isn't it?" He asks, fishing out the vial from his robes to give it to YiHuang.
Unfortunately, before it can change hands, YiLei grabs it, and in a fit of rage, slams it on the floor, smashing it into pieces.

YiHuang gasps, "No..." He scrambles to collect it in his palms. "What have you done!?" He asks, eyes meeting and holding his father's.

Anger washes over the Emperor in waves, blinding him. "What have I done!? How dare you say that after ruining our chance at a new beginning. His eyes see red, and without thinking of the consequences, he flings his sword at YiHuang.

"Father, no!" YiYang tries to stop the Emperor, but the deed is done. 'No.' He mutters and looks away.

A bright light floods the room; it's gone a moment later.

Metal cuts through flesh, and blood soaks the second prince's robes. But it's not his.

"Ah-Zhang! Why!" YiHuang's despair-filled words fall on the older prince's ears.

YiYang scrambles to his feet, and cutting through the crowd, rushes towards the sound of his brother's voice.

A bleeding Zhang lies in his brother's lap. The smile on his face is a stark contrast to the lines of panic that have settled over his brother's countenance.

The human holds out his palm, "Let's do what we were destined to do, Ah-Huang." The man urges.

The Emperor connects the dots, "You did this!" He accuses. However, before he can move, Li Xiang restrains him with a mind-bind greater than anyone in TengFei possessed. Her face contorts in anger. Her heart feels like it has been punctured. "Your Majesty, the wormhole is gone. I did everything you told me to. You promised that you would not hurt anyone. Look at what you have done!"
She hurries over to Zhang's side, "What should we do to save TengFei? What do you need me to do?"

Zhang's eyes twinkle, "You are Third." He smiles affectionately. The lady nods, "Then you must be First. There really were three of us, not two as the professor mentioned."

Zhang tries to sit up and winces. He scans the room, "All those who are present must hear my words, "I am the first of three who was meant to herald a new beginning for Yuanjians. I have all the memories of the First with me." Reading his mind, YiHuang helps him to the beacon while Li Xiang follows the two. Zhang places the charm in the beacon's slot before covering it with his bloody palm. The other two mimic the human, covering Zhang's palm with theirs.

The contraption glows, bright golden. The charm cracks, dividing it in the middle, revealing the sliding doors. As it falls, the doors slide open. A hologram materializes from within, and an image of the first hybrid appears.

The image starts speaking.

'I didn't think you would make it, but it looks like you did manage to find my voice. I suppose this form of mine is rather disappointing, but the truth is, there is no way you can resurrect me. This is the next best thing.'

Hearing The First was something to be revered, but the one speaking sounded a lot like their infamous crown prince. The First bore an uncanny resemblance to him as well. The ones in front of the beacon and the ten-odd in the back wonder if they had been pranked.

This couldn't be what they were waiting for, right?

The holographic image continues, 'No need to panic. What you want is very close. Yes, you will have to make adjustments, and you will have to become more tolerant, but if you do as I say, you can rest assured for millennia to come.'

These words pique the Yuanjians' interest. Even those who had already embraced disappointment turn their full attention to The First. Meanwhile, YiHuang rips off the hem of his robes, trying to stop the bleeding, and Li Xiang places her fingers over the human's temple and struggles to close the wound on his chest.

'TengFei can not be saved. The life force has run its course. The inbreeding among the five hundred thousand that came has led to the dilution of our capabilities. Our genes can not contain and manipulate the force anymore. If you ignore me despite your efforts, our race will go extinct. However, there is a way to save not only our people but the people whose planet we have borrowed. The humans, I believe, have learned their lesson. Their greed has been consumed by helplessness and desolation. They are dying. Both races are dying, but they don't have to; they can rise together and help the other build a sanctuary together. Prosper together.'

As soon as the land dwellers are mentioned, whispers of discontent start dropping from the Yuanjians' lips. As centuries of hatred and superiority complex cloud their minds.

'You need them more than they need you. Let go of your pride. Open your hearts, and I promise that the land dwellers will do the same. If you put your faith in me again, I will guide you. Now chose.'

The image of the First vanishes along with the hologram; two levers rise from its base.

With the help of his three aids: YiHuang, Xiang, and YiYang, Zhang stands facing the Emperor and General Teng; with all eyes on him, he speaks, "I am the first seed. Your Majesty, you can see now that what you have been lead to believe has turned out to be false. The three of us were created to give your race a second chance." He takes a shallow breath, the pain in his chest intensifies, "My life is fading." His hand goes to his chest, "If you delay, I won't be able to help you."

"What if the humans betray us as the XudianJi did!?" The Emperor demands, making Zhang sigh, "That's up to you. Peace breeds peace. Love breeds love. You were ready to let Xudianji in, were you not? Then why do you deny the humans the same?"

YiLei's shoulders slump. "Fine." He accepts defeat. "What matters is the continued existence of our race. I will do everything in my power to achieve it."

Zhang turns and gestures Li Xiang to push the green-colored lever. As soon as the lever clicks in place, a vial filled with shimmering gold liquid materializes, and three golden beams erupt from where the hologram had disappeared. The beams hit the three seeds in the middle of their forehead.
Moments later, the pod turns to dust, leaving the vial behind. Lifting it up, Zhang faces the crowd and announces, "I know what to do."

{Author's Note :- Word count 1716

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