A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

***************

......

"It's been a long time."

The frosty white moonlight covered the ground in front of the Grand Palace of Liernia.

It also covers the huge group of statues of emperors from different dynasties in the fountain pool in front of the palace's main gate.

The fountain flows continuously, with water jets gushing from the top of the butterfly statue symbolizing the Skelway royal family at the highest point, cascading down around the life-size statues of the emperors of the Liernia Empire, and finally flowing into the huge pool below.

The moonlight shattered and danced on the surface of the water and the pool, refracting a clear, cold, shimmering light.

The stone statues of emperors from various dynasties are carved from white stone. The materials are exquisite and the craftsmanship is superb. Under the moonlight, they gleam with the luster of jade and are lifelike.

Orion's steps were steady.

His female father and his brother are both here.

He walked straight to the silent, frozen group of imperial statues.

A wave of icy vapor mixed with the chill of the stone hit him as he stopped in front of the newest statue.

The statue is very young, with long, flowing hair, and holding a scepter.

It's Atticus.

Orion and his twin brother stood facing each other, very close together.

One is a real person, the other is a stone statue.

Almost exactly the same.

Many years ago, although they were twins, they were very different and could be recognized at a glance.

The eldest prince has long, gentle hair, while the second prince has short, unruly hair.

But now, his brother is in his thirties and he is almost seventy, and they have become almost identical.

The moonlight poured down on the two cold, hard stone statues without reservation.

He seemed to have turned into a stone statue.

Time seemed to stand still in the silent moonlight and the cold flowing water.

a long time.

Orion raised his hand extremely slowly.

His hands, with their large knuckles, calluses, and tiny scars, had lost all the delicate touch that once belonged to a prince, now completely worn away by his life as a space pirate.

He placed his hand next to his brother's hand holding the scepter and gestured.

So ugly.

Unhappy.

So he raised his hand, slowly and gently—

He slapped his brother.

The cold, stoney touch spread from his fingertips throughout his body.

Orion's frozen face twitched very slightly, as if a crack had been painfully opened in the frozen ground and was being pulled upwards.

That wasn't a laugh.

It was as if the abyss had opened its mouth.

He gave a terrifying smile.

A sound, tinged with the metallic stench of blood, that only he could hear, ground between his teeth:

"A-Ti-K-S-"

Maybe you were really much more mature than me back then.

But you're a spineless coward.

If you're so capable, get up and hit me.

You can never hit me again; you lost because of your own actions.

The last note faded into the cold moonlight and the sound of flowing water, disappearing without a trace.

......

The frosty moonlight, like solidified mercury, spilled onto the land of the central star of Lehrnia.

9:05.

The Insect King, impatiently wrapped in a magnificent robe adorned with tiny pearls and diamonds, walked out of the palace gates, attended by his female servants.

A lingering scent of that calming, rotten sweet fruit fragrance still lingered on him, briefly clouding his temporarily clear mind once more.

Invica talked about guardians, the dawn of a new life, and riddles that were incredibly annoying. He even made him go to the palace gate in the middle of the night, saying the scenery was beautiful and that they would meet under the moon.

He stepped into the vast, unsettling moonlight, a touch of irritation in his heart.

Who exactly is this person, acting so mysteriously, and daring to claim to be the empire's savior?

If he were merely a mediocre person, he would certainly punish Invica—

The Insect King looked up impatiently.

Then he saw a silvery-white shadow.

Just ahead, beside that silent imperial fountain sculpture.

A figure in a white suit, like a blank silhouette cut directly from the deep night sky, stands with his back to the magnificent yet distant lights of the palace, facing the white stone statues that solidify the cold majesty of emperors throughout the ages.

The moonlight seemed to be especially kind to him.

The silvery-white halo generously outlined the figure: broad, wiry, and straight shoulders and back like a javelin, with long silver hair that reached down to the waist.

Extremely arrogant.

His back view was utterly lonely.

He shone in the moonlight.

The Insect King's breath caught in his throat the moment he saw that figure.

The long silver hair, the silhouette of his back, the lines of his shoulders and neck, and the curve of his jaw when he tilted his head back were all like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing into his chaotic consciousness.

Fear tore apart the dream woven by the hallucinogenic drugs, ripped apart the numbness brought by the sweet pheromones, and pierced straight into the bleeding hole deep in his soul!

No.

Atticus.

A dead sun, withered stars.

The great, radiant silver of the universe has vanished.

How did he get back?!

The Insect King swayed, almost losing his balance. He instinctively staggered back a step, letting out a broken sob that even he himself didn't realize.

The female servants also saw the figure.

That figure, that appearance, was exactly the same as the former Queen Insect hanging on the wall of the Great Palace.

He also has the distinctive moonlit glow characteristic of female noctuid moths.

All the insects retreated, letting out terrified cries.

The Insect King nearly collapsed in fear.

No, that's not Atticus!

Those are spirits! Demons that have crawled back from hell, wearing the skin of Atticus! They've returned to claim his life!

The insect king's frail body trembled violently. He took another step back and finally fell to the ground. His magnificent robes were mercilessly swept to the ground, and the diamonds and pearls shattered into pieces.

The female servants rushed to help him, but in the insect king's chaotic mind at that moment, everyone became Atticus's shadow. He waved away all the female servants' hands, not letting anyone touch him.

"Ahhh...!"

He stared in horror at the glowing figure, retreating frantically, his mouth agape but unable to utter a sound, only broken gasps gurgling in his throat.

As I pressed my hand against the cold floor tiles, the chill felt like a living thing, quickly climbing and eroding upwards from my palm, instantly raising goosebumps all over my body.

The moonlight poured down coldly.

The figure moved.

He turned around and walked towards him step by step.

To the Insect King's ears, it was the sound of the footsteps of the returning dead.

The Insect King was on the verge of losing his mind.

......

Orion looked at the Insect King who had fallen to the ground in terror.

Atticus's delicate, pale, parasitic flower, which only blooms by clinging to power, seemed to be terrified by Atticus's face.

The wide robe, adorned with ridiculous pearls and diamonds, was disheveled, revealing the frail limbs beneath, which seemed as if they would break at the slightest touch, kicking and curling up helplessly.

The beautiful yet empty face was contorted with terror, the pupils dilated to their limit, and the mouth opened and closed silently.

I was so scared I couldn't be scared anymore.

Like a fish suffocating out of water.

He smelled of hallucinogenic drugs and the hormonal odor of female insects.

Orion's expression remained calm as he scrutinized him closely.

If you're not guilty, why are you so afraid?

It was truly a disgusting pile of rotten flesh.

Atticus had his eye on something like that back then.

Orion's lips slowly curved into a smile.

The curve of her lips was adjusted, becoming just the right amount of concern, even carrying a trace of the spoiled and arrogant Second Prince from the past.

He walked up to the Insect King, extended his hand, and asked gently, "Are you alright?"

"What happened?"

The Insect King stared blankly at the hand extended in front of him, at the familiar yet unfamiliar face.

Orion looked down at him.

She grasped his hand, which he had unconsciously raised.

He bowed slightly.

Look him straight in the eye and whisper sweet nothings:

"Your Majesty, Orion Skelway, has an audience."

"I have just returned from the depths of the starry sea and have been granted an audience with Your Majesty. I am deeply honored."