LENIN

I watched proudly as Kassie ushered little Maro for his first baby steps.

It was a sight to behold, and I would have loved to see it again and again. Things like this made me wish time could stop altogether so I could take it all in.

Not every day do I get to watch my son take his first steps.

Maro began walking much earlier than other babies I knew about, which was not many. But you understand what I'm trying to say, don't you?

Kassie was proud to say that she was the reason Maro started walking much earlier than usual. After all, despite being a baby, Maro was a pretty intelligent baby.

If that meant something.

Not only that, Maro was able to string up a couple of phrases, but I was also utterly defeated when his first word was "Mummy."

Who am I kidding? That was expected to happen. It was clear that Maro had a favourite parent, Kassie, and it was perfectly understandable.

Who wouldn't choose Kassie in their right mind?

Yet again, I was defeated by my wife.

When would it be finally time to win over her just this once? Perhaps never.

While he was exploring his own two little legs, I couldn't help but notice something all too well.

He was attracted to Solum.

He always wanted to go there, and I could see why. That was precisely how I was when I was younger.

"Do you think that Maro. . . Is it ready?" Kassie stood beside us as we watched Maro walk around the cottage.

I sighed deeply, "He probably is, but do we want this for him?"

Kassie slid her arm into mine, looking at me with a warm glow. "He should be prepared," she said.

"You're right." I smiled.

She nodded, "I thought we already established that."

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Alright, don't get too cocky on me."

It would be only a matter of time before he would be ready to activate the Solum inside him. He would be prepared for something even more significant than himself.

I would be there every step of the way.

"We also have to consider what Plantea he'll be a part of."

Also, that was a more significant thing.

People who were born with Solum inside them also had something called Plantae.

Since your Solum was natural and not influenced by exterior influences, my powers came from a planet.

Only a lucky few could harness the power of a Plantea, but most would not be able to control it, and others wouldn't even know where to start.

I was one of them, and I had only scratched the surface of what I could honestly do.

But that was then, most already.

The Plantea would pick you.

So, it made me even more curious about what Plantea would pick from what I understood. Just like the types of Solum, there were types of Plantea.

Plantea Tenebris

Plantea Lumen

Plantea Ius

Plantea Leron

Plantea Deos

It was said that these Plantea were the things to which people like me would become accustomed.

The more solid connection you had with these Plantea, the more in tune you would be with the Solum within you.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

I swiftly shifted my head to the door as it appeared to be the sound of a knock. . . No one ever came here, and if they did, they wouldn't be knocking like that, as it was just an ordinary knock.

Kassie felt the same as I as I gestured to remain silent.

I approached the door slowly, thinking about who it could be. We rarely had visitors. My hands glowed, and Purpura Solum transferred all of it to my body and opened the door.

"Le-"

I looked at the guards who had appeared in my footsteps as I tilted my head, feigning ignorance.

"Sorry, but who are you?"

The guards exchanged looks, confused as to what they were expecting. "Excuse me, Sir, but we're looking for this man." They showed me a poster of a pretty damn good-looking man.

Oh, wait. . . That was just me.

I shook my head, "I've never seen this person before." I paused for a slight moment, "Sorry that I couldn't be of help."

"That's alright. If you spot him anywhere, please report to the Juvo Kingdom, " they answered before they left my humble estate.

When they had finally disappeared, Kassie came out from the shoulders, "So...Time to move?"

I sighed, looking over my shoulder, "Yeah, it's time."

I may have fooled the guards, but whatever they were here for, something told me that they would come back wanting a more proper answer.

"But before that, let's get Maro ready." I declared, "Besides, I think it's time we reunited with some people."

It was about time that I did.

It is a long time coming.

MARO

I had overheard conversations between my parents, but I could only catch a few words. But they were the most essential words to pick up on.

We would be moving away from the little cottage I had lived in all my life, which was only almost a year ago, but that didn't mean I wouldn't miss all the memories I had made here.

But why was I moving?

That is a whole other story I didn't know about, but whatever it was, it must have been severe.

My parents took me not far from the little cottage, but it was a place I had never been to before. The walls around us were filled with ancient letters that I could not comprehend.

I sat patiently on the sunken floor for whatever was coming next.

My mother gave me a parting kiss before leaving me alone with my father.

This would be a two-person team.

My father sat in front of me, gesturing to me to do the same as he took a deep breath.

He extended his hand right in front of my face as Purpura started to form, emitting a bright light throughout this process. My father gave me a reassuring smile that lifted whatever stress was on my mind.

"Alright, I know you can't understand me and that, Maro. But this is going to be all about you. You'll soon enough." He nodded as the Purpura light on his palm grew brighter until it shifted to utter darkness—until there was nothing but pitch black.

