Chapter 17: Little halo? No, boomerang!

Chapter 17: Little Halo? Nope, a Boomerang!

This hug was downright weird for the tyrant who had conquered countless planets.

But Amos hadn’t realized it yet.

He’d just caught a glimpse of a world he wasn’t supposed to see—and the image of the little one tearfully blowing on his wounds struck something deep inside him.

For once, his heart ached.

Frey and An Ya, though they couldn’t see that strange, fleeting vision, still felt a twinge of sadness from the cub’s words.

Their memories of being cubs were fuzzy.

It’d been too long. Every time a clan member passed away, it was like another layer of rust settling on the spinning gears of time from their youth—until those gears could no longer turn. Then they grew up, came of age, stepping into the roles of their predecessors, filling the gaps one by one.

Even now, when they tried to remember, those blurred fragments still faintly held images of siblings roughhousing, of carefree days under the elders’ protection—never lonely, never crying.

Nothing like little Zao Zao.

This cub, even though he was Crown Clan, part of the new generation, was shrouded in mystery—his origins unknown, his past unclear, as if he’d always lived alone.

He was five now. But before this?

Hard to even picture.

Even An Ya, who’d sworn this cub was trouble, stayed quiet now.

He just passed Amos the second package from the medical center—the new batch of cub formula—with a cold, unreadable expression.

Yeah, the kid was badly underfed, and his sleep had probably been terrible before. Now they needed to make up for it double-time.

So the groggy, just-woke-up cub got another feeding of formula.

And soon, the formula’s nutrients knocked him out again.

Before dozing off, he still managed to look up at the halo above Amos' head, snuggling into his father’s arms with a milky voice: “Meow!”

Zao Zao already blew on it. No more cracks.

Only after the cub’s breathing steadied did An Ya mutter, annoyed: “Who does this kid think he is…? Just because he says ‘no more cracks,’ it won’t?”

Their home planet got swallowed by pollution, and the Crown Clan's spiritual power was tied to its fate—slowly heading toward ruin. There was no fighting fate.

And besides—

An Ya’s eyes flicked to the tiny halo above little Chuzao’s head. He looked down, long lashes hiding his wide, empty eyes.

Even this kid would go through it…

That awful nightmare.

Amos stayed quiet. He just held the cub quietly for a while, then carried him upstairs to keep sleeping.

Once outside, he turned to Frey and An Ya.

"His energy is recovering, and he should soon be able to stabilize into a human form. He doesn’t know anything and needs teachers, guards, and friends..."

An Ya: "But brother... I still can't figure out who he really is."

"That doesn't matter to the Crown Clan, An Ya."

Frey interrupted An Ya.

Amos also looked over, seemingly seeing through An Ya's inner turmoil and fear. He raised his hand and gently patted the shoulder of the youngest member of their generation, his youngest brother: "He is our kin. The Alpha Emperor carries the fate of the whole clan and guides the young wolves, just as our parents taught us. An Ya, there's no need for you to worry."

*

By the time Xiao Chuzao woke up again, the sky outside was already bright.

The little white fluffball slowly crawled out of the soft bed, stretching his tiny front paws forward, spreading his little wings, and shaking his small ears as they perked up. His little halo floated up to its highest point at that moment, his tiny butt sticking up high, and his little tail raised as he stretched with a big yawn.

"Meow!"

That felt great!

He looked around, feeling that he had slept very comfortably this time.

In his previous world, he didn’t have such a soft bed to sleep on. He used broad leaves and dry straw, like a busy little bee, hauling load after load to build a small bird-like nest on a suitable ancient tree branch.

Xiao Chuzao lived there for a long time.

Except when it rained, which was a bit miserable, Xiao Chuzao also had to be wary of big monsters trying to eat him, so he usually slept lightly, always on alert.

He didn’t know what he drank yesterday, but after drinking it, he felt all warm and sleepy.

When he woke up, he felt way more energetic than before.

