Chapter 51: Baby, Did You Give Your ‘Brain’ to Someone Else?

Chapter 51: Baby, Did You Give Your 'Mind' to Someone Else?

The starship continued its approach.

The brutal energy emanated not only from the contamination's influence but also from the final struggle of a Crown Clan member at death's door.

As it drew closer, the owner of those crimson eyes on the screen gradually became clearer.

Black, corrupted blood stained his cheeks, and the claws of an unknown monster had pierced through his shoulder. It was a face both familiar and foreign.

That was Morlo—

Alarms on the starship blared one after another—starting with the partial destruction of the hull and the failure of the contamination isolation system, then the autopilot, auxiliary systems, and even the already-shut-down communication systems. The most basic signal source could no longer send out even the faintest signal, followed by the power system, until finally, the starship's propulsion system was completely destroyed.

The image on the starship screen sputtered for a moment before vanishing entirely, and the alarms fell silent.

The starship had always been quiet in flight, but now, in complete stillness—it became even quieter.

So quiet it turned unnerving.

Until the starship, following its predetermined trajectory, crashed heavily into the dust-churned ground not far away.

By now, Hale could feel his psychic energy growing restless under the contamination's influence. The stability the little cub had once provided was now boiling violently, shattering his crown. He could no longer turn back—this was the fate he had anticipated.

Some things are just beyond even his control.

Hale couldn’t do it all.

He opened the starship's hatch, staggering as he hauled himself out. The violent surge of psychic energy immediately seared his cheek.

Using the last remnants of his own psychic energy as a shield, he took slow, unsteady steps toward the man at the epicenter.

The smiling Morlo, the Morlo who had exchanged tokens with him, the Morlo who praised his prowess, the Morlo whose resolute gaze had once pushed him entirely out of the contaminated zone with psychic energy—only to be swallowed by the backlash himself—

Now overlapped with this barely human Morlo, who could barely stand, his wings twisted, his clothes shredded and blood-soaked, his eyes empty.

How could it have come to this—

"Morlo—"

Hale’s voice broke, his frame shuddering. The usually stern, meticulous, yet cultured mentor now wept openly, tears streaming down his face—here, in this moment, with only Morlo as witness.

"Were you waiting for me?"

Hale reached out.

"I found you. Don’t be scared. I’m staying right here—"

With fumbling fingers, he unbuttoned his coat. With great effort, he approached the vacant-eyed Morlo, removing his outer garment and spreading it open, intending to wrap it around him.

But the previously motionless Morlo suddenly reacted, instinctively recoiling several steps, resisting Hale’s approach. He raised a hand—

The gesture echoed the one from years ago, when Morlo had told him to live well—Go, leave this place… Hale, you must survive.

In the end, they were both ruins of themselves.

Gritting his teeth, Hale watched as Morlo’s twisted wings trembled slightly, as if preparing to take flight—to flee from him.

Hale, his own wings long gone, seized his last chance. He threw himself at Morlo, crushing him—wings and all—beneath him.

"That's enough, Morlo, it's enough now—don't fly anymore, it hurts, it hurts too much—it's enough now—"

Hale's tears fell in large drops as he finally embraced his battered lover after years of living like a walking corpse.

He felt Morlo gradually losing strength, sliding down his body. Only a faint shadow of the Crown Clan's Halo remained atop Morlo's head—even worse than in the video from six months ago. If he hadn't come—

His Morlo would have broken down completely, vanishing once again into this starfield.

Hale draped his coat over Morlo and lowered his head, gently nuzzling Morlo's forehead with his chin.

"It's been lonely here, hasn't it? So quiet and lonely? It's alright, Morlo—I'm with you now."

Hale slowly closed his eyes.

If they could die together now, wouldn’t that be bliss?

In this moment, they weren’t the Crown Clan, nor was he the Imperial Tutor of the Crown Clan—they were simply Hale and Morlo.

I'm sorry... Zao Zao.

The way I talked to you at first—you're a smart, brave Little Crown Clan member. Any teacher would say the same. Only those odd, oppressive ones who deliberately dashed your hopes at the end were different. Don’t listen to them.

