Chapter 107: Remember Them, and Then, One Day, Bring Them Back

Chapter 107 Remember Them, and Then, One Day, Bring Them Back

Everything around grew unnaturally quiet.

Especially at this moment, as they stood in this spot, surrounded by hovering lighting machines emitting the faint hum of mechanical whirring.

Occasionally, an occasional static buzz disrupted the silence.

The light from the machines stretched outward, reaching into the dark expanse of space, illuminating the two swaying crimson flames.

Ghastly wounds flickered in and out of view.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

For so long, only Morlo had maintained a delicate balance here through sheer coincidence.

For other Crown Clan members, once gone, they were truly gone.

So what was this—this depths of pollution, this barrier, this Psychic thread, this massive presence?

News spread, and Crown Clan members handling the creatures breaking through nearby barrier sections were now gathering here.

Meanwhile, aboard the Saint Cas warships that had followed the Crown Clan deep into the polluted zone—ships struggling against the pollution’s force and soon awaiting relief—the same scene played out on screens.

Everyone watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

That thing… it did resemble the true form of a Crown Clan lord—

But how?

Lord Ebinino?

The Crown Clan lord who, a century ago, fell with the First Group Army in the depths of the pollution.

Unlike Morlo, who had only been missing for a few years before was already fading, Ebinino had been gone for over a hundred years!

But the most crucial detail—

All eyes fixed on the creature’s head—bare and empty.

The dim lighting and the creature’s silent presence nearby, marked only by those terrifying flickering red flames, made it hard to discern much.

Yet one thing was unmistakable.

There was almost no trace of a crown atop its head.

Or perhaps it had faded to near nothingness, leaving only a faint, misty veil lingering above.

Xiao Chuzao, after the initial shock of seeing the entity and bristling in alarm, finally regained his composure. He reached out and grasped its Psychic thread—

A translucent thread, nearly faded away.

"Zao Zao—"

Fei Man instinctively turned toward him.

The usually composed, iron-willed Crown Clan woman opened her mouth, her usual composure shattered.

She wanted to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Her eyes reddened, her rims flushing just as fast.

That was the nightmare that had haunted Fei Man for an untold length of time.

Was that her grandfather? The grandfather who used to lift her high above his head when she was little, laughing heartily as if he would never fall—Grandfather Ebinino?

The little one, Xiao Chuzao, holding the Psychic thread tried something. The child looked up, his tiny wings ruffled and fluttering behind him.

"Auntie, don’t cry—Zao Zao will try—"

He spoke softly, his voice tiny and soothing.

The crown on Xiao Chuzao’s head flickered as he strained. Across the barrier, all he could reach was this faint Psychic thread drifting along it. The youngling had never attempted something like this before, and for a moment, he found it quite challenging.

Meanwhile, the hulking figure whose Psychic thread had been grasped seemed momentarily stunned; its head lolled instinctively, giving a faint shake.

It seemed baffled as to what was happening, but it was instinctively shocked by it all.

"No, it’s alright—Auntie didn’t mean to upset you. Zao Zao, just do what you can."

After being comforted by the child, Fei Man jolted back to the present, but her fingers clenched tightly. She turned, wanting to approach the barrier, only to be stopped by Amos.

Amos stood at the forefront, gazing into the two swaying red flames in the distance.

He was the first to step closer to the barrier.

The atmosphere around them was thick and suffocating.

Xiao Chuzao held onto the Psychic thread on the verge of dissipating, watching as Amos approached the barrier, then glancing at Fei Man, who stood quivering, her teeth clenched with her eyes downcast, and finally at Ayala, rooted in place, bewildered.

For a moment, the child didn’t know where to look.

There was only one Zao Zao—he couldn’t tend to everyone.

But—but—that feeling when Zao Zao had tried to piece together Grandfather Morlo’s crown before...

The youngling’s crown suddenly blazed alight. The golden side branches that had sprouted from it during this time slowly dissolved, turning into glittering motes of light, like the last remnants of an angel’s power. Even the Angel Spring Source Stone in Xiao Chuzao’s pocket began to glow faintly, its power bleeding into the nearly transparent Psychic thread.

The faint radiance spread upward, as if suddenly setting the barrier aglow, before finally landing atop the colossal being’s head—

At that moment, they finally saw it clearly: the shattered remnants of what had once been a crown, now reduced to mere fragments, barely recognizable.

With the youngling’s psychic energy aiding it, those nearly vanished fragments coalesced faintly.