Although Xiao Chuzao still couldn't transform back into what he considered his “little angel” form, something inside him was stirring, waiting for his call.

For now, Xiao Chuzao ignored it. He shook his tail and plopped onto the floor with a "Meow!"

Stepping out of the room door.

This time, the palace AI didn’t replay the routine from yesterday. Instead, the moment the little cub stepped out, lights started flashing in all colors.

"Good morning, Little Highness! The temperature outside is minus ten degrees Celsius today, with light snow and sunshine. Please keep warm when going out! Today, every bit of your fluff is perfect, Little Highness. Wishing you a happy and joyful day."

The little one froze, turning to look at the dazzling lights behind him. His little ears automatically flattened, and his halo lowered slightly. Complimented, he started walking a little more gracefully, without even realizing it, taking tiny steps.

"Meow."

He responded, then ran down the stairs from what he remembered.

Downstairs, because of the little cub’s presence, Amos, An Ya, and Frey were still inside.

Even Mei Lun, who’d left early the day before, was sitting in the sunlight, his white hair tied back, spilling over one shoulder. His crimson eyes seemed clearer than yesterday.

Before them, steaming coffee cups were placed—a rare chance to relax—as breakfast dishes were brought out one by one.

Amos was the first to notice the movement.

He turned his head.

At the top of the stairs, a tiny golden halo peeked out first, followed by a snow-white little head. Warm honey-amber eyes, bright and clear, blinked up at him, crinkling into a smile the second he spotted him.

"Meow!"

"Rawr!"

Then he scampered down—

He must have been moving too quickly, because after just two steps, his foot slipped and he nearly tumbled head over heels. His little wings flapped frantically as they awkwardly coordinated with his four wobbly legs. Stumbling all the way, he finally reached Amos, who scooped him up.

"Awake now?"

"I'm awake!"

The cub answered, blinking sleepily before his gaze kept wandering outside.

The world beyond was even whiter than before. The 'little snowman' by the window had been buried under fresh layers of snowflakes, and it was still lightly snowing outside. The Imperial Guards were carefully clearing the pathways.

Amos grabbed a fresh bottle of cub formula. His Majesty wasn't bad at learning—after just two feedings, he'd already become quite skilled at bottle-feeding.

He settled the little one in his arms, letting him hold onto the front while supporting his hind legs, and watched as the cub gulped down the milk enthusiastically. All Amos had to do was hold the far end of the bottle, helping the cub conserve a bit of strength.

Mei Lun looked on longingly from the side.

Trying hard to contain himself, he cleared his throat—"Ahem, Your Majesty Amos, please continue your meal. Allow me to assist with feeding."

Mei Lun was still upset about not getting to hold the cub yesterday, which was why he had come so early today.

Amos glanced at the cub in his arms, who was eagerly guzzling the milk and had nearly emptied the bottle already. He tapped the little bottle lightly.

"He's finished."

Mei Lun: "..."

How did he drink it so fast!

Darn it!

Frey didn't say anything.

An Ya tossed a piece of meat into her mouth and gave a small grunt, watching the little one clutching the bottle and chugging away. She felt an odd urge stir inside her, which eventually turned into vague irritation over how everyone seemed to be fawning over this little cub.

"Still, it's just a cub that hasn't even been weaned yet."

Xiao Chuzao finished the milk and used his tiny tongue to lick his lips clean.

Blinking his big eyes, he nestled in Amos's arms and stared at An Ya.

An Ya shot back an exaggerated glare.

"What? You wanna fight me, little guy?"

Such a soft, tiny creature—

Was he going to try jumping up to punch her knee?

Well then—

"You can try."

An Ya seemed amused by the thought. She dropped her fork and put on the classic grown-up act adults use to scare children—raising her hands to her face and making a scary face at the little cub.

He watched the little white fluff ball shrink back, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Hah, gotcha scared now?

"You’re such a child."

Frey commented, giving his chair leg a kick.

