Above the endless industrial clouds of the hive city, at the very pinnacle of this chaos-forged sprawl of steel, deep within the ancient spire-palace of the Governor, Augustus sat slumped on a velvet-covered sofa, his eyes slowly opening.
Beside his hand lay a bottle of golden dry red Quatis wine, the cork already removed, the priceless crimson liquor spilling onto the scarlet velvet of the sofa.
Augustus hiccupped, his drunken gaze drifting toward the ornate crystal chandelier above. Yet the long night of intoxication could not wash away the pain of his nightmare. That nightmare could not be erased.
Augustus thought dully to himself, no amount of wine, music, or pleasure could drive it away. No amount of schemes, spies, or trickery could uncover it. No army, soldier, or weapon could stop it.
The nightmare had plagued him since the age of seventeen, and as he grew older its shadow grew ever darker. It lurked in the mists of the lower hive, its four hideous claws outstretched, waiting for him to fall from the highest point of the hive into its gaping maw.
Since then, Augustus no longer cared—or perhaps no longer dared—to care about the lower hive. He devoted himself entirely to protecting his own safety.
The shimmering lights seemed to transport Augustus back to his younger days… and to thoughts of his brother, Tiberius, the Worm of the Underworld.
"Tiberius, my brother," he muttered. "Tiberius, the Worm of the Underworld."
When he was a child, Augustus was the sole heir of House Flax, which had ruled the planet for generations. He was confident he could fulfill the duties of Governor better than any ancestor before him, possessing both wisdom and diligence.
But when his parents returned from an interstellar trade summit, everything changed. His mother bore another child into the family—Tiberius Augustus, his brother, his own blood—but born with four arms and claws, as grotesque as a mutant.
Yet his parents turned a blind eye to this deformity, showering the mutant child with all their love, even declaring him the new heir in Augustus' place.
But what Augustus could not endure was not jealousy, but fear. He vaguely sensed what his blood brother truly was. Many times he saw his parents lead guests to visit the newborn brother, and those guests were never seen again. Even palace guards and servants often disappeared. And yet his parents continued to groom that creature to govern the planet.
Augustus became afraid—afraid that he too would vanish like the others. He found a few trusted guards, rallied the support of nobles, and staged a rebellion against his parents and that monster of a brother.
Blood was spilled in the Governor's palace. His blade pierced his corrupted parents' chests. But his deformed brother—that monster, that beast, that worm—escaped.
It surely fled into the depths of the city, hiding in the shadows of the underhive or even deeper. Rumors of disappearances and strange occurrences continued to rise from the lower hive.
Tiberius Augustus had earned a new name: "The Worm of the Underworld."
Augustus curled his aged body on the damp sofa like a frightened child, sobbing quietly, trembling in fear. Tiberius would return for vengeance. Soon. Very soon…
At that moment, the data-slate on the table beside the sofa lit up. With a trembling, withered hand, Augustus picked it up.
After a series of complex passcodes, keys, and verification questions, he confirmed the man on the other end was untainted.
"We did not find Ignace Karkasy's notebook," the man reported.
"Tell me. The details," Augustus demanded hoarsely.
The man described the situation in detail. "He's lying! That scavenger from the underhive lied to you!" Augustus' voice rose sharply, his fury unrestrained. "He definitely found the notebook! He knows what's in it! He must have destroyed or hidden it!"
After venting his anger, Augustus lowered his head, his voice weakening. "Tell him I'm willing to pay double. If he still refuses, then forget it. I never really had hope in the first place. Or perhaps… I stopped hoping long ago."
Leaning back on the sofa, eyes tightly shut, he looked every bit the old man waiting for death to come. Then he opened his eyes to look at the data-slate. "Old friend… be careful. Two more of ours have been killed by Tiberius' assassins. You may be next."
The voice on the other end replied flatly, "So might you. We are all next. The curse has always been here. But the Emperor teaches us to face corruption with faith."
Augustus gave a dry laugh, unbothered by his old friend's frankness toward the Governor. The line cut off, and silence returned to the decadent, spacious chamber.
Augustus curled up again, hugging his knees, trembling with unease.
—
In the lower hive, the Ark Gang's new stronghold.
Under their leader's command, the Ark Gang had seized the district, their leader now occupying the former gang boss' stronghold and consolidating control over nearby streets. Many Ark Gang members in flax-colored robes with flame-tailed ship symbols painted on their faces bustled about like diligent worker drones.
Zhou Yun, wearing a flax robe and bearing the face of Rag, stepped into the stronghold.
(End of Chapter)
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