The main lights in the living room were off. Only the floor lamp beside the sofa was on, its dim yellow glow painting half of Qi Heng's body in warm tones while the other half remained hidden in shadow.
He looked through the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. Outside lay Capsule Corporation's private garden, and beyond it, the lights of West City glittered like a river of stars in the sky.
Yet he did not seem to be truly looking at that prosperity. His gaze drifted, his golden eyes so deep they seemed capable of piercing through the entire wall, through the night, and reflecting the stubborn back of the boy in the courtyard—perhaps the child was speaking with his friends, perhaps he was looking up at the stars, his eyes burning with an unyielding fire.
The room was very quiet, filled only with the faint hum of electronic devices.
Qi Heng lifted his wineglass and slowly took a sip.
The cool, complex liquor slid down his throat. He swirled what remained in the glass, watching the wine cling briefly to the inner wall before slowly running down.
After a long while, he murmured a name. It was almost inaudible, yet exceptionally clear in the unnaturally silent living room. "Son Goku..." His tone was even, without praise or judgment.
"I've already prepared one for you—the opponent who can force out your limits and hone your edge." The corner of his mouth moved, so faintly that it was impossible to tell whether it was a smile or merely an illusion cast by the light.
Qi Heng looked once more into the boundless night sky. Within the depths of his golden eyes, nebulae seemed to shift while the river of time and space flowed soundlessly onward.
He drained the last of the cold wine