Unaware of how much time had passed in his unconscious state, the white male first felt a careful, cautious touch.
He sank into a warm embrace. Unlike the suffocating, airtight confinement of the narrow space during pupation, these arms made him feel comfortable and safe. The scent of pheromones drifted faintly around him. Even before his body fully woke or his mind cleared, his scaled tail began to wag instinctively in small, rhythmic arcs.
In fairy tales, a miraculous awakening was often accompanied by a kiss and whispered endearments.
In reality, however, the rogue in front of him chose to take advantage of the male’s grogginess and exhaustion, thinking he could get away with fiddling with that little tail hook unnoticed.
Before even opening his eyes, Gera reflexively lashed out with his tail, giving the meddling hand two sharp swats.
Then, he heard a low chuckle.
"You’re back," Gera murmured.
With his eyes still closed, the male nuzzled his head into the other’s chest, acting like a sleep-dazed big cat, instinctively sniffing for that familiar scent. Lately, he had seen the other in his dreams so many times that it was difficult to distinguish between falsehood and reality. All those intricate, chaotic dreamscapes were piled together, accompanied by various voices and sensations.
Next, he felt the other kissing his small, unretracted feelers.
Messy black hair tickled him, while another hand slowly and soothingly stroked his back, as if coaxing a larva to sleep.
Gera snapped wide awake.
He remembered that he hadn't deactivated his xenomorphic form yet.
His stubborn partner’s obsession with maintaining a "cool image" had finally rubbed off on him. Realizing he was only wrapped in a single blanket, the male felt a delayed wave of shyness. He tried desperately to hide his straying feelers, but due to weakness and a lingering, fine ache, he couldn't quite master his body’s mimicry.
It was a strange truth. Before eating the apple in Eden, humans felt no shame in walking naked; yet once they drank the sweet nectar of the Fruit of Wisdom, morality and shame seemed to sprout in that very same instant.
With his mind in a muddle, the male thought of a jumble of story fragments he had read, hardly knowing why such bizarre ideas were flashing through his head.
In contrast, the black Core-species did not let go. He only pulled the rustling white insect closer, settling him into a more comfortable resting position.
"I’m back," he whispered, pretending not to notice his partner’s slight fluster. "You’ve been asleep for a long time."
Gera finally opened his weary eyes and saw the other clearly this time.
The male didn't realize that his second pair of eyes had also surfaced, and that his entire appearance currently bore no resemblance to a human form. Sarkdi wore a gentle smile, which served to distract him effectively.
The pitch-black female was equally exhausted; Gera, being so familiar with him, saw through it at a glance.
"How long was I asleep?" he asked softly, his pearl-like wings fluttering anxiously.
Golden-brown eyes watched the apprehensive male. Sarkdi remained silent for a moment, all his emotions tightly reined in.
"You slept for ten Great Cycles," the unscrupulous Core-species finally answered with a straight face.
Gera: "???"
The male, having just woken up with a brain that wasn't yet fully operational, was stunned. He stared blankly at the familiar female before him—the other’s tone was incredibly serious, showing not a single flicker of emotion, as inscrutable as a mountain of heavy rock.
When the silent stalemate reached its end, Gera let out a tiny, bewildered sound.
"Huh?"
On the other side, Sarkdi quickly wrapped his partner in soft, loose fabric. He held the dazed male in his arms, his face a mask of stoicism as he struggled to suppress the laughter he had nearly let slip a moment ago. He gently helped the other change into patient robes, all while continuing to spin a tall tale.
"You were unconscious for so long. Every insect came to the nest to visit you every day, year after year. Everyone believed you would wake up."
"N-No, that’s impossible," Gera stammered in protest, instinctively feeling that something was off.
However, Sarkdi’s lying mouth was far too deceptive, and the headache limited Gera's ability to read mental fluctuations, making him doubt himself despite the absurdity of the statement. Any creature waking from a long slumber is bound to be a bit slow-witted.
The male began to panic.
In response, the tall Core-species pulled him tightly into his chest, his powerful long tail coiling around the slender scaled tail, wrapping it several times over.
"I was just teasing you."
The liar didn't even last a second before smoothly surrendering. "You only slept for one Small Cycle."
"Guji."
The male couldn't help but let out a chirp of emotional language. His tail broke free from the entanglement and slapped against the other’s body.
