Destinies : Connected by Fate✔️

Chapter 25

The guest sighs. He pulls off the mask, and YiYang's slightly disheveled yet regal countenance comes into light.
The crown prince rakes his fingers through his unkempt mane, "I should have used a voice modulator."

"Brother, are you Xue?" YiHuang's voice betrays his state of mind: total disbelief. "Are you the one in charge of building the pod!?"

"It makes sense." Zhang comes to stand next to YiHuang, "I don't know how it skipped my notice earlier." He glances at YiHuang, "The first time we met, he went over the console of my space vehicle and knew that I could increase the atmospheric shield. Now that I think about it, I think he must have modified it to slightly emulate the air on TengFei too. Later, when you rescued me, he knew what would help me survive. Not only that, he used his sword to power the atmospheric regulator as well. If not done right, he could have damaged it, but because he knew what he was doing, he did it without hesitation."

"It never even occurred to me..." YiHuang, still shaken up by the revelation, mutters. It still didn't make sense to him. His brother was a free-spirited, self-prophesied trouble maker. How could he be Xue!? The second prince had always thought that he knew everything that was to know about his elder brother. The fact that he had missed such an important detail hurts him more than it should.

"Ah-Huang, look at me." The words are directed at the younger prince as the older closes the distance between them. He holds the latter's hand in his, and as if reading his mind gives voice to his feelings, "I am sorry, it was not my intention to hurt you. This project is unauthorized; what I am attempting is against the law. I did not want to drag you down with me if I was ever exposed."

"But brother-"

"You are my younger brother. I feel responsible for you. I know you are a grown-up, but...Anyway," YiYang scans the room, "I did not expect you to choose this kind of residence." He smirks, dark orbs brimming with mischief, "Then again, you are a changed man since this one here showed up."

YiHuang coughs, clearing his throat; he turns towards his workstation, "You were the one who arranged for this accommodation, then why did you look so surprised earlier?"

"I didn't take a look at the location. I thought it best not to know. Moreover, I was hoping to find Professor Kwan here." YiYang teases. A split second later, his face darkens as the words 'the facility was attacked' come back to him. "Ah-Huang, what happened at the facility, and why is it you, and not Professor Kwan, who is contacting me?"

The mood shifts and takes on a serious tone as YiHuang recounts all the things that had transpired and everything they had witnessed in the time since they had parted ways a few days prior.

"Damn it!" YiYang swears, surprising Zhang and scandalizing his brother.

"Swearing is forbidden." YiHuang reminds the crown prince, eliciting a deep throaty laugh from the latter, "Ah-Huang, I am already committing a crime that could get me exiled or worse, I am sure me swearing won't make matters worse. Let me live a little before I am taken to the gallows."

"Taken where?" YiHuang's brows pull up. "I don't understand-"

"Taken to die a most gruesome death, Ah-Huang." YiYang clarifies.

YiHuang glares at his brother. The effect is instantaneous. The older prince sobers up, "Fine. I won't talk about death." He approaches the table that was acting as their workstation, "So, this is what the Intex manipulator looks like." He reaches for it but pulls his hand back, opting to observe it from a distance.

"How much time till the pod can enter space?" Zhang inquiries. YiHuang brings up the hologram and points at the real-time video of the wormhole.

"It's stabilizing faster than expected."
YiYang's face twists into a frown. It looks misplaced on his usually charming countenance. "At least a few weeks. Luckily we don't have to enter the capital to acquire the pod. It's at GuHai."