Surya woke up sluggishly to the sight of his bedroom and blinked confusedly.

He didn’t remember walking home. He tried to remember what happened before he fell asleep and all he could recall was bone-deep exhaustion that was still gripping him. He did remember a gentle voice telling him stories about his mom, but he was almost sure that it was just a dream.

Aenzel wasn’t real.

Except—

Surya reached for his jacket that someone—probably Layla or Jamie—hung there and shoved his hand into its inner pocket. His heart leaped inside his chest as his fingers felt a small object there. His eyes widened as he pulled it out and recognized its shape—it was the photo thingy that Aenzel gave him!

He looked around to make sure that the room was empty, before he turned it on. His mother’s face popped out of it and stared back at him.

It wasn’t a dream. Aenzel was real—everything they said was real.

Surya pinched his cheek just to check that he wasn’t dreaming. He wasn’t.

Ecstatic, Surya buried his face in his pillow and screamed. It was real, everything was real, and Aenzel’s story was real. He remembered now—he came home tired after walking down the rock formation beyond the town and went to bed right after he was done showering.

Surya turned off the photo thingy and slipped it back into his jacket.

It was Sunday and it was sunny outside. He hoped that Aenzel’s ship was still in that ravine; he wanted to thank them for walking him home and giving him a picture of his mom, among other things. After changing his pajamas into his shirt and pants, Surya grabbed his jacket and scarf before carefully walking out of the room.

Layla wasn’t home—probably at the community center—but Jamie was. So Surya ate his breakfast hurriedly and told her that he was going to the library. He was still putting his jacket on when he went out of the door and saw air seemed to shimmer beyond the gate.

Surya blinked.

Why was Aenzel at the town?

Vaguely, Surya could see Aenzel’s shape wavering—no, not wavering. They were waving at him. His instinct told him it would be okay, so he followed Aenzel, keeping a few steps behind them in case they suddenly stopped.

Aenzel took him beyond the town, where a dilapidated shack stood. Away from prying eyes of the townsfolk, Aenzel turned off their invisible cloak and sat down with a heavy sigh. Their hand gingerly touched their side, which Surya remembered had been hurting the day before.

“Are you okay?” Surya asked them, worried.

“I’ll be fine”, Aenzel answered. “When you’re as old as me, injuries are very stubborn and take a long time to heal, even with the help of regenerators.”

“You’re not that old”, Surya said. Sure, Aenzel looked older than his dad, but he didn’t seem older than the town’s mayor, Mr. Smith. Much to his surprise, this made Aenzel laugh.

“You don’t know how old I am”, they said. “Granted, I’m not the oldest Vaidesse that ever lived. But I amrather old, according to our species’ lifespan.”

“Well… How old are you?” Surya asked, curious.

“Close to six hundred, give or take”, Aenzel answered. Surya’s eyes widened.

“Wow! You areold!” he blurted out, before he realized that it was pretty rude. Blushing, Surya muttered, “Sorry…”

“It’s alright”, Aenzel smiled. “You can’t even begin to imagine how long our species live. A human’s life is so short compared to ours.”

“Am I going to live as long as you?” Surya asked. Would he outlive everyone he knew? Jamie and Layla, even Nina and Mattie…

“I do not know”, Aenzel admitted. “Hybrids generally live longer than their Non-Vaidessian part, but not as long as full-blooded Vaidesse. To my understanding, you are the first Human-Vaidesse hybrid. There are none before you, so I can’t say for sure.”

Surya sat down next to Aenzel and frowned. Aenzel sighed again and ruffled Surya’s hair. It made Surya’s mood better almost instantly—he always liked to have his hair ruffled.

“It seems that you are more Vaidessian-like than I thought”, Aenzel said with a smile. Surya looked at them, confused. “Yes, like that. You look like a cub.”

“A… cub?” Surya asked.

“It’s what we call Vaidessian children”, Aenzel answered. “Cubs usually love to have their crests scritched.”

“Crest?” Surya asked again. He realized that he didn’t know much about being Vaidesse—aside from what Aenzel just told him.

Aenzel pointed at the horn-like bump on the top of their head. “It’s called sagittal crest. All Vaidesse, and occasionally hybrids, have them.”

Surya reached out to touch Aenzel’s crest, but Aenzel quickly grabbed his hand. “It’s also very sensitive to touch, and it is considered rude to touch it without permission.”

“Sorry…” Surya pulled his hand back and smiled sheepishly. “But—wait! You’re always ruffling my hair without my permission!”

Aenzel looked taken aback; their ears fluffed up in surprise and eyes widening. “It’s… ah—” Their ears pinned back. “It’s… fine… for parents. To touch their cub’s crest.”

Surya tilted his head. “But… I’m not your cub?”

Aenzel mimicked his head-tilt and their ears fluffed up again. They were embarrassed, Surya realized with a surprise.

“Aelva is… very dear to me”, Aenzel explained. “Vaidesse as a species have very strong sense of family. So strong that we are bound by mental links to those we consider family, which is Aelva to me. As her son, you and I are also connected.” They also quickly added. “Next time I will ask, if it bothers you so much.”

“Oh…” Surya mumbled. “So you’re like my uncle?”

Aenzel smiled. “I guess so.”

Surya looked down again. “If… If family is really important to a Vaidesse, w-why… why did my mom left? Unless she’s…”

“Surya…” Aenzel murmured. Their ears drooped again.

“R-right? If she really cared about me, she wouldn’t have left”, Surya said, his voice wavering.

“It’s not that simple. She left because Vestra has to believe that there is nothing worthy of her attention on Earth”, Aenzel said. “She left so she could protect both your father and you.”

This was like Dad all over again, Surya realized glumly. People said his dad was brave, but what was left of him was a body in a casket and a flag. People said his dad was a hero, but he left his son to live with four strangers and tons of unanswered questions.

And now Aenzel said that his mom left him to protect him and his dad?

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Surya screamed and kicked the ground. “It doesn’t make any sense! If she wants to protect me and, and protect Dad, where was she when… when that building was on fire and Dad was—Dad was…”

Surya didn’t want to cry, not over someone who he never met before. But he was angry, and when he was angry, his tears started to come out on their own—he hated it.

“I’m sure your mother never intended for your father to perish”, Aenzel said. “Or that she would inadvertently leave you alone. By leaving Earth, she made a hard decision to keep the Hegemony away from Earth… and from you.”

“S’ not fair…” Surya choked into his sleeve.

Aenzel looked sad. “War is never fair.”

Aenzel helped him wipe his tears away. Once done, Surya felt drained, like he always did when talking about his mother.

Sometimes Surya wondered if it would be better to know about his mom more than he already did. His mom sounded like a very tough soldier, or a superspy. It was hard to imagine her being kind and caring—like a mother would. Like Layla would.

“I know what will make you feel better”, Aenzel said all of a sudden. Surya wiped his face one last time before looking up to Aenzel, head tilted in confusion. “How does flying around your solar system on my ship sound like?”

Surya eyes widened.