A soothing tune echoed throughout the large facility. Streams of quantum energy flowed smoothly through the inner workings and out into the unknown. Gold platforms and blue glass shimmered in the dazzling light. Stars studded the endless abyss of space that managed to peak through the many platforms and rings. The elder caretaker looked over his kingdom as the morning hours came along.
The Great Clock truly was a magnificent place.
Orvus's large turquoise eyes looked over his beautiful creation and gave a small satisfied smile. The Chronoscepter in his hand shimmered along with the clock as the quantum energy within it pulsated. He let out a breath as if he was breathing in the fresh morning air. This place truly one of his greatest creations. All of his intelligence and willpower went into creating the facility in order to restore temporal normality to the universe, and though it needed something fixed here and there, it couldn't have been more perfect. Zoni flew around back and forth, carrying out their normal duties, and he watched over it all as their ruler. The king of the Zoni. Several months ago, he would have called the Clock his greatest creation. However, something special occurred about five months and eight days ago. Something he had been trying to achieve for a long time. And, by the look of the time, it was time to go and get that greatest creation.
Before Orvus turned around, he gave out a call to one of his many Zoni subject, "Excuse me, Rho! I need my daily assistance, please."
A moment passed by, Orvus floating around and waiting patiently, then an average looking Zoni materialized in front of him. His large blue eyes looking at his leader, "Sire had requested me."
"Come with me, please. I will need you around today," the elder Zoni said, motioning Rho to follow him.
The Zoni nodded and followed Orvus into the chamber behind them. Rho was not a special Zoni or held a place above the rest of his kind. He was simply a random Zoni Orvus had picked out to help him out on days like these. It didn't bother Rho one bit to help his leader, and Orvus's strong energy helped his dependent mind.
The two Zoni entered the chamber, the Orvus Chamber, and went to the middle of the room. The chamber shined with the same gold and blue as the rest of the clock did, but it was far more important, containing the Clock's main terminal and console. And near the top of the room was the Clock's very core. A sphere of bright blue quantum energy that helped power the whole facility. But there was more than meets the eye when it came to what this sphere contained. And it was what else it contained that Orvus wished to see.
Orvus looked at Rho and nodded upwards, "Will you please go and get him for me?"
Rho obeyed the Senior Caretaker's orders and zipped upwards. Orvus looked up and blocked the light with his hand and watched Rho disappear into the Clock's core. It looked as if the Zoni had completely vanished, but anyone who knew how Zoni anatomy worked knew that Rho had simply dissipated into energy. He would reform quickly. Sure enough, several moments after disappearing, Rho reappeared in a burst of blue light. Only this time, he was not alone. In his arms, he held something glowing and green.
Orvus smiled as Rho floated down with the green creature in his arms. The elder Zoni took a look at the glowing green entity. A round head, small body, three-fingered hands, large green eyes and two antennas sprouting from the top of his head, it was an infant Zoni. But not just an ordinary infant Zoni, it Orvus's son, XJ-0461. After four hundred and sixty failed attempts to create a son and an heir to the Great Clock, Orvus had finally managed to balance the right amount of life force and energy and created his own child. Though he needed energy from the Great Clock's core in order to survive, XJ-0461 was a stable and living being, and Orvus loved him with all of his heart. The Great Clock wasn't his greatest creation, his dear son was.
Orvus took his infant son into his arms. The small green Zoni fussed in his grip for a moment before he could get comfortable. Orvus smiled and said in a warm voice, "Good morning, XJ-0461."
XJ-0461 responded to the familiar gentle voice. The large green eyes opened all the way and looked at the person who was holding him. He quickly recognized the person holding him as his father, the one who cared for him. He reached up one of his tiny hands at the sight of his father. "Dada..."
Orvus let out a distinctive chuckle before taking his son's small hand. XJ-0461 had recognized the elder Zoni as his father rather quickly after his birth, and he learned to say 'Dada' about a month ago. It warmed Orvus's heart the first time he heard his son say it. And while it wasn't the only word that XJ-0461 knew, Orvus felt happy and proud knowing that the first word XJ-0461 learned to say was the child's name for him.
Reminiscing on the joyful memory long enough, Orvus checked the wellbeing of his child. It seemed that everything was perfectly fine and he was completely re-energized, so there were no worries about dissipation. The only noticeable thing that Orvus could see was that XJ-0461's antennae seemed to have grown slightly longer. But that wasn't a bad thing, it was just a sign that he was already beginning to grow up.
