Chapter Text
“Oh, Sister! It is most wonderful to be hearing from you again so soon!” Starfire excitedly explains from the other side of her video communicator.
“What can I say, Little Sister,” Blackfire replies aboard her Tamaranean ship. “The more I learn about these Earth customs, the more interested I get.”
“That is most joyous to hear. I agree, Earth must be one of the most intriguing planets in all the vastness of the universe. It gives my heart the warmness that you want to learn more about my new home world. I think your learning about Earth has truly helped with you leaving behind your wicked ways.”
“Yes, yes, that's all well and good. So tell me,” Blackfire says, getting right down to business. “Have you discovered any more of these ‘urban legends’ you’ve told me so much about?”
“I have actually been waiting for your call with eagerness. I found one that I think you would be loving,” Starfire gleefully says.
Blackfire's ears perk from that statement. “Well, don't keep me waiting, Star. Let me hear it.” The Tamaranean Royal watches her younger sister fumble with some papers before finally finding the one she's looking for.
“Here it is. This one was actually really close by. It was some sort of local prophecy spoken around the next city over.” Starfire clears her throat before reading the prophecy she found. “Ahem, ‘Beware The Boy with the Soulless Eyes, for the power he holds can alter lives. His power inside should it be felt, a great calamity the worlds may be dealt.’
The last line of the prophecy strikes a chord with Blackfire. “‘Worlds?’ Not a single world? What could it mean by that?”
Starfire shakes her head. “I do not know, but I am certain that is the correct prophecy. Although, I fear this may be another dead end, like Bigfoot, the Monster of Lake Loch Ness.”
“Hmm.” Blackfire rubs her chin, the gears in her head already turning.
“Sorry for asking again,” Starfire says. “But why is it that you are so enamored with Earth's myths and urban legends?”
“I just think it paints a nice picture of the planet's culture is all,” Blackfire confidently replies. “That’s one of the first things I try to learn about when visiting a new planet, and Earth is a never ending treasure trove of tales.”
Starfire gives her sister a warm smile. “I am happy to hear so. You know, if you wanted, I could try and convince my friends to let you visit again. I believe they'd be willing to let you earn their trust, just as I have.”
“Maybe some other time, Star,” Blackfire promptly shoots down. “I still don't think I'm ready to face them yet. I don't want to cause you any trouble.”
“Oh, okay,” a somber Starfire replies. “W-Well, I am having hopes to hear from you again soon. I will try to find more urban legends for you with the quickness!”
“Ooh, you're a dear. Talk to you soon, Little Sister.”
“Bye-Bye!” Starfire waves to her camera with a wide smile on her face.
Blackfire smiles and waves back until her communicator disconnects the call, and her smile quickly morphs into a scowl. “As if I'd want to see any of her annoying, do-gooder fiends ever again.”
After her plan of being the Empress of Tamaran fell through, Blackfire had stolen a Tamaranean ship and went on the run with a few loyal Tamaranean soldiers and scientists. She laid low for about a year before hatching a plan to attack Earth and enact revenge on Starfire and the rest of her friends. However, after she sent some soldiers to scout the blue planet, she quickly learned attacking Earth would be a suicide mission.
Not only had Earth become a home to other alien species such as Kryptonians and Martians, but many of its own residents wielded extraordinary abilities. Humans that can run and move at speeds she couldn't even begin to comprehend. Mutated humans who can control electricity, ice, and plant-life. Members of the Green Lantern Corp. An island full of powerful warrior women. Blackfire's meager little sister would be the least of her worries. However, when one door closes, another one opens. Earth is an enigma, a cacophony of unique abilities from the physical down to the microscopic. Maybe conquest of Earth wasn't Blackfire's destiny, but if she can claim even one of these unique specimens for herself, any number of other galaxies could bend at her heel.
Thus the search began. Under the guise of changing her ways and wanting to learn more about Earth, Blackfire tricked her younger sister into updating her in any bizarre happenings and new discoveries going on around Earth. With the sheer amount of powerful beings on Earth, surely one would crop up sooner or later that Blackfire could exploit. Perhaps, the search may finally be over.
Blackfire turns away from her communicator screen to address her followers. “Send our drones to search every civilization surrounding Jump City. Report anything you can find about this ‘Boy with the Soulless Eyes’.”
Blackfire's team of scientists all begin typing coordinates into devices attached to the ship, all but one who approaches the commanding Tamaranean.
“My Empress,” the scientist says. “I do not wish to question your orders, but are you sure using our resources for this is wise? That pea-brained sister of yours has yet to provide us with any useful leads for you to procure anything powerful. I fear this time will end up like all the rest.”
Blackfire sighs. A few months ago she would have personally thrown the scientist out into the cold vastness of space for even daring to question her, however even she had to admit the constant cold trails are disheartening. “I know this is taking longer than we hoped, but you can’t tell me you don't like the sound of what she said. ‘A great calamity the worlds may be dealt’, if that doesn't scream power, I don't know what does.”
