A new day had finally arrived.
In Valentine's large home, Skysin sat at a glass round table, holding a fork like a chivalrous knight, "griddlecakes!!" Skysin cheered, ecstatic for his favorite food.
Valentine walked from an open doorway to the large dining room, holding a plate full of fluffy griddlecakes, stacked atop each other with a glaze of smooth syrup and a small spread of raspberry puree set on the side.
Valentine chuckled, gently sitting the plate of heated cakes in front of Skysin, "now be careful, they just got off the griddle, okay?"
"Kay!!" Skysin had hastily went right into it, cutting them in pieces, chomping them down, "so, guud!"
While Skysin was chowing down, Valentine and Alzar stood on the other side of the dining room, in the long hallway. Valentine's expression already gave Alzar a bad vibe, and he knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good news.
"I..." Valentine hesitated, "I think she's back."
Alzar was a bit surprised by how Valentine was acting, she looked scared, almost. Arching a brow, he tilted his head crossing his arms, "What?? Who's back? Surely you don't mean who I think you're talking about... right?"
"Nitanz, Alzar. Nitanz back," Valentine gave a sharp reply, a hint of fear drifting in her voice. Valentine could only think back to seeing Sera, or Nitanz, smile. The chilling words she spoke ran down Valentine's neck like a frigid line of water, "and Sin may have incidentally met her daughter as well."
Alzar's bottom lip slowly opened in disbelief, Valentine wasn't joking. Alzar grunted, rubbing his wrinkled forehead, "...unbelievable. To think she finally found a way to leave the Seraphim Province..." Alzar looked back to Valentine, "how's this even possible?? What happened to Shu, is he even still alive?"
Valentine bit her bottom lip, rubbing her arm in discomfort, "I...I don't even know. Last time I seen him was maybe a few years after Judgement Day. And that was long before Skysin and... well, Nitanz' new daughter was born. That little girl does look like her older sister, and Shu to a degree though.
As for how Nitanz got here, the only assumption is that she...may have killed him. That's the only way how Nitanz could've escaped from the Seraphim Province," Valentine deeply mused about Nitanz, who seems to be quite the antagonist, if she's making Valentine so uneased.
Alzar released a taxing sigh, "...I'm getting too old for this shit..."
Alzar dipped his head over to the open doorway of the hall, glancing over to Skysin, who was obviously getting full of his griddlecakes.
Skysin slouched against the chair, gently hitting his belly, "holy poop, I'm stuffed..."
Alzar turned back to Valentine, "what about the boy, it might not be okay for him to be here. You have any idea what that witch might be planning?"
"No, at least not right now," Valentine shook her head. "And... you're right. Sin won't be safe with me. I hate it, but Skysin may have to leave soon..." Valentine spoke gently, a sound of melancholy in her tone. And a realization. She won't even be able to protect her own child from that woman.
Alzar could see the hurt and shame in Valentine's violet eyes. But he knew as well that if Skysin stayed for entirely too long, things would grow into chaos eventually. He crossed his arms, "well...when do you figure will be the best time?"
"Not right now, but in eleven years. We'll train him as much as we can, when he turns seventeen, he'll be sent off from this planet. He'll be safer away from me."
Alzar frowned, knowing that Valentine's plan was essentially sacrificing herself, "what about you Val?"
"I know Nitanz more than anyone. She didn't travel from a higher dimension just to say hi," Valentine sternly replied, clenching her fists, "one thing I know is that Nitanz ALWAYS, has a plan for something. And it looks like I'll be part of her machinations."
Alzar digested each word Valentine had voiced, and just as he was about to reply, thinking that there must be another option, Valentine continued, "Nitanz is solely after me. Not Sin. And he'll be better off being away from me. I will not lose my child, especially not to her."
***
Later, in the giant living area, Valentine sat on a large, cushioned sofa, her legs crossed, sipping tea.
Alzar sat on his own reclining chair that Valentine had personally got for him, whenever he came by to visit the now family of two.
Skysin stood in the middle of the broad room, getting the adults attention, "ma! Grandpa Al! Check this out, I learned it from a show on the televisor last night!"
With their full and undivided attention, Skysin began.
Skysin swept his feet low, swiftly performing a windmill. He quickly manipulated his own momentum, using one hand to lift himself off the ground, spinning on his palm like a top. Lastly, Skysin had pushed off his hand, executing a backflip, landing right back onto his feet. The kid was agile, that's for sure.
Valentine clapped her hands, simply adoring her baby, "that was amazing Sin! Where'd you learn it from?"