But for the colossal being, this small change was transformative.

Blank-eyed, like a marionette jerked into motion, devoid of awareness, it stared fixedly in their direction, its tattered wings spasming fitfully.

The faint glimmers of light acted like a bridge, brighter here than the far-off stars.

To those watching, the sight was profoundly staggering—

"It’s Grandfather Ebinino—"

Amos’s hand was already pressed against the barrier.

No hostility. Moreover, with the youngling’s psychic energy in motion, the familiar resonance was unmistakable.

"We can’t break through. Forcing it would wreak irreversible harm to his psychic energy again."

Not to mention the unknown contamination and beasts on the other side.

If it weren't for Zao Zao, if they had explored this far and confirmed that Ebinino was beyond saving, forcing through might’ve been a mercy kill for him.

But now—no one could say for sure if Ebinino—body intact—was even salvageable.

Fei Man moved closer to the barrier, reaching out to touch it as she gazed at Ebinino on the other side.

Amos withdrew his hand and turned to look at the little one not far away.

"Zao Zao."

The little one had already let go, the golden tendrils on his tiny Halo flickering out. In that instant, he was hit with a wave of dizziness, his small body swaying unsteadily before Amos swiftly caught him in his arms.

He was so little, gagging like he’d gotten motion sickness.

His small head buried miserably against Amos's chest.

His voice was muffled, shaky.

"Papa, not enough—"

The branches on the little one's halo seemed to be his way of stockpiling energy. Normally, even repairing a halo like Morlo's would be a stretch, but for Ebinino—whose halo had shattered completely, who had not even a flicker of awareness left, let alone the ability to cooperate—this time, it simply wasn't enough.

He had been trapped here for far too long, the damage was unimaginable.

The little one couldn't possibly restore such a halo in a short time.

Put bluntly, it was too far gone, and there wasn't enough "glue" to piece it back together.

Amos rubbed the little one’s back before turning his gaze back toward the barrier.

"Mm, I know, kiddo. We'll take it slow, step by step."

Though Ebinino's condition appeared wretched, it had also formed a weird, fragile equilibrium. Moreover, the corruption’s source beyond the barrier was unclear, and the specifics of the situation were unknown. They needed to make more preparations—to withstand the surging corruption within the barrier, to push the Grail Clan, who specialized in this tech, to contribute more effort. And then there were the horde of beasts gathered here.

Before fully dismantling the barrier, they might need to cross over first—eliminating the beasts, bringing the situation under control.

And then there was Ebinino's current state. They needed to understand what had truly happened.

As the little one retched weakly, the hulking creature seemed to tilt its head, straining to look in their direction, before finally turning its gaze to Fei Man, who was touching the barrier, her gaze locked on him, unreadable.

Slowly, Ebinino flapped his wings, drawing closer to the barrier—so close he was nearly pressed against it—and lowered his head to look at Fei Man.

Now, at this proximity, Ebinino’s scars stood out starkly.

Fei Man didn’t blink, didn’t breathe.

Until Ebinino gradually lowered his head further. He didn’t seem to understand, but he pressed his forehead lightly against the barrier, right where Fei Man’s hand rested.

Though he didn’t comprehend, for the first time in all these years of struggle, he felt it—ease, for the first time.

He didn’t even have consciousness. Only after the little one had stabilized a fragment of his halo did he show a glimmer of response.

What were these things?

They didn’t seem like the prey he was meant to destroy.

But that was all. Most of the time, he still ran on instinct alone.

Fei Man watched as Ebinino drew near. His crimson eyes flared, locking onto her—

It was like when she played hide-and-seek as a child, hiding in a tiny corner, and her grandfather peeked in with a smile—

"Fei Man?"

Her grandfather's voice seemed to still linger in her ears.

The memories overlapped, and Fei Man finally opened her eyes, a tear fell with a quiet *plink*.

"Save... save him..."

Fei Man murmured instinctively.

Until Amos approached, holding Xiao Chuzao in his arms.

"We will. There’s hope. Zao Zao’s mental energy is working, but it’ll take time—and so will we."

Amos placed a hand on Fei Man's shoulder.

"We need to stay calm and proceed step by step. To avoid causing further damage to his mind, we must hold the barrier's defense line, wait for him to wake up, and for him to willingly open it. Meanwhile, the situation on the other side remains unclear, and Saint Cas as a whole must make new adjustments."

