Chapter 52: Don’t Hold Your Breath Now!!!

Chapter 52: Hey, Don’t Hold Your Breath Now!!!

Xiao Chuzao was still slumped over Amos's shoulder, his gaze already growing hazy.

Amos could feel the little one's body temperature gradually rising. His clear amber eyes were also growing drowsy, as if he couldn’t keep them open and slowly closed them.

Amos parted the child's clothes a little to help him cool down, watching as the small wings clung limply to his own body. The entire little guy had become somewhat listless after losing the newly formed "brain."

It was somewhat similar to his condition before the brain had grown.

"Zao Zao, can you hear Daddy?"

Amos's voice seemed steady enough. They had encountered such situations before—Xiao Chuzao's spiritual energy was different from that of ordinary Crown Clan members. The characteristics of the spiritual energy he had mastered since childhood were also extremely rare and defied common logic.

Yet Frey and the others instinctively looked Amos’s way.

No one could be certain whether Amos was truly calm at this moment.

After all, for some time before this, Amos had been so silently stressed that he wouldn’t let the little one stray a step from his side.

The small starship, which had been tagging behind the Saint Cas Empire's warship, was slowly docking, returning inside the warship.

"The medical bay is ready,"

Frey quickly spoke up.

"We're moving at full speed away from the contaminated zone, returning to Saint Cas Imperial Capital as quickly as possible."

The royal court had the best medical equipment.

At the moment, this small starship had taken over thirty percent damage while evading beast attacks and avoiding contamination.

This was the first time Finn had seen the little one seize someone else's halo.

Even if it was just a tiny fragment, Finn couldn't help but shiver briefly.

He watched as the little one's halo flickered above his head, revealing more dark gold, as if sketching Xiao Chuzao’s halo in faint, disjointed strokes.

He took a deep breath.

Glancing at the little one and then at the battered Hale and Morlo on the other side.

"Is this... what they call 'halo-sharing'?"

And in the next instant—

The little one in Amos's arms suddenly morphed into a white puffball, his head drooping as he passed out cold. Xiao Chuzao's halo abruptly brightened, yanking all the Crown Clan present into the past.

Including the unconscious Morlo—he, too, was sucked into a long, bizarre dream.

This was Finn's first time witnessing such a scene.

When the little one's emotions and spiritual energy fluctuated intensely, he would pull them back into pivotal moments from his past.

And in most cases, reality was somehow connected to those past experiences. As Frey had told him, Hale had seen scenes of the little one searching for teachers one by one, only to be rejected each time...

Amos had seen the most—scenes of the little one getting shunned, overlooked, or sneaking off to cry...

...

The scenes they saw were connected and recorded together.

Finally, in some unknown place, they circled several times—the Angelic Realm.

Finn had never felt much of a sense of belonging before.

He had never witnessed the little one crying after being rejected, nor seen the dejected silhouette of the child with drooping wings. All he could perceive were those written accounts—perhaps because he himself wasn’t quite right.

Finn knew he was different from his brothers and sisters. His personality was odd, and many of his emotions were put on, making him seem capricious. He had an innate emotional numbness. If not for being part of the Crown Clan, he might have become one of those notorious strongmen scattered across the stars.

It was a strange thought—Angels were already considered quite wicked, but upon reflection, Finn felt his true nature might be even worse. This weird disconnect had always dulled his perception of the little one’s circumstances.

Until now.

He saw the boundary between forest and grassland.

Having read other Crown Clan members’ descriptions of the Angelic Realm, he could roughly deduce that this was the so-called phenomenon of being pulled into the child’s past memories.

Finn saw an exceptionally tiny—fluffy little puff.

The little one wore a familiar, golden small crown on his head, taking small, wobbly steps forward.

He even wobbled slightly as he walked, his tiny wings unable to fly yet, quivering slightly to maintain balance.

Zao Zao…?

He was so tiny.

