The last grain of jollof was long gone, but the spice still danced on Jack's tongue.
He leaned back in the plastic chair beside his mother, the evening breeze from the louver windows carrying both scent and silence.
"Ma," he said, his voice softer now. "What was it like… when Dad was here? When Valitor was still… just himself?"
Cindy didn't answer immediately.
She rubbed her thumb against her tea mug like she was summoning a memory from its surface.
"Great," she finally said, smiling.
"Valitor was… strange, but beautiful. He always danced between two rhythms — the drums of his ancestors, and the wisdom of the skies. He could summon vines from the floor and still kneel to pray beside me in Twi."
Jack blinked slowly, heart pressing against something ancient.
He never got to see it — the soft side, the everyday hero beneath the cosmic myth.
Cindy chuckled, eyes misty.
"Your father… he was Nature on Earth. Trees listened to him. Birds paused when he breathed. And Osei Tutu himself honored him as a friend — not because of power, but because he never let it corrupt the roots."
Jack leaned forward. "And now… he's gone. Gone into the Void. Traxis… broke everything."
Cindy looked at her son — not just the boy, but the spark of two worlds.
And then she whispered, more to herself:
"You know… the night it all started, I had a dream. Lucid. But wrong. The world felt… sideways. Like the sky was watching me. I couldn't move. Couldn't wake up. I think I felt the Deviant Wave."
They both fell silent.
The lightbulb above flickered once —
Not from power shortage.
But from presence.
Then—
A knock.
Three soft, deliberate knocks.
Like wood tapping through memory.
Jack stood.
Cindy froze.
He walked to the door.
Each step felt like the Earth adjusting to something sacred.
He opened the door.
And there—
Was him.
His silhouette wasn't loud.
It didn't blaze with power.
It stood like a tree that had always been there.
Valitor.
He wore a long coat woven from jungle leaves and cosmic thread, glowing faintly like it had seen centuries.
His eyes—green-gold, deep with loss, but clear—met Jack's like a mirror from another timeline.
"Jack," Valitor said.
Jack stepped back. "Dad…?"
Valitor didn't smile. He didn't cry.
He simply was.
And then Cindy whispered, voice trembling:
"Vali…"
Valitor turned slowly.
His expression cracked—just slightly—into warmth.
"I told you," he said, "not even the void could keep me from my family."
Valitor's steps across the tiled floor were slow, deliberate. Not because he was tired—but because reality itself seemed to wait on every footfall.
Jack stood off to the side, arms folded, golden-blue Avia flickering lightly off his wrist.
He said nothing.
Cindy didn't move either. But her breath hitched.
She squinted at the man in front of her—not with doubt, but with disbelief so profound it bordered on sacred.
Valitor's voice came low, almost like the rustle of leaves at dawn.
"I'm… not dead," he said, eyes fixed on her. "Not in the way you understand."
Cindy opened her mouth. Closed it. Her lips trembled.
He stepped closer.
"In Airious, death is not a grave. It's… a gate. A revelation. A veil torn sideways."
He paused, then added with a half-smile:
"Turns out, destiny doesn't end in dirt—it expands."
Jack tilted his head. "You're saying… Liva?"
Valitor nodded slowly.
"Yes. The Goddess of Destiny. She… tweaked things. Gave me a second path. Not to return as a hero. But as a husband. A father. As something I… never finished becoming."
He looked back at Cindy.
And then… without warning, he walked to her.
Her hands twitched.
Her soul knew.
And in one breathless moment—he embraced her.
Not a light hug. Not a polite embrace.
But a Valitor hug—the kind that could wrap a forest, hold a storm still, turn regret into roots.
Cindy froze—then cracked.
She broke.
Sobs escaped like birds set free after years in a cage of strength.
Jack turned away with a smirk that was half joy, half ache. His Avia pulsed gently like it, too, remembered.
Valitor buried his face into Cindy's neck, his voice muffled but clear.
"I'm sorry."
She clutched his back like she was trying to stop the cosmos from spinning.
"I'm so sorry," he said again, stronger. "You had every right… every right to hate me. To move on. To forget the ghost who left too soon."
Cindy shook her head furiously, the tears now soaking into his coat. "I never hated you… I hated the silence. I hated that the world didn't care that you were gone."
Valitor pulled back, looked her dead in the eyes.
"And yet… you didn't leave me."
Her lips quivered. "I couldn't."
He swallowed hard.
"I left… before I died. That was the real crime. I started pulling away. First in duty… then in doubt… then in silence. And I thought… maybe if I die saving something, it will make up for what I lost."
He looked away, guilt sliding behind his eyes.
"But pain… doesn't accept bribes."
Cindy touched his cheek. "You didn't need to die to be worthy, Vali. You just needed to come home."