“If such a power even exists.”
“All legends and prophecies come from a source,” Blackfire says. “We'll see who needs to beware once I get a hold of them.”
“Alright, let’s see what fresh hell these little demons have in store for me this time.”
About 20 miles from Jump City is the small town of Vermeil Falls, a rural place at the base of a mountain with a population of only about 3,000. In this town, word travels fast amongst so many familiar faces, from the wealthiest neighborhoods to the kids in the schools. Within the Vermeil schools, one tired elderly substitute teacher enters a rowdy fifth grade classroom.
“Settle down, settle down, kids,” the substitute teacher orders as she places her paperwork on the desk.
The rambunctious students eventually settle into their desks as the already exhausted teacher begins her roll call.
“Ahem, Mark.”
A student raises their hand.
“Jinu.”
Followed by another.
“David.”
And another.
“Baran.”
She goes down nearly the entire attendance list before reaching one of the last names. “Vani.”
In the back of the classroom, a hesitant shaky hand slowly rises in the air. The teacher’s vision is obscured by a few kids sitting in front of the shaky hand’s owner.
“Kids, can you please move so I can see Vani?” The teacher asks.
The kids snicker at each other before leaning to their sides, only to reveal a boy with a large black hood hiding his face.
The teacher rolls her eyes. “Vani, no hoods on in class.”
Vani removes his hood, and reveals messy, spiky white hair, as well as his very large dark sunglasses nestling tightly on his face.
“Vani! I’m not in the mood for jokes,” she says with a scowl. “Take off those glasses.”
Vani releases a very audible groan, reluctantly removes his glasses, and unveils two wide ashen orbs resting on his tired face.
The teacher nearly swallows her tongue upon seeing Vani’s fully exposed eyes.
Vani’s eyes were big, most eyes on 10 year olds are, but the color made them look even larger. Pitch black sclera, deafening white irises, and not a pupil to be found. Anywhere else, these eyes may be cause for concern, and would certainly garner some attention. However, in Vermeil Falls, eyes like Vani’s only meant one thing.
“O-Oh…” The teacher covers her mouth with her hand. “You’re… that boy.” She hastily turns around and begins fiddling with her papers. “None of those fuckers told me It was in this class,” she mumbles to herself. She quickly turns back around to continue with attendance, making absolutely sure to never look in Vani’s direction.
A taller boy a few desks down leans towards Vani. “Way to scare another one, Reaper,” he mutters while snickering with his friends.
Vani simply sighs before putting his sunglasses back on.
The prophecy of Vermeil Falls used to be something only remembered by the elderly. Most of the populace couldn't even name where they first heard the tale, it simply was always around. Another generation or two, it may have been lost to time. Then Vani was born.
Vani is an orphan, whether or not that was because of his special circumstance or just a cruel coincidence he isn’t too sure. The only thing he did know was that he had no family, and most people believed he was a harbinger of disaster. “Beware the Boy with the Soulless Eyes!” Young Vani had heard that countless times before he even knew how to ride a bike.
The gossip around town was that Vani’s parents dumped him on the porch of the small group home the second he opened his eyes. Others say his parents died from a ‘great calamity’ crumbling their world. Vani heard every theory under the sun. Wherever his parents were, he didn’t care, he just wanted out of Vermeil Falls. He knew there was a vast world out there, full of any number of unique and bizarre beings, creatures that wouldn’t bat an eye at his peculiar eyes or listen to old legends. He always figured he’d have options once he got older, as things stood now though, how much can a 10 year old do?
Vani walks home after another draining Monday at school. He takes a long sigh and starts looking up at the clouds as he walks, he knows the route so well he could walk home blindfolded. Before he can begin daydreaming about how much better his life would be if he was born literally anywhere else, he notices several metallic looking objects zooming by in the sky. The objects are far too high up to make out any details, but they’re moving in such a way it was obvious to Vani that they weren’t planes or helicopters. Due to living so close to Jump City, the people of Vermeil Falls were used to the occasional out of the ordinary event slipping through to their quaint little town. As per usual, Vani didn’t give them much thought.
Vani enters his group home to find some of the other orphans huddled around the television, most likely watching a news report on the recent robberies being perpetrated by the H.I.V.E. Five. Jump City news was always exciting to the local kids, and that group of villains have been quite active as of late. The other kids turn when they hear the door close, but immediately turn back to the TV when they see it’s Vani. Vani didn’t even groan, he’s used to this reaction by now. He walks over to the fridge to grab some water, and attached to the fridge is the daily chore chart. Today it read that he is on trash duty. “At least it’s easy today.”
Vani lumbers up the stairs of the three story home, where he returns to his room, the attic. The heads of the group home had enough pity on the poor boy to not force him to room with other kids that hate him, however, they were hardly home since they had to work so much to support the orphans. After another dreadful day of school, Vani takes his homework out of his backpack, gets started, and has another session of staring out the window wondering why he even bothers.
