“Approval withdrawn! Approval withdrawn!”
Accompanied by a faint humming sound, an arm reached out from beneath the blankets, pressing against the Core Species’ chest. The white male Zerg was trembling all over, whispering muddled, dizzy nonsense.
In his semi-mutated state, the female Zerg’s scaled tail swept lightly, coiling his fleeing partner back into his embrace.
“Did I hurt you?” Sakti asked in a low voice. He stroked the other’s spine, his touch tracing along the pair of pure white wings. Gela was soaked through, weeping like a leaky bucket, and the base of his tail was a complete mess.
Sakti stopped moving, simply holding him quietly and patting his back. He worried that he might have accidentally injured his mate.
Gela, catching his breath, leaned into the circle of those arms, his other hand still clutching his lower abdomen. It had been a long time since he had experienced the sensation of being completely captured; the male Zerg felt a sense of trepidation and shrinkage, but what frightened him more was that this time, it didn't hurt at all.
Whenever Sakti touched his tail or stroked that perpetually quivering tail-hook, he began to burn up. This only made Gela more uneasy; unknown things that exceeded common sense always brought fear.
It took a good while for the male Zerg to clear his head slightly. His wings fluttered a few times, and his respiratory slits opened and closed, until finally, he let out a small, kitten-like plea for mercy.
“It doesn’t hurt, but I’m scared... scared...”
“Then we’ll wait until next time,” Sakti comforted him gently. His fingers ran through the white Zerg’s hair, where tiny crystal beads—like stardust melting in water—scattered with a faint, tinkling sound.
The semi-mutated Core Species lowered his two pairs of golden pupils. His fully unfurled wings shrouded Gela in a protective stance, putting an end to any further attempts.
“Don’t be afraid, Roxanne. It’s my fault. We won’t try anymore.”
But then, the male Zerg, whose logic had completely collapsed, gripped his partner tightly, refusing to let him leave.
“You’re not allowed to run away!”
He sounded quite fierce.
His long, white scaled tail also coiled around the deep black whip-like tail in an aggressive manner. However, the exertion caused Gela’s entire body to shudder, and he let out a sharp *ji* sound, bursting into tears once more.
“Wait a bit... in a bit, I won’t be scared anymore.”
Even as he insisted, the male Zerg remembered to take the opportunity to rub his pheromones all over the other man—a testament to his meticulousness and dedication to his original intent even amidst the chaos.
“...”
Fine. This familiar atmosphere was finally established, mixed with a bit of helplessness and a dash of comedy. Thus, after his emergency brake, Sakti experienced a long period of being "left on hold." His scales had a mind of their own, crawling across his body, and the sheer disorder of the situation made him chuckle.
A little "water bucket" lay in his arms, forbidding him from moving while demanding constant touches and kisses.
This Earth-like planet was about to enter a long, harsh winter. After midnight, the temperature began to drop rapidly.
The overly sensitive perceptions of a Zerg allowed his information glands to detect the scent of the burning fireplace, the cloying sweetness of pheromones, and, further away, the cold, dry scent of the air. He heard a boundless rustling sound that filled the world outside the nest.
It was the sound of midwinter snow beginning to fall.
Amidst that tiny, dense whispering sound, Gela took his hand. The male Zerg was still shivering, his pale eyes misty, but his tail quietly coiled tighter.
“I’m ready,” he requested in a tiny voice. “Kiss me.”
Sakti kissed Gela’s forehead.
“Alright,” he responded to the soft command, his voice low and husky.
On the penultimate day of their vacation, the planet saw the heaviest snowfall of its orbital cycle. There were no traces of civilization here, only primordial plants and a few small animals. The tiny nest became the sole source of warmth in the wilderness highlands.
Sturdy, resilient, and insulated against all freezing winds.
When spring arrived, the nearby mountain ranges would gather trickling streams. Sakti planned to divert a portion of the water to irrigate the pond he was about to dig. By the time the next winter—or the one after that—arrived, they would have many trees shielding the nest. This place would become a hidden green grove, where branches and flowing water would whisper quietly at night, telling those bothersome yet sweet tales throughout the entire summer.