He laughed, softly. The laugh of a man who hadn't heard joy in a long, long time.
"I missed your voice. You know that? In the Void... sometimes it echoed in my memory. You used to hum that old Ewe lullaby when Jack was a baby."
She smiled faintly. "You used to mess up the lyrics."
"And you'd mock me for it," he said, eyes glistening.
Jack, still at the side, cleared his throat. "Alright, y'all can cry later. I'm about to start crying and that's not part of my training arc."
They both laughed—real, light laughter that echoed off the walls like bells in a forgotten temple.
Valitor looked at his son—finally, fully.
"And you… Jack. My legacy."
Jack stepped forward, more serious now.
"You left a big hole, Dad. Not just in us. But in Airious. You were more than power. You were perspective."
Valitor nodded. "I know. And it's time I own that again. Not with fists. But with presence."
He turned back to Cindy.
"You were always my balance. My soil. When I lost you, I lost my ground. But now… now I want to grow again. If you'll have me."
Cindy took his hand—no hesitation this time.
"I never stopped waiting."
---
🌌 And somewhere beyond the walls of that home, the stars of Airious flickered just a bit softer. As if even destiny paused… to let love breathe.
The three of them sat on the couch now, a little crooked, worn from years of use. Jack sprawled over one armrest, bare feet tapping the floor. Valitor leaned against the window ledge like a sentinel-turned-uncle. Cindy sat in the middle—between past and future, like only a mother could.
"So let me get this straight," Jack began, holding up fingers like a conspiracy theorist counting evidence. "You were born in like… 2015?"
"Roughly," Valitor nodded. "Late 2010s. The Cyber Age was beginning. My hunter squad specialized in tech-wild zones."
"And then you got chosen... by the Creation Stone... in 2040? Just—randomly?"
Valitor chuckled, eyes glinting. "Wasn't random. I was tracking a rogue synth-tiger across the Ghanaian forestline. Had just landed a clean shot with my cyber-arrow, when the damn tiger froze mid-leap... and this glowing crystal floated out the underbrush."
Jack blinked. "That's either a fairytale or a glitch in reality."
"Oh, it glitched alright," Valitor said, arms folded. "The air cracked open. And guess who walked out like a fashionably late god?"
Jack sat up. "No. No—wait. Centron?!"
"Wearing a robe stitched from narrative silk, two lion spirits beside him. He looked at me like I'd been late to school for a thousand years."
Cindy laughed. "You were always late, Vali."
Valitor winked at her. "But worth waiting for."
Jack rolled his eyes dramatically. "I swear, if you two flirt during my trauma arc, I'm leaving."
They all laughed.
Then Jack continued, more gently now. "So… you trained in Airious. Lived there. And… technically died around 2070."
Valitor's expression softened. "Yes. Your mother was still carrying you. I knew I wouldn't get to see your first step. So I made sure my last one meant something."
Jack went quiet, nodding. "And then I found the cosmic map… when I was twelve."
He looked out the window, eyes half-lost in memory.
"In that weird antique shop. The man behind the counter didn't blink once. Told me the map wasn't just old—it was waiting."
Valitor's face tensed for a second, then relaxed. "That wasn't a man. That was an avatar of Aprexion in disguise. He was guiding you."
Jack's mouth opened. "Wha—YOU KNEW?!"
Valitor raised his hands. "I told him to keep an eye on you. I couldn't reach you. But he could."
Cindy tilted her head at Jack. "And now you're what, sixteen?"
Jack nodded. "Sixteen and carrying way more emotional baggage than my backpack."
Valitor smiled faintly. "And your mother… waited through all of it."
He turned to Cindy. "Waited, and stayed whole. Beautiful. Strong."
Jack smirked. "Actually, I've been wondering that. Ma… you don't have a single grey hair."
Cindy sipped from her cup, playing innocent. "Maybe good genes."
Valitor leaned in with a proud, teasing grin. "Or maybe… the Creation Stone makes minor age adjustments now and then. Just enough to keep her youthful—so I could always recognize her."
Cindy blushed. "You're lucky that's romantic and not creepy."
They all broke into laughter again, a gentle kind that made the past feel less heavy.
---
Then the laughter faded. Jack's face sobered.
His voice turned low, almost hesitant.
"There's… another war coming."
Valitor's gaze sharpened. "I know."
"Traxis."
Valitor nodded slowly. "Yes. I've heard the name whispered in the in-between. He's tearing through the 3-6-9 framework itself. I felt the ripple in my sleep."
Jack folded his arms. "You knew Elexis, right?"
Valitor looked out the window now, the stars above Accra quietly flickering.
"I replaced him."
Jack blinked. "Wait… what?"
