Chu Zao had never seen such a scene before—in fact, he had never seen so many people.
Ever since he had finally struggled, with his own effort, to leave the Angel Realm—only to find himself arriving on this starfield—the entire interstellar world had already been sucked almost dry by pollution, teetering on the edge of ruin.
From the very beginning, Chu Zao’s impression of the whole interstellar was one of gloom—everywhere was filled with despair and suffering, as pollution and Aberrant Beasts devoured everything with abandon.
Friends who might have laughed and spoken with you just the day before could disappear without a trace the next.
Population plummeted rapidly, resources grew scarce; it was said that Holy Cas had once tried to find another path without relying on the Crown Clan, but under the pollution, even immortals met extinction. All efforts felt for naught, just a ripple on the surface that quickly sank, vanishing without a trace.
So that was Chu Zao’s impression of Holy Cas—and never mind these strange, brand new devices and the faces all watching him with curiosity.
Help—
Chu Zao’s eyes were wide, like a startled little beast, unable to move, only guarding himself and watching the people before him with wary vigilance.
He could barely remember the moments before he fell unconscious—he only recalled Feeney holding him tightly, unable to break free and calling Feeney’s name, though Feeney did not respond, while his blood kept pouring out. Quickly, dizziness and coldness surged over him, and soon after, he lost awareness.
Suddenly, he recalled how Uncle Feeney had once said, if he didn’t behave, he’d be sold off—at the time, Chu Zao thought it was just a trick used on children. Really, he’s not a child anymore, is he?
But looking at the current situation—
Did Uncle Feeney really sell him?
Where had he been sold to??
The Crown Clan standing around were just as at a loss, not knowing what to say in the moment.
After all, Amos hadn’t even been an adult for ten years yet. Though Amos was already a mature Crown Clan, at that age it was unheard of for a Crown Clan to have a child.
Let alone a child who was already in his teens, old enough by their standards to have finished a coming-of-age ceremony.
But to them, this cub was indeed very young, and he was also malnourished and underdeveloped, so small and frail.
It had been a very long time since the last Crown Clan cub came of age—there were no other cubs for ages. This little one before them was so special, they simply did not know how to handle him.
Should they be strict and question him? Or treat him gently?
What kind of character did this cub have?
Since he is Amos’s child, was he also like Amos—arrogant and cold? Hard to get along with?
They hadn’t figured out anything yet, when the tightly strung cub before them forced himself upright, his face still wounded but his eyes very clear.
Chu Zao watched these people nervously, especially Amos who’d been there from the start.
He swallowed, forcing himself to keep a composed, pretty little face.
“Feeney…do you know where my Uncle Feeney is?”
It was—a voice just as you’d imagine.
A pleasant youthful voice, with a hint of softness at the end, and just a trace of quiver, you could hear something of his nature in it.
As if indecisive, but trying to overcome it. The sense of awkwardness, wanting to probe forward but not quite daring, instantly tugged at the heartstrings of every Crown Clan member present.
No one spoke, just watching him. Chu Zao’s fingers unconsciously gripped the soft bedding underneath him, his hands still bearing healing scars, his whole body looking battered, yet for the Crown Clan, it was a feeling they hadn’t experienced in a long time—even the youngest Crown Clan were rarely this gentle by nature.
All the Dwights gathered, plus Solan, stared in awe.
Ebinino didn’t squeeze in, only standing at the edge and, hearing the result and that little one’s voice, he glanced in confusion at Clansis at the center by the med pod.
“Clansis, how does it feel to suddenly be a grandfather?”
Ebinino chuckled.
Clansis: …
The rest looked between the cub and Amos—
As if drawing comparisons.
Amos, under their gaze, impatiently lifted his lids, cold and unyielding: “What are you staring at? Never seen this before?”
His voice was icy, carrying a sense of dominance.
Oh my—totally different after all. No way you could imagine this cub was from Amos, could you?!
And yet—why did it seem so oddly cute?
“As for Feeney—” It was Solan who came back to her senses first. She coughed lightly, stepped aside, “He’s over there, he’s fine, don’t worry.”
“Uncle Feeney is all right?”
