“Eliotte, this is actually why I brought you here.”
The cub circled Eliotte’s neck with his soft, chubby hands, trying his best to convey his own warmth.
“I know you have gone through many bad things, but I have never for a moment doubted your motives. I believe steadfastly that the future you will break through all storms, find the truth you seek, and change this decaying Empire. If I can stay by your side, it will be the luckiest thing for me.”
“I believe in you, Eliotte, regardless of what the rumors say. I have a pair of eyes that can discover the truth; my mother, my female father told me that. They will see through the waves and lead me to the truth.”
“And you can try to trust me. I know I do not look fierce at all, but I am very capable. I am the cub who saved Prince Eliotte, after all!”
The cub puffed out his chubby little belly and bumped it against the female bug’s chest with a “duang” sound. His incredibly serious, round face caused the female bug to offer an indulgent smile despite his turbulent emotions.
Although Eliotte clearly did not take the cub’s words to heart, the chubby cub still laughed sillily, pressing his warm, round face against the female bug’s generous chest muscles.
“I am super fierce and super bad! I am not as well-behaved as you think. Before I met you, I lived in the Under-city; I am much more familiar with this place than you nobles from the city. I know what strange things happen in the filthy corners. I know that tangled forces have penetrated the entire society. I know there are more bones buried beneath the soil than treasure. I understand everything, Eliotte, and I do not need your protection.”
“I want to stay with you. Whether you decide to fly far away with me or insist on returning to the death-trap of the Imperial Planet, I will stay with you. I just want to be with you.”
Suddenly, a crystal tear rolled down from the edge of the mask and landed on the cub’s fluffy, black curly hair.
“The thing I want to see least,” Eliotte’s voice trembled, “is you dying because of me.”
“You do not understand. I was never truly a Prince. The real me has nothing. Everything I have comes from the condescending favoritism of my male brother. He repeatedly uses slaughter and blood to emphasize that he has the power to take back what he has given. I cannot protect anything I care about, because the more I show that I care, the more I lose.”
“And I cannot lose you. I cannot lose any more comrades. Meeting you was one of my few strokes of luck, but I only bring misfortune.”
“No, you do not,” Maurice said, raising his small hands to carefully wipe away the female bug’s tears.
“I am very resilient. Even if your brother could kill everyone, he could not kill me.”
“Little liar,” the female bug’s voice carried a hint of a sob, his eyelashes trembling. “You are a cub with a special identity. You must feel fear; you must escape. Remember, only staying away from here and away from males will allow you to survive.”
The female bug’s fingers brushed through the cub’s fluffy hair with deep tenderness.
“But I am not afraid, and I do not want to escape.” The cub stood on his tiptoes and rubbed his chubby face against the female bug’s jaw. He did it so naturally, like a fat, affectionate cat, and even the college student himself did not realize it.
“In this place, every bug is a heretic who should be burned at the stake or put on public display, yet they are alive. Eliotte, I know that reason and intelligence can make every bug here feel anxious all day long. But look, they are drinking deeply, wasting time, and cheering over the scandals of those damned males without caring what will happen tomorrow. It is foolish, yes, but it is also freedom. Here, they are alive, and no one can take that away.”
As the cub spoke, he pressed his forehead against Eliotte’s neck, flattening his own small curls.
“Let me tell you a secret. I have never felt panicked or uneasy because of my skin color. Not for a single moment have I wavered, because it is a part of me. Being a submissive member of society does not mean you are safe, and being a heretic does not mean you will be beheaded tomorrow. This world is unfair. Freedom of the soul is the only equality we can pursue.”
“In fact, every bug here has a terrible life. They have no future and no past, but they have the present. They have truly escaped the crushing oppression brought by an unjust society. They are truly alive. And you can be too, Eliotte. As long as you are willing, you can also live in this moment, without worrying about the past or the future. I am with you, and we will both be fine until you recover, until you find your strength and pride again and spread your wings to do what you want to do.”
“Do not let the outside voices enter your mind. Do not let them stop you.”
“Because your soul is free. It will never fall into the hands of the Insect Emperor.”
“Your soul will never fall into the hands of the Insect Emperor. You are free.”
Eliotte suddenly let out a sob. His eyes were hidden awkwardly behind his mask, and tears made his face wet, yet he looked as clear and beautiful as a water lily emerging from the water. Maurice’s chubby hands could not wipe away all the tears, so on a sudden impulse, he used his own chubby face to rub against Eliotte’s, leaving both of them covered in moisture.
Eliotte’s tear-soaked lips curved into a helpless smile. He had never seen such a clingy female cub. Most female cubs were born proud and independent; Eliotte considered himself to be among the few emotionally expressive female bugs, but he had never seen a cub like this. He was soft and clingy, as dense as a sweet sugar cake, and as warm as the glow of starlight.
He held the cub tightly, like a rare treasure, and made a choice in his heart. He could not leave the cub. Even if his mission on the Imperial Planet was calling him, even if the lives of billions of Zerg weighed on him like shackles, at this moment, he only had one thought: to protect his cub, to protect this treasure nurtured by this wild world.
Just then, Finis pulled himself away from a fit of shrill laughter and said gruffly to Maurice, “Oi, fat cub, go sing a song! Hmph, I really do not know how a half-breed cub like you learned how to do something as high-class as singing, but I am happy today. Let us hear the kind of songs only males get to hear and enjoy the miserable state of the noble lords, ha ha ha!”
Art and literature in the Empire were exclusive to males. Most female and sub-female bugs never heard a proper song in their lives. When the rebels sang their song of rebellion, the shock to the soul was unimaginable; it had led many female and sub-female bugs who heard it to the path of overthrowing the Empire.
The college student from Earth had used this very trick to open the doors of this deeply hidden tavern.
“Do not call me fat cub! It makes me lose face!” the cub roared.
He took a deep breath of the female bug’s cool, slightly bitter scent and took a small electronic microphone. Climbing out of the female bug’s arms despite Eliotte’s instinctive attempt to keep him there, he stood on the bar counter and bowed to him.
“I will sing it for you.”
Stay for me, live in the moment, and be a little kinder to yourself, okay?
The cub’s clear, crisp, and vibrant voice echoed through the tavern:
“They tied me to the stake to burn me alive.” “The moonlight pours down, the tree shadows loom.” “Divergents must die, they roar.” “But if I had to do it again, I would do the same.” “I run barefoot in the wilderness, I sing passionately under the stars, I light a bonfire to burn flags and lies.” “This is my life, welcome to my revolution.”
It was a battle song for the divergents, a love poem dedicated to Eliotte and those walking alone in the universe.
The noise in the tavern gradually died down during the song. Eliotte’s heartbeat slowed as he listened to that vibrant voice, feeling his soul float along with it.
In the gloom, many Zerg began to sway their bodies involuntarily to the music. The Empire’s explicit ban on art, music, and literature was precisely to obliterate any reflection on humanity and life among female and sub-female bugs, turning them into useful machines without a thought of resistance. Among these, music was the most effective method of communication across eras, civilizations, and races.
In the dim light, the cub walked toward Eliotte. Standing on the bar counter that was over a meter high, he continued to sing the soul-shaking melody softly, placing his short hands on the female bug’s shoulders and tilting his chubby face up:
“It is my nature to sing while wearing shackles.” “Welcome to my revolution.”
To the simple rhythm, the chubby cub gently moved his small legs on the bar, leading Eliotte to move his feet. It was a mismatched duet dance. Although Eliotte was elegant, he knew nothing about this, and the cub only managed to reach his partner’s shoulders by standing on the bar. His round shape made it even more comical.
But they were both immersed in it.