"Ah! Ah!" XJ-0461 suddenly cried out, pulling his hand away from Orvus. He reached out to Rho and smiled, "Zizi!"
Orvus chuckled again before turning XJ-0461 towards him, "That is a 'Zoni', XJ-0461."
"Zizi!" The child repeated, pleased with his pronunciation of the word. He gave a sound of delight as he reached out to Rho again.
XJ-0461 was obsessed with the Zoni. The sight of the shimmery floating creatures always filled him with joy and wonder, so much so that he tried to say their name. Unfortunately, the closest he could get was 'Zizi', so that was what he called them. It still made Orvus smile, though, as the amount that his son loved members os his own race truly pleased him. In fact, a few weeks after XJ-0461 was born, Orvus created a gift for him that correlated with his son's love for Zoni.
Orvus looked around the chamber, searching for the gift he had given long ago, "Now, where did I put that-"
"Is this what Sire is looking for?" Rho asked, floating back towards Orvus and holding something up in his hands. It was a plush toy that strongly resembled a Zoni. Orvus had created it himself with his own energy after recovering from the heavy energy loss that came with creating his son. It was XJ-0461's only toy, but the young Zoni was absolutely in love with it. The moment he saw it, he threw his arms forward again.
"Zizi!" He said, wanting his toy.
Rho reached out and handed XJ-0461 his plush, "For the Prince."
XJ-0461 happily took his toy and proceeded to cuddle it, holding it tight in his arms. Orvus smiled and looked at Rho, "Thank you, Rho. Now come, I must tend to my daily duties. But first I might let XJ-0461 crawl around for a few minutes. Let him stretch his legs...er, not that he actually has any muscles or nerves."
The obedient Zoni nodded and followed Orvus out of the Orvus Chamber, XJ-0461 constantly letting out little happy sounds as he enjoyed hugging his toy and being held by his father. The two stopped outside the chamber and the large doors closed shut, a strangely shaped lock forming on it and sealing it. Orvus watched as the chamber locked itself and turned back around. He looked down at XJ-0461, who looked perfectly content. He smiled and held the small Zoni up, making XJ-0461 let out more gleeful noises.
"Alright, my son. I'm going to put you down. Don't wander too far, now," Orvus said, making sure it got through to his son. XJ-0461 was actually a rather well-behaved child and wasn't the kind fo get into trouble all of the time, so he didn't feel like he had to worry too much.
Orvus set XJ-0461 on the ground and gave him a quick pat on the head before floating back upwards. He watched his son carefully as the young Zoni looked around. Plush still in hand, XJ-0461 flipped onto his hands and knees, as that was how he was used to moving around, and crawled all over the platform. His large green eyes looked up and he smiled. His small hand reached upwards as he was dazzled by the shining stars and shimmering flow of quantum energy. The Great Clock had always fascinated the child, and he would always want to try and explore it. And today was not an exception.
Curious about the huge place he was in and wanting to see more, the young Zoni crawled over to the edge of the platform and looked down, letting out excited giggles as he saw all the Zoni and chambers in the lower levels of the clock. He reached his arm down and began sliding off the ledge, Orvus saw this and let out a fearful gasp before he quickly grabbed his son before the young Zoni could fall off. He held XJ-0461 in his arms and gave a sigh of relief.
"Whoa there! Be careful, my son," he said, putting the young one back down on the platform, away from the edge. "The Great Clock is a very, very big facility. I do not want you getting lost in here. So please stay where daddy can see you-"
Orvus had glanced away for a moment to check the distance he was from the edge, but when he had looked back, XJ-0461 was already a few feet away from him, giggling as he switched between crawling and floating. The elder Zoni smiled and went over to his son, picking him up in his arms again. He chuckled.
"You are quite the little explorer, aren't you?"
"Dada," XJ-0461 squeaked, putting a hand on Orvus's face.
He chuckled again and put the child over his shoulder and floated away. A tiny frown came on to his face. "Let us hope that you outgrow that. Anyway, perhaps that is enough for now. Let's get to work-"
"Simuh! Simuh!" XJ-0461 suddenly cried out and began moving around a bunch over Orvus's shoulder.
The elder Zoni turned around to see what all the fuss was about and he actually wasn't surprised to see his friend and colleague, Sigmund, approaching. Like he had done with Orvus and the Zoni, XJ-0461 also attempted to say Sigmund's name but was only able to say 'Simuh' (Orvus honestly thought that Sigmund was going to cry the first time XJ-0461 tried to say his name). Sigmund was another thing that XJ-0461 was obsessed with, as he found the robot to be very entertaining. Also, because XJ-0461 had no other Zoni children to play with, Sigmund was the child's only and favorite playmate. Orvus was sure that they were going to be excellent friends sometime in the future.
