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999 - The Crown Prince
🕑 Added 2025-10-11 06:22:44 +0000 UTC“What is wrong with him exactly?” Henry, Aron’s younger brother and the crown prince, turned to Nova, asking her as he stood in front of Aron’s mana-filled medical pod.
Due to the set line of succession that had been maintained for decades since the founding of the empire, he was still the first in line despite not wanting the position at all. He considered it a formality required by the imperial constitution to remove the possibility of instability should something happen to the Emperor, preventing a power vacuum.
Since he was selected as the crown prince, nothing much had changed for him. He had managed to continue pursuing what he loved: research. He was currently one of the leading researchers in the field of mana, with his studies being as influential as the Empress’s were in the field of magic. This was due to the advantage of his eyes being able to perceive mana deeper and in more detail than many of the available sensors. In fact, nearly all of the sensors had their founding as a result of his eyes being studied and their function replicated mechanically. Although after a few generations, many of the sensors had improved and even surpassed his eyes' abilities, his eyes still retained an advantage. He could feel things firsthand instead of having to rely on equipment, just like no matter how high-quality a camera is, seeing it with your own eyes is always better. This had helped him match the Empress in influence, albeit in a different field.
Unfortunately, the moment the war started, he was immediately whisked away from his precious research and sent to a safe zone for security as a designated survivor in case something happened to the Emperor. Although previously it looked like the empire was being needlessly cautious, they were finally vindicated when something actually happened to the Emperor that caused him to be out of commission for a moment. This immediately elevated the level of authority Henry had, which he used to authorize the continuation of the plans the Emperor had already approved.
{According to Ayaka, she says he tore his soul and needs time to recover,} she answered as she walked close to Henry, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“Doesn’t he have a good regeneration ability to regrow limbs? How come he is bedridden for a small piece?” Henry asked. Although he was focused on mana research and was an authority in that field, he was not knowledgeable regarding the field of the soul. No one in the empire was, as it was a field that was very risky and difficult to research, especially inside VR, since that is one of the few things that can’t be perfectly replicated. They could create souls using god mode, but a perfect one was not possible to replicate, the same way the Fountain of Life couldn’t be replicated in VR.
Thanks to the Fountain of Life, they had managed to gather some data that was collected during all of the creation of life following contact, but the field was still in its foundational stages.
{Unlike physical injuries that are just like a corrupt file that can be repaired, soul injuries are like harming the operating system, and it takes time before the body is able to repair that, if it is even possible in the first place. But since he is the one who did this, he must have done it in a way that ensured he only took parts that can be healed. So all we have to do now is wait,} Nova explained before removing her hand from Henry’s shoulder and walking towards the medpod, placing her hands on top of it as she looked at Aron.
“How long will it take?”
{Ayaka estimates the earliest to be a month, but it could take up to a year if complications arise,} Nova said as a hologram appeared, replaying what Ayaka said regarding the recovery period.
“Mhhhh….” Henry groaned as he rubbed his face with his hands, feeling both relief that his brother was fine but also the pressure of now having the possibility of being required to give orders while in an active war. He found himself saying, “How does he even handle this for decades and look fine?”
“Are there any decisions that I need to make at the moment?” he asked after he took a moment to close his eyes and recollect himself.
{Everything major had already been decided and approved by the Emperor before this situation happened, and they are in the middle of being brought to reality. Unless something unexpected happens that needs an immediate decision, we don’t expect any new orders to be made by you if he is to recover within the month.}
“Good, because I might accidentally drop a few black hole bombs on those who caused him to be in a position to do this,” Henry said, having already been debriefed on what had happened to his brother, from the cause all the way to the solution he was forced to partake in.
{Don’t worry, we will deal with them in time,} Nova said, caressing the medpod. Her nanomachine body looked at Aron the same way a child would look at their parent if they were sick, but with a mixture of anger on her face, which was being expressed automatically by her emotional interpretation algorithm. It is a passive algorithm, and as long as she doesn’t directly deactivate it when conversing with an individual with whom she doesn’t want to show her emotions, it will continue mirroring what she was feeling on the inside.
“How is the progress of the war?” Henry asked, wanting an update. Although he didn’t want to be in a decision-making position, he knew those were his responsibilities, and he needed to be knowledgeable about everything for the situation where he was required to give orders.
{We are currently in the midst………..} Nova started recapping the situation they were in, and due to the scale and different fields they were operating in, the recap was going to take a few hours.
Comments
Sol_Invictus(Hail the Terran Empire)
I hope Aron wakes up soon - every time something important happens, he’s out cold. Henry’s probably the only prince who’s had to wait a thousand years for the throne, haha. Still, it makes sense that he’s in charge for now since the Emperor’s unavailable. But once Aron wakes up, it’s over for everyone - especially when he starts buying up technology.
Sol_Invictus(Hail the Terran Empire)
TYFTC!
Jade
TYFTC AGENT!