Finn thought to himself.

Then he saw Xiao Chuzao’s destination—an adult Angel, adorned with a radiant, smooth golden halo, wearing this smile that seemed gentle and affectionate at first glance but, upon closer inspection, had something unsettling about it.

That was not the gaze one directed at a child—

Finn quickly realized this Angel was quietly sizing up and scrutinizing the small white fluffball from a distance. It was not a look of kindness.

Until Xiao Chuzao reached the Archangel.

Another burst of distress—after transforming into a white fluffball among the little Angels, getting gasps and making others back away from his peers, the bewildered little one sought out the Archangel.

The little one struggled for a long time before finally changing back to human form.

In human form, the child was exceptionally tiny, sitting obediently and softly on the lush grass, his round, doughy face slightly smudged with dust. Amber eyes, fighting back tears stubbornly, glistened.

"Archangel…"

He was at that tiny, lisping voice of childhood where words still didn’t come out right.

"Why… is Zao Zao… different?"

No one wanted to take Zao Zao in.

They all had families… Zao Zao didn’t.

"Yes, why are you different?"

The Archangel let the silence hang before answering.

"But you’re not that different, really. Look, you have wings, you have a halo—it’s just that your halo’s shape is different from other little Angels’, you can’t take it off, and you sometimes turn yourself into a little white fluffball. That’s the only difference."

The Archangel smiled and said, "Perhaps you could try to blend in more, put in a little more effort to be more like an angel, and then you might find a family."

The little one's small, pale hands slowly grasped the small halo on his head, his eyes clouded with confusion.

"But Zao Zao tried... it makes my head hurt..."

"That's only temporary. Look, the other little angels do just fine, don't they?"

The Archangel continued, "If you become more and more like a little angel, I’ll put in a good word for you, see if any angels would be willing to adopt you."

The tiny, bewildered child looked up at the Archangel with innocent eyes. "Really?"

"Really. It's getting late, you should head back now."

Finn, watching from the side, scowled.

He realized—this angel was gauging the threat, trying to force conformity.

This so-called Archangel had no intention of driving away the outsider or explaining things clearly to the little one. Instead, he was gently pressuring the child—to try harder, to suppress his unique traits, to accept being diminished, to conform to their kind.

At this moment, Finn sensed the same unease he had when reading the records of other Crown Clan members.

The entire Angel race called him a little monster. No one accepted Xiao Chuzao. The little one kept getting rejected, yet he kept trying, believing he could be accepted, that he could have friends and a family. He kept trying in vain, only to be crushed repeatedly—why?

Because of this sugar-coated coercion.

This was just... a child who had only just come into existence.

Finn’s usual playful grin faded. His fists clenched.

He watched as the little one sat stunned in the grass, tears rolling down his cheeks, his small wings drooping. Once, he too had possessed the fearless spirit of a newly born Little Crown Clan member. The child wiped his tears and gripped his small halo.

He yanked as hard as he could, until the pain made his head pound, and his tears fell even harder.

"Zao Zao... Zao Zao can't take it off..."

If seeing the little one remove his halo before had been horrifying, now—it was nothing but anger and bottomless sorrow.

Finn couldn’t hold back anymore. "Don’t believe that liar!"

Finn’s crown appeared in a flash, his wings snapping open angrily as he tried to envelop the sobbing child in his embrace.

But it was useless.

This was the past.

No parent’s rage could change it.

They watched as the little one tried again and again—from passing out from pain at first, to eventually managing to tug at that poor little crown.

This was the age when spiritual traits formed. Rare abilities to manipulate minds and emotions were born from repeated suffering at this stage.

That was why, in all the galaxy, no one else would ever possess Xiao Chuzao’s power.

But if only...

"Zao Zao! Zao Zao took it off!"

Hurt and confused, the little one hugged his tiny halo and went whimpering to the grown-ups, wanting them to see—Zao Zao was a normal little angel.

