Rays of light continued to pass by the shuttle. Light. Darkness. Light. Nothing. The shuttle was silent, not a whisper or a mutter from either of his parents, sitting across from him.

Mother had her hands in her lap, avoiding Kazuki's glances, whilst father glared at him, adorned with his military tunic and cloak.

Both their brooches shone dimly. Ashamed. Kazuki dared not wear his. Such a burden would cripple the kid in mind, shattering the one thing he had left intact from his childhood.

Frost spread across the tinted windows.

Silence clung to the shuttle exterior and the Sub-Levels beyond.

Memory was a bitch, and Kazuki was forced to watch from his own eyes. This moment in his life? Of all times... Kazuki knew what was going to happen. This would not end well. Still, the fractured past slashed at him, dragging Kazuki's mind deeper into despair.

Year: 4917, May 28th. The Grandé Republic of Anagora, Anagora, Sub-Level 124.

Where was he being taken? Kazuki tightened his small fists, digging his nails into the leather seats.

But did it even matter? Wasn't he already dead? He... That station. That night. Victoria... Kazuki's reflected glinted; his eye was quivering.

Staring back at him, in the reflection, was one golden eye. It sat next to bright blue. The gold was still, yet the blue shone back. His cheek remained untainted, but dried blood still ran around his new exospine, clicking to life with each movement with a precision and efficiency Kazuki wished he could have had in the present.

Pi was seated on Kazuki's lap, resting. Kazuki had to pet him; it was probably the only thing that kept his mind somewhat calm. The Phoenix Leviathan was snoring, letting off a small tune with each breath of air.

At least Pi was still with him, Kazuki thought… Kazuki sighed.

This was to be his grave, he thought. A year had passed since then, and now it was finally time. Kazuki peeled his eyes from the window, staring at his parents. They were sitting opposite him. His father had his arms crossed, whilst his mother had her hands in her lap.

Neither could look him in the eye. Of course they couldn't... He's not there anymore, is he? He's just another one of his mother's failed projects, a failed warship blueprint, leftovers.

Right now... Yuki must be wondering where her 'parents' were. Replaced. Just like Kazuki. Those thoughts continued through his mind as the shuttle stopped.

The household guard led Kazuki through the black site.

His parents waved bye somewhere along the way. Kazuki didn't notice. He didn't want to notice.

Soon, his family's guards left. They took Pi as well… It squealed as they rested the Leviathan into its reinforced plasma and tungsten cage.

Then, he was truly alone. Voices. Kazuki stopped along the flimsy, run-down hallways. A grimy-looking man led Kazuki away.

As always, the ghost hung around his neck. "So… I guess we're trapped here then?" she asked. The perfect memories flooded in to create a fractured visage of Victoria, perfect yet unreal.

Kazuki refused to speak.

"Come on! Stop being mean to me!" Victoria angrily said, tugging on Kazuki. Without any actual weight behind the hallucination's movements, she merely glided across concrete.

"Here to remind me that it should have been me?" Kazuki scoffed. "I killed you. Is that what you wanted to hear, again? All for nothing… Just… leave."

Self-loathing and hatred boiled away at Kazuki.

Kazuki sighed. "I'm dead."

"Really?" Victoria jested. "You're here, though, aren't you?" It was just a hallucination, Kazuki justified to himself.

"Better dead than here. Some fates are worse than death… Look at me, Vicky. Do you see anything left in me? I can't even… You made me promise, but I can't even do that."

Victoria gave him a weak smile. "One day, perhaps," she suggested.

One day. A laughable proposition, but Kazuki nodded. If such a simple gesture was enough to calm this ghost, even for a moment, he'd take it.

After what she did and the determination she showed to sacrifice herself for him, it was a given he'd pay her back.

Even if it was impossible to do so, he knew he had to try. It was a stray hope that kept Kazuki alive, a shard that persisted, even if he died.

Kazuki felt a tap at his shoulder. "Kid, you doing good?"

By instinct, Kazuki's exospine ignited to life as he spun around. He tripped on a brick that jutted out. Kazuki fell. The ground cracked around him from the weight of the exoskeleton.

Adrenaline bled away to pain. Kazuki curled up, gasping and biting his tongue to stop the leaking cries.

And opening his eyes, Kazuki saw a gooey liquid ooze across the harsh, concrete floor...

Blood.

His blood.

Blood was coming out from his exospine.

Kazuki froze at the sight of the blood, his eyes dilating and growing with fear. Then again, Kazuki peered down at his hands.

Memories displayed their false truths. Kazuki's hands were covered in blood.

Victoria's blood.

Almost instantly, Kazuki attempted to wash away the blood, wiping it off. But no matter how hard he scraped his skin on the bricks and concrete, the blood never faded.

He wanted to scrape his skin off. Sure, it would cause him to bleed, but at least he can rest knowing it was his blood – not Victoria's.

"Agh..."

A man picked Kazuki up. "Shh... Shit... Fuck..." Kazuki's watery eyes glared at the grimy-looking man, half his features screamed Anagoran, yet the other half seemed Sarian. "There there... It happens to all of us," he said. "My name's Svenn. What's yours?"