Nightfall arrives soon enough, and Vani manages to remember his chore for the day. He starts making his way through the house and emptying all the trashcans, doing his best to avoid anyone on the way. After dumping the trash, he takes the bin out to the street, where he can hear a loud whirling overhead, almost like a high-speed jet taking off in the distance. He looks up, and can vaguely make out some objects flying in the sky in irregular patterns within the darkness of night.
“Huh? I wonder if those are the same-”
Before he can even blink, one of the objects descends at an incomprehensible speed, and stops right in front of the unsuspecting Vani.
“AAAAHHH!” Vani shrieks.
It took a moment for the air from the object’s rapid descent to catch up, nearly pushing the startled Vani off of his feet. The object floated above the ground, and appeared to be made of metal. It was the shape of an ellipsis with some sort of blinking red antenna at one end, and four metal tendrils protruding at the other end, presumably responsible for the object’s flight. It remains floating in front of Vani, and a small square opening opens on the face of the object.
“U-Uh, hello?” Vani asks, knees rattling. He considers reaching out and touching it, but a red light shoots out the square opening. “Ah!” He shuts his eyes, fearing he just took a laser to the face, but slowly opens his eyes when he doesn’t feel any excruciating pain.
The light from the object moves up and down Vani’s small body, almost as if he is being scanned by a printer. Once the red light returns to the object, a bright flash comes out of it, not unlike a camera flash.
Vani rubs his eyes after the uninvited flare. “What are you-” Vani opens just early enough to see the object descend to the ground fully, and launch itself back up into the sky, disappearing into the night. While peculiar and bizarre things happening around Vermeil Falls isn’t rare, Vani getting so close to one certainly is.
Vani stood there for a few minutes longer, merely stunned after the strange encounter with the object. He ponders for a moment what it meant, or if it meant anything. “…if only I had someone to talk about it with, that might be kinda cool…”
The rest of the week is much the same. Kids insulting Vani, teachers avoiding Vani, his group home siblings pretending he doesn’t exist, all the while he is forced to keep his weird meeting to himself. He wonders if anyone would even believe him, or if they’d just wish that it would take him away. Maybe he’d agree with them.
This Friday nears its end like most of his days, Vani completing his designated three minutes of shower time, and preparing for bed in his attic. He tosses his towel onto his bed and starts rummaging through his drawers for some pajamas. He didn’t have to share a room, so he grew to be quite comfortable being naked in private. He is in the attic of a three-story home. It’s not like anyone can creep through the-
A shining red light peers into Vani’s attic. His head jerks to the side once the light enters his sight, and he falls right onto his ass. “AH! AAAAH!” He screams. Vani scrambles for the nearest pair of pants he can find. He hastily puts them on without underwear and hides behind his dresser. His chest frantically heaves up and down as his breathing grows erratic from fear.
Vani clutches his chest, trying to calm his pounding heart as he watches the light scan his entire room. He slightly peeks around his dresser, and his eyes widen when he spots the same object from Monday floating directly outside his window. “W-Wha?”
Vani cautiously crawls out from the dresser. The object's light locks directly onto him once he enters its field of vision, making the poor boy flinch, but Vani remains in place. The light examines his whole body just like on Monday, and some mechanical whirling noises begin coming from the object. The light retracts, and another square opening opens on the object, revealing a small button.
Nervous, but irresistibly curious, Vani opens his window and takes a long look at the button. “Is this… for me?”
The object doesn't move or react
“Not sure what I was expecting…” Vani’s eyes return to the button, and the object floats even closer, clearly presenting it to him. “If it came to kill me or something, it would have done it by now.”
Vani clenches his teeth and shuts his eyes, wearily outstretching his arm, and, while hesitant, presses the button. The antenna on the top of the object begins to blink and make a beeping sound. Vani tilts his head curiously, every movement by this machine simply raises more questions.
After about a minute of the antenna beeping, another opening on the object exposes itself, this time near the head of the object, and a much larger rectangle than the other two openings. This hatch revealed a small black screen. However, the screen remained black for only a moment, before flickering, and displaying a mysterious woman who looked oddly familiar.
“Hello? Am I reaching you out there?” The woman spoke from the screen.
Vani squints at the figure on the screen. He tilts his head as the screen focuses. The woman has long waist-length black hair, and is wearing a black top, along with metal looking gear along her arms, her midsection, and even a neck piece made of the same material. “What is that? Armor?” He ponders to himself. More importantly, this woman bore a bizarrely striking resemblance to one of the heroes from Jump City. “Are you… Starfire? Wait, no.”
The woman gives Vani a slight giggle. “I see you're familiar with my baby sister.”
