On the far end of the atmosphere, inside the humming hangar bay of the massive Farian mothership, a lone figure stood awkwardly.
Li Wang.
The infamous black next head of the Wang family, now a stranger in a world he couldn’t even begin to understand. He stood stiffly in the center of the expansive docking area, surrounded by spacecrafts that looked more like organic creatures than machines. Everything was tallic, sleek, and pulsing with strange energy. Even the air felt too clean.
He blinked slowly, his hands tightening slightly at his sides.
The two n who had brought him here—Eren and the other guy with a sharp jawline and annoying smirk—had run off sowhere the mont the ship docked. They’d said nothing. Left him standing in the hangar like a lost child at an airport.
It was unsettling, to say the least. But he refused to show it.
With an exhale, Li Wang took off his crooked, cracked glasses, rubbed them clean against the hem of his shirt, and slid them back on with all the dignity he could muster. Straightening his back, he began walking forward confidently—like he belonged there.
He didn’t. But appearances mattered.
As he moved deeper into the corridor, he noticed more and more of the Farians gathering—watching him. They didn’t approach, but their glances were anything but subtle. Eyes followed his every movent. Their faces were sharp and symtrical, hair varying in colors from silver to deep violet, so even shimring faintly under the artificial light. Every single one of them looked like they belonged on a magazine cover.
They looked human—but impossibly, unfairly beautiful.
Li Wang swallowed, forcing his gaze away. But he couldn’t help stealing a second glance at a few. Just out of curiosity, of course.
One of the Farians—a tall man with navy-blue hair that shimred like the ocean at dusk—was already looking at him.
Li Wang nodded, trying to look cool despite the discomfort crawling up his spine. "Hey," he said casually. "Can you tell where your General is?"
The alien blinked, clearly confused. "Um... I don’t... Wait—how did you even get up here?"
Li Wang hesitated, lips parting as he scrambled for a dignified explanation. "I... was brought here. Two n. One of them said his na was Eren. I’m just looking for my cousin brother, Jian."
The Farian’s eyes widened at that na.
"You’re... You’re our Highness’s cousin?"
Li Wang blinked. "huh?"
The Farian straightened up imdiately, all trace of suspicion gone from his features. "I see. Please wait—I’ll escort you there imdiately!"
Li Wang nodded stiffly again. "um...thanks I guess."
As the alien man led him through the gleaming halls of the Farian ship, Li Wang couldn’t help but glance around.
The Farian man led him through a gleaming silver corridor that curved like a spine around the ship’s periter. As they stepped inside, his eyes imdiately caught the far wall—an entire stretch of floor-to-ceiling glass revealing the vastness of space. And just below, suspended like a glowing marble in ink, was Earth.
The planet looked asleep. Clouds glided slowly over the darkened continents, city lights flickering dimly from below like tiny clusters of fireflies. For a mont, Li Wang was struck speechless. The sheer scale of it, the haunting beauty of it. He could see storms twisting silently in the atmosphere and the outline of continents he only ever studied on maps. From here, the world looked peaceful.
Dead quiet. Dreaming.
Then a quiet voice beside him broke the spell.
"Let’s go," Jian whispered, placing a firm hand on his back.
Li Wang turned to him slowly and gave a lopsided grin. He didn’t say anything, just followed without resistance.
Trailing behind Jian was an older man—fragile in build, slow in step—and on Jian’s back was a small child. The kid squinted suspiciously at Li Wang and promptly stuck his tongue out.
Li Wang gave him a flat stare in return.
Jian, sighing softly, reached up and gently lifted the child off his back. He turned to the old man behind them. "Grandpa," he said gently, "take Quangya. Stay safe okay... contact if anything happens..."
The old man reached for the child, but before he could even settle him in his arms, Quangya burst out crying.
"I’m coming with you, brother!" the child howled, squirming and kicking, making the frail old man stumble forward a step.
"Whoa—" Jian stepped in imdiately, catching them both and steadying the elder with a careful hand. "Quangya," he said, voice firm but gentle. "It’s too dangerous down there. You’ll be safe here, alright?"
"No!" the child wailed, his voice climbing into a sharp, screeching pitch. "Then stay with here! Why do you have to go? Nooo! I won’t let you! You’ll die like Mom!"
His scream echoed through the corridor like a siren. Several Farians nearby flinched visibly, cringing as they covered their ears. The frequency of his wail—high, raw, and unfiltered—seed to cause actual discomfort to the alien physiology.
Even Xing Yu, who had silently approached from behind, was grimacing, fingers pressing tightly against his temples as he winced from the auditory onslaught.
Jian didn’t react. Instead, he knelt down quietly and wrapped his arms around the child, holding him tightly as the sobs trembled against his chest. "Shh... It’s okay, it’s okay," he whispered, rubbing his hand along Quangya’s back. "I’ll be back in just a few days, alright? Just a few days, and then we’ll be together again. We’ll play, we’ll eat together... We’ll all have so much fun."
"Nooo..." Quangya whimpered, the volu dropping but the pain in his voice still thick. He clung to Jian’s neck desperately, like letting go ant goodbye forever.
Jian exhaled slowly, then leaned back just enough to look him in the eye. He gently cupped the boy’s face, wiping away a few tears.
"You rember Grandpa, right?" he asked softly. "He’s not strong like . He can’t carry you or run fast with you. He needs soone brave to stay and protect him while I’m gone."
Quangya blinked, confused. His lips trembled.
"I trust you, Quangya," Jian continued. "You’re the only one I trust to take care of him. I’ll be less scared leaving if I know you’re here with him. Will you do that for ?"
The child paused. For the first ti since the tantrum began, he stopped crying. He sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Really?"
"Really," Jian nodded seriously. "He can’t even lift you properly. He’s way too weak. You’ve got to help him, okay?"
Quangya looked over at the old man, who gave him a small, shaky smile. Then he looked back at Jian, his eyes still wet. After a long pause, he gave a slow, solemn nod.
"I’ll protect him... But brother, you better co back soon," he whispered, voice tiny.
Jian smiled and gave him one last tight hug, pressing his forehead gently against the child’s. "I promise," he said quietly. "I’ll co back very soon."
Quangya didn’t speak again. He just stayed quiet, tucked into the old man’s arms, one hand still loosely reaching for Jian as they were carried a step back.
And Jian... turned around without looking back.
Even though it hurt.
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