"There are no more travel logs, nor any trace of them, since they left northern Arcadia," Kai said.
Hana looked worried. "This isn't good. This really isn't good. Benjamin was one of those doctors—the ones who all mysteriously died. He could be in danger. The timing, right after leaving the Imperial Palace... It's too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence."
"We've talked to the Imperial Palace. They haven't found anything either. They said they're doing the best they can," Lyra said, though her expression suggested otherwise. Calix stood behind her and nodded.
"What is it?" Felix asked, looking at them both.
"Well, Princess Shirin is sitting in on the team in charge of this recovery mission," Calix explained.
Charles understood. He dismissed everyone except for Calix and Felix, instructing the rest to reconvene in an hour.
"Tell me more, Calix," Charles said.
"She's mismanaging the teams properly and challenges every decision. It's almost as if she's deliberately hindering the search."
"The Emperor would not let her do this," Charles said in disbelief.
"He's put her in charge because he trusts her, Charles. Especially knowing how much this means to you, he wants it handled personally. I'm sure the Emperor wouldn't let Benjamin come to any harm. Not intentionally, at least," Calix said, sounding unsure of himself.
"I'll speak to him," Charles said. "I'll call him right now."
Charles picked up the phone. Emperor Farrokh answered almost immediately, which surprised Charles. His voice was calm, too calm for the situation at hand.
"I understand you're worried Charles. Rest assured, I am aware of the situation," the Emperor said. "Continue your search. Trust that you are not the only eyes looking."
Before Charles could press further, the line went quiet.
"The Emperor has his own men looking," Charles said slowly, more to himself than to either of them. "At least, that's what he wants us to believe."
"I'm glad and surprised you were able to get through. Even we tried to get an audience with him, but Shirin and her soldiers kept blocking us. They dragged us into endless meetings that did nothing to help the search. I believe... she... she might be on to you and Benjamin," Calix said.
Felix nodded slowly. "Then there's Wren Baek. He has deep family ties in Zephyr and comes from a prestigious background. He's incredibly well-protected. When Hana and I tried asking around about him, people refused to speak. They just kept redirecting us to different sources, sending us into an endless loop of inquiries."
"Why do you think the Emperor himself hasn't reached out to King Skarsgard? I'm sure he would be of help," Felix added.
"Perhaps… there's just too much at stake. Too much would be uncovered if they were to ask why the Emperor himself is looking for Benjamin," Charles replied, shaking his head.
Charles sat down on the floor, his knees drawn up. He braced his hands behind him and leaned back, looking toward the ceiling.
"This is… this is a nightmare. We don't even know the half of what's going on. It's as if we're just running around in the dark."
Felix and Calix joined him on the floor, sitting in solidarity.
"That's true, Charles," Calix said. "But our only option is to follow every lead we have. If we keep moving, we'll eventually find something. It's certainly better than doing nothing at all."
"If the Emperor himself refuses to seek help, I truly believe he is hiding something he doesn't want the public to know. Perhaps it's dangerous. Perhaps they're covering their own tracks. Whatever it is, it clearly wouldn't be in the Empire's interest for it to get out. The level of secrecy is astonishing. As people of the Andromedus Empire, we must do our best to let it remain that way, at least for now. We can't give up yet, Charles," Felix said.
"It all just feels so overwhelming," Charles said. He had never been in such a position before, so lost, and so unsure of what to do next.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Back at Wren's home, Benjamin decided his first step was to talk to him. He needed to understand why Wren was doing this. When Wren came to see him the next morning, however, he was quieter than usual.
"Wren, you've drugged and kidnapped me. I want to know why. And I want to know exactly how you found out about my alias… About Dr. Atlas."
Wren didn't respond.
"At least help me understand, Wren. I can forgive the drugging and the kidnapping, but not what I suspect you're planning next. I won't stand for it. I just want to understand why."
Wren sighed. "You once asked me if we could ever really leave the past behind… Well, I am haunted by mine, too."
After a long pause, Wren continued. "That is how I ended up in Shen Zhou. You saved me, Benjamin. You and Atlas both—you saved my life. If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't be standing here now. I would have ended up like the rest of them."
Wren looked at him with a serious expression. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Let's stop with the pretense. It's tiring."