“Sister?” It sounded like a joke, but the proof is being broadcasted directly to him. Starfire is easily one of the most stunning women Vani has ever seen on TV before, and this woman is nearly the spitting image of her. Starfire's sister is the only logical explanation.
That's when another memory awakened deep within his young mind. Jump City's antics always reach Vermeil Falls eventually, and it has been a couple years, but he vaguely recalls a story breaking about Starfire having a sister, and she turned out to be some intergalactic criminal. “Then you're… are you, Blackfire?”
“Ah! I even have a reputation here?” Blackfire says. “Not bad, Boy. We just met and you're already impressing me.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“First, is this a part of Earth where you don't wear clothes? Or is this just a bad time?”
Vani looks down and realizes he still isn't wearing his pajama shirt. If whatever is broadcasting him back to her is only picking up his torso it would absolutely look like he is naked. “J-Just give me a second!” The white of his hair and eyes only makes Vani’s blush brighter as he runs out of frame, scrambling to put his pajamas on properly. He can hear Blackfire giggling to herself as he changes. Finally making himself presentable, or as presentable as you can at this hour, Vani returns to Blackfire's sight.
“So you can dress yourself, that certainly helps,” Blackfire teases with a smug smile on her face.
“Ughhh…” Vani groans, adding just another layer of torment to his usual grating days. Looking at the wall and pouting, Vani attempts to steer the conversation back on track. “W-What do you want? Did you send this thing to my window on purpose?”
“Getting straight to the point? Smart kid. Knowing how to negotiate is a good skill to have,” Blackfire praises with a smile. “Mind if I ask your name?”
“She sent this thing to talk to me but doesn't even know my name?” Vani ponders, and he releases a sad sigh when he puts the pieces together. “You've got to be kidding me…”
Vani reluctantly speaks up. “Vani.”
“Vani…” Blackfire repeats. “That suits you, Vani. An adorable name for an adorable boy. I sent my drone to find you because I happen to think you're something special.”
“Let me guess, something about a ‘Boy with Soulless Eyes’ bringing some ‘Great Calamity’, am I right?”
Blackfire blinks in surprise, not expecting him to be so familiar with this supposed local legend, as well as sounding so displeased with it. “I'm guessing I'm not the first person to share this sentiment with you?”
“Hardly.” Vani spat out that word with pure venom and disdain. “Why am I not surprised, even people from outer space have heard that stupid old story! Did you come all the way here to call me a monster too!?”
Blackfire is taken aback by Vani’s sudden hostility. However, she doesn't look bothered. She narrows her eyes and smiles, looking even more interested in Vani than before. “Who's calling you a monster, Vani?”
“Only everyone I've ever met. Everyone in this town thinks it's only a matter of time before I destroy the whole place or snap and become a serial killer or something.” Everything inside Vani began spilling out of him. “Everyone treats me like I'm some boogeyman or some grim reaper just because I was born with these eyes. I don't know what they mean! I just want to be normal!”
“Why?”
Blackfire replied so quickly it almost didn't register in Vani’s mind. “W-What?”
“If you are special, why do you want to be normal? Everyone treating you differently, sounds like jealousy to me. Trust me, plenty of people are jealous of me so I know what it looks like.”
Vani looks away again. “What, that… that's crazy talk.”
“Vani.” Blackfire leans closer to the screen, trying to get as close to Vani as she can. “You’re not a monster. I did hear about your little story, but, if you are different from everyone else, that is a good thing. I can help you.”
“You can… help me?” The more Blackfire spoke, the more mystified Vani became. Even still, he can't pretend he isn't interested. “Is that why you came here, you want to help me?”
Blackfire nods. “I've been looking for you, Vani. With me, you can realize your full potential. You seem like you've had your fill of this place anyway. Why don't you leave it behind and come with me?”
Vani can't believe what he was just asked. A convenient escape from this cursed town, it sounds so perfect, it has to be some kind of joke, or his mind playing tricks on him. “Go with you?”
Blackfire smiles and nods.
“Go where?”
“Away from that dump of a town for starters.”
“You-You really want to take me away from here? You'd do that for me?”
Blackfire tilts her head back, eyes locked firmly on Vani’s quivering lip. “Of course I would.”
None of this makes any sense to the poor boy. This woman, this alien, this famous villain, is offering him of all people salvation? After all these years of these eyes causing him nothing but heartache, now someone is telling him they make him special, and she can show him how. There’s still so much that confused him. Can she even be trusted? She looks like Starfire, but she's a criminal, but she's so pretty, and she's one of the only people that's ever been nice to him. Vani’s heart pounds with the force of a thunderclap, as his mind races at light speeds.
“I-I don't know. I've never even left town before, and I've got school on Monday, and I-”
Blackfire raises her hand before Vani can spew out more excuses. “Don't worry yourself, Vani. You don’t need to decide right now.”