"I saw it from some guys that break dance!"
Alzar chuckled, "try not to show off too much, squirt. You might fall on your face again like last time."
"I did not!!" Skysin hastily denied, pointing towards the laughing old man.
Valentine merely giggled from the boys flustered retort, then patted the cushioned seat beside her, "come here Sin."
Skysin walked over and hopped onto the seat right next to his mother. Valentine combed her fingers through Skysin's bush of wild golden hair, looking down to him, "what do you wanna do when you're older sweetie?"
"I wanna explore the omiverse!"
Valentine teased, playfully shaking Skysin's shoulders, "really now? The omiverse is quite the vast place."
"Yeah! I wanna find the Rings of Chaos too!!"
Valentine merely sighed, making a wry smile, 'this child..' She thought to herself. She picked him up, sitting him on her lap, "well then, how about we make a deal, hm? If you continue to train under me and Alzar until you're seventeen...I'll allow you to travel the omiverse."
Skysin's big violet eyes had sparkled, "really mama??!"
"Yep!" Valentine nodded. She prodded his little nose, her tone stern, yet gentle, "but you have to make this deal first, little one."
"Deal! I promise mama!"
Valentine made a warm smile, raising her pinky, "then let's settle it."
Skysin wrapped his pudgy pinky around his mothers, settling their deal. Valentine couldn't help but feel a rollercoaster of emotions. Only eleven years, that's the amount of time she'd have left to spend with her second child. Just a year longer than that of her daughter that ran off, Skysin's older sister.
Valentine pulled Skysin's head into her bosom, holding him close. The last she wanted to do is let him go, especially so young. Light sniffles could be heard, Valentine's shoulders slightly budged and bounced as she held herself together.
"As your mother, I promise, me and Alzar will train you the best we can, so you can grow into a strong young man, Sin." Valentine kissed Skysin's forehead, "mommy loves you Sin, much more than you realize."
"I love you too, mama," Skysin closed his eyes, hugging his mother, melting into the benevolent warmth she provided him.
Alzar sat on his chair, giving a small smile, simply letting the mother and child have their moment. Something that he himself hasn't felt in years. And although he no longer could share it with his own, he loved seeing Skysin being able to experience a love that everyone needed.
A feeling that told someone that they were okay. A love that makes even the worst days come to an end.
A mother's love.
****
And so, Skysin's rigorous training had officially begun.
Valentine and Alzar teaching Skysin ways to battle, martial arts, to read his opponent's attacks, armed or unarmed. Using his other senses as an advantage, sight, smell, and with the genetics he had within him, even hearing. Better ways to control his chaotic energy, manipulate his aura, and utilizing his chaotic art to reach his fullest potential.
It was indeed an arduous task, but Skysin didn't give up, no matter what. The speedster was determined, a hunger to live his dream to the fullest.
Skysin quickly learned, growing stronger, smarter, quickly adapting to whatever needed to be executed.
But last and certainly not least, faster.
****
Eleven years flashed in the blink of an eye.
The desert is broad; the near infinite grains of sand is all that's seen. Minus the miniscule amount of oddly shaped blue cacti and vulture-like beasts, soaring in the searing sky, searching for any corpses to feast upon.
A young man's thick black shoe with wide, white soles had hit the heated sand, "damn, it's hot as shit." His voice is mellow, having a hint of sarcasm within it.
He raised porcelain hand, wearing a pair of black fingerless gloves, trying to block off the sun's rays as he gazed into the everlasting ocean of blue sitting far above him.
Wearing a loosely tied turban, being the color of light grey around his head of golden hair, a few wavy locks escaping from above, blowing in the wind. His sharp, yet lazy violet eyes simply scoping the dry area he now stood in.
Sparkling diamond studs resting in his ears, attired in a red tank top that complemented his now slender yet toned physique. One side tucked as the other draped over his yellow wide belt, hugging his torso. The long-knotted strings of his strap resting right onto his baggy black pants.
Skysin was now seventeen, growing into a striking and sharp young man.
Skysin looked ahead to the sizzling horizon of the desert, merely grinning, "alright." Skysin stretched, getting into a stance preparing to take off, "let's go."
He sped off in what seemed like an instant, gaining a ludicrous amount of distance under a mere second.
But this is merely the beginning of a story that would soon be told across the beautifully infinite Omiverse. Filled with a variety of good and hardships along his journey. The tale of Skysin Rillem, a young man who's speed truly knows no limits.
The boy who raced with the storm, and became its very soul.