Valitor's voice dropped to a memory. "Elexis was the chosen before me. Long before. He trained under Kainen. Had power, promise, pain... and pride."
He turned to Jack. "When Elexis vanished—betrayed everything—Airious had to move fast. They found me. The Creation Stone was the final vote. So I became the symbol of sacrifice."
"Elexis saw me as his brother after Traxis died, We were close. He always talked about him but...I didn't see him in person.
Jack sat forward. "So you barely knew Traxis?"
Valitor shrugged. "He died before I ever arrived. At least… that's what we thought. Nobody mentioned him much. He was a myth buried beneath Elexis's fall."
Jack leaned back, stunned. "So he was already broken, and the world just moved on?"
Valitor's voice lowered, eyes heavy.
"Or maybe he saw the cracks before any of us. And no one listened."
Cindy spoke then, softly. "You're both sons of change. You, Jack… and him."
Valitor looked at them both.
"And now," he said, "the balance is breaking again."
---
The lights in the room buzzed faintly. The air shifted. And in the void between stars, something stirred — because when a Forger returns, the story remembers its purpose.
"The Rooftop Between Truths"
Setting: A high rooftop in Neo-Accra. Below, the pulse of the city beats in afro-neon harmony. Above, a father and son sit in suspended silence, the stars quietly listening in.
---
Valitor hovered in midair, nature folding itself gently beneath him. Leaves spiraled, obeying him like wind-borne dancers answering their maestro.
Jack, on his hoverboard, watched in awe. Not jealous. Not small. Just… proud.
> "That's my father."
He didn't say it, but the sparkle in his eyes screamed it louder than pride ever could.
Valitor smirked, hollow-stepped midair and disappeared.
Jack blinked. "Huh?"
Tried to trigger his Analysis Eyes — but they just flickered, like broken high beams in a storm.
"Boo," Valitor said casually behind him, arms crossed.
Jack flinched. "Really?"
They both chuckled.
---
Moments later, they landed on the rooftop of an old radio station tower, the kind still decorated with faded murals of Kwame Nkrumah, soundwave sigils, and resistance poetry turned street art. The wind kissed the skyline.
Valitor turned to his son.
Valitor:
> "Tell me, Jack... what happened?"
Jack looked away.
His voice dropped lower than usual. Not shame… just uncertainty wrapped in armor.
Jack:
> "I... I'm not really sure of myself right now.
That's why we came back. Earth's... steadier."
Valitor tilted his head, calm but curious.
Valitor:
> "That's not all of it.
Tell me what really happened, son.
What happened in Airious?"
Jack's breath caught. The breeze suddenly felt a little heavier.
He sat down, arms resting on his knees, eyes on the blinking towers below.
Jack:
> "We met some students. From the Free Abyss.
They weren't bad people — they were just... broken in different ways.
They couldn't use Avia properly. Their identities were too… scattered.
But then Traxis created Devia... and suddenly, they were strong."
He paused.
Jack:
> "They told us Devia accepted them. That it made room for their contradictions.
And when we fought them… they had synergy, like a perfect jazz band with trauma as their tempo.
Even with Avian assistance... we lost."
Valitor's face didn't flinch. Just listened. Like a statue with ears made of mercy.
Jack (cont'd):
> "They said we think we're better than them.
That we wear clarity like a badge.
But deep down... we got cracks too."
He clenched his fists.
Jack:
> "The truth is... part of me agreed with them.
Part of me wanted that flexibility.
That 'do-what-you-feel' energy.
And now… my Affinity's twitching. Like it doesn't trust me anymore."
He finally turned to his father.
> "Dad… is it possible that I don't know who I am anymore?"
---
Valitor stepped forward, knelt beside him, his voice like steady thunder wrapped in silk.
Valitor:
> "Jack... let me tell you a truth most warriors die before learning:
Authenticity isn't the absence of conflict.
It's the ability to carry contradiction without losing your center."
He put a hand on Jack's shoulder.
Valitor:
> "When I was chosen, I had a temper. I was violent.
But I also loved trees. I planted one after every hunt.
That contradiction didn't make me unworthy — it made me real."
Jack:
> "But Avia punishes doubt. That's what it feels like."
Valitor:
> "No. Avia punishes neglected doubt.
It doesn't hate flaws — it hates lies.
Devia gives flexibility, yes. But without grounding? It's driftwood in a hurricane."
---
Jack exhaled, as if a knot in his chest finally loosened.
Jack:
> "So I'm not broken?"
Valitor looked at him.
Valitor:
> "No, son.
You're becoming."
---
They sat for a moment. Silence humming. City lights blinking like Morse code to the cosmos.
Jack (softly):
> "I miss Valitor the legend."
