Tears escape the confines of YiHuang's dark orbs for the first time in forever. It might even be his first, for he doesn't remember ever having done so.

"Zhang." The second prince calls. The name is a whisper, a hopeless whisper. "What should I do?" The question is directed at himself, but the answer comes from elsewhere.

"Move! Let me take a look." The voice is urgent yet soft. A hand lands on YiHuang's shoulder and pushes him aside. The latter resists but gives way immediately when he realizes that it is none other than his brother. "What... "

"Shut up. Let me do my job." The crown prince touches the unconscious man's chest before leaning in.

YiHuang knows that the act is merely for medical reasons, but it still angers him. However, the older misses the look on account of him being busy examining Zhang.

"His windpipe has swollen. His lungs are collapsing." YiYiang informs, rushing past YiHuang, who follows the older. He is stopped almost immediately. "Find something to block the entrance!" The older orders, and like always, YiHuang complies.

Barely half a minute later, YiYang returns to Zhang's side with a part of the machinery that was once part of the latter's space vehicle. He adjusts the equipment; pulling out his sword, he screws open the hilt and attaches it to the exposed wire.

"Brother, what should I do next?" YiHuang asks, placing the levitating bolder next to the cave's opening.

"Come inside and seal the cave." The older instructs. And a moment later, the cave is thrust into darkness.

Two pairs of faintly glowing eyes lock on each other a second before the cave floods with dim white light. Next to Zhang, the equipment YiYang had carried inside comes to life and hums.
"Ah-Huang, come here," YiYang calls. "Breathe into his mouth."

"Mn!?" The younger's eyes widen.

"If you don't do it, I will. I am more experienced in this particular technique... "

"I will do it!" YiHuang rushes to Zhang's side; without a moment's delay, he parts the latter's lips and seals them with his before breathing into it. Meanwhile, YiYang leans towards his chest and waits for the human to respond. "Long breaths, little brother. Pretend that I am not here." The older teases.

Luckily for YiHuang, his brother misses the flush spreading over his neck and cheeks. He ignores the crazy rhythm of his heart and continues to breathe life into the human. He prays to the powers that be to return the human to him. It's not his first time praying. But it is his first time asking for something not for others but for himself.

Prays are powerful. So powerful that it can trick death, or so the Yuanjians believed. YiHuang, however, was not a believer. For he did not believe in powers he could not see or explain.
The second prince did not know it yet, but that was about to change.

YiYang leans back. "His lungs are reacting to your ministrations." He states, gesturing the younger to stop. "I think you have done enough... for now." The crown prince smirks. Then, catching the latter's scandalized gaze, he presses on. "YiHuang, I won't pressure you for answers now, but know that I need them."

YiHuang nods. "Thank you for coming to my aid, brother."

"Save it. You are my person. You have shielded me more times than I can remember." The crown prince pats his brother's arm. "Even when you disapproved of my actions, you stood by me. I had always thought that I won't be able to return your favors, but now I think I can."

YiHuang remains silent and lowers his eyes.

"I will retrieve everything that I can salvage from his vehicle. Hopefully, we can find something useful in there. Give me your sword."

The second prince hands the blade over to the older, who sighs and leaves only to return minutes later with a pile of mangled pieces of equipment floating behind him. He finds Zhang's head resting on his brother's thigh. It surprises the older. He had never even witnessed his brother willingly touch any Yuanjian, let alone a human.

"I thought it would make him... " YiHuang launches into an explanation as soon as he notices YiYang's eyes on him, but the latter merely shakes his head. "You don't need to explain." He swishes the sword in the air and points it next to the humming equipment from earlier.

"Brother, what is all this?"

"The remnants of his identity... His home." Sadness and regret linger on his face as he approaches Zhang. "I fixed the damage his vehicle had done to the barrier. The shell of the vehicle was almost gone when I got to it. Most of the control panel was damaged. The bird won't fly again. Thankfully,  I could get my hands on a few medical supplies and personal belongings before they were destroyed. I thought it best to push the vehicle beyond the barrier. When it hits the water, it will sink. In case he ever expresses his desire to look for it, you can guide him to it. The contents within it will come to no harm as I sealed the crack in its hull."

