Loomian Legacy Veils of Shadow

Mother versus Son

For a fraction of a second, Thane weighed the options. He could refuse to take off the glasses and face more trouble and worry when his parents inevitably found out, or he could bite the bullet now and face whatever came next. Either way, this was a life-altering secret he had been keeping. It would have been impossible to hide it for the rest of his life. He could keep running from it, or face it now and deal with the "consequences." Thane's head shot to the side. The silver forms of his friends hadn't seemed to notice the predicament Thane was in. They were busy talking amongst themselves. Next, Thane looked down at his partner, Embit. Embit's flat and smooth face looked back up at him. Embit's pulse was quick.

Thane's head shot around the area, looking for an escape. He couldn't find one. With little to no choice that he could think of, his trembling hand slowly raised to the glasses. At this motion, Lucas finally noticed and stammered out something to the others. They turned and motioned wildly, trying to get Thane to stop. Thane ignored them and forced his hand to move. He ripped the glasses off before he could second-guess himself and steeled himself for whatever came next.

Lauren's hands shot up to her mouth and her eyes widened, not that Thane could tell, but Via was narrating. As for Noah, if Thane didn't know any better, he would have assumed his father was reactionless. Thanks to Via, though, he could tell that wasn't the case. His eyes were wide. Both of their pulses were quick and their hearts hammered in their chest. A bit of moisture was released into the air from their sweating skin.

"What happened?!" Lauren demanded, her voice shrill like a banshee. Thane took a step back and held his hand up, keeping his parents at bay, for now at least. His friends watched wordlessly, even Jake didn't know what to do. "Back in Sepharite, we ran into others like me." He said waving his fingers in front of his face. "Cybernetically enhanced. They took my sight, but Dr. Vanta in his own way, restored it with experimental technology and enhancements." Noah stared at his son in shock. "Vanta did this to you? But-" Thane cut him off. "Yeah, we raided his facility, destroyed his property, and took back the stone. He gave me the eyes before we knew he was a threat."

"Does it hurt?" Lauren asked suddenly, voice laced with understandable concern and discomfort. The metal that stared back at her sent cold shivers down her spine. "It always feels cold, but it doesn't hurt," Thane explained. He waved his hand in front of his face. "This is different, and it's a lot to explain." He started, trying to find the words. "In some ways, it's better than sight, even if it has its downsides." Noah crossed his arms. "Better how? What do you mean? What exactly do you see?" He asked.

Thane pondered his words before continuing. "I can see you. Well, I know you're there. It's more like color blindness. Really bad color blindness. I can see you, but I can't make out the fine details. Clothes, facial expressions, even your face. You're just a flat and smooth, featureless body. I get more details with living things or complex shapes." He turned and pointed to a large block across the street. "That's a building, right? Buildings don't have fine details for me to pick up. Can't see windows or doors." Thane cocked his head to the side. "Can't see any fine details either, words or colors. Everything is in silver, white, or dark."

Lauren shook her head. "How is that better? It sounds like a disability." Thane tapped the earbud in his ear and pulled out the small black case. "Vanta didn't just give me these eyes. He gave me this too. An AI assistant named Via, accessed through the earbud. She has a read-aloud feature and a translator, she can access my Loomiwatch, bypass and access technology, or scan Loomians or people. Gives me Loomipedia info at a glance, analyzes body language and general health, allows me to see a pulse quicken. It helps detect emotions. Allows me to see thermal energy and zoom in to see from long distances." Thane wasn't done yet and the more he spoke, the faster their hearts beat. "I know the more I say the more nervous you become, pulse is getting faster and I can see the moisture in the air from your sweat, and your muscles are twitching. Via says your pupils are dialing."

Lauren's legs buckled and she fell to the ground, only to be caught by Noah just in time. "You say this like it's no big deal." She said, her hands moving as she had no idea what to do with them. "But you kept this from us! This gift, or curse, or whatever it is." She looked up at him, and Thane was glad he couldn't see her face. "Why didn't you tell us?" Noah seemed to be thinking the same thing. Thane sighed, a sound that rattled his throat and bones. "I- I didn't want you to worry. You guys wanted me to come home, and it took a lot of convincing from Akio to let me go on." Another sigh escaped his throat. "In Sepharite, I got my third medal, got the third stone piece." He motioned to his friends. "More importantly, I met them. They all want to find the stones as much as I do. I trust them. They're my friends. I should have told you, and you both have every reason to be angry." Thane waved a hand in front of his face. "But I'm using the advantages from a bad situation to find the rest of the stones. I'm not going to stop."