I believe you can overcome this.

Because you’re not just Amos’ child—you’re Zao Zao, the one everyone admires.

So... it’s alright, Zao Zao. I couldn't bring myself to leave you a message. I just went to a distant place. Though I lost my fight with fate, you can win. You’re the Crown Clan’s miracle. Getting to see you at life's end... truly... was wonderful.

So—

No more tears now...

Hm?

Wait.

Why is he hearing a little one crying?

"Wahhh, Teacher, Mr. Hale—Teacher, can you hear me, Teacher? Papa said you left without saying goodbye, wahhh, Teacher's being mean! Teacher made Zao Zao cry! Papa said he’d punish Teacher for Zao Zao—but Zao Zao defended you, wahhh—Mr. Hale, wahhh—"

Hale: ...

Please tell me I'm imagining this.

"WAHHHHH, Teacher won’t answer! Zao Zao already brought Papa to find you! This isn't fair, wahhh, bad, bad teacher wahhh... Teacher lied..."

Hale: .........

Battered and bruised alongside Morlo, Hale belatedly realized—

Come to think of it, how does Zao Zao speak directly into his mind?

Oh—right, Zao Zao can see their Psychic threads...

Wait. You don’t mean—those Psychic threads are connected to his Halo, do you?

Hah—

After exhausting all his strength, not wanting to implicate others because of him and Morlo, using every trick in the book, and finally managing to slip away unnoticed from the starship under Amos's watchful eyes to find Morlo—bracing for his crown to shatter at any moment—only for someone to tell him it was pointless?

This isn't funny, kid.

Hale finally opened his eyes.

He turned to look.

Space was deadly silent, let alone in this heavily contaminated sector. It should have been chaotic here, but perhaps because Morlo had lingered nearby—just a bit deeper into the polluted area—he had slain countless mutant beasts, leaving an unnatural quiet in his wake. Several large starships were slowly arriving, fighting against the contamination.

The emblem of the Saint Cas Empire on their hulls was also stained with blood from the battle against the beasts.

This empire, founded upon bloodshed, his closest friend and brother in arms against destiny, showed up right when he'd burned all his bridges.

Like it was saying—"Hey there."

Hale: ...

In his ears, the raspy, crying voice of the little cub still echoed.

"Mr. Hale—sob—teacher, are you still alive? Wahhh..."

Hale’s face was smeared with blood and tear tracks. In his arms, Morlo’s psychic power kept raging, exploding around them—even tearing at his own body, his limbs occasionally bursting into small clouds of blood mist.

Such a sorrowful, tragic scene, set up for some grand heroic gesture.

Yet the cub’s whimpering in his mind had Hale torn between laughing and crying in an instant.

He should have asked more clearly—

This was never one-way to begin with! This was full-on tracking me across space!

Hale was a smart man. He had planned for every possibility—except for the cub following his psychic thread, guiding the Saint Cas fleet to chase him down across the galaxy.

So what was the point of all his careful planning?

Just him overcomplicating things?

The fleet came to a stop nearby.

The cub was still whimpering in his head, crying so hard he could barely breathe.

The dull glow in Hale’s eyes wavered slightly, softening a little.

Why take such a risk? I'm always so hard on you—you'd even duck out of my way after class.

There was no need for this...

A small starship detached from the larger vessels.

It picked its way carefully before finally coming to a stop not far from him.

The one who stepped out was Amos.

Amos’s crown was particularly favored by the little cub. The child had witnessed several Crown Clan members’ crowns shattering and had recently suffered nightmares, often dreaming of Amos’s crown meeting an accident.

So every morning, the cub would demand Amos release his halo, comparing it to the previous day’s photo to ensure it was unchanged.

Amos had his 'mind' grabbed by the little one so often that he was almost numb to it.

Hale had witnessed it several times and couldn't help but think—

*No wonder Amos is the His Majesty of Saint Cas—he can endure so much.*

"Sneaking off without a word isn’t a good habit."

Amos struggled through the pollution, resisting with his own strained mental energy.