As the swirling wind and snow gradually weakened, the male Zerg, who had finally stopped crying, reached out again to tightly hold his partner.
Gela was exhausted. Once the fear dissipated, a sore lethargy and comfort welled up, making his limp tail lose all desire to flick about.
Sensing this clingy emotion, Sakti gingerly rolled up the two damp blankets, wiped things down, and tossed them further away. He pulled Gela into a warm bedroll, feeling that the other’s body temperature was even higher than usual.
“Sleep,” he whispered comfortingly. His wings wrapped around them both, huddling the other in his arms in a coiled posture. His powerful scaled tail also entwined with the other’s slender, long tail, which Gela didn't have the strength to lower because of the soreness. The moment the Core Species pressed close, the other’s tail uncontrollably cocked upward out of habit from moments ago, trembling as it unconsciously obeyed the silent demand.
Gela instinctively hid beneath him, allowing that weight, which brought a sense of security, to carefully cover him.
It was a very long night, and the third year since they had met.
The Core Species had spent two Great Cycles carving out a path that was not yet smooth. After this, they would have many more third years, many more snowy nights, until death brought a long, lingering sleep.
“Can you sing a song?” the male Zerg asked softly. He was truly too weary to keep his eyes open, yet he didn't want to be apart from his partner for even a second. Even the sweet dreams of the past felt like a nuisance now. “...I want to hear that song you sang when we were walking while driving the *Daybreak*.”
“I’ll sing a different one. Would you like to hear it?”
Sakti bypassed the question. He brushed the messy, scattered crystal beads from the other’s hair and touched those white eyelashes with his fingertips, receiving a nod in response. The present moment was not suited for the songs of the past; their road was very, very long, and there was no need to pour the wine of parting too early.
“Okay,” Gela replied, his little tail making a valiant effort to wag.
“...This road, day after day, remains forever bright.”
As the Core Species’ deep voice echoed in the nest, the exhausted male Zerg finally found his most peaceful place of rest. Just as the song went—“In a place of ease and peace, free from disturbance, snuggling in eternal arms.”
Meeting and parting were the norms of this universe.
Every minute and every second, too many lives said goodbye to family and friends before embarking on unfamiliar journeys.
The Empress, who had galloped across battlefields and moved through every war zone in her early years, remained long in the Red Deer Palace. She sat firmly upon her throne of steel, watching over her vast empire.
The secretary, who had been quiet and thin-skinned in his youth, stood perpetually at her side, handling matters of all sizes.
After the *Red Taisui* resumed its independent patrol, it continued along its established route. Not long ago, it had passed through the habitat of the Grey-Wings; after a brief meeting with Sakti, it sailed once more into the uninhabited deep space.
En and Enna followed Kliman in and out of conflict zones several times. These precocious brothers were well-adapted to struggle; with clear goals, they had already begun training their own small squads.
Selin and Xiao had formed a happy little family, but Xiao ran field missions every few days, traveling to the Third and Fourth Quadrants to handle the connection and construction of small Information Nests.
Clark visited Kamlan twice within a single Great Cycle. Before the new Time River port was established, such a trek was too long, consuming almost an entire vacation. The silver-grey female Zerg crossed the sea of stars, resting for a night or two by the human’s side before departing once more.
They all met in haste and parted in haste.
On such a strange planet, far from all habitable sectors, Sakti had unexpectedly gained a quiet, snowy night.
The sleeping male Zerg still had faint traces of tears at the corners of his eyes, and the scales on his body glowed with a light red hue. His hands tightly held his partner, his expression showing a hint of contented happiness.
As he watched him, the Core Species felt a tranquility he had never possessed before.
His never-ending fire was extinguished at this moment by a morning star that had fallen into his embrace. Beyond love and being loved, beyond anger and responsibility, he—like every normal human—had learned how to recount his joy, and how to understand and express his emotions.
His golden-brown eyes closed as he too sank into the pile of fluffy blankets. His folded wings made the embrace even warmer.
“Goodnight, Roxanne,” Sakti whispered.
He fell into a peaceful sleep beside his mate.
***
