Auren was a unique existence on this planet.
His iridescent white and color shifting sapphire eyes were those only that very high ranking nobles or royalty possessed. Due to this, he had so far been unable to find work. After all, nobody wanted to hire trouble.
To him, it was completely normal.
He wasn’t kicked out of interviews for being dumb. A pretty male zerg was a great advertisement; they just didn’t want his suspicious identity to bring them trouble.
There was one place left in the small shabby town that he had not yet tried to find a job yet.
The old bar wasn’t quite dilapidated like many of the other buildings, but it certainly wasn’t like the palace where he used to live. The interior was well kept and clean, but the wood was visibly aged.
The boss sat in the back, reading an old book. The cover was worn and indiscernible. He was an older female zerg w ith greying hair. He looked up at Auren, questioningly.
Other than him, there was a young female zerg standing at the bar counter, cleaning glasses with a white cloth. He looked to be the same age as Auren and his fiery red hair was tied neatly behind him as he worked.
Auren called out to the boss.
“Hello?”
“The hell are- Huh, you’re quite the looker…”
“If you’re here for a drink, we don’t open til dark.”
“I was wondering if you’re hiring…”
“…”
The boss thought for a long moment.
They really weren’t hiring, but a young male zerg like this would turn his little bar into a tourist zone within a minute of opening.
Although he might bring trouble, he wouldn’t be the only one in his business with a complex background. Might as well let him work, he didn’t want to see such a pure young zerg snuffed out on the streets.
“You’re hired kid. Get here a couple hours before dark tonight.”
He stepped into the the town’s only bar at noon and was hired on the spot was a server for his pretty face.
Utterly humiliating.
All of his skills he learned in his life were useless on this planet. Here, he was just a pretty object to be picked up and used by whoever found him. He did not even have the power to defend himself.
At least the bar would give him a more dignified way of life compared to the alternatives. Even if he was just a walking billboard, he could live without shame.
The evening came quickly.
In the back of the bar, Auren changed into his provided uniform. A simple black shirt and pants, a much cleaner look compared to his torn brown cloak.
It was not a very eventful night.
He could not take many orders since he was crowded by female zergs all night.
Business boomed from his presence at the bar.
The young bartender surprised him though. He glared at the troublemakers that harassed him. They backed off quickly, terrified, when they saw the red-headed female zerg.
One had to wonder what that zerg did to deserve such a reaction.
And just like that started his new daily life.
That red headed bartender would not talk to him, let alone introduce himself with a name.
He was a bit strange. Acting outwardly cold all day, but defending him at times.
Auren had become secretly fixated on his eyes that shone like amethysts and his calm demeanor, but pretended not to care.
This coworker seemed to dislike him for some reason, so it would be a bit embarrassing to be caught staring.
The past few weeks had been much better than his first few days on the Border Star. The money was good; although the bar didn’t pay much, he made a ridiculous amount from tips. He stayed in an apartment not far from the bar. It was nothing fancy, but it was decent enough.
Sitting in his room, he combed through his waist length hair with his fingers.
I’m still not used to living here.
—
Blood trailed from the emperor’s bedroom to the palace steps. Crimson red on stark white marble.
It was a holiday, the zerg god’s birthday celebration.
Almost all the palace servants were out in town celebrating and the royal family members were either preparing to go out or already gone.
The royal family did not need bodyguards. They were all S rank female zergs, capable of taking out an army by themselves, or S rank male zergs with insurmountable mental powers.
So, Auren and his father were the only ones left, save for a couple servants that did not take leave.
His female father would always secretly pass him snacks, so he was stuck to him like glue since childhood. As the only male child, and the youngest, he was truly spoiled rotten.
He waited for his female father to finish getting ready, sitting outside the bedroom door and occasionally kicking his feet into the air impatiently.
“Female father! Are you done yet? When can we go out and play?”
“Be patient, Auren. I just need to grab a few more things.”
“Okay! I’ll wait, but just a few moore minutes…”
“Haha…”
Crash.
The hallway window shattered into a million sharp fragments.
“Fathe- mnph!!”
Auren tried to scream, but a strong, clawed hand pressed something against his face.
He could not see his attacker.
