The Mengsk Family's Destiny

Two pieces of fragrant wood burned in the fireplace, their unique aroma calming Augustus's weary heart from his interstellar travels. The temperature and air conditioning system kept the room warm and comfortable.

"I won't be staying here for more than a few days, not too long. I'll be going back to Korhal in a while, maybe a week."

Augustus sat beside his mother, while Valerian watched his uncle with curiosity. He was a rather well-behaved child, far less mischievous than his father and uncle when they were young.

"You must be careful of those enemies who hate the Mengsk family, the old nobles, the senators and agents in the Balatine Senate who are trying their best to maintain the Confederacy's rule," Katherine said worriedly. "They can assassinate you and your father in many ways. Congressman Doron Dor was sniped while giving a speech outdoors. They have countless ways to kill a person."

"Don't worry, Mother, they wouldn't dare kill a senator in broad daylight." Even though he wasn't entirely sure himself, Augustus reassured his mother, "We won't die."

"Every Mengsk is a chosen one, and leading the Korhal is our mission."

Katherine smiled, no longer revealing her worries. She waved to Valerian, who immediately ran happily into his grandmother's arms.

"Valerian is seven years old, but he still hasn't seen his father." Katherine looked at her grandson with affection. "We can't contact Arcturus; it's as if he's disappeared."

"Mom, why are you putting him in a skirt? I don't think it's good for a child's physical and mental development," Valerian Augustus to his mother.

"You wore this when you were little," Katherine reminded Augustus. "I think it looks beautiful; the other ladies envy me for having two beautiful daughters!"

Augustus was speechless, though he had indeed only worn skirts when he was a child.

"Yes, brother, the eldest son of the Duquende Family swore to marry you in front of the descendants of the Korhal Old Families when he was a child," Dorothy suddenly appeared and added insult to injury.

"So I beat him up later." Augustus recalled an embarrassing incident from his high school days, "That bastard Duquend actually said that it's all the same whether you wear women's clothes or not, and he doesn't care about my gender."

"Alright, let's not talk about this. Mother, I beg you, please don't bring it up again." Augustus his attention on his young nephew and expressed his affection for him without reservation.

"Juliana, you will become the greatest mother in the world. Your name should be recorded in history books. The Korhal and Umojan people love you because you gave birth to this child." He first diverted his mother and sister's attention with a series of praises that surprised Juliana.

"He is the continuation of my brother's life, with the blood of the Mengsk Family flowing through his veins. I swear I will protect this child, love him as my own son, and treat him as my own." Then Augustus looked into Valerian's bright, cold gray eyes.

"The moment I first saw you, Valerian, I saw your infinitely bright future. Valerian, you will grow into a handsome young man, brave and upright, willing to fight for your people, just as all Mengsk have ever done."

"You will not be corrupted by the admiration of young men and women, nor by the ambition of flatterers."

"Valerian, you will become a hero one day."

Augustus's words deeply moved the young Valerian, who looked at his uncle with wide eyes. "A hero, like my father?"

"Yes, just like your father," Augustus replied after a moment's hesitation.

"Uncle, my mother said my father is a hero. He's a soldier, and now he's fighting aliens in space to protect others," Valerian Augustus.

"No, he is no longer a soldier," Augustus.

"Hmm?" Valerian tilted his head, and Augustus had to admit that his nephew with the pigtails was indeed very cute. "He's no longer a soldier, so why doesn't he come back to live with me and Mom?"

"Because," Augustus glanced at Juliana, pondering his words, "Because your father has other great things to do; he wants to conquer a part of the starry sky."

"So, he's adventuring in space. My father was a brave adventurer!" Valerian's beautiful, cold gray eyes shone even brighter.

"Yes, he's an adventurer," Augustus said with a smile. "Your father is busy with his great undertaking and therefore cannot get away, but he will return to you one day."

Although Augustus knew very well that a man like Arcturus would never be bound by family, and that his restless heart might never find peace to stop for the sake of family, husband, and father.

"If I become an adventurer, then I can go find him," Valerian said.

"What do you want to do in the future?" Augustus's eyes lit up; he saw some of Arcturus's traits in his nephew.

"I love the starry sky, and I'm determined to go on an adventure to another world to find aliens, but I'm not going to defeat them; I'm going to make friends."

Valerian said, "I will go and excavate alien ruins, and search for mysterious palaces."

"The mysterious starry sky is worth exploring." Augustus amazed that Valerian knew such things.

"Valerian loved gazing at the stars since he was a child, and some magazines in Umojan that published articles about mysterious alien ruins also had a great influence on him," Juliana explained. "Those mysterious palaces that looked like the ribs of Giant, the crystals in the huge niches of the palaces and the beautiful but undecipherable writing, and the cities lying beneath the polar oceans, the ruins on the desert planets that are now just broken walls."

"Xiao Wa is determined to find the remnants of these extraterrestrial civilizations and firmly believes that aliens are real and that humanity can find a way to coexist harmoniously with them."

"I think that's right," Augustus said, looking at Valerian. "But to become an adventurer like your father, you must become strong and learned."

"The Mengsk children, at this age, have already begun practicing swordsmanship and ancient combat. You have to learn many things: economics, politics, and literature," Augustus.

"In the morning, you should spend the morning with the most learned elders, cultivating your mind with books and poetry. In the afternoon, you should be with the soldiers, learning to use swords and guns, and learning to gather those who trust you together to become your spear and shield." Augustus had high hopes for his nephew.

"But I only want to see aliens." Valerian was conflicted. "I like reading, not swords."

"Very well, what kind of person you want to become is entirely up to your own choice." Augustus thought of his father, Angus, and resolved not to force Valerian to follow the path that his elders had planned for him.