But no one paid any attention.

Finn felt his mental energy was barely holding it together.

If possible—no Crown Clan would ever wish for their young to possess such abilities and traits.

At this time, the little one had only just been born from the Angel Spring not long ago. He had not found his family, nor were there any adult angels willing to adopt him. And now, the place where hatchlings were raised together was about to welcome new little angels—they could no longer stay here.

All the other little angels had gone home with their parents, relatives, or adoptive families. Only the little one remained—the leftover kid.

His tiny figure stood alone at the door, clutching the small halo he had struggled so hard to remove, staring into nowhere—

Only Zao Zao was left.

The little wings on his back drooped weakly, gave one feeble flap.

Finn heard the tiny, hiccuping voice: "But Zao Zao... took off the halo, didn’t he?"

But nothing changed.

He'd tried so hard to be good, so very obedient.

Offering courage, showing he could tough it out, filing down his rough spots, drawing near in compliance—only to realize in confusion that it seemed nobody loved him at all.

He still had nothing.

"Did Zao Zao still not do it right?"

"Don’t be like this..."

Finn clenched his jaw, watching as the little one walked out of the small room behind him, alone, with nowhere left to go.

And back then, his real family had no news of him, no knowledge of his existence, not even a damn clue where this damned Angel Realm was.

He was just a helpless little hatchling.

Finn only felt that acid heartache burning from his chest to every part of his body, making him tremble involuntarily—an intensity of emotion he had never experienced before.

The little one, so small, trudged down the path looking lost.

Finn wanted to pick him up, to tell the little one to hang in there just a bit more—it was almost time, just endure a bit more...

A youngling so small, knocked around so much—no wonder he pulled back his eager little hands and feet from exploring the world, eyeing everyone around him warily, yet decisively clinging to his own kind like family.

Because the cruel lesson he'd learned was this: only if they were the same could they be family.

Even the toughest Crown Clan kid could not grow up healthy in such an environment.

But did the kid quit?

Birds flew across the sky, landing on distant treetops, baby birds cheeping.

"Alright, then Zao Zao will build his own home."

Finn looked up—

The tiny little one puffed out his cheeks, wiped the tears from his eyes, and placed the halo back on his head. His small wings fluttered rapidly, just enough to get him airborne, as he started gathering tiny branches and dry twigs for his nest.

The little one had said it himself—he wanted to make everything better, and he was happy to be of help.

Even after going through a rough patch, he had found his family.

But you are a Crown Clan baby, meant to be cradled in their hands.

You are our baby... You shouldn’t have had to go through any of this...

Xiao Chuzao’s influence made their psychic energy surge inward.

By the time the Crown Clan snapped back to awareness—

The commander of the accompanying Ninth Army, Ye Ming, stood at a distance with his men, too wary to step closer.

The starship hangar was already wrecked.

Every Crown Clan member who saw it unleashed their psychic energy—a deliberate explosion.

The nearby starship was a mangled wreck, the damage indescribable. The special compartment had been torn off entirely, its equipment sparking as it crashed near Amos.

Amos’s face was unreadable, his wings spread and then drawn inward. In his arms, he cradled the unconscious little white bundle, his fists clenched tight—yet his hold on Xiao Chuzao remained gentle.

He hissed through gritted teeth—"The Angelic Realm."

Archangel.

"After that contamination, is there any possibility..."

Fei Man’s eyes snapped up, sharp and calculating.

"I’d love to believe it, but chances are slim. Centuries ago, before the contamination fully divided the regions, though we don’t know the exact state of that place, it was once just another normal sector," An Ya murmured, leaning against the wall. "But I believe we should keep expanding our search for clues. If this place exists, we’ll find it—"

That so-called Angelic Realm.

Finn stood rooted, stunned. His hand rose absentmindedly to his beard.

"First..."

Frey gaped at the starship parts he’d ripped free, pausing before speaking.

