Neutral Planet — Vanfylion

Night City: Zianllo

Artificial daylight pierced the eternal night of Zianllo, bathing the crowded market in a sterile glow. Air-skiffs drifted overhead in neat, relentless lanes. Neon signs pulsed along both sides of the street, tugging at the attention of every passing species.

From a gift shop stepped a tall man with long black hair, carrying a neatly wrapped box—an ordinary civilian on an ordinary stroll.

Except he wasn’t strolling.

Yao was listening.

A discreet comm clipped behind his left ear glowed faintly as a voice whispered:

[Stay hidden. Do not draw attention. They cannot know you’re here.]

“I know,” Yao murmured under his breath. “And I’m handling it. Xiao’s capture was outside the plan, but—”

[No improvising,] the voice cut in sharply.

[If he suspects you, you’ll be in danger. He is not the one you knew.]

Yao’s jaw twitched. “He’s too distracted right now. I only calmed him because I resemble Me’lan.”

[…How is he now?]

“Not great. But he’s stabilised for now—thanks to your guidance.” Yao answered honestly, remembering the haunted look in those golden eyes.

The hollowness twisted his heart.

[That’s okay. But you need to be careful as well.]

“I—”

Yao didn’t get to finish.

A weight brushed his shoulder—gentle, almost affectionate.

His instincts detonated.

Yao grabbed the wrist and twisted—classic subdual technique—

Except the person behind him flowed with the motion, turning his body at an impossible angle, slipping out of the hold like he had anticipated the attack.

Yao blinked.

Vision warped—then cleared.

Gold eyes stared back at him.

Predatory. Calm. Too calm.

“…Chen?” Yao forced a small smile. “What are you doing here? You just came out of that psychic trance. You should be resting.”

Shit.

Yao quietly cursed to himself.

His attention had been split between the comm and the crowd—leaving a blind spot, and he didn’t realise Chen had been tailing him.

Chen didn’t smile back.

He only studied him.

“Yao,” he asked softly, “who were you speaking to?”

A cold wave crawled down Yao’s spine.

Even beneath the riot of neon lights, Chen’s face held a darkness impossible to ignore. Every nerve in Yao’s body tensed.

He swallowed. “It’s… my older sibling. Checking on me. I still have a mission he thinks I’m delaying.”

True—

but not the whole truth.

“I’d like to meet this sibling of yours. Lan said you mentioned he’s a telepath too,” Chen said, sounding almost casual—as if discussing the weather.

“You said you’re human. Are all humans telepaths?”

“No, not all…” Yao chuckled, a nervous edge slipping through. He answered quickly, hoping this Teleopean would drop the subject. “He’s… a bit special.”

“Oh, really?” Chen’s tone shifted entirely, dropping to something lower and darker.

“Why did you look afraid of being caught just then?”

Yao’s pulse faltered.

The Teleopean stepped closer, gaze unreadable.

“We met by accident,” Chen said. “We barely know each other. But you never asked who Lan is. Who Xiao is. Who I am.”

His voice remained calm, analytical.

“A cautious man doesn’t ignore the identities of the people he lives with. Unless he already knows.”

Yao couldn’t stop the small flinch.

Chen saw it instantly.

“Yao.”

Chen’s voice dropped lower, nearly gentle.

“You know what we are. Even who I am.”

The disappointment under his words hit harder than anger.

Yao looked away, shoulders tight.

“I can’t tell you,” he said quietly. “Protocol forbids it.”

Then he forced himself to look up.

“But believe me—Chen—I would never harm you. Or Lan. Or Xiao.”

Chen stared at him.

Dark eyes glinted beneath the artificial light—

just like the ones that looked back at him with sadness in the fractured corners of his mind.

For a long moment, Chen didn’t speak.

Then he lifted a hand—slowly—touching Yao’s hair in a gesture so unexpectedly gentle that Yao stopped breathing.

“Alright,” Chen murmured. “I’ll trust you.”

A knot inside Yao uncoiled.

But Chen wasn’t finished.

His gold eyes darkened.

“We don’t have time,” Chen said abruptly. “Xiao’s been captured for six star-ring hours.”

Yao’s spine snapped straight.

Chen continued:

“Lan is already spiralling. If we waste time, Xiao may be moved off-world. We need to return and plan our approach.”

Yao nodded quickly. “Yes—of course.”

They turned toward their new safehouse.

Neon reflections slid across their faces as they moved through the crowd.

Inside Yao’s comm, the voice crackled again:

[You almost told him everything.]

[Are you trying to get yourself killed?]

Yao didn’t answer.

He didn’t dare—not with Chen walking beside him, quiet as a blade.

Instead, he rolled his eyes subtly.

After all—

He wasn’t dealing with just any Teleopean.

He was dealing with the one who would one day become the Star Emperor.

And if Chen discovered the truth about Yao now?

There wouldn’t be enough ashes left to identify.