Blackfire leans closer to the screen, looks downward, and Vani can hear the sound of typing on a keyboard coming from her transmission. Another mechanical noise comes from the drone, and a small card slides out from a slot underneath its screen.
“There, take it,” Blackfire says.
Vani reaches out and grabs the plain white card from the object. One side was blank, while the other had 10 numbers on it. “Is this a phone number?”
Blackfire nods. “I've had my transmitter modified to accept phone transmissions from Earth as long as I'm near the atmosphere. A girl has to travel in style, Vani.” Blackfire gives Vani a playful wink. “Whenever you're ready, call that number from any phone. You'll reach me directly.”
“Wow…” Vani clutches the card as if it is the last piece of Gold on the planet.
“I hope to hear from you soon, Vani. By the way…” Blackfire leans closer to the screen again, making sure Vani can hear her loud and clear. “You don't look so soulless to me.”
The feed from the screen immediately cuts off, the drone retracts itself back into place, and shoots back up towards space at blinding speed.
Blackfire's last words nearly made Vani’s heart stop. His brain almost completely ceased function as warmth spread all throughout his body. Only the cold from the open window brings Vani back down to Earth. Vani hastily shuts the window, taking extra care not to drop the card as he does so. Vani takes several long deep breaths, still processing everything that just transpired. He sits on his bed, simply gazing at the card.
Sleep isn't even an option, he has far too much to ponder. Was she really serious? Could she take him away? Can she make his life better? Plus, can she even be trusted? She's a criminal, isn't she? Vani attempts to think back to when he first heard about her. The news hasn't always been the most accurate when reporting on super hero and villain activity.
“Maybe it was wrong about her too?”
Vani finally manages to sleep despite his mind spiraling. Amidst all the questions he asked himself, he was so excited about the prospect of leaving Vermeil Falls, he never stopped to ask why she'd want to help him in the first place.
Vani’s weekend was entirely spent on him nervously hovering over the group home's one landline phone in the house's living room. Anytime not spent eating, using the bathroom, or doing his chores, Vani sat right beside the phone, desperately seeking the courage to use it.
The other kids in the group home looked at him strangely, but that wasn't out of the ordinary.
“Whats up with Vani? He's been staring at it all day.”
“He's probably trying to see if he can make it explode with his mind or something.”
For once, everyone's words don't phase him. All he cares about is Blackfire's proposition. One phone call, and he can be far away from all these horrible people. It's a dream come true… so why is he hesitating? He hates Vermeil Falls, more and more every day, and has no one here that he'll miss, so why the fear? The poor boy only knows the misery of growing up in a town where everyone hates you. The warmth of a friend, a friend as captivating and kind as Blackfire, is a concept that can't be more foreign to him. The unknown of what she has in-store seems horrifying, but remaining here sounded even more miserable.
Sunday evening arrives, and lights out is in 20 minutes. All the group home kids tend to be in their rooms minding their own business at this hour, Vani included. Yet here he is again, glaring at the phone. He pulls out the crumpled card out of his pocket, he refused to take it off his person ever since he got it, and lifts the phone with a sweaty, nervous hand. He looks over the phone number again, despite the fact that he already has it memorized several times over with how many times he’s stared at it over the weekend, and finally begins dialing. Each number he dials takes just a little bit longer than the last, and once it begins ringing, Vani accepts there's no going back.
…
…
“Vani?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Heh, do you make all the pretty girls wait to hear from you? Or am I just special?” There’s no mistaking it, that is Blackfire’s strong, confident voice. “Have you finally decided? Ready to leave that cruel place behind?”
“I’m ready.” The hesitation in Vani’s voice finally began to subside. “I wanna go with you, Miss Blackfire. I want you to help me figure out why I’m like this, if I really am different.”
“Excellent! But first, drop the ‘Miss’, I’m not some old hag or something. You can just call me ‘Blackfire’.” Vani can practically hear that cool smile of hers through the phone. “I’ll send a ship for you, it should arrive around 11:00 AM Earth time. Pack light, we’ll have everything you’ll need on my ship. I’m looking forward to seeing you with my own eyes, Vani,” she finishes before disconnecting.
Vani places the phone down and begins nervously rubbing his face. His heart furiously pounding as his mind tries to come to terms with what he just agreed too. He would need to skip school tomorrow, but that is the absolute least of his concerns. He’s not just leaving Vermeil Falls, is he leaving the planet? That’s a concept he can’t even begin to grasp. What is she going to do with him? How exactly is she going to help him? Against all that uncertainty, one truth did remain, he has nothing here. If he has nothing to leave behind, why not leave the planet? If Blackfire doesn’t see him as a monster, then he can trust her.
During his usual morning walk to school, Vani takes a couple detours once he knows no one is looking, slipping through the bushes and hiding behind trees when he thinks a car is coming. Skipping school at 10 makes every passing car feel like the police, and he already sticks out enough. Thankfully, he makes his return to the empty group home without issue.