At that, the little one—whose readings were dangerously elevated—shot upright, startling the entire Crown Clan into retreating several steps; to the robust Crown Clan, this fragile cub seemed like a glass doll, liable to shatter at the slightest touch.
Afraid they’d break him with a slip, the scene turned unintentionally comical—a whole crowd stepping back, yet hands out to try and press Chu Zao back down.
Of course, you can’t push someone down if you’re retreating as you reach.
Chu Zao’s wings quivered—his little wings were all messy and fluffed, his face was grimy, and his soft black curls were sticking up as his eyes strained to see that way. He finally rubbed at his eyes, and when he took his hand down, though he made no sound, his eyes were rimmed red—
On the other side, Feeney was still unconscious, but through the frosted med pod door, he looked much better, none of that death’s door look from earlier.
Crying, now? Really???
Isn’t he already a grown Crown Clan, how could he still cry?
“Don’t move—you’re very badly hurt—”
Feiman flailed. Not knowing what to do, she finally grabbing the equally frantic Anya beside her—ahhh, what to do?
How do you handle this cub?
Is he really one of their own?
How strange—
The current generation of Crown Clan had never experienced what a cub means to the species, that bone-deep protective instinct was still dormant, only now suddenly roused, leaving them all stunned.
“Ahh—”
Anya yelped as Feiman seized him in panic, his eyes wide.
“Big sis, fourth sis, my own sister—easy, easy—”
At last, the only one who hadn’t retreated—Amos—reached out and laid a hand on Chu Zao’s shoulder.
A broad, warm, comforting touch—
When pressed down by it, Chu Zao felt a little safer.
Even if he still did not understand what was happening, or who these people were.
For when he arrived in this world, in order to ensure the Crown Clan who had fought and died against the pollution and Aberrant Beasts could rest undisturbed, all related records had been completely erased. The only information Chu Zao had of the Crown Clan was what Feeney had told him.
Even paternity tests were impossible—not only for lack of equipment, but because all Crown Clan data and samples had been destroyed, leaving no trace.
Chu Zao turned to meet Amos’s gaze.
Amos frowned very faintly.
His voice was as cold as ever, unreadable, as if nothing in the world mattered to him.
“You need to lie down and rest now.”
The weight on his shoulder grew.
Following the pressure, Chu Zao lay back. Lying flat in the med pod, his body did feel lighter, the vaporized medicines and treatments inside swiftly resolving most physical issues.
“Oh my—”
Solan covered her mouth in shock.
“Child, you actually pushed him back down—”
Even she hadn’t dared touch the little one.
Amos’s brow twitched.
“Mother, didn’t I tell you—don’t call me child.”
He was still cold and aloof, his emotion not yet well suppressed and wearing his habitual scowl.
“All right, child, mother understands, child.”
Solan smiled, making an “OK” sign and nudging Frey at her side.
“Eldest, go help your brother.”
Frey sighed softly—he’d already given up resisting—and stepped forward.
Chu Zao listened in silence, his gaze sweeping the room.
“Who… are you?”
Finally, little Chu Zao asked.
“It’s odd, but you seem… just like the family Uncle Feeney talked about.”
The same scarlet eyes, certain similarities—Feeney had very occasionally reminisced and described the family feeling.
“Oh, perhaps we forgot to introduce ourselves?”
Solan smiled.
“I’m Solan, your Uncle Feeney’s mother—”
She blinked.
“By blood, you should call me grandmother? Goodness, I’m a grandmother now.”
By blood?
What?
So… Crown Clan too?
Chu Zao’s mind couldn’t process it, staring at them in shock. The coronet atop his head suddenly lit up, gold and blazing, flashing and sparkling, reflecting his startled mood.
But—it was so beautiful.
Solan had never seen a bright gold little coronet like that.
She reached out, wanting to touch Chu Zao’s coronet.
But clearly, without the owner’s consent, others couldn’t touch each other’s psionic coronets.
And honestly, it wasn’t polite.
But she was this cub’s grandmother.
