"Granting him unparalleled glory was not enough, and now you bestow such a gift, encouraging him to continue his indulgence. Is this truly wise, Your Majesty?"
Haschwalth emerged from the shadows, his face still obscured, his expression unreadable.
"They are merely a few Arrancar. It hardly counts as a gift," Yhwach said dismissively, creating a new throne with a wave of his hand. He sat down and spoke with an amiable smile. "Haschwalth, my first son. You were the only Quincy born in the two hundred years after me to possess the same power. You are essential to me.
"You are my other half, my right hand. Therefore, for a Quincy who has inherited a power similar to ours, you should, like me, show more care for this child who appeared so suddenly, like a gentle father to a mischievous child."
"Does Your Majesty see him as the successor to the empire?" Haschwalth seemed concerned.
More than the succession of the Wandenreich, he was worried that His Majesty intended for Bai Yuetong, with his similar ability, to replace him, rendering him valueless.
Haschwalth was a man who desperately needed the validation of others. He was drawn to the feeling of being needed, of being acknowledged and affirmed.
Setting aside whether his uncle had any untoward intentions towards the delicate, innocent, golden-haired boy during his childhood, or had already acted upon them, it was clear from his uncle's words that he had constantly denied Haschwalth's worth, drilling into him the idea that "you can't do anything without me."
Just looking at the pitiful, pained expression in Haschwalth's eyes when he heard his uncle's call was enough to know he detested the man who constantly belittled him and kept him confined.
Under this long-term physical and psychological pressure, it was only natural for Haschwalth to yearn for his existence to be validated.
On the surface, he was indeed quite useless back then, a fact he himself didn't deny. He couldn't form a Heilig Bogen, couldn't even hit a rabbit, and was a clumsy fellow.
The self-absorbed Bazz-B was the first to show him kindness, albeit a condescending kind of kindness. Bazz-B saw himself as a genius and Haschwalth as a weak little brother who needed his protection. But it gave Haschwalth the feeling of being needed for the first time.
So, for that feeling of affirmation and being needed, he stuck with the self-proclaimed Bazz-B for five years, even though he felt no sorrow or hatred for the fire that destroyed the forest and killed his uncle.
Until Yhwach appeared, revealing the truth of Haschwalth's power and the illusion of Bazz-B's genius. The roles of genius and failure were reversed, sparking Bazz-B's resentment and jealousy, and shattering their twisted friendship.
Bazz-B lost his status as the "big brother." Their "friendship," built on a disparity of power, talent, and status, could no longer be sustained.
It was the classic case of wanting your friend to do well, but never better than you. That was the most accurate description of Bazz-B at that moment, consumed by jealousy and resentment.
The fact that Bazz-B was the one who had benefited from their proximity completely shattered his pride, causing him to break down completely.
And at that moment, Yhwach ignored everyone else and extended an olive branch to Haschwalth, saying directly, "I need you."
The validation Yhwach gave Haschwalth was unique. To Yhwach, Haschwalth was his fated "other half," indispensable, and he had been searching for him for a long time.
No one had ever said something so profound, expressed such a strong "need" for Haschwalth. He simply couldn't refuse. And facing the immensely powerful Yhwach, refusal was an unwise choice.
After weighing the pros and cons, Haschwalth pledged his allegiance to Yhwach, becoming his most loyal knight.
He needed that sense of validation, that intense "need" from his emperor.
But when Bai Yuetong appeared, possessing a similar ability to 'share' everything, Haschwalth felt a strong sense of crisis. He was afraid of being abandoned, of no longer being needed by his emperor, of losing His Majesty's approval. This fear had even begun to affect his normal behavior.
Otherwise, under normal circumstances, His Majesty's will was everything to Haschwalth, and he would never question Yhwach's actions.
"No, he will not be the successor to the empire," Yhwach denied Haschwalth's wild thoughts. "However, he may be the seed of the Quincy."
"The seed?" Haschwalth frowned, puzzled. Could it be that His Majesty was pessimistic about the outcome of this war?
"Bai Yuetong is human, but he is also not human. But it doesn't matter what he once was. Now, he is my child, a worthy Quincy carrying the glory of the empire," Yhwach said, leaning forward with his hands clasped under his chin, revealing a fatherly smile.
"Not human? Of course... His body structure, his organs, they all seem identical to a normal human's, but according to the examination results, some data always felt off. I thought it was just individual variation, but it turns out he's not human at all," Haschwalth suddenly recalled the medical reports he had seen on Bai Yuetong, and it felt like everything was starting to make sense.
When Bai Yuetong first arrived, his origins were suspicious and his motives were a mystery. No matter how they interrogated him, he stubbornly claimed he didn't know why he was there, why he came to the empire, why he appeared in His Majesty's chambers, or what power he had used to infiltrate.
If not for His Majesty's special pardon, the torture instruments in the interrogation room and the dissection table in the lab would have been his final destination. But even after being granted power and promoted, he still had to undergo various check-ups.
After all, the Wandenreich's technology was highly advanced, capable of developing specialized combat weapons and tools tailored to an individual's constitution and abilities, all of which required precise measurements.
"No, in his own perception, he is a genuine human. The discrepancy arises simply because Bai Yuetong was not born in this world.
"Worlds where life can exist are not limited to Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and the World of the Living. And the universe is not the only one.
"It is not impossible for certain lucky individuals, or perhaps unlucky ones, to travel far from home and wander into another world, either by chance or through the influence of some power as part of an inevitable fate."
Seeing Haschwalth's misunderstanding, Yhwach did not continue to speak in riddles but directly stated his findings.
"So that's how it is... He's a life form from another world? Which means, perhaps one day, Bai Yuetong will suddenly disappear, just as he left his own home, leaving the world we now inhabit," Haschwalth said, shocked, as a realization quickly dawned on him.
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