It’s 8:30 AM, and Vani dumps his backpack out onto his bed. He packs the essentials, toothbrush, hairbrush, his favorite t-shirt, but lastly, he lays out his black hoodie and sunglasses. Surely he didn’t need these, right? Blackfire says he’s not a monster, he doesn’t need to hide from her, right? With so much time left until the ship arrives, Vani is left glaring down at his usual disguise, stewing about its necessity in his mind.
11:00 AM has arrived, and Vani is all packed. With all the extra time on his hands, he even began searching the rooms of the other kids to see if there’s anything he should take. Not like he’d ever see them again, so what’s the damage? He paces around in his attic, feverishly looking out the window, until finally something in the sky enters his sight. As it draws closer, Vani can make out what looks like a small black pod flying in the direction of his house, thankfully not shooting as fast as Blackfire’s drones. Eventually the pod slows down as it closes in on the surface, and comes to a complete stop in front of Vani’s window. Vani opens his window to examine the pod further, it’s a slim outstretched black vehicle looking object, like a car with no tires. It floats outside his window with engines in the back and beneath it. The door opens upward, and a metal plank rolls out, stabbing itself into the side of the house.
“I guess this is it then…” Vani gingerly climbs out of his window, tapping his foot on the plank to make sure it can hold him. Resisting the urge to look down with everything he has, the cold wind from being up three stories pushing against his face like a vicious bully, Vani slowly hobbles his way into the pod.
The interior of the pod also reminds Vani of a car, albeit a fancy futuristic hi-tech car. There are only two seats, and Vani places his backpack onto the spare one. On the front window of the pod, Vani sees a note taped to it. He pulls the note and sees it’s a list of instructions written by Blackfire.
‘Vani.
Buckle yourself into your seat when you’re ready for take off. Press the button in front of you once you’re ready. This will take you directly to my ship. The trip should take approximately 6 hours. Get some rest and you’ll be here before you know it.
See you soon.
XOXOXO
-Blackfire’
Vani’s heart soars after finishing reading the instructions. He hastily shoves the note in his backpack, planning on cherishing it for as long as he lives. He presses the button as directed, and the metal plank begins retracting back into the pod as he buckles himself, and the door firmly shuts. He notices he has no way to close the window, but that can be someone else’s problem.
The pod begins rotating, now standing vertically upright, and Vani feels like he’s on one of those rollercoasters he’d always see on TV. The pod slowly begins rising, Vani looks out the window, and notices the only home he’s ever known becoming smaller and smaller in the distance, until finally the ship begins moving at maximum speed. The force of the travel practically seals Vani to his seat, and as he rises above the clouds, the atmospheric pressure gets to him, and he passes out right in his seat.
“Mmm… Meh… Grnnnn…” Vani slowly begins to stir, the endless blackness of space made for a surprisingly effective sleep aid. He opens his eyes to the unfamiliar sights of the space pod’s interior, and the surrounding abyss of nothingness. “Ah! AAAAH!” He screams, nearly breaking out into a panic before he remembers how he got here. It quickly comes back to him, Blackfire, leaving home, her promise to help him. He takes a few deep breaths, wondering how long he was out for, and then spots what looks like another space pod in the distance. As he gets closer, the pod grows in size, and is immensely larger compared to what he is riding in. “That must be her ship.” Vani looks over to his side, and begins to panic again once he notices his backpack isn’t there. He turns and sees his backpack in the back of the pod, likely flung back there at some point during his travels. He frantically unbuckles himself to retrieve his backpack, hastily digging inside of it as his pod begins boarding Blackfire’s ship.
Standing in the deck of the ship, awaits Blackfire. The Tamaranean Royal stands with her arms crossed, watching one of her escape pods land perfectly in its designated spot. Her eyes narrow with intrigue as everything begins to come together. As much as she wants to get started, she knows this delicate matter will require a little patience.
Once the pod lands and the opening of the ship is securely shut, Blackfire saunters up to the pod, where she knows young Vani will be waiting. The pod door opens, and the metal plank rolls out and lands on the ship’s floor, but no one comes out. “Vani? Are you in there? C’mon, don’t be shy.” Blackfire can hear the faint sound of rustling from within the pod. After another minute of waiting, she finally spots him.
A short figure slowly emerges from inside the pod. Vani walks down the metal plank and finally touches down inside of Blackfire’s ship, while staring down at the floor, wearing baggy blue shorts, and a big black hoodie that obscures his face.
Blackfire smiles as she looks down at the short boy. “Vani? That is you, isn’t it? How am I supposed to welcome you if I can’t see you?”
Vani lifts his shaking hands, takes ahold of his hoodie, and pulls it back, unleashing his messy white hair, and unveiling his large sunglasses. The poor boy could hardly see a thing within the dark Tamaranean ship.
“Did you come all the way out here just to hide? I’m disappointed.”