Benjamin nodded.
Wren told Benjamin everything—his past, his parents, and the day he met Atlas at medical school. He spoke about how happy they were back then and how he had been truly happy. It was a feeling he hadn't known since.
"Did something happen to Atlas?" Benjamin asked softly. He saw Wren was holding back his own tears, his eyes welling.
"My parents… they believed it wasn't normal, an abomination, for two alphas to be together. It never mattered to Atlas, and it never mattered to me. We hardly ever spoke of it."
Benjamin listened, his heart aching for Wren.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
After his mother's visit to his dorm, where she warned him to stay away from Atlas, Wren somehow believed he could outwit his parents. He continued to see Atlas, and they carried on as if nothing had ever happened.
One day, while they were in class, the Office of Student Affairs summoned them both. Wren had a gut feeling this wasn't going to end well. It felt just like the day his mother had appeared on campus.
Atlas could see Wren was shaken. He reached out and locked his fingers into Wren's, giving them a firm squeeze. He had a warm, reassuring smile on his face.
"If it's the two of us against the world, nothing can get in our way," Atlas reassured him.
Wren could only nod. His face was pale and his palms were sweating, but Atlas didn't care. He held on to his hand tightly, even as they walked through the office doors.
There, Wren's parents stood, towering in front of the desk. They didn't say a word. They simply turned and walked out, and Wren tugged Atlas along, moving as if he already knew the drill.
During the carriage ride, Wren's parents were silent. Their eyes remained fixed on the two young men. Wren and Atlas didn't speak either, trying instead to keep their gazes fixed on the city passing by outside.
Finally, they were taken to a large mansion in the northern part of the city.
When they arrived at the mansion, they were escorted by a silent line of staff into a drawing room. With a sharp motion, Wren's father dismissed the staff.
"I presume you're Atlas?" Wren's mother asked, looking him up and down with cold eyes.
"Yes, Madam Baek," Atlas replied, bowing his head slightly. "I'm Atlas Lund. It's an honor to meet you and Sir Baek. Wren and I are classmates at the university, studying to become doctors."
"Ah, it all makes sense now," Wren's father said coldly. "Your sudden change of heart, Wren. I wondered why you were so insistent on becoming a doctor."
He turned his gaze back to Atlas with a thin, sharp smile. "A friend, you say?"
Wren's father stepped closer, his figure towering over Atlas. "I'm certain you will both remain as such. After all, alphas understand one another. Wren needs a friend like that."
"I honestly believe that in this day and age, one's secondary gender—" Wren began to protest, before being interrupted by his mother.
"Please, save the political correctness for your classmates. We are in private. There is no need for such pretenses," she said coldly to Wren.
"There are alphas and omegas in this world, and these two secondary genders exist for a reason: to procreate. I am an alpha and your mother is an omega, and together, we had you. Alphas and omegas sit above betas for a purpose. Together, they ensure the continuation of our kind. There is a reason why nature has decreed this. It is the survival of the fittest," Wren's father said.
"Sir Baek, Madam Baek, I must respectfully disagree," Atlas said, his voice steady. "Many of the world's finest scientists, the very minds who have allowed our society to progress to this point, were betas. In fact, you just quoted Charles Darwin, who was a beta himself. The same is true for our greatest artists and the founders of our most prestigious universities. Even in the Zephyrian military, the men who honorably sacrificed their lives for our kingdom, many were betas."
Wren's father nodded slowly. "You're quite an intelligent one, aren't you? It truly is a shame that we had to meet under these circumstances."
"What do you mean?" Wren finally interrupted.
"Look at this," his mother said as she handed him a thick envelope.
When they opened the envelope, there were photographs of the two of them. There were pictures of them asleep in Wren's dorm bed. The windows had been left open to let cool breezes in during the heat of summer. There were photos of them kissing, walking across campus, and even wandering through the streets of Galen. Every moment they thought they had shared alone in private had been watched.
Atlas spoke up with a fierce conviction in his voice. "I don't see anything wrong with this."
Wren's mother ignored Atlas completely, her gaze fixed solely on her son. "I thought you would be wiser, Wren. I am disappointed. Your father and I are both deeply disappointed."
