I am not a person who can go back to innocence.

This was a loud, firm and masculine command that the pod heard from him these five days. However, the pod had its own insistence.

The podmother decides the relative age.

Meanwhile Anita was heard talking to Raeva. "He is very blue…"

The baby was white and pink with just a hint of blue. This is how, on a hot day, the water vapour scatters all colours in the sky apart from blue. The sky is still blue, but it appears white because of all those remaining colours falling in the eye.

Anita frowned. She noticed before that Aniket's skin was an unusual colour while they took him to his bath. But he already became pale white when they put him in the egg maker. She thought it was an unusual phenomenon caused by the time continuum.

However, with her experience in folded space, she knew Aniket now was of a bluish grey complexion. A very beautiful, pregnant raincloud that had a mysterious depth and silver highlights. Only, not very human.

Anita couldn't help but doubt the time servant's account. Something must have happened in that prison he was not telling her.

It was most likely because Aniket was too innocent.

Originally, Aniket was a podmate of hers and Nathaniel. However, he was seven years younger to both of them. Nate found him when he was just a thirteen year old and proposed for him to enter their pod.

This was because Nate was a genius. He could compute the scores of the young ones and know which ones will make it to the top. Of course, he was looking for someone near their own age. But no one satisfied him. Nate's orientation was that of a fighter. Even at a young age, he worried about leaving his podmate early. So he wanted a podhusband who has other strengths, who can stay and accompany her in case he dies in action.

Indeed, timekeepers are in either polygamous or polyandrous relationships. Nate was trying to fill the pod with a second husband for Anita. But Anita herself was against this. This was because when they were in college, Anita didn't like Nate's pursuit. She fooled him with a time servant who looked just like herself, and was raised as her double. The one Nate originally fell in love with was her, not Anita. Because pod Surya was influential, her wealthy podparents convinced her to become his podpartner. The time servant can slowly become the second podwife after he learns the truth.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Only, reality was a little different than what Anita thought.

'Niti, how can I confuse you for your shadow? I have loved the shadow because it belonged to you. But the shadow by itself has no meaning.'

He thought he was expressing his love, but the harshness of those words led Anita's time servant to commit suicide.

Anita became estranged from Nate ever since. However, they still became podpartners as per the plans of the podparents. Nate still loved her ever so passionately. He was so thickly and arduously in love with her that he entertained no notion of a second podwife. However, because of his worry for Anita, he was willing to bring a podhusband for her.

A pod can be complete only with three partners. A pod also cannot adopt without having three pod partners. Anita had no more hopes on men, but she still wanted a child. Even though she was very young, she wanted to be a mother. She agreed to Nate's proposal to scout a husband from the young timekeepers.

Only Nate looked at it as training a junior and a capable subordinate. This junior must remain obedient and dutiful for life. He must have utmost respect towards Anita and he must learn from Nate. He must follow their arrangements for his life and career. It was a tall order.

It was as though he wasn't looking for a podpartner, but a pod heir.

Nate cannot be blamed for this. He was from a very influential pod himself, but unlike Anita who was raised like nobility with tens of time servants, Nate was raised very harshly. Everything he had, he earned it himself. He was the most promising timekeeper of their generation, completely by his own virtue and his own hard work.

He was also an expert in many aspects of warfare at a young age. He had been on the battlefield since he was sixteen years old. With his experience and expertise, there are truly no one equal at his age. He could only raise up a younger one to take the last place in their pod.

Only, Aniket was way too young. He was raised preciously by artkeepers. These are timekeepers who specialise in art. Aniket had no fathers in his parent pod, only mothers. They were not lesbians, but artists who found creative collaboration for life in each other.

Compared to the world of blood and gore Nate and Anita come from, Aniket comes from white heaven. He used to look like a cherub sent by the god of heaven. He was so beautiful that his artmothers didn't even send him to school. They didn't have many hopes for their son. As artists, they just wished for him to understand his own beauty. And become a world changing sciencekeeper or something on the side.

Thus Aniket was homeschooled. In those days, timekeepers also went to civilian schools and colleges, but only when they learn to hide their identities. No one was completely homeschooled. The pods were not completely automated at the time and could not look after the children while timekeepers went away on missions.

However, Aniket's podparents lived at home and conveniently homeschooled him. He was by no means an obedient child, so they decided to bring in martial masters to beat obedience into him. But great masters are not that free. They usually sent the disciples to do the work for them. That is how Nate and Anita met Aniket. It was just a chore at first, but Aniket latched on to Nate calling him big brother. He pretended to be all kinds of worshipful and obedient. He was such a precious looking child, Anita imprinted on him too. Of course, not as a husband, but as a son!

It turned out both husband and wife were fooled. Aniket, that restless kid, fooled them to bring him out of the pod of his artmothers! He pretended to fall in line with Nate, a strict military man. Just like a very serious little man. He pretended to be cute to Anita who clearly had the same expression as his artmothers.

Of course, Aniket could not be taken away so easily since he was still a child. However, Nate reviewed his talents and knew he was a talent beyond the generations. He instantly fixed his attentions on the kid. By that time, Nate was no longer just thinking about the pod. He was thinking about Progeny as a whole. He was convinced that the child would change the organisation one day.

Of course, if he was raised in the right direction. Nate, this young adult, who was only twenty-one, disapproved of the way he was raised by his artmothers.