"Good morning, Sigmund," Orvus said with a small wave.
Sigmund hovered up to the Orvus Chamber and stopped in front of Orvus himself. The robot smiled, "Good morning, sir. And good morning, XJ-0461."
"Simuh!" XJ-0461 replied happily, excited to see his robot friend. He reached out towards Sigmund with one hand, but Orvus pulled him back and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, son. But Sigmund cannot hold you. His hands would simply go right through you," Orvus explained.
XJ-0461 let out an unsatisfied noise as he looked at Sigmund. The red robot waved his hands, "O-Oh, no, it's alright. When you're grown up and matured into your real Zoni body, I can hold you and give you all the hugs you want. Though you'll be older and that might be a bit weird..."
"Well, we don't know what he will be like when he is older, so he might enjoy it. Only time will tell," Orvus said almost with a laugh, amused by his own pun. He shifted XJ-0461 in his arms and looked at Sigmund, "I was just about to get to work before you stopped by to say good morning. Are there any problems in the Clock that I should be aware of?"
"One moment, sir," Sigmund said, swinging his attached screen around to the front of him. As he tapped on it, reading scans of the different sectors in the Clock, XJ-0461 let out a large yawn and looked up at his father. He let out a small grunt before reaching up and putting a hand on Orvus's face. The Zoni smiled and took his son's small hand. Orvus had to admit, XJ-0461 was a cute kid. But he took his attention away from the child when Sigmund brought up the results of the scans. "It looks like there's a disturbance in Sector Three."
"A disturbance? Is there any other information available?" Orvus asked.
Sigmund shook his head, "No, that's all the info available. I'm sure that it's not a huge problem, though. None of the Zoni are freaking out or anything. Probably just a Time Cleaner on the fritz or something harmless like that."
"I do hope that you're right." The elder Zoni looked in the direction of Sector Three before glancing at Sigmund, "I will be heading over there with Rho and XJ-0461. Please attend to your daily duties, Sigmund."
"Yes sir, Orvus."
"Simuh," XJ-0461 said, peeking over Orvus's shoulder.
"Yes sir, XJ-0461," Sigmund said, looking down at the child and giving a small salute as if XJ-0461 had given him an order.
Orvus smiled and gave a wave to Sigmund and allowed XJ-0461 to say farewell as well, then he, his son and Rho quickly made off to Sector Three. A disturbance in the Great Clock was always something to be concerned about. He and Sigmund always worked so hard to care for and protect the large facility from outsiders, anomalies, and pests. A disturbance that was big enough to at least show up on the scan was something that definitely needed to be tended to. Orvus hoped that Sigmund was right about it being something small like a malfunctioning Time Cleaner bot.
As the three Zoni traversed through the familiar maze of the Great Clock, XJ-0461's large green eyes shined with wonder as he looked around the large facility. He let out delighted sounds as he watched many groups of Zoni fly by them, and he reached a hand out to the dazzling stars dotting the abyss of space. The young Zoni wanted to explore the whole facility and go on his own little adventure, but Orvus knew that he was far too young to do that. Still, he appreciated his son's love of the facility.
"I see that you are excited by the Great Clock's beauty and size." Orvus motioned his arm outwards to gesture the entire facility, "You don't understand this quite yet, but one day, you will rule this place. You are Prince XJ-0461, but one day, you will be King XJ-0461."
"Kih!" XJ-0461 said excitedly, attempting to mimic what his father said.
"New Sire will rise," Rho suddenly added. "Sire will do great things for Zonikind."
"That's right, Rho, he will," Orvus said, smiling down at his young son, who was giggling with excitement.
Snip snip...
The smile on Orvus's face quickly faded away as he heard an unwelcoming sound. They had just entered Sector Three when he heard it. The elder Zoni held his arm out as a signal for Rho to stop moving. The Zoni caught the signal and stopped right next to him, catching the tense energy around his sire. Orvus narrowed his eyes and held his Chronoscepter tight, there was something hostile nearby. This was going to be something more than a malfunctioning Time Cleaner bot.
Fearing for the safety of his son when he went to investigate the unwelcoming sound, Orvus turned around and gently handed XJ-0461 to Rho. "Watch after my son while I go investigate up ahead. Protect him at all costs if something happens."