"Mother—" Wren protested.
Wren's father silenced him immediately. "Enough. We don't want to hear another word."
His father stepped toward Atlas and slapped him across the face. The sound was sharp and loud. Atlas stumbled back several steps, but Wren caught him before he could fall.
In a low, firm tone, Wren's father threatened Atlas. "Stay away from my son and my family."
His father then turned to Wren with a cold, direct stare. "And you—if you know what's best for your friend here, you will stay away from him, too."
Wren shouted in protest and stepped in front of Atlas, shielding him in case his father decided to strike again "You can't do this to us! We haven't done anything wrong!"
"You're too young to even realize how wrong you are," his mother said, her voice eerily calm. "Children should be children and listen to their parents. We have lived much longer than you, Wren. We understand how the world works."
"What world do you live in?" Wren challenged. "We live in the age of modern science. The world has changed and—"
"Can you give birth? Can he give birth?" his mother interrupted. She stepped closer until she was looking straight into Wren's eyes.
"What are you planning to do?" she continued. "One day, you will need an heir. Are you going to stay with him while letting some omega carry your child? Will you be okay with that? Will he?"
Wren's voice trembled. "Why do I need to have children? Why do I need an heir? I never asked for any of this."
"No, you didn't," his mother scoffed. "But you were born into a family of wealth and prestige. Think of the orphans, the children born in the gutters without parents to guide them. And here you are, complaining about being born with a silver spoon. You have never known a single day of hardship, thanks to us. What do you know about surviving on the streets? Right now, you are just being an ungrateful, spoiled brat."
Atlas placed a steadying hand on Wren's shoulder. "Wren, let's stop this now. It's better if we talk when we're calm."
"Your friend is wise," his father remarked.
"He's not my friend," Wren said, raising his voice in defiance. "I love him. We love each other. He's my partner. My lover."
"Shut your mouth!" his father roared. He lunged forward and swung a heavy fist at his son's face.
But Atlas was faster. He stepped in front of Wren and took the full force of the hit. He slammed back into Wren, who caught him as they both stumbled. When Wren pulled back and saw blood gushing from Atlas's nose, he panicked, then looked back at his parents, fuming.
"We're leaving. Don't try to contact us again," Wren said, his voice shaking with fury. He pulled Atlas toward the front door, but a line of guards stepped in, blocking their path.
His father let out a loud, mocking laugh."Who do you think you are? Where did we go wrong with him, Lyra?" he asked his wife.
He walked up to Wren. "Let this be your last warning. If you defy us, you will regret it. We have been lenient because you are young, but this... this has gone too far. You will not drag the Baek name through the mud. Your mother wept for days after she visited you. Do you have any idea how much you've hurt us?"
"Have you ever considered his feelings?" Atlas asked, his voice muffled as he held his hand to his bleeding nose.
"Keep your mouth shut, orphan," Wren's mother snapped with disdain. She turned towards Atlas. "You think you can enter ourhome and tell us how to raise our son? Who do you think you are?"
"Don't talk to him like that! You don't even know him!" Wren shouted, the tears finally breaking free and streaming down his face.
"We could crush you both beneath our heels," his mother said, her words coming through gritted teeth. "I had to beg your father to be lenient today. Stop acting like an ungrateful child. Do not force our hand."
"That is enough," Wren's father said. "If he refuses to listen, he will learn the hard way. Take these two out of my sight. Now."
They were escorted out and placed into a carriage for the ride back to the dorms, dropping Atlas off first. A guard sat between them, not allowing them to sit next to each other.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
"You see," Wren said, as he sat recounting his past to Benjamin. "I was immature then. I didn't know better. I was blinded by love. Had I simply been a dutiful son, perhaps… perhaps things would have turned out for the better."
"Wren… I'm so sorry you went through that," Benjamin said softly. "I didn't know. I don't think there is anything I can say to make it right, but your parents were wrong. Biology isn't destiny. Our secondary genders shouldn't dictate our future or who we're allowed to love. We should all be free to love whoever we want. Everyone deserves the right to that."
Wren scoffed. "I know that. I do. But if it didn't matter, why did it happen? Why did it end like this?" His eyes flared with a sudden anger.