She used this as an excuse, and continued, “Chu Zao, your name is Chu Zao, right? Of course, the situation is a bit complicated. We’ll need to compile all our intel before explaining—”
Halfway through, she felt her hand lightly touched, a strange sense of familiarity.
She hesitated, struck by the odd feeling—like seeing a newborn cub, as if witnessed with her own eyes, or maybe a hallucination.
What was that feeling?
Solan withdrew her hand, staring at her fingertips.
“What’s wrong?”
Clansis, who’d been watching her, glanced over.
“Nothing.”
Just, something was off.
But what, exactly—
Solan wondered, could it be that at this timeline’s node, she’d met this cub before?
It took Chu Zao some time to figure out the current situation.
Holy Cas was still Holy Cas, but not exactly the same.
This was the Holy Cas of a thousand years ago, with countless Crown Clan still alive.
These people were truly Feeney’s relatives.
Chu Zao had no idea why such a thing would happen.
But of one thing, there was no doubt—
“Uncle Feeney isn’t going to get hurt again, right?”
Chu Zao asked quickly.
The one who replied was the towering man at his side.
“Feeney will be fine.”
Steady, casual, yet authoritative.
But how strange—
Chu Zao nervously glanced at Amos.
He was half-covered in Amos’s shadow, with those crimson eyes fixed steadily on him, as if examining a curiosity.
Besides unfamiliarity, his emotions were clearly complex.
Why keep staring?
Chu Zao instinctively shivered his little wings.
At last, he shifted to the very edge, and looked up again—
“Then, um—”
The others were busy discussing the situation. The clan’s mood was lively, and more communications kept arriving—voices Chu Zao had never heard. From their talk, they seemed to all be Crown Clan.
The very next instant he spoke, they all turned to look—
All noise ceased.
Suddenly, Chu Zao was at the very center of attention.
It was so strange.
No longer as nervous as before, Chu Zao’s nerves tensed up again, and this time it was harder to calm himself down.
There were simply too many people.
Besides, this era’s Crown Clan carried a much stronger sense of power and arrogance—they embodied those words.
But it was not that Chu Zao was especially popular.
Rather, none of the Crown Clan had a real sense of connection yet, much less think of this cub, who to be precise, had already passed the coming-of-age ceremony.
But looking so young, so battered, they couldn’t help but notice—mostly out of an inability to bear looking at him.
And so, each time Chu Zao spoke, the whole room turned to him.
Chu Zao swallowed, all the more tense.
“Um, can you do a paternity check?”
He asked quietly.
“You didn’t know whose child you were before?”
Solan responded reflexively, turning to see Amos—who had, unconsciously, stood before the med pod for who knows how long. She smiled lightly.
Always so stubborn, but the body’s honest; the protective instinct was strong, even for Amos, only it must’ve felt unfamiliar for him.
The poor cub didn’t even know his own father.
Chu Zao pushed himself up, this time just gripping the edge of the pod, poking his little animal head out to observe—but not sitting up—
He shook his head lightly.
“No… Uncle Feeney said all the equipment was destroyed, the medical center completely ruined, all sample data erased.”
Solan’s eyes widened, staring at his movements—my goodness, peeking out so cautiously…
Could anyone be this cute?
“Uncle Feeney only said that, judging from my coronet markings, I’m a Dwight.”
Chu Zao continued.
Atop his head, the gold coronet flashed, flickering a few times.
Drawing the room’s attention.
The markings really were obvious—so very Dwight.
“That’s right, we’ve run a test.”
Solan’s voice instinctively softened.
“You are a child of the Dwight family; Feeney is your third uncle.”
Third uncle…?
Chu Zao’s gaze dimmed a bit.
“So Uncle Feeney… isn’t my father…?”
He sounded a bit disappointed.
Hearing this, everyone’s gaze landed on the expressionless Amos.
Well… how to put it.
This cub really hoped Feeney was his biological father.
But of course, naturally enough.
From all the information they had, Feeney had cared for the cub exclusively since his appearance.
How did Amos feel about it?
With his kind of personality, probably not much at all—
“So, is my father here?”
Little Chu Zao quickly accepted things, asking instinctively.
And he traced the direction of everyone’s gaze.