Rho nodded and took the Zoni child in his arms. XJ-0461 let out whining noises as he was taken away from his father, but the sight of another Zoni managed to distract him. With his son's attention now on something else, Orvus slipped away and went on ahead, cautiously grasping his Chronoscepter and preparing himself for any surprises.
Meanwhile, while he patiently waited for his sire to return, Rho floated down to the ground and placed XJ-0461 on the platform. The young Zoni looked up at him with wonder. He made happy little noises as Rho simply floated there doing nothing. The Zoni were very unfamiliar with children due to their inability to reproduce. Orvus was the only one powerful enough to create an offspring, and even then it took him over four hundred tries. The behavior of the Zoni child sometimes confused Rho, as well. Right now XJ-0461 looked ridiculously excited to see him, and the child even picked up his Zoni toy and held it up to Rho, as if to show that they were the same. Rho blinked. He wondered if this child would turn out as powerful as his sire.
"AGH!"
Rho and XJ-0461 were alerted by the sudden distressed sound of Orvus. Rho quickly picked up the child and rushed over to where they heard the cry. However, the moment he caught sight of Orvus, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. The Zoni looked to his side and was alarmed when he saw a vicious Terratrope snapping at him. Orvus was surrounded by a horde of them, all of them snapping at him as he tried to fend them off with his Chronoscepter. This was what the disturbance was, there was a terrible Terratrope infestation. And they were caught up in it.
Remembering Orvus's orders in what he had to do in a rough situation like this, Rho attempted to make off with XJ-0461 and bring the child to safety. However, the Terratrope that attacked him wasn't quite done yet. It grabbed onto Rho with its sharp pinchers and yanked the Zoni back, XJ-0461 flying from his grip and onto the ground several feet away.
After tearing up its prey a bit more, the Terratrope tossed Rho aside, the small Zoni landing on the ground, injured and unable to move. The creature snapped its jaw intimidatingly with its sharp pincers as it turned towards XJ-0461. The young Zoni's eyes went wide as the monster creature stalked towards him and let out a horrible screech. Orvus swung his Chronoscepter with all his might, attempting to get past the swarm of Terratropes. Right out of the corner of one of his large turquoise eyes, he noticed another Terratrope several feet away. He turned and felt his heart jump. The stray creature had injured Rho and was now preying on his son. The elder Zoni gave another swing of his Chronoscepter as his priorities changed.
"Son, please hold on! I'm coming-AH!" Orvus let out a surprised yelp as a Terratrope bit onto his Chronoscepter. As he yanked on it and tried to free it from the monster's grasp, he kept his eyes on his son. The Terratrope stalking him was now opening up its bladed jaws. Orvus attempted to ditch his Chronoscepter and reach his son, but a Terratrope's pincers clamped around his waist. With the horde of creatures keeping him from moving, Orvus could only watch as his son fell prey to the Terratrope's intimidation. The creature reached out to the young Zoni, who was holding his Zoni plush tight in fear. Orvus reached out to his son, "XJ-046-"
"YAHHHH!"
With a loud cry that he tried to make sound intimidating, Sigmund came charging out from the chamber and rammed into the Terratrope the moment before it could close its pincers on XJ-0461. He smacked it with the wrench he kept on the ring around his waist and, in a flurry of courage and panic, knocked the creature over the side of the platform and into the abyss below. XJ-0461 let out some frightened whines as he hugged his plush tight. Sigmund, calming down from the rush he had just experienced, attempted to calm the child.
"It's okay! It's okay, big brother Sigmund is here. Those evil Terratrope bullies won't scare you anymo-Orvus, sir!"
Sigmund felt himself panic as he saw Orvus caught up in the horde of Terratropes, the elder Zoni desperately trying to fight his way out. The red robot tried to rush over to help, but the amount of Terratropes was overwhelming to him. He would just end up being caught up in them, too. Besides, he only had the courage to fight off the one, that was with an adrenaline rush. Taking on a horde of them at once, that wasn't something that he could handle. Orvus knew that as well, as he shook his head.
"No, don't worry about me! Get Rho, find a way to gather my son, and get out of here before-XJ-0461!"
When Sigmund tried to help Orvus and Orvus gave his command to leave, XJ-0461 was approached by another Terratrope that was hidden in the nearby plant life, watching the entire situation unfold. When the other Terratrope failed to get its glowing green prey, the other one took it upon itself to attack XJ-0461. Orvus watched and horror and Sigmund barely had time to turn around and react when the Terratrope jumped behind XJ-0461, opened its jaws and thrust them upwards, forming two parallel cuts in XJ-0461's back. The child flew forward and landed on the ground, not moving. Then everything became still.