"First, get Zao Zao looked at. We’ll run a full examination later. Ye Ming, come assist. Get Hale and Morlo to medbay."

Morlo was still unconscious.

Hale, wrecked by grief and the contamination eating at his wingless body, had blacked out.

"Yes!"

Ye Ming watched, heart in his throat, as the Crown Clan’s barely leashed power almost blew a hole through the starship.

And they were still in the damn contaminated zone!

Wait—was that Prince Morlo?

Prince Morlo... was alive?

The Saint Cas Empire’s ship soon cleared the danger zone.

*

They were still a long way from the Saint Cas Empire.

They had not yet returned to the imperial capital but were already on their way back.

Mei Lun and Kaman had finished handling matters on the neutral planet and were also preparing to return to the imperial capital of Saint Cas.

The little one stayed curled up as a small white puff.

He was curled into a tiny ball, his small wings wrapped around himself, tail clutched tight as he dozed.

The scans showed no major problems, though his once-active psychic energy had dipped noticeably.

As for the Psychic Crown the little one had grown earlier, there was a plausible theory.

The little one could manipulate his own and others' psychic energy. Seeing Amos in trouble, he’d tried to grow a "brain" to give him—though it went unused. That power built up over time and later helped Morlo’s halo.

Of course, these were merely speculations about Xiao Chuzao’s mysterious and formidable psychic abilities. More detailed data would require analysis back in the imperial capital of Saint Cas.

The little one slept, regaining his strength. He’d had a short fever that quickly broke. He was clingy too, refusing to sleep unless Amos was near. When Amos tried moving him for a checkup, the little one whined and squirmed, almost crying in his sleep.

Like Amos was his security blanket—he couldn’t sleep without him.

Amos couldn’t focus on anything else the whole time. He mostly just propped himself up on a pillow, letting the little puff nestle against his shoulder. Amos felt his tiny warm breaths.

The medics warned Amos—Xiao Chuzao might wake up disoriented. They had to ease him into waking up so he wouldn’t panic and start having nightmares.

Over in the med bay,

Hale had been up for hours.

Morlo was still out cold in the med pod.

But that steady heartbeat meant one thing—his lover, gone for years, was really back.

"How is Zao Zao doing?"

Hale, pale, watched the medic bringing his pills.

"All done. Little Highness is stable—just sleeping. His Majesty is with him. Sir, you’re badly hurt. You need rest. Also, the painkillers aren’t as effective for you anymore. Would you like to try this one instead?"

The medic eyed Hale’s injuries, set down the painkillers, then slipped out to give him space.

Hale finally let out a long breath. He leaned his head back against the wall and covered his eyes with his hand.

He’s okay…

Zao Zao’s okay—

Thank God—

If they’d hurt Zao Zao, he’d never forgive himself…

At that moment, the medical pod silently cracked open a sliver.

Inside, Morlo, still wrapped in Hale’s coat, slowly opened his eyes.

A tear trailed down. "Hale…"

The weak voice jolted Hale back to awareness, and he stood up to approach the medical pod.

"Morlo, are you awake?"

Tears rolled down one by one from the corners of Morlo's eyes—

"I think I had... an endless dream. There was no you in it... Time passed an eternity, and it felt like someone tampered with my crown... In the end, I think I dreamed of an unfamiliar Little Crown Clan—Hale, Hale—that was the Dwight family crest. What was King Amos doing there? Where was that? Why were there no Crown Clan members by his side?"

"That was Zao Zao, King Amos's young one. It's complicated... I'll explain everything later—"

Hale gazed gently at Morlo.

"He saved you... and saved me too... He's our little miracle. You need to rest well."

Morlo looked up and saw Hale's reddened eyes.

"Hale..."

Hale leaned in closer. "Go on."

Morlo seemed a little dazed. "You look terrible... And why have you turned into such a mess?"

Hale: ...

"Are you sure you want to bicker with me right after waking up?"

