Mothers, Lovers And Farewell

It was the beginning of the year, and Heian Ciemnosc was now 14 years old. More specifically, he was on his first day as a teenager of that age. They were no longer in space alone but had moored the Carrier to a space station above a sizeable Kingdom.

At this moment, this sizeable Kingdom had dozens of similar space stations all around it, and the one the Crimsonbreaking Faction's Carrier was moored to became silent and awed. Seeing a Carrier was rare, even more so near the Wrath Nihility Academy, anywhere near the Blackotia Kingdom. Even though Heian Ciemnosc had seen other Kingdoms before and even participated in a few missions as a rapidly moving bait, this was one of the second largest he had witnessed.

After the Carrier was moored, it remained there for an hour without any other movement. And somehow, despite it being a Carrier and from the infamous Crimsonbreaking Faction, nonetheless. The space station it moored to in question was prepared to receive them. There wasn’t any sort of surprise or shock to receiving these people. Even more, it seemed to be known by other space stations, as today was the day the Wrath Nihility Academy accepted new possible students, and there seemed to be something attracting everyone else to the other space stations.

It didn’t matter to Heian Ciemnosc, who walked to the main hangar alongside Hong Mei to bid farewell to Alyona after having already done so respectfully to the other upper echelons of the Crimsonbreaking Faction. At this time, they were calmly and contently walking down a path, slightly leaning downward. It was an ease pace as they began to chat.

“... What is it you see in me? Besides my beauty,” Heian Ciemnosc said as he looked to his left and up, but only slightly up. In these months, Heian Ciemnosc had ’suffered’ another stretch, and he was just a few centimeters lower than Hong Mei after the 10th centimeter mark. His eyes looked bright, and Hong Mei lost her reason for 2 seconds before smiling back at him, her eyes becoming crescent moons as she grabbed his left wrist with her right hand.

“Your smell is rare as if by standing next to it, I can find some tranquility and relaxation. I do not see that as threatening because not even boss gives me such sensations. Even though we often slept together, I adore her as my sister in secret and as my boss in public!” Hong Mei said, placing some sweetness in her tone as she ‘toughened up’ her face and made a little fist with her left hand.

“Seeing your pale skin, hng,” Hong Mei did a weird exclamation with an annoyed face, “It’s like I can’t help myself but look more at it. Even though it seems like it could be sickly skin, it is more… enchanting and pure… not for its color, but for… the hidden truth behind its complexion. It’s intriguing, mysterious… and okay, yes. It’s sexy.”

She blushed, and Heian Ciemnosc looked at her with his head hanging towards the right, his eyes watching from the lower corner of his eyes as a little smile formed on his lips.

Hong Mei glared briefly at him; time and again; before continuing, her lips growing into a wide smile. “Boss said you will be pretty powerful. I want my man to be strong, hee~.”

“But I also know you have pretty good talent for Craftsmaking. That nature couldn’t be mistaken no matter how silly I’ve been around… you,” Hong Mei added. Her head lowered and her chin against her neck when Heian Ciemnosc’s left index finger went to her chin to lift her head and turn it towards her right to face him.

“Silly, very silly. Indeed.” Heian Ciemnosc’s words caused her to crescent her long eyelashes again. She then felt her head patted and in her moments of joy. She softly and sweetly whispered. “I want to be hugged by you every time I see you. Mmm, to hold you and keep you safe until it is you, keeping me safe, instead. I want you to kiss me. Spoil me, and just lie with me sometimes. Is that enough? Manipulating lover?”

“Oh.” Heian Ciemnosc was surprised at her last, sharp, and cutting words, still spoken with a soft sweetness. Then smiled and exclaimed as he nodded. He smooched her right cheek with force, making her giggle within her body as she scrunched her whole little face together like a stupid little young girl in luv. She looked fantastic and was a feast for his eyes.

