1 Bloom

Zhao Fan lost all sense of time as he floated in the endless void of death. 'It's warm. I wonder if mom, wait, who's mom?' Zhao Fan continued to float along as he realized he could not remember anyone from his previous life. He knew he had died and retained his reasoning and knowledge of the names of things.

It saddened him to realize he could not remember the woman that had given birth to him. 'I guess this is what happens in the end.' Zhao Fan quietly accepted his fate as he felt his soul being purified of its experiences by the warm darkness.

Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming grief as images flashed in his consciousness. There was blood and a figure on the ground. Another blurry figure stood over the body. However, Zhao Fan only felt a raging desire to kill that figure!

His emotions flared as he struggled to hold on to that memory. He screamed in his mind. He was not ready to let go of that. A light appeared in the darkness, far in the distance. Zhao Fan's attention went to that irregularity, but he soon wished it had not.

He caught sight of a twisting root slithering through the darkness toward him. Zhao Fan attempted to struggle when he felt it wrapping around his body. However, he was too weak. To his surprise, the root was gentle as it dragged him toward the light.

Zhao Fan was submerged in murky water as the root let him go. The water stung his eyes as he saw a bright light reflecting on the surface above him. 'Where am I? Is this blood?' He wondered as the dirty water surrounding him became further tainted with a red liquid.

Zhao Fan panicked as a pair of giant hands broke the surface of the water and reached out to him. His body felt too weak to control, and he had no choice but to submit himself to the care of those soft hands as they wrapped around him. Zhao Fan's lungs filled with air as he exited those dark depths.

The light blinded him as he blinked a few times until his eyes could adjust to his surroundings. He wanted to gasp when he saw the owner of those hands that held him. She looked human, but lines were running down her face from her eyes until they disappeared beneath her clothes. 'They look like seam lines!'

Zhao Fan studied the strange figure with her full lips and long pink hair tied back in a ponytail. 'Why are her eyes pink like her hair?' That was when he heard another feminine voice talking excitedly outside his sight line. The woman holding him then replied in a melodic voice. 'Why can't I understand them?'

The woman holding him then wrapped him in a soft blanket before passing him to the owner of the other voice. 'She's gorgeous!' Zhao Fan gasped in his mind as he stared at the woman's delicate features. Her red hair and eyes created a stark contrast against her pale skin.

It was then he came to realize the new woman was naked. She looked down at him with a loving expression as she stroked his cheek with her finger. Zhao Fan noticed the concern in her eyes as she spoke to the first woman. He could only lay there quietly and listen to what they said without understanding a single word.

"He's so quiet. Are you sure he's ok, Nina?"

"Yes, your son is perfectly healthy, Vena." Nina, the family android, replied with a chuckle. "He's a little miracle. To think my sensors detected he was stillborn, yet here he is. I'll have to get them recalibrated. I'm sorry for worrying you like that."

Vena nodded with a smile as she glanced across the birthing pool. "Do you think it will bloom?"

"I cannot say," Nina replied while sighing, as she noticed Vena chewing on her bottom lip. "It's in the hands of the Aether now."

Vena's attention went to the opening in the ceiling, where she heard the sound of flowing water. She rocked her son on her chest and rearranged him so he could see what she could.

"Hey, little one, your father is here!" Vena said as a river of water fell through the opening.

Zhao Fan stared in wonder as the river twisted in the air without any support. A man surfed on top of the river as his blue hair flowed behind him. 'How is that possible?' Zhao Fan wondered as the river disappeared when he landed on the floor beside the birthing pool.

"Am I too late?" The man panted before his eyes spotted the bundle in his wife's arms.

"For the birth? Yes. That's typical of you, Jira." Vena scowled before laughing playfully. "We're just waiting to see if it will bloom."

Jira nodded with a bright smile as he studied his healthy son. "Have you named him yet?"

"Of course not. It's a father's job to name his son." Vena replied as Jira kneeled to kiss her.

Jira chuckled as his wife accepted his kiss. A pensive expression appeared on his face as he looked into the white eyes of his son. "Then I name him Sieg. Sieg Rycres."

"You named him after my father?" Vena asked in shock.

"Why not? Your father was a great man. I can only hope our son achieves even half of his greatness." Jira replied with a solemn expression.

"Forgive me for interrupting the happy couple, but my sensors indicate a change in the birthing pool," Nina said as she pointed at a spot a few feet from the still semi-submerged Vena.

Jira and Vena held their breath as Zhao Fan wondered what was happening. Vena gasped as a flower burst forth from the filthy water. Zhao Fan watched as that flower grew to an extraordinary height before it bloomed. 'It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!'

The large black petals glowed with a dark light. It seemed to Zhao Fan that there was some unknown connection between him and that flower. While he lost himself in his thoughts, Vena covered her mouth with her free hand.

"Jira," Vena said as her voice trembled. What does it mean?"

"Nina, how many petals does it have?" Jira asked as he tried to count them himself.

"Master, my sensors indicate that it has one thousand petals," Nina replied as she studied the flower. "Although, if I may say so, there are no recorded instances of the Vratis Lotus ever producing this color."

"Jira, did she say a thousand petals?" Vena's whole body trembled.

"Yeah, she did, dear," Jira replied with a long sigh.

"What do we do? Should we prune it?"

"We can't." Jira shook his head as he stared at the lotus with amazement. "Besides, the planting has already begun."

Vena yelped as she looked down to see thin roots piercing their way into her son's body after slicing away the remains of his umbilical cord. Wonder replaced her surprise when she noticed her child seemed happy about it.

"Shouldn't he be crying?" Vena asked with worry.

"It's strange indeed," Nina replied. "The planting is usually a slightly painful procedure for the host. Look, the lotus is preparing for the transfer."

Zhao Fan felt a sense of euphoria flooding his body as he watched the giant flower shrink down. Its many petals fused to become only eight as it approached his belly button. He giggled as he felt the roots of that flower twisting around his bones and connecting to his nervous system.

Soon, the bud and petals disappeared inside his body as well. Zhao Fan felt a surge of energy as the lotus became one with his body. 'I feel... Complete.' He thought as exhaustion sent him to sleep.

"Congratulations, the planting is a success." Nina beamed as she gazed at the baby.

"Jira," Vena said in a low voice. "Can we keep this a secret?"

Jira frowned as he leaned in to open his son's eyelids. "His eyes have turned black. We should be able to pass him off as a failure, at least until we understand the nature of the black lotus. But, Vena, you saw it too. Our son's lotus fused to eight petals. You know what that means."

Vena sobbed as she nodded. "First the thousand petals, and then eight. Once the clan elders find out..."

"Right," Jira cut her off as a grim expression appeared on his face. "But until then, we should raise him outside of the city. There's less chance they will discover him that way."

"What about our missions?" Vena asked as she tightened her grip on her little miracle.

"We'll apply for leave from active duty. We can work as instructors until Sieg is old enough to choose his path." Jira replied as he turned toward Nina. "Nina, is there any way you can manipulate the records?"

"I can't lie to the system, master. But I can submit my report with his readings as being stillborn before resuscitation. I suspect the master system will predict his lotus failed to bloom due to his short death." Nina replied as she placed a finger on her chin. "But if the master system ever sends a request for the full data regarding his birth, I will have no choice but to comply."

"That's fine, Nina. Twelve years. That's how much time we need. I'll train him in secret until then. If he can pass the Academy entrance exams, the elders won't be able to do anything." Jira glanced at his wife with a determined expression. "We'll have to be careful and patient until then."