“H-Huh!” Vani’s breath gets caught in his throat when hears those words. “N-No!” He blurts out. He quickly takes off his glasses, clutching them tightly in his hand as he finally looks up to face the woman who has completely overtaken his mind.
Blackfire is taller than he imagined. All adult women are taller than him, but Blackfire seems especially tall compared to what he’s familiar with. His head only manages to reach above her naval. She stands over him, hands on her hips in her full Tamaranean garb, her long black hair perfectly trimmed and brushed with not a single strand out of place, and her violet eyes piercing down at him with a warm inviting smile forming on her lips.
“There you are.” Blackfire kneels down to get at eye level with Vani. Still smiling, she lifts her hands, inadvertently causing Vani to flinch, but she proceeds anyway. She places one hand on his cheek, the other on his temple, as she takes a nice long look at these so-called ‘Soulless Eyes’. “My, they’re like two giant beautiful silver gemstones. They remind me of these earrings I found on Drenthax IV. What kind of imbeciles would see a boy as cute as this and think he’s a monster?”
While Blackfire examines his face, Vani feels his cheeks begin to burn with uncontrollable blushes. Her touch felt so warm, and her beautiful eyes looking into his nearly made him melt. To top it all off, she gave him a compliment about his eyes. His cursed, calamity bringing eyes, Blackfire says they’re beautiful. It felt like the 10 years of isolation and resentment simply faded away, and he can stand here in this alien ship, getting his face examined by Blackfire for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Blackfire stops.
“Well, Vani. You must be starving after that long trip,” she says before standing back up. “How’s some food sound?”
“T-That’d be nice…” He mutters, attempting to follow her on wobbly legs and rattling knees. Blackfire’s unexpected physical contact has him so razzled, he nearly forgot what he has for her. “W-Wait a second.”
“Hm?” Blackfire turns, stopping in her tracks as she leads him further into her ship.
Vani takes off his backpack and begins digging inside of it. “I b-brought you a gift… I hope you like it…” Vani groans as he notices the state of his gift, no doubt disheveled from being forced into his backpack and from the undoubtedly rowdy spaceship ride. He pulls out a small bouquet of fake flowers, each a different color, and presents them to Blackfire. “These are for you…” He looks away again, meekly lifting them upwards.
Blackfire covers her hand with her mouth in shock. “Oh, Vani! For me?” She reaches down and graciously takes the bouquet. “Earth’s greenery has always been one of my favorites. Aren’t you the little charmer?”
“So you like them?” Vani beams.
“I love them, Vani.”
Blackfire firmly plants Vani’s heart on Cloud 9. In truth, Vani found them in one of the older kid’s bedrooms in the group home. He thought that guy had a girlfriend, but Vani knew that he needed those flowers more. “T-Thank you.” Vani smiles with an enormous blush on his face. “I always heard growing up, ‘Never go see a girl empty-handed’.”
“Oho, well they taught you well, Vani.” Blackfire points to the nearest door in the hallway connecting to the deck. “Go wait for me in that room there, I gotta go find the perfect spot to put these,” she says before flying off to a higher part of the ship.
“Woah…” Vani is enamored watching her fly. He’d seen plenty of super powered people fly on TV, but watching it in person made him feel like all that more excited. Not wanting to keep her waiting, Vani puts his backpack back on and runs over to where Blackfire directed.
Vani presses a button beside the door, and the door horizontally slides open. Vani steps in, where he sees a small table, two pillows on opposite sides of the table, a metallic looking gray container in the corner of the room, and a single window, giving him a full view of the vastness of space. On the table sits a single large plate with a full charcuterie arrangement placed on it, more crackers, meats, and cheeses than Vani has ever seen at one time before. He places his backpack in the corner of the room and walks towards the window, taking in the sight of the cold vastness of space. The reality of him leaving home and coming all the way out here still not completely dawning on him.
“Enjoying the view?”
Vani quickly turns and spots Blackfire entering with the sliding door closing behind her. “Yeah,” he says before turning back to the window. “I never dreamed I'd see space like this. It's… pretty scary… but cool at the same time. I already feel free, like I'm already in a whole new world.” Vani means every word, even if his first new world is just a Tamaranean space ship.
“There's more out there than just your home town, Vani.” Blackfire stands behind Vani and gently places her hands on his shoulders. “There's a great many worlds out there. You deserve to see beyond what you know. Now, you can alter your own life.”
Vani doesn't even realize Blackfire is mentioning that accursed prophecy, he's too distracted by her hands on his shoulders.
“How about we have a seat?” Blackfire walks over one of the floor pillows and sits down, one leg stretched out with the other tucked in so she can rest her hand on her knee. “I've always found Earth food really unusual, but your people sure know how to prepare some mean snacks.” She grabs the smallest cracker on the table and eats it whole.
Vani sits down on the pillow across from Blackfire. “How much can I have?”
“It's just us, Vani. Eat as much as you want.”