Then, Gera threw his arms around Sarkdi, burying his head in the other’s chest and refusing to move. The albinistic male in his xenomorphic form held his regained partner, maintaining that stiff posture without a word.
Finally, in the silence, he let out a soft, sob-like low trill.
"I'm sorry."
The Core-species, who rarely communicated in emotional language outside of battle, lowered his head and returned a gentle, long trill. His tail-whip once again encircled the white insect, stroking his small wings.
"My fault. I shouldn't have made a joke like that... I didn't do well."
Understanding that his beloved’s reaction wasn't just because of the teasing, but because of everything related to the war, Sarkdi slowly stroked the other’s back and repeated seriously, "I’m back."
For a long time afterward, Gera was in a period of recovery and visitation.
The first to arrive was Xiao. The light-brown medium-species brought the brothers, En and Enna, with him. Upon seeing his friend awake, the short-winged male’s tail wagged so fast it became a blur.
Following them were other males; even those few broad-wing species who rarely left their nests crowded around his bed. Gera’s sudden collapse as their leader had terrified them. Hearing the news of his awakening, these insects all buzzed and pressed close to him.
Kleiman and Kai also appeared once. Both were so busy their feet hardly touched the ground. The former had to throw himself into even more rigorous work because the Grey-wing habitat had more than doubled in size. The latter, having gained a basic grasp of Human Common Language, had been tossed to Arthur from afar and was currently drowning in the basic negotiation regulations he had received. A human who could smile while conducting spot checks was truly terrifying, constantly redefining Kai's understanding of what it meant to be a "chosen workhorse."
The reorganization and management of the defeated ethnic groups had become a top priority. New management systems had to be implemented on all the newly acquired planets, and careful consideration had to be given to the remaining original inhabitants. This was different from the "loot everything and eat everything" policy the Grey-wings used to follow. The Armed-species leader was constantly inputting commands into his information linker; Gera watched as the other sat down for less than ten micro-cycles and replied to dozens of communication bubbles.
The last to appear was Clark.
After all the other guests had visited for a round, the Sub-King of the Grey-wing tribe finally stepped into the nest. He gave Sarkdi a slight nod of greeting and then spoke to Gera.
"You look much better, Roxanne."
Those pale grey eyes looked at the male sitting in the nest, maintaining a polite social distance as he gently broached the subject. "When we first returned, the news of your unconsciousness startled Sa. He didn't relax until you were out of the treatment pod."
"At the same time, I am very grateful to you and all your friends for your help to the Grey-wing tribe."
Before starting any other conversation, the silver-grey female first made a clear gesture of appreciation for the previous events, using language that was cautious and formal. "Please allow me to express my gratitude."
"It’s alright."
Embarrassed by the overly formal thanks, Gera tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but his gaze remained fixed on the other. An insect who hasn't fully recovered cannot use their scattered mental perception well; the temporary decline in precise emotional control sometimes left him at a loss. Parts that he could previously read with ease had become blurred and indistinct, making the surrounding world feel challenging.
Gera had to observe these intricate relationships with a fresh perspective.
In fact, curiosity was nearly driving the white male mad.
The Sub-King was holding a silver-grey larva in his arms.
When the two insects, one large and one small, looked over, they displayed a miraculous synchronicity, as if fate had performed a "copy-paste" in a strange way. The thin, small larva gripped the silver-grey female’s arm tightly, cautiously sizing up Sarkdi and Gera with a hint of unease.
The larva looked very much like a Grey-wing, but there were subtle, non-obvious differences. Gera was quite familiar with such details; he couldn't possibly mistake the delicate scales that would form bands of light.
"He’s a mix of... Grey-wing and Shimmer-pattern genes?"
"It appears so."
Clark sat down and placed the larva on a soft, low cushion. The latter, with animal-like intuition, quickly burrowed into a pile of blankets. Wrapped in the fluffy small blankets, the little male seemed to become more at ease. After calming down for a while, he tentatively poked half a head out from a gap, his gaze moving from Sarkdi to Gera.
"Every Core-gene tribe has many members scattered abroad. They live in every corner of this universe. The mixing of bloodlines is a very common occurrence," the Sub-King added gently, smiling at the larva’s "kitten-peeking" movement.
A vast number of wanderers and raiders lived and died on their own in the expanse of space. There were also many small tribes that had been defeated and disbanded but were lucky enough to hide away and live cautiously on an unfamiliar planet.