Step, step, step, step, step…

After a few more minutes, Heian Ciemnosc and Hong Mei arrived at the hangar, where he could see many Frigates with their crews of some thousands or so and several Destroyers with their staff of tens of thousands. The Frigates either had a jaw-like front and a stationary main body, with a few weapons here and there, for the offensive type. Or a more compact and ‘square’-shaped one for the defensive type, with more defensive turrets and missiles than the other type.

Then the Destroyers, there were different sizes and quantities of weaponry. But each had quite some missiles and all shaped like a ship, but without any hull to make magic on water, simply having a sharp, steep tip at the front and a wider body from the center to the back. They were incredibly tall, too. If they could hold some tens of thousands of crew members. Then it could only be this large.

They had many more weapons than any Frigate and even a supposedly terrifying rocket launcher, which Heian Ciemnosc never saw in action. Though there were times that the Carrier had to get into action in a couple missions, that was spectacularly enough.

After walking around a little more, Heian Ciemnosc and Hong Mei arrived before the hangar’s hatch. Where Alyona had her back against them while they approached her. All along, the crew of the dozens of Frigates and several Destroyers looked at him and Hong Mei with some respect for the lady and mild recognition for the teenager.

“Big Sister, am I leaving now?” Coming to stand to her right, Heian Ciemnosc called to her endearingly, though just slightly. He had never embarrassed her with coyness or lovely acts in front of any of her people, except Hong Mei, whose mouth was shut with his lips. Still, nobody could prevent him from calling her how his heart wished to. It went from Older Sister to Big Sister, that meant a lot for the sister in question.

Twisting her neck to face him with her head sideways, she looked at him, her black-coffee eyes entertained to see the teenager who had grown up a bit more, looking like a pre-young man by essence already. She nodded softly, though it looked like a shake as her chin moved left and right. Then she stopped with her lackadaisical manners and brought him close to him with her right arm forcing his body to hers.

“Just bring the letter,” Alyona said. Heian Ciemnosc immediately thought of that ‘letter’ and grinned but kept silent. Alyona continued while Hong Mei made cute little steps to get close to the two of them, “Take care, hm? There’s ‘no witness’ around, but news of my Faction coming to send you to the Academy will spread fast. I have many enemies.”

“Mn, I’ll help you humiliate everyone. Bring everyone here a piece of pride,” Heian Ciemnosc said in return as he gestured to his back by turning his head slightly, causing friction between the tip of their noses. Alyona nodded, her eyes closed as she turned to face Heian Ciemnosc, almost kissing his way back to face the front.

“Well said, Heian Ciemnosc… Little Cici.” Alyona said, thinking for a while before adding that last part, causing both: Hong Mei and Heian Ciemnosc to fall into heavy surprise and the crew behind to open their mouths with their jaws hitting the floor, almost destroying the Carrier’s balance as it moored directly to the space station

“... Mn.” Obediently, Heian Ciemnosc nodded, his darkest eyes straight into her eyes as Hong Mei pouted cutely. She couldn’t do anything more other than that to restrain herself from acting silly in front of her people, too.

“When you go out, I’ll only follow for a few steps to respond to some curious hidden parties, don’t worry, and keep walking. If you hear explosions from the space station’s array formations happening in space, don’t worry. I’ll send someone to let you know of the organization they belonged to so you can target their members in the Academy. But do not underestimate anything you see and experience from now on.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Alyona suddenly became damn serious, making Heian Ciemnosc turn serious as well. Her subsequent words were even more damn serious as she yelled them out sternly. “Take care, do not be stupid, and keep yourself safe!”

Her face was so serious it could make the world go gray, even in the middle of space and the boundless universe. She was perfect, and Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes fell in a daze…

“M’kay.” Heian Ciemnosc kept looking at her while everyone was waiting for the hatch to lower itself. Alyona looked more at Heian Ciemnosc in her damn serious mode before smiling with a relaxed face. Hong Mei giggled a couple times and made Heian Ciemnosc smile a little back, then both turned to face the front, the hangar made a sound, and it began dropping.

Drrrreeeeeeeeww… … … thud!