I rubbed my eyes slowly to see a desolate and barren planet.

It wasn't the planet that I was living on, and one thing was for sure: there was not a single life on this planet. . . So I thought.

In the far end, a glowing spark came closer and closer until it was right in front of me, hovering over me.

It was a female goddess, a Deus.

"Hello there, little one." An angelic yet soft voice boomed, alluring me in. If anything, I wouldn't have been surprised if she were the embodiment of beauty, grace and wisdom. This person right in front of me was someone to respect.

I couldn't help but look at the ground, unsure if I could even make eye contact with her.

"You are the first person ever to step foot, and I am honoured to lend you the powers of a Deus like myself." She bowed gracefully, but I could notice her shaking, not because she was nervous, but because this was her first time doing something like this.

She was inexperienced in this area.

She was not like the other Deuses.

The Deus slowly moved her hands in the air as Rubrum began to leak out of her body, which soon transferred into my little body.

The power, the strength, everything was coursing through my veins. It was an ethereal experience, something I had never felt before.

Until it was finally all gone.

I slowly looked up to see Deus' eyes widen as a gentle smile spread across her face. "Woah. . . You have an interesting but dark future ahead of you." She answered calmly, but I could see in her eyes that she wasn't expecting whatever she saw. "We're both in for something..." she muttered slowly.

What did she mean by that?

Also, the fact that the power of a Deus allowed them to see into the future was more than overpowered, but what did she have to do with me?

"You have a long journey. Stay safe." There was a gentle twinkle in her eyes as she nodded at me.

When I blinked again, she had already disappeared from my sight.

I blinked once more to see my father in front of me now.

"You're back." He smiled, scooping me from the ground. "You must be tired? Let's head back home."

It was a satisfying feeling, but one thing was for sure: I still had a question that I never got answered.

The Plantea I had been on was nothing compared to the other Plantea I had read about in the books, but maybe I was reading too much. After all, there was still a lot more about Vestiga that I was unsure about.

But for now, I will sleep on it.

A couple of days had passed after Maro's awakening of his Solum. 

It was still unbelievable to think he had awakened his Solum before turning one. The only person that I knew who had done that... Never mind that now. 

What was more interesting was that his process was much quicker than most. 

When I did it at the delicate age of 5, I had to hear Deus say some old stuff I couldn't think about.

It wasn't like he said anything special to me. 

Now, when I think about it, I don't know what he said about my prophecy. I listened to every five words he said.

But enough about that now; it was time to relax as I used the kettle to make some tea.

Could you even go wrong with drinking tea? I think not!

"Well, aren't you in a lovely mood?" Kassie smiled as she wrapped her arms around me.

I looked up to see that gentle, beautiful smile of hers, "You know, sort of a celebration for Maro being able to awaken him at such a damn early age." I let out a slight snicker. "But I didn't think we'd have to make him awaken though. . ."

As much as I loved that Maro could use Solum naturally, another part of me didn't want him to have that much power, as someone as young as him wasn't ready for that.

Kassie tapped my shoulder lightly, "We're raising him. Trust me, he'll be the best version of both of us."

That was enough to soothe my stress, and I smiled gently. "I mean, hey, he may have awakened early, but I'm pretty sure there's someone who practically awakened when she was born."

She looked a little smug as she shrugged her shoulders casually, "I have no idea who you're talking about."

I chuckled, rolling my eyes at her, "Trying to play the humble card, huh?"

She returned the laughter as she poked my cheek, "Of course, I play the humble card. Who else will lower your ego if I'm not there?"

I tapped my chin, "I suppose you have a point, but where's the fun in that?"

A slow but unsettling feeling grew in my stomach as we continued to be playful. I sensed something at the moment, and it was drawing closer.

"You feel that?" Kassie replied, even though she had begun to feel more than usual.

I nodded, "I do." 

I placed my hands together, emitting Purpura. "I'll see you in a couple of seconds."

Kassie smiled nodding

WHOOSH! 

Time had stopped altogether, and I could only use it for a few minutes until time resumed.

Exiting the cottage to see what was outside, I temporarily left my body and became part of the spiritual plane. Some of me didn't want to figure that out, but I had to.

We had visitors, and they weren't the kind of find.

Soldiers from the Juvo Kingdom had arrived on their horses, battle-ready and were right outside the cottage. It'd be a few more minutes until they officially came to mark their presence. 

WHOOSH!

"They're here." I declared

Kassie tilted her head. "That soon?"

I nodded, placing my hands on her face, "Take Maro, use the underground system. . . I'll alert the others that you'll be arriving; they'll be waiting for you."

"What about you?"

Now that was a great question to ask.