YiHuang nods. His eyes fall on the unconscious human's face. Subconsciously he moves a few raven strands of hair away from Zhang's forehead. The action doesn't go unnoticed by the older, but he holds his peace.

"Ah-Huang, I suggest you stay with him till he recovers and then... "

"Brother, I can't let him leave." YiHuang interrupts, avoiding his brother's eyes. He is afraid of the judgment he expects to find in them.

"I wasn't going to ask that of you." Comes the sincere reply. The latter catches his brother's eyes. "You weren't?"

YiYang shakes his head. "I can see how special he is to you. I am sure you haven't told me everything about your dreams, Ah-Huang. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't hurt, but the truth is, you are entitled to them." He takes a deep breath. "Before I followed you here, I hacked into the signal journal. Luckily, no one was around at the time."

YiHuang's brows knit. "What did you do, brother?"

"I camouflaged your signal. It was all over the place." YiYang purses his lips. "I have never known you to be reckless, but that's how you acted. Have you thought about the consequences of what you were about to do? Prince or not, our father would never forgive you if he were to find out that you and him...you were planning to go to land for him, weren't you?"

The younger's fists clench. Both anger and guilt plague the second prince. He was angry, for he knew what was expected of him as a YuanJian prince and felt guilty because his actions could have gotten his brother into trouble as well. "I am sorry that I worried you."

YiYang gulps thickly and turns away. Now that Zhang was out of danger, he couldn't help but worry about his brother. He could tell that his usually law-abiding brother was taken with the human and did not think twice about what he was doing before jumping into the proverbial and literal fire. "Stay here." He repeats and points towards the humming equipment. "His lungs are fragile; I can see that he has sustained injuries. However, he is much better equipped to handle our atmosphere."
YiHuang looks at his brother questioningly.

"He was exposed to our atmosphere all of a sudden. I think about what you know about humans. You have been studying their physiology for ages."

YiHuang blinks, feeling taken aback by his brother's words. "How did you know I was studying about them!?"

The older prince chuckles. "I may look like my mind is always filled with pursuing beauties, little brother, but that's not the case." He faces YiHuang once more. "I will tell father that you have reason to believe that the barrier has been tampered with and that I have sent you to investigate the matter. That will explain why your signal is camouflaged and visible only to me."

When there is no response, YiYang gets worried. He calls. "Ah-Huang, what's wrong?"

"Brother, what if he hates me when he wakes up. What if he holds me responsible for the destruction of his ship? What if he asks me to leave... "

YiYang puts his palm on the younger's mouth, effectively shutting him up. "Officer Zhang is a reasonable man. Just tell him the truth. I am sure he will understand. And as for leaving you...well, that is entirely up to you. However, I don't think Officer Zhang would do that." He points at the humming equipment. "This will keep the oxygen levels stable. I will ask Ah-Kun if there is a way to get Zhang adjusted to the atmosphere quicker. Even though anyone rarely ventures to this part of the grove, you can't stay here indefinitely. The earlier you leave for Kynlun, the better."

"Can we trust him?" YiHuang worries. He knows Kun is his brother's best friend, but the situation he had found himself in was delicate. To side with him now almost amounted to treason in his father's books.

"I will ask it in passing, and if he asks, I will tell him that I was wondering about it since I had fallen over. Ah-Kun is a simple soul; he wouldn't think much of it."

"I hope so, brother," YiHuang replies, sounding hopeless. The crown prince, ever the optimistic, refrains from commenting. He calls the latter's attention to the pile he had hauled in minutes ago. "Go through it as soon as you can." His eyes shift towards Zhang's calm face. "I think you can stop acting as his cushion now. He looks tough. I am sure he can handle being on hard surfaces."

Color rises to YiHuang's cheeks. "Brother, I think I can handle it from here. I wouldn't want to keep you from..."

"No need to throw me out. I was going to do it anyway." The older picks up his brother's sword. "I am borrowing yours as mine is busy powering the atmosphere controller. I will be back with another one same time tomorrow. Don't leave."

YiYang is almost out of the cave when the younger calls. "Brother, what if he wakes up and is hungry?"

"I am sure you will find something for your...for the officer. The grove can provide sustenance." The older answers, stepping out and sealing the cave behind him.

{Author's Note:- Word count 1769

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