Morning in Lunarise Pri dawned in soft shades of gold and rose. The skies shimred with distant stars still faintly visible, while the warmth of the sun peeked through the horizon, casting a calm, peaceful glow across the city.
Inside the house, the atmosphere was relaxed.
Liora knelt beside a small travel bag on the floor, gently folding little dresses and essentials for Aerish. Her daughter sat on the bed nearby, wiggling her tiny legs and giggling as she hugged a plush bunny tight to her chest.
"Mommy, are we really going to see Grandpa?" Aerish asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
Liora smiled and brushed her baby’s hair back gently. "Yes, sweetheart. Grandpa and Uncle and... your big brother too."
Aerish blinked. "Brother? I have a brother?"
"You do," Liora nodded. "His na is Eli. He’s very brave. I think he’ll be so happy to et you."
Aerish clapped her hands. "Yay! Will he play with ?"
Liora chuckled. "I think he won’t stop."
At that mont, Xu Kai walked into the room, holding a tiny white dress trimd with soft laces. "Look what I found," he said with a warm grin. "For our little star."
Aerish gasped. "Pretty dress!"
Liora laughed as Xu Kai helped her slip into the dress. Aerish twirled imdiately, arms outstretched, the fabric fluttering around her like flower petals. "Mommy! Daddy! Look at !" she shouted. "I’m a princess!"
Xu Kai dropped to one knee and kissed her cheek. "The most beautiful princess."
Liora followed suit, kissing her on the other cheek. "Our baby is the best."
Aerish giggled so hard she nearly fell over.
The room was full of light and warmth—so much that, for a mont, the world outside didn’t matter. It was just them: a family reunited, wrapped in love.
But then...
Aerish’s laughter slowed. Her smile faded a little.
She looked up at them—first at Liora, then at Xu Kai—eyes wide and strangely solemn for a two-year-old. Her fingers clutched her bunny tighter.
"Mom... Dad..."
Liora’s smile dimd. "Yes, baby?"
"Do you... want to leave ?"
The question hit like a stone dropped in still water. Liora blinked, her heart stumbling.
Xu Kai straightened slowly. "Aerish... What do you an?"
"I feel..." Aerish’s voice wavered. "I feel like you both... want to go sowhere far. So far away... from Aerish."
Silence fell like a heavy curtain.
Liora’s breath caught in her throat.
Her baby was too young to speak like this... It wasn’t just words. It was a feeling, one that ran too deep for her age.
Xu Kai’s eyes narrowed subtly, not in suspicion...but in alarm. This wasn’t normal.
Liora dropped to her knees beside her daughter, cradling her face between her hands. "Aerish, listen to Mommy."
The little girl’s lower lip trembled. "You won’t disappear again, right? Like before? I don’t want to forget you again."
"No," Liora whispered fiercely. "I’ve co back to you. I’m never leaving again. Ever. You hear ?"
Xu Kai sat beside them both and pulled Aerish into his arms. "And I’ve always been here, little one. Daddy’s never gone. We’re not going anywhere without you."
Aerish looked up at both of them with tears brimming in her big, innocent eyes.
"Promise?"
"Promise," they said together.
Liora held her close, heart thudding in her chest. She didn’t know what to make of it. A child that age shouldn’t have such heavy fears—or such eerie emotional clarity.
And it wasn’t just the words. It was the way Aerish had said it. Like she knew. Like she had seen sothing... felt sothing they hadn’t.
Liora shared a quiet glance with Xu Kai. His expression was calm, but she could see the concern etched in the corners of his eyes.
They didn’t say it aloud, but both of them felt the sa thing:
Sothing had changed. Aerish had sensed sothing—sothing deeper than they understood. Was it an intuition of hers, or was she just scared after getting both of them to lose them again?
Still, Liora forced a smile and kissed her daughter’s forehead again. "You’re our everything, Aerish. Our little star. And we’re going on this journey together. No one’s leaving you behind."
Aerish sniffled, then smiled faintly, burying her face in Liora’s neck. "Okay, Mommy..."
Liora wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her tight.
Later that day, preparations for departure were complete. Xu Kai’s advanced spacecraft—a sleek, obsidian vessel cloaked in stealth tech and reinforced with high-grade defensive plating—stood ready in the private space.
Liora carried Aerish in her arms as they stepped aboard, the little girl’s wide eyes darting around at the polished tal walls and glowing control panels. She clung to her plush bunny tightly, her excitent warring with a touch of nervousness.
Only two n stood waiting at the docking bay. Both wore dark uniforms—fitted, practical, yet subtly reinforced with armor plating beneath. Their stances were disciplined, their expressions sharp, but when their gazes flicked toward Aerish, there was the faintest softening.
"These are Shen and Irel," Xu Kai introduced calmly. "Two of my most trusted n. They’ll be joining us."
The n bowed their heads respectfully. Liora noticed how silent they were, almost like shadows—alert, poised, and clearly more than ordinary guards.
Once inside, the ship lifted smoothly off the ground, slipping through the layers of Lunarise Pri’s protective array. The shimring golden barrier rippled as they passed through, sealing itself again in their wake.
Liora stood by the wide viewport, Aerish pressed against her side, nose smudging the glass as she whispered in awe, "So many stars..."
But then, movent.
From the darkness, faint shapes began to erge. Silent as hunters, several spacecraft slipped into formation behind them, their lights dimd, engines muffled by cloaking fields.
Liora’s heart stilled. She turned sharply toward Xu Kai, voice low but urgent. "Kai... who are they?"
Xu Kai didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, he activated a panel on the side console. Holographic outlines of the ships appeared, glowing blue against the dark interior.
"They’re mine," he said at last, his tone steady but carrying the weight of command. "My personal guard. n I’ve trained myself. Every one of them has been with for years, sworn only to ."
Liora frowned, her arms tightening protectively around Aerish. "Why... so many? You said only two."
Xu Kai’s gaze softened as he turned toward her. "Because it’s Aerish’s first ti leaving the safety of Lunarise Pri. I won’t take a single risk...not when it cos to her."
Aerish peeked up at him, still clutching her bunny. "They’ll keep us safe, Daddy?"
Xu Kai crouched beside her, brushing his hand gently across her hair. "Yes, little star. They’ll guard us with their lives. No one will touch you as long as they’re here."
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