It was clear that his mental energy was gradually being tainted by the pollution. The crown above his head flickered erratically, appearing and vanishing.

Yet, Amos' expression remained calm and composed, showing no sign of the corruption's effects.

"Hale, you once said the same to Job and Joshua."

Hale, cradling his loved one, gave a hollow laugh—one that sounded more like a sob.

"Your Majesty... I can’t risk endangering you, Little Highness, or the Crown Clan. Zao Zao can’t even get close to Morlo—how could I ever ask you, 'Could Zao Zao try? Maybe Morlo can still be saved'?"

If it were truly possible, he’d even beg Xiao Chuzao.

*Save Morlo... please save him...*

But no—he couldn’t. He *mustn’t*.

"You didn’t say goodbye to Zao Zao."

Amos pressed on.

"When Finn told him you were about to die, he cried himself hoarse."

In Hale’s mind, the little one’s sobbing voice echoed again: *"Teacher’s a liar... Teacher, teacher... Wuwu... Teacher, you lied to Zao Zao—"*

The glimmer in Hale’s eyes trembled violently.

Amos reached out.

"At the very least, you shouldn’t die here."

Amos spoke softly.

"This isn’t Saint Cas, or even normal space. This is the contamination zone—the Crown Clan’s worst enemy, the force that destroyed our homeworld and brought our race to the brink of extinction."

"Morlo’s mental energy is already drained. Dwight is there, we’ll do everything we can to suppress Morlo’s energy. Leave this place. Even if Morlo can’t hold on the moment we escape the contamination zone... As the Emperor of Saint Cas, as royalty of the Crown Clan, as your student—Mr. Hale, you must believe that I have the ability, and the confidence, to give you both the most peaceful rest before Morlo’s mental explosion destroys everything around you."

*To give you... the most peaceful rest—*

"There are too many mutant beasts here, too much noise. Isn’t that right? Morlo was on his way home when this happened. Would you really let him remain here, Hale? Could you bear it?"

The Emperor before him had inherited the Saint Cas Empire from his father, ruling for centuries—transforming from a carefree, rebellious little cub into someone unfailingly reliable, no matter the circumstances.

*Your Majesty Clancy... His Majesty Amos truly, truly is exceptional.*

Hale was so lucky, to have taught His Majesty Amos, the young lords like Dwight, and—Zao Zao.

Hale finally gave in, his head bowing with a choked sob. "Alright—"

He gazed at Morlo, whose face was blank with pain, devoid of consciousness, and a single tender tear fell onto his cheek.

"Morlo, we're going home."

Morlo's Halo had shattered completely.

As mentioned before, he was still alive solely due to a fragile balance maintained under brutal conditions. The slightest shift in these conditions would send Morlo back onto the path of destruction from years ago.

Having been exposed to the pollution earlier, his Halo was now reduced to just a sliver. Even boarding the starship would be extremely difficult.

They had considered this and prepared a special chamber on the small starship to lessen the pollution’s impact.

Including Xiao Chuzao, the rest of the Crown Clan waited aboard this small starship.

As Amos approached with Hale and Morlo, Finn appeared at the starship's entrance, his psychic energy surging forward, followed by Fei Man, Frey, and An Ya.

Tear-streaked Xiao Chuzao was shielded behind the adults. He watched as Hale, ragged himself, half-carried a blood-soaked figure, staggering into the special chamber.

Amos stepped inside, and behind him, the hatch sealed shut.

Xiao Chuzao heard Hale whisper to him—"Sorry, Zao Zao, I’m a lousy role model. Don't follow my lead."

When the starship hatch had opened, Xiao Chuzao had been protected inside a special isolation device. Now, the kid rubbed his eyes, clambered up, sniffled, and squished his face against the edge of the equipment.

"It’s bad—"

Frey stated objectively.

"He’s not gonna last out of the pollution zone."

"Mm, the moment we boarded, all five of us were barely holding on."

Finn stroked his beard, his face unreadable, as he leaned against the doorway.

"Whatever needs to be done, it's best to try before we leave the worst of the pollution."