Vani’s eyes lit up at such wonderful news. He wasted no time taking hold of as many crackers and cheeses his little hands can hold and begins scarfing them down.
Blackfire shuts her eyes and smiles at his eagerness. “I'm curious about a few things, Vani. Has it always been just about your eyes? Or was there anything else about you that made people call you a monster?”
“Hm?” Blackfire's questions make Vani stop mid-chew. Discussing the rumors always makes him uncomfortable. Still, the snacks are delicious, and the pillow is comfy. He continues eating, albeit much slower. “No,” he answers in a hushed tone while looking at the floor. “It's always just been about my eyes. I've never done anything to anyone.”
“Is that so?” Blackfire sounds unconvinced. “Nothing around you has ever been actually destroyed? No one has ever been hurt? Nothing weird ever happened around you or your environment?”
Vani shakes his head. “Everyone hates me just because of that stupid old story. I'm just a normal kid.” Vani crushes the cracker in his hand. “I don't even know why you brought me here, I'm not special!”
“Woah, woah, Vani. Take it easy,” Blackfire replies, not even remotely startled by Vani’s outburst. “You don't have to be a monster to be special.”
Blackfire gets to her feet and walks over to the gray container and opens it, Vani watching her every move intently. The container releases a blast of cold air, quickly lowering the temperature in the room. She reaches in and pulls out a glass before shutting the container, thankfully ceasing the cold air flow. The glass is shaped similar to wine glasses Vani had seen on TV, and contains a red drink with fizzing bubbles flowing over the top.
“I like to keep a special stash of Earth sodas for my personal use.” Blackfire hands the glass to Vani. “Here, I think this will help you relax. I believe it's the flavor based on the Earth fruit called cherry.”
Vani looks down at his glass as the bubbles begin to simmer around his fingertips. He isn’t the biggest soda drinker, but he doesn’t want to tell Blackfire no. After digging up some of those painful memories, a relaxing drink sounds like it would hit the spot.
Vani brings the drink to his lips and has a quick sip. The flavor takes him by surprise. “It doesn't taste like cherry, but it is good.” The refreshing fruity drink helps him forget their conversation, and he quickly finishes the glass. He places the glass on the table before wiping his lips with his sleeve. “Can I ask you something, Blackfire?”
“Ask away.”
“Back on Earth, I thought you were a villain. That's what everyone said, but why? You're so nice.”
Blackfire chuckles at his impression of her. “Let people talk, I always say. All that matters is what you know about yourself. If people think you doing what you want to do makes you a bad guy, that sounds like it's their problem.”
Vani gives her a bright smile. This is why he trusts her. She understands. Vani knows he isn't a monster, so he isn't. He is, however, beginning to feel tired. His eyelids start feeling heavy, and his appetite for crackers and meats suddenly begins to subside.
“Vani? Everything okay?”
“I just… I'm starting to feel tired. I didn't bring a blanket or anything.”
“Heh, how cute,” Blackfire dismisses with a hand wave in the air. “First time space travel gets everyone like that. Your body will get used to it in a couple of days.”
“I… guess…” Vani began clutching his head. “Is there somewhere I can lay down?
Blackfire graciously pushes the table of treats to the side, straightens her legs, and taps the top of her thighs. “Here, rest your head. I'll help you sleep.”
“R-Really?” Vani’s face would have become as bright as a tomato and his heart would have leapt right out of his chest if he wasn't so exhausted. Vani crawls over to Blackfire's side, too tired to second guess himself, and comfortably nestles his head in Blackfire's lap.
“There, there. Isn't that better?” She asks.
The metallic looking fabric of her thigh garb is surprisingly warmer than Vani expected. He turns so his face is facing Blackfire's midsection, and her body's warmth feels like a cradle around his sleepy form. “You feel nice…” Vani mumbles under his breath. “This is… so much better… than being at home…” Vani mumbles again before drifting off to sleep.
A few minutes go by of Blackfire stroking the sleeping boy’s hair, his innocent frame looks as much at peace as any living creature can. After more time passes and Blackfire confirms he's unconscious, she stands up, letting Vani’s body fall to the floor like a rag doll. “Get in here!” She shouts.
The sliding door opens, and a pair of her soldiers and a pair of her scientists enter the room. “Is it done, My Empress?” One of the scientists asks.
“He drank the whole thing, he should be out for at least a day,” Blackfire explains. “Take him to the medical wing. I want a thorough examination, and I expect you to report to me the instant you find any abnormalities. This child better have something going for him.”
“Right away,” the other scientist replies as the two soldiers lift Vani’s limp body.
Blackfire looks down at the collection of cracker crumbs that littered the floor as the soldiers took Vani away. “And get someone to clean up this mess,” she orders before leaving the room.
Meanwhile, outside the window, the scientists can see the fake bouquet Vani gave Blackfire floating away in the distance.