Tight shackles bound his hands and feet. They were warm from his bodyheat.
Around him was a tiny dark room and a door of iron bars.
He was in some sort of prison.
A prison guard approached him. He was wearing the zerg empire’s military uniform.
“You’re awake?”
“Where am I?”
Auren asked, panicking.
“Prison, of course. Do you not remember what you did??”
He was confused. He didn’t do anything except get attacked.
Auren waited in that cell for weeks. He was occasionally feed low-grade nutrient solutions, but nothing more.
Going crazy from the isolation would have been a mercy.
He didn’t know how long he was in the cell before a guard removed him from there and dragged him into the court.
He stood in front of hundreds of zergs, dirty and unkempt from being kept in a prison for who knows how long. His eyes darted back and forth from the judge to his brothers to the jury…
His brothers?
Why were they looking at him like that?
His brothers glanced at him, but looked away when he tried to meet their gaze. His male father, the emperor, was the same.
His heart raced with panic and unease.
He looked for his female father for comfort, but he was missing.
Before he could speak, he was interupted.
“Crown Prince Auren Caeruleus, you ripped out your own female father’s wings and murdered him in cold blood. What do you have to say for yourself.”
The judge spoke in an intimidating, flat tone.
Auren opened his mouth to speak and looked around.
The guard pushed him by the shoulder towards the microphone.
“I-”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Father emperor, what is going o-”
“Enough!”
The emperor looked him him with pure disdain. Mental energy erupted from him in pure rage, forcing Auren to his knees.
“I really didn’t-”
He desperately tried to protest.
The emperor turned away and started to leave.
“Take him away.”
The judge had already decided him guilty.
The zerg queen was no weakling. There was nobody in the entire empire that had the power to fight such a monster. As a SS rank female zerg, the only ones that could possibly hurt him were the ones closest to him.
And Auren was the only other zerg at the scene.
“Auren Caeruleus, you are hereby exiled to the Border Star, never to step foot into the capital star again as long as you live. You are to be stripped of your noble status, family name, and branded with the mark of a criminal!”
Tears rolled down his face uncontrollably.
He wanted to curl up in his female father’s arms.
—
From his window, there was a glimpse of red hair moving past.
The familiar silhouette took him out of his memories.
He recognized it as his mysterious coworker.
Curious, Auren watched where he was going.
The female zerg hid behind a corner and trailed someone. The other zerg was too far away for Auren to make out any details.
He had a sense that something bad was going to happen.
Quickly, he put on his shoes and headed out the door, barely closing it in his rush.
He trailed his coworker who trailed another suspicious zerg.
This is the most suspicious thing I’ve ever done in my life…
His heart raced with the adrenaline of a good student cheating for the first time.
Because he was too busy thinking to watch where he was going, he crashed nose first into a metal pole.
The sound of reverberating metal echoed loudly in the silent nightscape.
His coworker instantly turned his head to look at him. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. zhe cursed.
“Shit! Get away from here!”
However, he was too late.
The suspicious zerg immediately noticed both of them.
He stopped walking and turned to run towards them. Massive black bone wings exploded out from behind him and he was on top of Auren in an instant.
Auren froze.
He knew he should have used his mental powers to stop him, but at this moment, he didn’t even remember how to move his fingers or breathe.
The zerg stared into his soul with bloodshot eyes.
There was no shred of reason behind those eyes.
Auren tightly closed his eyes, not wanting to witness his own death.
However, that moment did not come.
Thud.
His coworker had the other zerg pinned to the ground in a strangle hold. The other zerg struggled relentlessly with his bone wings, but was unable to move under the pure muscle strength.
Struggling was useless and he easily crushed that zerg’s windpipe, rendering him dead.
Auren tried to scoot away, but his body trembled and he had no strength.
The red-headed female zerg got up off the ground and patted the dust off his clothes. He kicked the limp corpse into a corner.
He turned around to face Auren and slowly walked towards him.
His amethyst eyes were piercing and violent.
Standing above him, he practically spat out his words at the hyperventilating male zerg on the ground.
“Hey you.”
“Why were you following me?”
He didn’t know why nor did he know what to say.
Auren fainted on the spot.