He looked up: "I doubt Morlo can even make it out of the heavily polluted zone. Those last Halo shards’ll give out from environmental imbalance."

No one was surprised.

"Daddy, daddy—"

Xiao Chuzao clung to the equipment, smushing his face against it, calling for Amos, voice trembling.

Amos looked over and reached out to pick up the little one.

He heard the child say: "Zao Zao wants to try."

It was dangerous. Amos never wanted the kid risking this in the first place.

Morlo was different from the other Crown Clan members Xiao Chuzao had encountered.

Yet, Amos found himself helpless against the kid’s pleas.

He realized he was gradually yielding on certain issues he had once deemed "principled," starting to trust the kid could work miracles.

"Daddy, Zao Zao wants to try—Daddy, you’ve got a plan, don’t you?"

Xiao Chuzao clung to Amos's neck.

"Daddy tried. If... if Zao Zao doesn't even try—Zao Zao will get nightmares later. Zao Zao will try really, really hard."

At last he found his teacher, who always looked at him with a stern yet gentle gaze.

Zao Zao still needed Mr. Hale.

Xiao Chuzao had tried to do so many things.

He'd witnessed so much—some succeeded, some failed. But Xiao Chuzao knew that if he didn’t try at all, he would never achieve anything.

In the end, under the protection of Amos and the others' mental energy, the little cub entered the special chamber.

Hale seemed to have accepted the outcome, gently dabbing at the bloodstains from Morlo's face and body with a damp cloth.

Looking at the wounds both new and old, his movements became ever more gentle—until he heard a sound behind him.

Hale turned around.

He met a pair of round, bright amber eyes, glistening with tears.

Instinctively, he spoke: "Your Majesty, this is not a reasonable thing to do. You should take Zao Zao and leave here immediately."

"Hale."

Amos, holding Xiao Chuzao, had already crouched beside Morlo.

He looked at Hale.

"Right now, you are the least qualified person to talk to me about rationality."

Hale was struck silent.

"If you're feeling unwell, tell Daddy."

Amos lowered his head.

The little cub in his arms eagerly stretched out his tiny hand, grasping the small fragment of Halo floating above Morlo's head.

Morlo, who had been sluggish, jolted violently, his eyes flickering with confusion and a hint of terror.

It was clear—being touched on the Halo, even for a Crown Clan member who had lost all reason and self-awareness, was a profoundly disturbing experience. *Who was this? What was happening? Why? What is this feeling?*

The little cub fought to reassemble Morlo's shattered Halo bit by bit.

But there was too little left.

Morlo's remaining Halo was too scattered.

It couldn’t even form the smallest circle.

Frantic, the little cub clutched the last remnants of Morlo's Halo with one hand while desperately grasping at the air with the other—but hopelessly, there was nothing to hold.

Silence hung heavy.

"Amos."

Frey spoke from the doorway.

"It's time."

The cub shouldn't be exposed to such an environment—at least not for too long.

Amos rose without hesitation.

The last remaining fragment of Morlo's crown slipped from Xiao Chuzao's palm, beginning to rapidly deteriorate.

"Papa—let Zao Zao try one more time—"

The golden crown on Xiao Chuzao's head flickered and swayed anxiously.

His little body squirmed impatiently, trying to wriggle out of Amos's arms.

"That's enough, Zao Zao—"

Hale spoke, lifting his gaze to the little cub.

Having lost his wings, his love, and nearly everything, he now wore a smile filled with unreadable emotions—resignation, gratitude, reluctance, and regret.

The Crown Clan sacrificed for their people, for the empire—it was worth it all.

Yet, there was still some unwillingness. They could have done so much more, but—

"Zao Zao, your teacher really, truly thanks you. It's alright. Grandpa Morlo is simply too tired. He needs to rest now. So does your teacher. You've done very well."

The Crown Clan's little prince, the future king of Saint Cas, need not feel guilt or blame. No one could ever doubt you gave your all. At all times, the Crown Clan will be your steadfast support. You can keep moving forward with great strides.