Amos was unusually talkative today, but his tone was steady and composed, cutting through Fei Man’s panic and steadying her.

The psychic energy forming the barrier was stubborn as hell, locked tight. Even Amos couldn't open it without damaging the barrier itself.

After a moment, Fei Man finally responded with a quiet acknowledgment.

She forced herself to hope—

At least he was still here.

Grandfather was still here.

Fei Man wasn’t that chatty kid anymore.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

But no words came.

Suddenly, Ebinino turned his head.

At the same time, Amos, Fei Man, and Ayala’s comms alarms blared.

"Your Majesty—the pollution’s getting worse!"

The voice came from the pollution-scouting vessel of Saint Cas.

"It’s coming in waves, slamming into us—it might be the source of the pollution's relentless expansion! Like a tide—"

It was a fitting metaphor.

Pollution Tide.

From their side of the barrier, Amos and the others could see with their own eyes countless mutated beasts surging forward, the pollution amplifying the crowns, and a sudden, growing dread.

Like the ocean, it surged and rolled again and again.

"Grandfather!"

Fei Man cried out instinctively.

“You, open the barrier—”

Her hand pressed against the barrier as she spoke to Ebinino.

But it was clear that Ebinino couldn’t understand.

He paused briefly, his gaze darting between the safe spot and the unsettling darkness behind him. The next instant, his wings snapped open. When the Pollution Tide and beasts slammed into the barrier, he snarled in rage. This time, he didn’t turn back—he charged forward, ripping through the beasts.

At that moment, the entire barrier shuddered under the assault.

The dormant psychic energies, rigid as sentinels or iron spikes, began to stir.

The barrier held back the pollution, straining to support Ebinino.

Ebinino was actually holding his own effortlessly—hit-and-run tactics would’ve worked better—but he stubbornly dug in his heels, unwilling to retreat.

“Clean up any breaches—focus on strays,” Amos ordered.

The Crown Clan members, who had been rushing over, chimed in over comms. Saint Cas’ cannons zeroed in on the breakout.

“Baba—”

The little one, who had been so uncomfortable that he instinctively wrapped himself in his own fluffed-up wings, now lifted his head and looked over.

Amos only grunted in reply, tucking the little one close while his Psychic Sword was at the ready to clear the threats. He glanced back at Ayala, who had belatedly reacted and finally snapped into action.

“He should have been able to leave this place on his own—”

Amos said.

This was already obvious.

Why Ebinino had appeared here in such a state.

“But the First Group Army was here—their psyches fused with Ebinino’s.”

So when the First Group Army was annihilated, when Ebinino lost consciousness and faced destruction as well—

Ebinino, amidst the pollution, fused his own psychic energy with that of the First Group Army soldiers to form this barrier. Essentially, he wasn’t even fully Crown Clan anymore.

Of course, anyone could see that.

And given the state of their psychic energy now,

the past wrote itself.

Ebinino, who could briefly traverse the pollution and protect himself, had for some reason not left the First Group Army. The First Group Army, in turn, refused to abandon him, struggling to shield Ebinino even as the pollution overwhelmed even the Crown Clan’s capabilities.

So in the end, this place was a graveyard of wreckage.

And this last stand took shape.

Amos exhaled deeply.

Xiao Chuzao, still deeply uncomfortable, buried himself in Amos’ arms, his small wings trembling faintly. They dared not recklessly damage the barrier, only mopping up the occasional leak to ease the burden on the other side.

This Pollution Tide lasted roughly half an hour.

After everything ended, Ebinino did not return here. With a flap of his wings, he flew toward another planet on the other side of the barrier and slowly descended, seemingly affected and drained, now resting to recover.

Meanwhile, the speculated situation on Saint Cas's side was exceptionally distressing.

"Alright."

Amos withdrew his power, checking the strain on his crown. The little one in his arms appeared clearly distressed, having kept his head buried in Amos's embrace since earlier, as if gradually adjusting to the dizzy discomfort.

But compared to the past, when overexertion would leave him feverish, this little one's abilities had come a long way.

"Order them back to the warship immediately. Contact Frey and declare a state of emergency for Saint Cas. Establish barrier defenses—do not let your guard down. Monitor the situation beyond the barrier and speed up research on contamination-resistant materials and further instrument development."

Amos suppressed all the unstable emotions that could lead to misjudgment, his voice calm and measured as he issued orders one by one.