“...” - “...!” In one moment, after the hangar dropped to the space station’s floor, making it shake slightly for several kilometers, those at the gigantic space station’s outer central plaza saw the Carrier finally reveal who was coming into it. Yet, all they got in return was the silent glares of hundreds of thousands of men and women, citizens and cultivators, all around what seemed their respective spaceships. All military.

The Crimsonbreaking Faction members looked to the outside, silently and quietly. But the outside looked at them with unknown, uncertain, and under heavy pressure. In front of them, three people stood as if those behind them weren’t there.

A teenager so handsome he could make rules change just with his charm stood to the right of the infamous sole survivor from the Great Sage’s family and boss of the Crimsonbreaking Faction. He didn’t look cold except for his eyes. But seemed completely unapproachable, yet gave anyone who saw him the need to try and form part of the steps he began making onto the space station.

The red haired beauty accompanied the teenager. All eyes were on him now. If someone only glanced at him before becoming dazed by her beauty, it then changed to look at the teenager again after noticing how she treated him. It was a first. It was strangely awe-inspiring.

Step, step…

“Will you tell me about your mother now?” Heian Ciemnosc asked Alyona, who was behind her, without turning his head. Everyone who saw him thought he was talking to himself as he looked a little like a country bumpkin glancing around. Yet, Alyona responded after a couple seconds of pondering. “There’s not much to tell. I couldn’t remember what happened in the last moments of her life before, but I could a few years after it happened.”

“I was just a kid, suddenly learning of my mother’s death, its reason, and how it happened dulled me quite.” Alyona paused before concluding, her voice soft as she bid him farewell. ”But though she wasn’t strong, she was loyal. That’s how she ended up dying, not I. Or else, there would be no Crimsonbreaking in the world.”

“Little Cici, take care. I’ll come to pick you up as soon as you finish your first ‘year’. Study well, and do well.” Alyona’s last few words were spoken in his mind. And as Heian Ciemnosc kept walking forward, he heard her confront with her voice to a person who was walking towards them just now.

“Get any closer, and you’re people turn into ashe storage,” Alyone said, with a male voice, sharp and feigning anxiousness responding as Heian Ciemnosc felt a finger point at his back. “No, no! Lady, I am just looking to know that man. Just wanted to get to know him. He seemed interesting, there was no reason, it’s just-! He! I think I know him. I need to meet with him. Let me approach him! Nothing will happen, an-”

“I didn’t make any question, nor am I allowing you to speak again, leave or not. Your choice,” Alyona said. When her voice fell, Heian Ciemnosc felt the pressure and presence, which only her energy has, and his eyes turned wide as he didn’t think she was about to kill right away. He kept walking and walking. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t notice when, but a tall and robust man with a chubby face, prickling beard, and proud of his protruding belly tapped his left shoulder with a left hand.

“?!” Heian Ciemnosc looked up abruptly, a man with a blue, wobbly beret and a slightly medium-long purple feather adorning it. The man looked down at Heian Ciemnosc. He was 2.5 meters tall and seemed nice to chat with, even somewhat dorky. The man spoke to Heian Ciemnosc, indifferent eyes fully open and a stone-cold voice. “I saw you coming out from our ally’s Carrier. I’m the Sub-Teacher, Antonio, of the Wrath Nihility Academy. Please come with me.”

The man spoke eloquently and agreeably despite his natural voice coldness. He turned around and departed to the interior of the spaceship, which was a few kilometers away and had no doors. But its entrance was wide and tall enough to be seen from far away by the naked eye. It was really so damn big and contrasted well despite being dark gray with the black universe all around.

“Here,” Heian Ciemnosc walked behind the man. The latter wasn’t walking fast and seemed to wait for him to catch on. And when he said to the man in a low voice, the robust, 2.5 meters, towering man turned around his upper body. His gaze directly fell on Alyona’s ‘letter’ as if he knew already Heian Ciemnosc had pulled it out of his pants.