Zao Zao, having grown up on his own, was naturally sensitive to everything around him. He’d always known that if you wanted to avoid being bullied, you had to be fiercer than those who looked tough. Staring at An Ya’s scary face, he didn’t hesitate—he reached out his paw, grabbed the halo, and yanked it hard.

Yikes—

As several Crown Clan members winced and sucked in a sharp breath all together, the little cub flung the halo like a boomerang—*whoosh!*—right at An Ya’s nose. And would you believe it? Bullseye.

After leaving a small red mark on An Ya’s nose, the tiny halo wobbled weakly before flying right back onto Zao Zao’s head.

The little white fluff ball let out an “Mrow!”

Proudly wearing his boomerang halo—Zao Zao is amazing!

A crown halo? Nah, that’s a boomerang.

An Ya: …

An Ya, who had stood up just to scare the little one, now clutched his nose, stunned. He slumped back in total disbelief.

His head pounded, his nose burned, and he felt completely helpless—what just hit him?!

Wait a second—

Did he—did he just get smacked by a *halo*?!

Did he just get hit by Xiao Chuzao’s *brain*?!

No, no, that wasn’t the point—

"Since when can you *throw* your halo like that?! That’s important psychic energy, not a boomerang!!!!"

An Ya was freaking out!

Mei Lun, his smile frozen mid-laugh upon first seeing the little one yank off his halo: !!!!

"No freaking way—that wasn’t a hallucination yesterday?!?!?"

Mei Lun was losing it too!

"It’s too damn early for this nonsense!!! My head is buzzing!!!"

Frey, kicking An Ya’s chair again, was also freaking out! Even though he knew it was coming, watching the kid rip off his halo still hurt like hell, okay?!

"Why is this *my* fault?! Who knew he could throw his halo from so far away?!"

A Crown Clan’s halo isn’t supposed to come off!—nope, messing with a Crown Clan’s halo wasn’t common knowledge? An Ya shot back.

Amos, though, was kinda used to it by now. He glanced down at the kid and saw his golden halo flicker before shaping into—a tiny bow?

Just like the psychic sword Amos once wielded, Crown Clan members could craft their own psychic weapons using psychic energy—but only after training. And yet… this kid had already made one?!

Xiao Chuzao let out another babyish "Meow."

And more than that, Zao Zao discovered this morning that he could now easily summon his own little weapon.

The small bow aimed straight at An Ya.

It went *whoosh* as it shot out.

The psychic arrow was too weak to harm a member of the Crown Clan. Amos didn’t bother blocking it and instead watched thoughtfully.

An Ya, in the middle of a typical brotherly argument with Frey, froze. He stared at Frey, feeling a strangely pleasant shift in his mood—as if suddenly, his older brother had become weirdly endearing.

Frey was just about to grab him and drag him off to the training grounds for a fight when An Ya unexpectedly blurted out, “Bro… I love you—”

Frey, deadpan: “Love you too, punk. Now come on, let’s go train… Wait. What did you say?”

An Ya, snapping back to reality: …What did I just say?

An Ya, suddenly realizing what had happened and turning around in shock: !!!

In Amos’s arms, the fluffy white cub held a Psychic Weapon—a tiny, gleaming golden bow, held in the cub’s tiny paws.

“…What is that?”

“Meow!”

Cupid’s Bow!

That was the name Zao Zao gave it himself.

Members of the Crown Clan each possessed a Psychic Weapon suited to them, each with their own quirks, most leaning toward raw power. No Crown Clan weapon had ever messed with emotions before. So why does yours do this?!

Mei Lun hadn’t quite processed everything yet, muttering incredulously, “So because of Zao Zao’s Psychic Weapon effect… you said you love your brother?”

Nobody says “I love you” during a fight and means it.

“…Uncle Mei Lun, please don’t repeat it again!”

An Ya had gone through way too much in one morning.

He went full emo.

Author's Note

About the weird ways cubs can develop without adult supervision—

Zao Zao: “I’m a little angel of love and peace! Isn’t this totally normal?” *flicks wings*