Morlo blinked and quietly averted his gaze. "At this moment... none of this feels real... Did I not meet the fate that was set for me?"

'Fate' had told him countless times to give up.

Hale reached out and grasped Morlo's hand—

"Yes, Morlo. We've finally defeated fate—"

Meanwhile, on Saint Cas's imperial planet.

A meeting absent any Crown Clan members was being held.

"About the matter of the Little Highness, were you all aware?"

One minister spoke excitedly.

Since the Crown Clan had not publicized it, few Saint Casians actually knew of Xiao Chuzao's existence before that livestream.

Peng Yue also sat at one end of the long table, his eyes locked onto a silver-haired man not far away.

The main seat and nearby chairs were empty, with this man sitting in the highest seat.

"His Majesty has requested confidentiality for now. Speaker Cheng, I believe we should quickly arrange for His Majesty and the Highnesses to return."

"You're right."

The man seated there finally spoke, wearing a gentle smile, though he looked slightly distracted.

"The Little Highness... is truly astonishing."

This was Cheng Xuan, the Speaker, a long-serving minister who had once served under the previous Crown Clan king, King Amos's father, His Majesty Clancy. He was also the most senior among the Saint Casian royal court.

His devotion toward the Crown Clan and His Majesty Clancy was the deepest.

However, his relationship with King Amos was nothing special.

Because he was also responsible for another project—to find and train more talent capable of stabilizing Saint Cas after the complete extinction of the Crown Clan.

The meeting ended.

Cheng Xuan walked out first.

Being one of the eldest, he walked quickly before stopping by the window and looking out.

"Speaker?"

A member behind him asked hesitantly, trying to gauge the Speaker's attitude.

"How perfect—"

Cheng Xuan sighed.

"A new Little Crown Clan."

He was deeply grateful, yet also some concern. There was only this one Little Highness, and from what they'd learned over the past few days—this Little Highness was quite different from the other Crown Clan members, seemed much gentler.

Could he lead Saint Cas?

Your Majesty Clancy, what should I do?—Cheng Xuan thought to himself.

*

On the starship returning to Saint Cas, a day had passed, leaving only half a day's journey to the imperial capital.

The little cub was still clinging to Amos, fast asleep.

Right now, Amos was not alone in the room.

Several others were present, all watching closely at the little ball curled up between Amos's neck and shoulder.

The little one was starting to wake up, slowly shifting his tiny body, his soft paws pressing against Amos's face as his sleeping position got more careless.

Amos didn’t know when he would wake, but he was careful not to scare Xiao Chuzao. He stayed still, shooting sharp looks at his elder brother and younger siblings, wordlessly telling them to leave.

The Crown Clan members acted like they didn't see, their eyes unblinkingly fixed on the little white fluffball.

Then, the dim golden crown atop the little cub’s head flickered, gradually brightening. Sleepily, he opened his hazy amber eyes, peering around confused as he reached forward—

Where is Zao Zao?

What’s happening now?

Amos instinctively stopped breathing and closed his eyes to avoid startling the cub with sudden eye contact.

He felt the tiny paws pawing at his face.

The cub was still dazed, slow to react.

The little bundle slowly sat up, stretching lazily under everyone’s watchful eyes before looking cluelessly at the face before him—

Oh… is this Papa?

"Meow~"

The cub gave a soft meow, his tiny paws stepping lightly on Amos’s face as he slowly leaned closer—why wasn’t Papa responding?

"Awoo!" Testing whether he's still breathing.

Amos, eyes closed and holding his breath, waits for the cub to wake up.jpg

The cub, who just wanted to cuddle with Daddy: ...?

No. Breath. At. All.

The cub freezes in shock.

"Awoo!!!"

Daddy!

The small dragon's tail bristled instantly.

The Crown Clan reacted instantly—"Your intentions were good, but don’t hold your breath now, Your Majesty!!!"