Meanwhile, the Angel Spring Source Stone in the little one's pocket began to glow faintly, flickering gently.

It seemed to be alleviating Xiao Chuzao's discomfort.

Finally, the little one lifted his head.

"Baba—"

The little one blinked his golden, watery eyes.

"Zao Zao’s still not strong enough—"

"That's Great-Grandpa, right?"

The little cub tentatively peered toward where Ebinino had last vanished.

Normally, though the little one might feel a bit unwell, he could still accomplish what he set out to do.

But Ebinino was an exception—his condition was much worse.

The power accumulated in the little one's small crown was not nearly enough to repair the century-old cracks in Ebinino's barrier form.

"Yes, it's Great-Grandpa."

Amos noticed the little one’s pallor.

"It's alright, Zao Zao."

His voice, usually emotionless, carried a hint of gentleness.

"One step at a time. You're still growing."

Xiao Chuzao blinked and nodded slightly.

"But it helps."

The little one cuddled into Amos’s chest.

He whispered softly,

"Zao Zao can help Great-Grandpa. Baba, can you tell Auntie? Zao Zao can help—ask her not to cry."

Why not say it himself?

The little one was still a bit shy, and besides, Auntie was a kissing fiend.

The small child was still feeling a bit unwell, but he handed over this heavy responsibility to Amos nonetheless.

At that moment, the Pollution Tide had seemingly halted, but the barriers still shimmered faintly.

Perhaps it was due to Zao Zao’s surge of psychic energy—not only did it help stabilize Ebinino's crown—no, more accurately, it reinforced a shard of Ebinino’s Psychic Crown, but it also slightly revitalized the dormant psychic energy within the barrier.

Some residual yearnings and emotions, carried by the faint glow of the Angel Spring Source Stone in Xiao Chuzao's pocket, reached him.

Xiao Chuzao stiffened briefly, then turned to look at the faintly glowing barrier behind him—the barrier erected to shield Saint Cas.

Slowly, Xiao Chuzao widened his eyes.

It was as if he could hear the voices within the barriers, jumbled and scattered.

They were saying—

‘Saint Cas—it’s Saint Cas—it seems like Saint Cas—’

Or perhaps they weren’t speaking—it was just their last wishes, their dying gazes fixed on Saint Cas before their demise, now replaying in the mind of the little one, who was keenly attuned to emotions.

‘Is it Saint Cas—? Home… home… I want to go home…’

These yearnings had been buried here along with their fading psychic energy.

Until Xiao Chuzao responded.

"Yes… it’s Saint Cas."

Others couldn’t hear it. They could only see the flickering barrier and the little one’s whispered words. The crown atop the little one’s head also glowed faintly as his psychic energy gently extended—unlike the Crown Clan’s usual psychic energy, Xiao Chuzao’s was softer—slowly making contact with the barriers.

In an instant, it was as if they had been set ablaze.

‘It’s Saint Cas—it really is home—’

‘Is our homeland safe? Is Saint Cas alright—?’

‘Did we—did we succeed in protecting Saint Cas? Is the Saint Cas behind us still as prosperous as before?—Did we accomplish anything? Did we, with our limited power, achieve anything?’

‘Home—home—’

The light flickered, and the barrier trembled slightly, forming a low thrum.

The little one, his psychic energy nearly spent, gazed at this long defensive line, still trying to soothe—Saint Cas endures.

The Saint Casians and the Crown Clan are still here.

Then, the hum gradually took on a melody, slightly off-key but forming an age-old tune—one composed by the Saint Casians for the Crown Clan when Saint Cas was first founded.

Amidst the ruins, in this desolate place, in the silence, it began to play.

Not long ago, this very melody had resounded through the military base on Saint Cas’s imperial planet as the Ninth Group Army prepared to set sail. Past and present seemed to intertwine—everyone, especially the Saint Casians, watched in awe, trembling. Nothing could be more humbling than this moment—the final, most defiant voice of the vanished First Group Army.

Ayala stared blankly, then saw the little one raise a hand to cover his eyes, his small wings trembling slightly. Then the little one looked back at him, as if silently saying—Look, Uncle, they accomplished so much.

Fleeting but radiant.

They weren’t entirely fearless in the face of sacrifice. In their final moments, they still clung to the longing for home. Yet they stood firm here, refusing to relent by even a hair’s breadth, refusing to surrender to pollution—never!

So—

Ayala heard the little one say.

"I’ll remember them. And one day, I’ll take them home."