Thane bent down and Embit jumped onto his outstretched arm. "Please, let me just show you how much stronger Embit and I have gotten, without the abilities." He said, challenging his mother. He didn't let her get another word in. He turned and took confident strides to his side of the battlefield. "Thane," Via stated as he walked. "The being giving off that signature is gone, but I figured out what it is. It poses no threat." Thane nodded. "Got it. Tell me about it later." Thane said as he plucked the earbud out of his ear and slipped it into the case to charge.

When he reached the end of the field, he turned and was surprised to see that his mother had agreed. Wresolen was already out and ready to fight. No Via to rely on. No Loomipedia or scanning. Just pure instinct and trust with Embit. That had to be enough.

"Fire Breath!" Thane commanded as he threw his arm out, and Embit leaped onto the field. As soon as Embit landed, a stream of fire exploded from his mouth, bathing Wresolen in an orange glow. Wresolen let out a cry of pain from the sudden attack. "Wresolen, use Bulk Up and Frost Punch!" Lauren commanded. An orange glow coated Wresolen as his fur was singed. Then, ice coated his arms and hands. With two strikes, fire and ice met, evaporating both elements into a cloud of thick mist. "Electro Punch!" From the thick mist, yellow sparks flew. Then, a charging silver Wresolen emerged.

It was fast, and it was nearly on top of Embit in no time. "Jump and use Ear Slap!" Like a rocket, Embit's powerful legs shot him high into the air. Twirling in mid-air, Embit's ears shot down like silver whips. They wrapped around Wresolen's electrified arm. With a grunt of effort and with the help of gravity, Embit knocked Wresolen off balance and slammed him into the ground. "Fire Breath!" As gravity caused Embit to fall, he let out another stream of fire. Wresolen was caught in a storm of flames that only grew stronger as Embit came down. "Go into Hop Kick!" Thane commanded. Lauren's voice roared across the field. "Rogue Assault!"

With the help of gravity, Embit came down on Wresolen like a bullet. Even as the larger Loomian countered with a powerful fist, damage from the kick and recoil from his attack sent splinters of pain shooting up his arm. "Grab him!" Lauren commanded. While the two Loomians were still locked in a physical stalemate, Wresolen's hand shot out, catching Embit off guard. A giant hand squeezed Embit's tiny body. Then, Wresolen threw Embit across the field and into the battlefield with a hard and brutal crack. "Embit!"

Finally, Wresolen could get up. "Bulk Up!" Lauren ordered, and an orange glow covered Wresolen, making him even stronger. "Fire Slam!" Thane ordered once he confirmed Embit was fine. Just as Wresolen finished powering up, Embit slammed into his face, cracking his nose. Using the momentum, Embit jumped back as a burn took hold over Wresolen. "Yes!" Thane cheered. "Keep up the pressure with-" Lauren cut him off. "Driving Force!" She commanded. In an instant, Wresolen was right in front of him, and with a single hand, Embit flew back with cracked ribs.

"Embit!" Thane cried out in worry as his partner struggled to stand. "Can you keep fighting?" He asked and Embit nodded. "Okay, use Fire Breath again!" A river of fire ignited within Embit's stomach and exploded from his mouth. For the third time today, Wresolen was surrounded by painfully unforgiving flames. He was getting tired of it, though he did admit that the small rabbit and his small trainer put up a good fight. "Rogue Assault!" But now, he had to end it.

Eager to escape the fire, Wresolen blasted across the battlefield, right in front of Embit where the flames burned the hottest. With a single punch, Wresolen slammed Embit into the ground, cracking the pavement.

With that one swift movement, the battle was over. Thane and Embit had put up a good fight, but experience trumped the skill they had. Lauren did not need to hand-hold anymore. Truth be told, after Thane had dropped a sudden revelation like that, she took some pleasure in beating her son and his small rabbit. She narrowed her eyes. Still, they had to have a deeper conversation about those silver eyes.