Through blood-soaked tears and sweat, Kazuki choked out an answer, "Kazuki." "Don't worry, little Prince, everything will be fine," Svenn said.

Kazuki didn't bother addressing himself as a member of royalty. What would be the point? It didn't make him any less broken.

The mere notion that things could ever be fine again was a joke. It didn't exist. Such a possibility would be a constant, a zero, or null, and Kazuki could tell that any attempt towards it would only kill him further.

"I'm no Prince," replied the boy. "Princes are… supposed to be strong, protect people, save them…"

Svenn remarked, "Even Emperors can weep."

Memories flickered through, as he saw that red-eyed, pink-haired corpse once again – and the blood, dripping off his hands. Kazuki started to choke up again, grasping at his head with both hands.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"What have I done..." Kazuki murmured to himself. "Stupid stupid…"

Svenn tried his best to calm Kazuki down as he carried Kazuki away, gently cradling the kid.

Then, Kazuki noticed something: he wasn't bleeding anymore. "Sir... my..."

"Advanced regeneration?" Svenn suggested. "I was going to take you to the medical bay. But you'll be fine, I think. Let's meet the rest."

"Oho? New friends?" Victoria suggested, catching a nasty glare from the younger Kazuki. The hallucination was perfect, with beady crimson eyes and messy hair. Unlike that stupid sister of Victoria's, she could get away with looking untidy… Well, at least…

Kazuki paused the thought. "Meet... who?"

He felt his exospine pump in stimulants through his nervous system. Suddenly, his mind was calm, a soothing stream of Halolazil entered his body. Kazuki didn't resist anything, as Svenn dropped him off in front of a large troop of...

Kids. Similar to the same age as Kazuki, in an oversized barracks.

"Oh..." Kazuki muttered, standing still with his formal regalia and suit.

Kazuki's body cowered in fear. He tried to take a step back but found Svenn standing behind him. "They're the same as you. I know this is tough, but… trust me, everything will be okay, alright? My brother will protect you as well."

"How…?"

"Broken things are reshaped, you'll survive this," Svenn commented. Of course, Kazuki had no idea back then that Kazuki was supposed to take over Clandestine…

"Broken things..." He knew it was true, but Kazuki didn't like having it said to him.

Slowly, Kazuki stepped forth. One step. Then another, and another. He was to be a weapon of war.

He doesn't want this. The life leaving someone's eyes...

Kazuki saw it once more, blood on his hands. That soulless stare Victoria's dead eyes gave him.

Kazuki felt something churn up in his chest.

Svenn placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't... help me, Svenn," Kazuki demanded.

The music is finally coming for him. A waltz of death. Then, Kazuki felt a soft, firm grip. It wasn't a large hand either.

Kazuki's head rose, seeing a strange face. A friendly one, a brown haired Anagoran girl, head tilted in confusion.

"Why are you wearing so fancy clothes!?" she asked, before patting Kazuki on the arms. Her eyes were dead set on Kazuki's immaculate garb. "Whoa... I've... I've never seen them in real life!"

"An aristocrat? Woah… So they do look like that…" Another murmured, as Kazuki's brooch came into full view. A rising Phoenix upon the Imperial insignia. Instantly, Kazuki felt the weight of it crash into him, and Kazuki… wanted to run.

Flee.

The mental resources it took to wield the brooch were unbecoming of him.

Shocked, Kazuki took a step back. These people... Kazuki's eyes dotted around the room; there were tens of them. "Sorry..." Kazuki said. "I shouldn't be here but—"

Kazuki could faintly feel Victoria behind him, a grasp on his hand to force him to remain. It was an insult, Kazuki thought… To reject the advice of the dead.

"—Whoa! Whoa!" A second person came into view, a blonde boy, one head taller than Kazuki. "He's JUST LIKE YOU!" His head twisted to a pale-faced, black haired girl in the back, resting on one of the bunk beds.

The woman glared, grumbling as she was reading a book, before hitting the hay once more. Kazuki froze at the flurry of actions all around him.

"Why aren't you angry at me?" Kazuki meekly asked. Wasn't his people the cause of all their suffering?!

The blond boy shrugged.

Kazuki turned back to Svenn.

"See, you'll fit right in, Kazuki," Svenn said, with a hearty laugh. "You got some talent, kid, you just ain't seen it yet."

Kazuki let off a coarse noise, then a husky chuckle. It sounded like an animal was dying...

"Dude, was that your... laugh?" The blonde boy leaned around to face Kazuki. "Svenn! Which bunk is he getting!?"

Kazuki cleared his throat before turning to the floor. Dammit, Kazuki thought. Why was he laughing? How could he laugh? But as his eyes slumped downwards, Victoria placed a hand to his chin, keeping his head high.

Svenn leaned over and picked the blonde boy up. "Stop picking on him, he's not staying with you maggots!" Svenn said as some of the kids crowded around him.

"Svenn! Can you finish the story from last night?" a kid in the back shouted over the crowd, raised by two other people.