Amos didn't pause for even a heartbeat. Cradling the cub, he moved to leave the special chamber. He would return later to grant Hale and Morlo the rest he had promised them.

Xiao Chuzao grabbed desperately, tears falling once more.

His halo brightened, and he saw the fragmented Psychic Threads drifting from Morlo’s crown.

He grabbed them tightly, winding them around his own halo, his tiny voice raw from crying.

"Grandpa Morlo…"

The cub’s halo flared to life—a brilliant golden glow unique to a cub’s psychic energy.

"Grandpa Morlo, can you hear me? It’s Zao Zao… Teacher Hale found you. Teacher Hale, Teacher Hale came to bring you home—"

Zao Zao had wanted to fix everything, but he couldn’t. If only Grandpa Morlo could hear what Teacher Hale wanted to say—Teacher Hale came especially to bring you back.

Hale was speechless. He could only watch the scene before him.

Amos’s footsteps slowed slightly. Every Crown Clan member watched what was unfolding.

The branches that had recently sprouted on Xiao Chuzao’s crown gradually dissolved into golden specks of light. Like playful sparks, they danced along the Psychic Threads connected to the cub’s halo, rushing toward Morlo’s own.

The broken pieces were tenderly raised by the golden energy. The specks stretched and stretched, elongating into a hair-thin band of light that encircled the broken crown.

Above Morlo’s head, a halo appeared—forged from shimmering golden threads mixed with the silver-black hue of a normal Crown Clan’s crown—perfect and whole. Then, under the gaze of all the Crown Clan, it slowly faded—not dissipating, but retreating as their kind naturally did.

Morlo’s tense body went slack, his breath evening in that moment.

What… just happened?

Finn was the first to react.

"Mr. Hale! Hurry, bring Morlo out of the isolation pod!!!"

"Ah, right, quick!!"

An Ya also snapped into action immediately.

He was close to the hatch door and helped pull them out, then glanced at Fei Man not far away.

"Fei Man, hurry, let's return to the flagship as soon as possible."

Fei Man promptly piloted the small starship, swiftly following the flagship leading the way slowly ahead.

By the time Hale and Morlo were pulled out of the isolation pod, the protective shields were fully restored, and all members of the Crown Clan finally let out a sigh of relief, their foreheads dotted with sweat.

Fei Man quickly spoke up: "We're pulling away as ordered, but something's off—"

"What?"

"The area we thought was heavily contaminated doesn't seem entirely so. Heading that way, the pollution has slightly lessened—it might be another passage. Previously, the pollution had divided space, so there could be another star system or... an unknown region over there."

After a moment's thought, Fei Man decided to report this.

"Let's regroup first. We'll assess this later."

Amos quickly decided, his gaze falling on the child in his arms.

Xiao Chuzao seemed a little out of it, momentarily spaced out and confused, clinging to Amos' neck, no longer crying.

"Zao Zao?"

Amos asked softly.

"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Xiao Chuzao blinked slowly, snapping out of his trance with a dazed look.

His muffled, sleepy voice carried a hint of confusion, as if struggling to process the words: "Hmm?"

"Let's hurry back for a full examination—and also—"

Amos examined Xiao Chuzao's crown.

He was puzzled.

"Did the branches that grew earlier... disappear?"

"Seems like it..."

Hmm... Little one, did you give away your 'mind'?

Hale was still in shock. He held Morlo, who remained unconscious, but his breathing had steadied, and the self-destructive psychic energy had vanished, revealing fresh flesh—no new wounds would form now.

The little one was still in a daze, nestled in Amos' arms, taking a moment to react before gazing dazedly at Hale. His bewildered expression looked utterly docile as he rested his head on Amos' shoulder, tiny and soft, mumbling in a babyish voice, his little wings quivering slightly behind him.

"No crying..."

Hale looked up at Xiao Chuzao. There was no sound of sobbing, but Hale—still covered in blood—simply watched as tears fell without warning.

How could one even describe this?

Amidst suffering, unafraid of fate, resolved to find relief in death, yet in the end... overcome by kindness.