“Mn, good.” Antonio walked back to Heian Ciemnosc and took the ‘letter’, then turned around and resumed his walk, with Heian Ciemnosc starting alongside him. Hearing his words, Heian Ciemnosc felt that something ominous might happen if he didn’t give that ‘letter’ or at least make trouble for him. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t know if it was good or bad. He felt like making unnecessary trouble too.

“If you were to fall into trouble, it would’ve been worse, you know?” Like a mind reader, Antonio said while making a bit of swag as he walked. Heian Ciemnosc turned his head to the right and up, looking at Antonio, who noticed his glance and then turned his head left to elaborate, “Regardless of whether you came out unscathed. This would’ve been a problem enough for Miss Alyona to start warring outside our Academy’s Blackotia Kingdom spatial territory.”

“...” Antonio looked at Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes after finishing speaking, only to find not surprise or fear but nothing in general, in the absolute. As if such a thing must be ordinary. Antonio added truthfully, “At least for a few weeks with her Carrier. And then in decades to come, Crimsonbreaking Faction’s spaceships would roam our space. Lastly, the neighboring Galaxies would be razed to the ground, and it would only stop after paying an impossible, sacrificing price.”

“...” Heian Ciemnosc changed his head’s posture, now looking to the front and slightly low. He had already cut his hair with Alyona’s hands, then with Hong Mei, because he had a girly look instead of looking like a boy at the very least. But his face was still hidden by his pitchest blackest hair. Antonio didn’t want to use his Spirit Sense in case this supposedly little monster sensed it, just to watch over his reaction and see if his Academy could steal him away for good.

“... Cool.” Heian Ciemnosc lifted his head again, this time with a little grin. as he saw Antonio's deadpan face, no longer bothering to do any other attempt. Heian Ciemnosc and Antonio then went on their way into the inner structure of the space station.

On their road to wherever the man was bringing him, Heian Ciemnosc was shown the space station’s layout, which was a couple hundred kilometers big and had several floors in that area. He was impressed seeing it, and as Antonio noticed, he saw some hope in converting this teenager to the better ideals of the Wrath Nihility Academy. Little did he know that the teenager in question could indeed sense his Spirit Sense, but he also became greedy upon seeing the space station‘s structure and started forming ideas of blueprints in his mind.

After getting into the inner sections of the space station, Heian Ciemnosc was brought around to witness the advanced civilization for the first time without holding hostages, stealing from ‘bad and evil’ banks, and hijacking some spaceships that would do just fine in the Crimsonbreaking Faction’s arsenal when they reunited in their own space station.

He saw the food stall vendors selling from Creatures, Monsters, and Preternautrals at low prices, skewed, in little plates and soup to limbs of Races. From Humans to Demons and even Titans, it was all there. To the side of those stands were the heads and information of the bodies whose limbs were there to be eaten. Most of them were criminals and some fugitives who eluded a so-called ‘law’ within all that exists and there is.

Heian Ciemnosc was surprised, and after a knowing glance, Antonio spent some ‘coins’ to buy him a Human leg, Demon horn, and Titan flesh. After tasting all 3 of them, he showed no expression, but deep inside, he wanted to know what the hell those coins were and where he could get them to buy more! They were so tasty!!

Though deprived of any cultivation base remnants and so expertly in Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes, he came to enjoy their taste and sensation in his mouth very damn much. Antonio told him that one’s Spirit Sense can confirm it, linking both the head and its information to the universal net, which only those members of an official organization can have, the so-called Universal Token.

And all Heian Ciemnosc saw Antonio do, was hovering his right wrist over the seller’s left wrist and another one with the seller’s right wrist. It seemed like a free system for trading, not needing specific conditions for one thing or the other. Only one’s indispensable and unbreakable part of oneself. Either some ‘other’ energy, Spirit Sense, or Soul!

Without further ado, Antonio brought the teenager to the ‘shuttles hangar’ module and left the center of the space station. He was eager to accomplish his task and receive goodie things from the Wrath Nihility Academy.

…