Orvus felt as if the whole universe was frozen in time. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open. He waited. He waited for anything. A movement, a sound, anything that would give him any indication that his son was still alive. In a moment of panic, Orvus watched the beginning of his son's life flash before his eyes.
Orvus looked down at his newborn son and watched him fuss, still upset about Sigmund phasing through him. Orvus rocked him a bit and spoke in a soft voice, "Shhh, there-there, my son. Everything is going to be alright. You're going to do great things for Zonikind. And I'm sure that you'll make me very proud."
XJ-0461 calmed down a bit and looked up at Orvus once again. He blinked and tilted his head over so slightly before reaching up and grabbing one of Orvus's fingers with its own tiny three-fingered hand. The older Zoni chuckled as he gently held his son's tiny hand.
"Then again, you already have made me proud."
"Waaaah!"
At the sound of his son's crying, the universe was unfrozen, and Orvus could feel his heart beating again. He was crying. His son was crying. That meant that he was alive. His son was alive. His son was...
Orvus's eyes narrowed in an angry position as he looked at the Terratropes attempting to snap at him. He grasped his Chronoscepter tightly, "I will not let annoying pests like you take my son away from me!"
With a powerful blast of quantum energy from his Chronoscepter, the Terratropes were blown back with great force. Orvus let out a tense breath before readjusting the grip on his scepter, then he raised it and gave it a powerful swing, taking out anything it came into contact with. The Terratropes let out painful cries as they felt Orvus's wrath. The one that had attacked XJ-0461 was now scuttling away, frightened of the new threatening force. The elder Zoni wasn't about to let it get away though. He quickly zipped over in front of it and stared it right in the eye as he raised his Chronoscepter. When he brought it down, the Terratrope was no more. He let out a tired sigh. It was over.
"Sir, your son!" Sigmund called out, afraid about the child's wellbeing.
Orvus quickly zipped over to his son, who was letting out scared cries after being attacked, and picked him up. The elder Zoni looked at his son's back to examine the damage done. There were two cuts in his back, both about on the area where the shoulder blades would be. The cuts were glowing and a strange green mist was seeping from them. Orvus looked worried as he cradled his son.
"The cut caused an energy leakage in his back," he explained.
"Does that mean...he's going to...?" The robot asked, genuinely scared about the child's fate. He felt relieved when Orvus shook his head.
"No, I should be able to repair the damage. I need someone to hold him, though."
"Sire." Rho suddenly appeared next to Orvus, appearing weak and damaged. Orvus felt extremely bad when he remembered the injured Zoni. He supposed that the rush of seeing his son injured had pushed Rho out of his mind temporarily.
"Rho, my friend, are you alright?" Orvus asked. The Zoni nodded, though he would need time to recover. There were scratches on his robotic suit and he looked generally roughed up. "Thank goodness. I will send you to the Zoni Dimension to recover, but first, I must ask you to hold my son. Make sure that his back is facing me."
Rho nodded again and took the young Zoni into his hands. XJ-0461 was still crying a bit, not even noticing that he had been transferred to another person. He was no longer fascinated by the Zoni, all he could think about was the scary monster that attacked him. Rho watched the child cry. Though Zoni were not ones to express emotion, he did feel quite bad for the child. It must have been scary.
Orvus floated back a bit before he could begin. He took a deep breath. The elder Zoni had spent a lot of energy on the Terratrope attack, so putting energy into this was going to drain a good amount out of him. But it was for his son, so he already knew that it was worth it. Not wasting a moment, Orvus pointed his Chronoscepter forward, the end of it shining brilliantly, reacting to its wielder's energy. From the blue and white core of scepter shot a beam of quantum energy. The beam made contact with XJ-0461's back, and the child made a quick sound of surprise. Gradually, the child's cries began to quiet down as he felt the comforting energy from the Chronoscepter. Orvus then let out a sigh of relief, comforted by the fact that his child was now safe again.
The Chronoscepter's beam began to fade and soon dissipated. Orvus felt himself being weighed down a bit from the large use of energy. It was barely noon and he was already feeling exhausted. But he couldn't see these events of the morning coming, so he supposed that the universe was simply showing its sense of humor. Though it was a rather cruel joke.
"Ah! Ah!" XJ-0461 said, his fear practically gone after being restored.