Chu Zao blinked, his fluffy curl bouncing, and found himself meeting Amos’s eyes.
Amos hadn’t moved, still standing in silhouette. His black military coat was draped with medals and chains, cold and austere. Looking down from above with his face lost in shadow, the pressure was immense.
This version of Amos exuded even more menace than the unconscious Feeney.
He was a soul becoming ever-stronger, cruel, striving to test his own strength on all things.
Like a violent, silent fire, leaping and incinerating all who came near.
“Amos Dwight.”
At last, Amos spoke.
He’d only known this was his child for less than half an hour.
The shock was intense.
His cub had ended up this battered…?
Amos couldn’t say what he felt—he didn’t know how to face Chu Zao for the moment.
“I am your father.”
Chu Zao’s eyes went wide, staring at Amos. He hesitated for two seconds, and asked: “Is…who?”
My father…who?
He could hardly believe it.
Amos: “I mean—”
At last he let out a long breath, lowering his head to meet Chu Zao’s eyes, coming much closer so Chu Zao could see his features clearly.
“I am your father.”
A joke, right?
Chu Zao’s round eyes could not hide his confusion.
He certainly knew the name Amos—the final sovereign of the Crown Clan.
But to believe he was Amos’s child? Chu Zao felt it was ludicrous.
After all—
Chu Zao glanced at his own battered limbs, at the hard, powerful Amos before him, and at his own known weakness of character—Uncle Feeney had once said, if Amos were around, he’d be even stricter in correcting his ways. After all, Amos’s favorite method for fixing issues was training.
Uncle Feeney had even said he didn’t need to be so formal—he could call Amos just Uncle Amos—
But was it really not uncle, but father?
The shock of all this temporarily blinded him to the realization that he seemed to have suddenly gained a large family. He looked dazed and lost, staring ahead in a stupor.
From leaving the Angel Realm, the shocks had been endless.
And in just a year, he hadn’t managed to break many of the habits and personality issues shaped there.
But he was certain there was no way he could ever be like the powerful Crown Clan before him—
Wasn’t there some mistake?
While Amos still had no idea how to face this cub, he crowded closer, narrowing his eyes.
What was that expression?
So dissatisfied with the result?
Or—
“Am I not good enough for you?”
Amos tilted his head, thinking—
He hadn’t realized just how naturally he thought this way when facing Chu Zao, or how his shadow enveloped the little one entirely—a protective instinct by nature.
Well, it was natural enough.
After all, his future self seemed pitiful and useless, never even meeting this cub, let alone protecting him once.
Dissatisfaction was only to be expected.
Thinking so and convincing himself, Amos edged in again, intent on saying something—after all, faced with such an injured cub, no Crown Clan could resist, and Amos, too, managed instinct on his own.
He wanted to say to this little one: you’re safe now, don’t be so scared. Here in Holy Cas’s royal court, under his protection, whether it was himself or Feeney, all would be safe—of course.
And for the overwhelming power above—his own father Clansis Dwight, the young Crown Clan who bore such a strong urge to challenge—well, at worst there was always Clansis to fall back on.
The young Crown Clan was not yet fully steady, still fundamentally arrogant and confident to the core.
Obviously, he was not about to admit there was any problem he could not solve.
But now, he was much too close.
So close that if Chu Zao reached out, he could touch Amos’s cheek.
Already tense from being watched, Chu Zao’s little wings twitched.
Solan, sensitive, noticed Chu Zao seemed at his limit with nerves—she understood what Amos was trying to convey, but for Chu Zao and Feeney, both so on edge, space was needed.
Solan was about to say something.
When she saw Chu Zao’s body suddenly shrink.
Through a drastic swing in emotion—most especially, extreme nervousness—Chu Zao abruptly transformed into a ball of white fluff small enough to hold in one arm, a fluffy little dragon tail flicking behind him. Not expecting it himself, startled by the change in his perception, he blinked up, dazed, as a little ball of white fur.
As he’d grown up, and especially with Feeney’s training, Chu Zao had rarely transformed like this anymore.
Yet as Amos closed in, he now stared blankly at the ball of fluff before him.