Valitor (smiling):
> "And I missed being Jack's dad more than any title I ever held."
Jack and Valitor soared side by side, silent for a while.
Below them, the floating branches of Kumasi's forest swayed like they remembered Valitor's footsteps from long ago. Birds of emerald-gold wings chirped in harmony, vines curled to greet them like cousins recognizing bloodline.
They landed softly.
Valitor knelt, touched the bark of an old baobab suspended midair.
Valitor (softly):
> "This... was where I hunted. Before I was chosen.
I didn't know destiny had eyes on me.
I just knew... I was surviving."
He turned to Jack.
Valitor:
> "So tell me, son…
Before the creation stone found you…
before Avia, before Airious...
Who were you?"
Jack's eyes narrowed. Not in defiance, but in the way memory narrows into focus when pain starts unboxing itself.
Jack:
> "I was... a peacekeeper.
The kind who lets himself be stepped on... just to avoid the sound of war."
He laughed bitterly.
Jack:
> "Smart. Kind. Quiet.
Always full of heart, but no one cared.
I knew there was greatness in me —
but every time I tried to show it…
someone called it 'arrogance' or 'delusion.'"
He walked slowly, leaves brushing his ankles midair.
Jack:
> "Because sometimes, when you shine too bright…
you don't illuminate others.
You blind them.
And I couldn't afford that.
Not in front of Lawrence.
Not in front of anyone."
Valitor nodded slowly, not interrupting once.
Jack (continued):
> "Then one day... I found it.
The creation stone.
Right when Bhine was about to consume me.
He whispered... 'Be the god you know you are.'
Said the world doesn't care about sacrifice,
only about the loud."
Valitor clenched his fists gently.
Jack:
> "But the stone...
The stone said otherwise.
It didn't push me to power.
It pulled out what I buried.
Told me: 'It's okay.'"
He lifted his palm.
Lightning sparked quietly, like it was listening.
Jack:
> "And then... Divine Lightning Affinity awakened.
And the Analysis Eyes.
Because I wasn't just a boy.
I was a storm with clarity."
Valitor stood up slowly and clapped, once, twice—thunderous and full of joy.
Valitor:
> "That's what I'm talking about...
Jack Sterling Oberempong.
Storm with Clarity.
You didn't become that.
You always were."
---
Jack laughed, embarrassed.
Valitor's praise hit like sunrise through thick rain.
Then Valitor's tone sharpened, just slightly.
Valitor:
> "Now tell me again, son…
Why is your Avia flickering?"
Jack chuckled awkwardly.
Jack:
> "It's... because I doubt it a little.
Because I—
I've been sympathizing with Devia.
Because of those students.
Because I get it... what they went through."
Valitor nodded thoughtfully.
Then he stepped forward, crossing his arms like a teacher catching a mistake he once made himself.
Valitor:
> "You said... Avia saw your storm.
It looked at all your clouds and said, 'I accept you.'
Right?"
Jack (nodding):
> "Right."
Valitor:
> "So why…
are you doubting something that didn't doubt you?"
Jack blinked.
He squinted—processing.
Paused.
Jack:
> "Wait… so you're saying Avia... it's upset?
It trusted me, but now... it feels like I'm questioning that trust?"
Valitor smiled and pointed like a professor dropping a final bar.
Valitor:
> "Exactly.
Avia is like a bond.
It's not just a power—it's a relationship.
It doesn't mind your cracks…
But it minds if you forget the why behind your strength."
Jack's eyes widened—like lightning was crawling behind them.
Jack:
> "Oh my gosh...
When I first got it, I understood it.
That storm inside of me,
the chaos that birthed clarity.
Avia loved that.
I didn't need to be pure.
I needed to be real."
His body trembled, but not from fear—from restoration.
Jack (continued):
> "But then I started thinking too much.
I got caught up in Devia, in their pain, in the philosophy.
And my focus drifted.
And Avia flickered…
Not because it was failing—
but because I was tuning out."
He looked at Valitor.
Jack:
> "You mad man of systems…
You really cracked the code."
Valitor smirked with a humble shrug.
Valitor:
> "I mean, hey…
Why do you think they call me The Greatest Champion?"
"The man who bled for truth and still grew flowers from it?"
Jack laughed.
Then — BOOM.
His aura ignited.
Lightning coiled around him, not violently, but elegantly.
A storm that remembered its reason.
His Analysis Eyes opened —
not flickering, but glowing—like a lighthouse staring down a hurricane.
Clarity wasn't found.
It was restored.
---
Jack turned to his father.
Jack (whispering):
> "Thank you."
Valitor placed a hand on his son's head.
Valitor:
> "No…
Thank you...
For remembering who you were—
so you can finally become who you are."