In the darkest planet of the seven, inside the Imperial Palace, a court meeting took place. Many Celestials of various hair colors stood in modern wear. Before them, a tall figure was seated on a blackish gray throne, dressed in black military wear.
A cape was attached to his soldiers and was moved to rest on his left side. On his silver hair laid a dark silver crown, decorated by chips of bones splattered by crimson. The base of his crown had a few flowers of his creation which never died due to the magical protection on them.
His gaze was cold and sent shivers up one's spine. The Celestials below felt their respect and fear grow for the man whenever they set their eyes upon him. A woman stepped forward, dressed in a green military outfit and knelt before the throne.
She spoke of an important matter with world 298 which was spreading rapidly and could no longer be ignored. The inhabitants of that world were aware of other worlds and had begun an attack on neighboring planets for goods.
Cases like this were often handled by Celestials so she brought the topic up, hoping to be granted permission to begin restraining the raiders.
The Emperor looked at her silently before signaling his head eunuch with his eyes. Lan Xi, having trained himself through experience, immediately understood and announced.
"The Emperor would be personally involved in this mission along with General Mo and would head there immediately after court."
Thanking the Emperor, General Mo bowed and returned to her position. Court continued as many issues were dealt with or discussed thoroughly.
Soon, the Emperor dismissed them and headed to change. Undressing from his royal wear, he put on a less flashy military suit before heading to his awaiting general.
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A day later, the Emperor stood in a vast field on world 298, surrounded by various creatures. They had human features mixed with some that were a bit unknown. Their appearance was ghastly but not in a very creepy way.
Grabbing one, the man sliced the head off with his sword. Turning, he caught the hand of one charging at his side and kicked it away.
He swung his sword at an approaching creature before punching the next. The Emperor moved quickly, pushing away or killing the creatures which rushed up to him in groups, Their attacks were useless and were quite miserable attempts against the distracted man.
Wang Tao was currently feeling quite conflicted in his heart. He had been in his Empire for a few years now and it was nearing the time of his return. The Emperor jumped a distance away from the mob before commanding,
"Form."
Immediately, dozens of shadows rose from the ground and took shape. Shadow beasts of various shapes and sizes littered the battlefield.
Upon hearing the next command, they engaged in the fight, keeping the creatures away from their Emperor. Now free, Wang Ta took a deep breath to calm his troubled heart as he stared into the night sky, in deep thought.
Remembering the years together with his friend, Wang Tao felt some joy surface.
Zhou Jian had been so caring and kind. The man was worried about him and laughed and smiled with him. It seemed like a dream to the Celestial and the fear that he would wake up alone one day frightened him.
Wang Tao had never been mad at his friend for not loving him. Zhou Jian wasn't compelled to love him back and it was already great that the two remained friends.
Zhou Jian had every right to go and be with Chen Xiang. He wasn't cheating or betraying anyone so there was no problem. Even then, Wang Tao was jealous and upset with himself.
He'd chosen to stay, not only to be with Zhou Jian but also to witness the couple's love and get rid of his love. Normally people would move on but Wang Tao found it incredibly difficult. Sometimes impossible.
Wang Tao was now certain that he was the stupidest person in the history of love. Why were his affections so strong for a man in a relationship with another?
Wang Tao couldn't understand himself anymore. His grip on the sword tightened as he admitted something.
He wanted to be loved. Zhou Jian cared for him but didn't love him. Zhou Jian also wanted to be loved. But his lover only recently, last time he was there, showed care for the older man, not love yet.
The Celestial was still unsure of how genuine it was. Wang Tao smiled bitterly realizing that they were both hopeless fools.
His trembling hand eventually stopped as he made a decision. Should he return? He had told Zhou Jian that he would be back so was it wrong of him to stay?
What about him? Could he really handle seeing the two any longer? Wang Tao was uncertain and hesitated.
With his worsening mental state, Wang Tao feared that the accident in the garden may reoccur or he might at least have a breakdown.
But even then he wanted to try one more time. Maybe something will change? This stupid and naive thought took over.
The Celestial pondered as he watched his shadow soldiers finish off the remaining creatures. Noticing that their task was complete, he uttered,
"Deform."
In seconds, the shadows retracted, leaving the Emperor there alone, surrounded by hundreds of dead bodies. The ground was covered in blood and the metallic scent dominated the air.
The grip on the sword loosened as he flicked off the blood. Once his swords disappeared into his space, Wang Tao sighed, having made the absolutely ridiculous choice.
He would return.