"Not today! Sadly! I just came in to introduce you guys to your newest comrade!" Svenn shouted before dropping the blond boy on the ground, "Don't mess with him, understood Václavos?"

Václavos nodded slowly, not one to like being scolded. Heh…

The first girl interjected, "My name's Kiera! You spell it with a K! And then like… you spell it how it sounds," she shouted, as Václavos budged in front of Kiera.

"We don't get new people often! So who are you?" Václavos asked.

Kazuki looked up at Svenn. He had his arms crossed. The man gave Kazuki a slight nod of approval. It wasn't much, but it pushed Kazuki forward slightly.

"Kazuki..." he muttered, placing a hand to his breast pocket as if speaking on a formal occasion. "Prince Kazuki of Trasia."

Murmurs and whispers rose, then fell to silence. Everyone peered at him. Kazuki prepared for what came next.

Memories clicked in – displaying the dozens of bruises and injuries Noah gave him… Before an explosion ripped steel into Kazuki. Ironic, Noah barely got injured… And here Kazuki was…

But it was not to come. "Whoa. Noble Royal or whatever? No wonder that damn brooch looks so good!" Kiera asked, holding onto Kazuki's shoulders.

Victoria seemed frustrated. Try as the hallucination might, it could not influence Kiera to release Kazuki.

"I mean, this is the first time we've seen one," Václavos admitted.

"Be careful with him, he's fragile!" Svenn reminded them, gently patting Kiera on the back. Then, he took a small smoke break, retreating to lean by the wall.

"Fragile?! Pah!" Václavos laughed before slamming his hand on Kazuki's back.

The reaction was immediate. Kazuki's exospine let off steam as he careened around. Slamming his fist by instinct into Václavos' face, Kazuki saw blood spurt from his nostrils as he fell backwards.

"Oh..." Kazuki was only able to let out a single word.

Václavos rubbed the blood away before chuckling. He turned to Kazuki before jumping up and grappling onto his hands. "You think I lose that easily?!"

"Come on! Kazuki! Beat his ass!" Kiera shouted as the group of pre-teens formed a ring around the pair.

Shit. Shit. SHIT! What does he do?! Kazuki was struggling against Václavos; the only thing keeping him steady was his exospine. Its vertebras and components shifted around neatly, keeping his balance.

The scarred and blood-soaked hands Kazuki had wrought from Victoria were barely holding on.

Then, a shove! Kazuki felt a strong push backwards. Someone had stepped in between the two. A tall... Person. A Yamikoi teenager with black hair, dark eyes and a nasty glare.

"That's enough, Václavos," he said. "Don't bully him."

Thank fuck... Kazuki was heaving for air, backpedalling through the ring of people.

The tall kid took a step away, revealing Václavos, with Kiera beside him.

"Tch... You ruined the fun, Cyrus... As always!" Kiera shouted. "At least we have a new source of fun stories! Is it true you behead enemies and criminals in Trasian space?"

Their faces were alight with a strange curiosity. Kazuki glanced backwards, seeing the pink-haired ghost smile back at him. Kazuki's frown steadied before his head turned back.

"Not really…" he said. "Depends… Well. Yeah. Really depends."

Slowly, a smile was creeping on his lips. Beheading people was… old-fashioned, even in father's time – but it did still happen, especially to the lowest of the lows.

"We normally let local justice deal with the punishment," Kazuki remarked. After all, Trasia was a confederation of different peoples, much like the Yamikoi themselves.

Except… the Trasians were far more unified.

Their faces of curiosity only sparked Kazuki's lips to smile even more.

"Ugh… Creep." Nihara spoke up out of nowhere, holding onto a snake plushie as she peered past Václavos and Cyrus at Kazuki.

"Just because he's bollocks rich doesn't mean he's that creepy, right?" Václavos retorted on Kazuki's behalf. "I mean, if you're rich, you gotta be someone coocoo in the head?"

Kazuki glanced down. Someone was willing to insult him here?! Without a care in the galaxy? Such honesty was a breath of fresh air. Kazuki found his people. Even though the young boy knew how it was going to end, and the Contract-Breaker watched with regretful eyes, Kazuki wished to change the fractured and shattering memories.

But it will not happen.

This galaxy was simply too cruel for that, simply too poetic to ever allow peace.

"Creepy or not. I, Kazuki Izumi Geminorum-Ryzaku…" The boy iterated. "Prince of Trasia, at your service."

For the first time in forever, Kazuki had a smile on his face. Of course, it brought a smile to the hallucination's face too, as Victoria stood amongst the crowd, clapping at him.

Nihara repeated, "Creepy…"

Perfect, people willing to treat him as just another kid… Whereas Victoria was Kazuki's equal, these kids were something Kazuki wished to have once again.

A ragtag group of friends. Street rats. Sure. But better street rats than snobbish aristocratic kids ordered to get their hands in marriage…

Kazuki knew he had to adapt. This was the way forward.

Then, the sound of the alarms broke and scrambled the thoughts. The fragments of the memories coalesced in Kazuki's mind. Everyone stood at attention.

The fun ended, it died on the spot, and Svenn walked forth. "You know the drill, get ready!"

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