"We will give him a detailed check-up later. He is currently a bit resistant to other insects approaching; we’ll have to think of something."
"What is his name?"
Also charmed by that cautious, observing expression, Gera kept his voice very, very soft, his tail unable to resist wagging slightly behind him.
"He doesn't have a name yet."
After a moment's hesitation, Clark finally answered the question. "We asked him; he didn't receive a name from his kin, nor does he remember what his kin looked like. Arthur said he would think about it and come up with a nice name for him."
The human, who had delayed for so long, had finally embarked on the journey back to Camlann. Since picking up Simmons, the silver-grey female had rarely shown a stern expression, because the human he raised was simply too easy to care for. Except for the initial stage where they couldn't communicate due to the language barrier, Arthur usually displayed a side that was far more mature than his actual age.
This time was no different. Before Clark could try to offer advice with more tactful wording, the human had already seen through the other’s thoughts.
"I will return to Camlann immediately for treatment," the blue-eyed youth promised. His holographic image leaned down, smiling as he hugged the Sub-King who sat nearby weighing his words, stroking those silver wings that were gradually regaining their luster thanks to timely treatment.
"Please don't worry about me; I will take good care of myself. And on the way, I’ll think of a very wonderful name. Every larva should have a powerful name and lots and lots of love."
As he spoke, the human quickly kissed his caregiver and, before the other could react, hugged the instantly frozen female in a coquettish manner. His lake-blue eyes were filled with laughter, melting into a pure and gentle expression.
"Just like me."
"Brother, you’re heating up."
Sitting to the side, Sarkdi had to speak up to remind him, picking up the conversation that had suddenly stalled.
Lately, the number of times Clark fell into deep thought had been increasing. All things in the world are like a cycle; retribution always arrives, however late. Previously, the Core-species' smooth sailing in his career formed a sharp contrast with his failing grades in romance. At that time, he had lamented that the wise do not fall in love, and his "plastic boss" seemed to have a very sharp brain.
As it turned out, the other had now also lost his wits, and in terms of passivity, he was even more pathetic—the Sub-King himself was still muddled and hadn't figured it out, while being pushed along by the human who knew exactly what was on his mind.
Sarkdi considered for a second whether he should pull the silver-grey larva out from the pile of blankets before starting the next topic. He had asked Clark to bring the larva over because there was serious business to discuss, involving the arrangement of the remaining males found on the Arthropod-species' core planets.
However, as soon as he met the larva’s gaze, the little one let out a hiss.
He was exactly like a weak, terrified, yet sharp kitten with every hair standing on end.
Gera couldn't watch any longer.
He climbed out of his nest and slowly moved closer, sitting on the ground near the young male. He neither approached too closely nor looked directly at him, but maintained an appropriate distance, giving the larva—who had not yet reached sub-adulthood—enough time to slowly familiarize himself with the scent of his pheromones.
He hadn't seen an insect displaying Shimmer-pattern characteristics in a long time, which made him feel both joyful and sad.
"Hello there."
His soft emotional language carried a rhythmic, soothing hum.
Noticing that his swaying tail had caught the other’s attention, Gera generously moved his scaled tail to a spot where it didn't touch the larva, but where the little one could easily grab it if he reached out.
"I am Roxanne. You can also call me Gera," he said softly.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 闪纹种 | Shimmer-pattern species | A specific insectoid race characterized by light-forming scales. |
| 阔翅种 | Broad-wing species | A type of insectoid with wide wings. |
| 大循环 | Great Cycle | A unit of time used by the insectoids. |
| 小循环 | Small Cycle | A smaller unit of time used by the insectoids. |
| 卡姆兰 | Camlann | A place name, likely a human stronghold or planet. |
| 拟态 | Mimicry | The ability of the insectoids to take on a more human-like form. |
| 鳞尾 | Scaled tail | A physical feature of certain insectoid species like Gera. |
| 尾钩 | Tail hook | A feature at the end of the insectoid tail. |
| 灰翅 | Grey-wings | The tribe/species Clark belongs to. |
| 核心种 | Core-species | The high-ranking species Sarkdi belongs to. |
| 亚王虫 | Sub-King | A high-ranking title/evolutionary stage for certain insectoids. |
| 足肢种 | Arthropod-species | The enemy species defeated in the previous chapters. |