"Oh thank goodness, he's alright," Sigmund said, happy to hear the child's usual babbling. He then frowned as he thought of something, "That attack didn't hurt him, did it?"
"No, it didn't. He doesn't have any nerves, so he cannot feel pain," Orvus assured Sigmund, taking XJ-0461 back into his arms. Rho seemed happy as well that the child was feeling better. Orvus smiled and nodded at the Zoni, but something that caught his eye quickly took his attention. He looked at his son's back and noticed that something had been left behind from the wounds. Orvus ran his hands over them and his curiosity grew bigger. Right where the cuts had been made, there were now two long distinctive bumps. The elder Zoni pondered this. Perhaps they were scars or some sort? He didn't think that he could do anything about them, so he figured he would wait a little while and see if they did or became anything. Who knew? Maybe they could turn out to be something extraordinary. But thoughts of what they could be turned into thoughts of sorrow as he looked at his son. Though he had disposed of the Terratrope, he felt guilt within him. He had almost lost his son and it would have been all his fault. The elder Zoni held his son tight, "I am so sorry, XJ-0461."
"You don't have anything to apologize for, sir," Sigmund suddenly said, making Orvus look at him in a bit of surprise. The robot shook his head, "You had no control over what happened. If those Terratropes weren't holding you up, you would have rushed in and saved him in a heartbeat. It was just a...rough situation. Those happen from time to time, ya know? But what's important now is that the little guy is safe and healthy. Put this situation in the past and let it stay there."
Orvus was honestly surprised at how wise Sigmund was being. The robot seemed to have matured a bit ever since XJ-0461 was born. Perhaps he was trying to be a good role model for the child. And that was something that Orvus could appreciate and respect. He smiled, "Thank you, Sigmund."
Sigmund rubbed the back of his head bashfully and XJ-0461 caught his father saying 'Sigmund', so he felt the need to repeat it, "Simuh!"
"Hehe, he really is a smart kid, huh?" The robot said, pleased with XJ-0461 trying to say his name.
"Yes, he is," Orvus said proudly, watching his son cuddle with his Zoni plush. The elder Zoni held his son close again, "I love you so much, my son."
"Love you," XJ-0461 repeated, putting a hand on Orvus's face.
Orvus and Sigmund were completely caught off guard when XJ-0461 spoke these new words. Rho even looked surprised. Orvus smiled and looked absolutely touched by what his son had learned to say. He knew that his child was a smart one. Everything that XJ-0461 did warmed his heart and only seemed to make him even more proud. This Zoni was going to do great things one day, he just knew it. Meanwhile, Sigmund was having a bit of a different reaction as he turned around for a moment. Orvus gave a bit of a sad smile as he looked at Sigmund with a sympathetic face.
"Now Sigmund, don't start crying," he said.
"I-I'm not!" Sigmund said with an obvious shaky voice.
Orvus smiled one more time before looking down at his son. Four hundred and sixty times he had attempted to create a son, and when he finally managed to create his child, he was the happiest creature in the universe. And this happiness grew every day when he saw his son's bright face. XJ-0461 was only five months old and Orvus already felt like he couldn't be more proud. But he knew that it wasn't true. He would continue feeling more and more pride for his son as the child grew up. And, one day, he would feel pride in his son as he became the new ruler of the Zoni. Orvus looked forward to that day, but he also looked forward to every day up until them. It just showed once again, the Great Clock wasn't his greatest creation, XJ-0461 was. And no one in the universe could tell him otherwise.
The elder Zoni embraced his son again, the child letting out delighted sounds as he accepted his father's affection with joy.
"Love you, Dada! Love you!"
So, just right off the bat, this is a commission for TheLilyoftheValley. She commissioned me on Deviantart for a 3,000-4,000 word oneshot about a day in the life of Orvus and baby XJ-0461 with the "Ethereal Gates" AU and headcanons. However, I may have gotten a bit carried away and made it over 5,000 words, so...whoops.
So Lily, I really hoped you enjoyed this, and I hoped everyone else did as well. Baby XJ-0461 barely got any attention in "Ethereal Gates", so it was fun to write about him and Orvus. Also Sigmund. Because he was a badass when he took out that Terratrope.
Also about the wounds on XJ-0461's back, if you read "Ethereal Gates", older XJ-0461 has strange ribbons coming out of his back. So if you were wondering where those came from, now you know.
And, in case you missed it, Chapter 9 of Ethereal Gates was posted a few days ago, and it concludes Act I of the story. So check it out if you want.
Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!
This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, signing off!