A/N: The chapter ahead is raw, which means not been proofread yet nor edited.1
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"...I am the beholder of her hopes, values, and faith. Children are generous, so am I. Children don't lie, so am I. Children keep secrets, and I have lots---"
Golden Azarese's voice slowly tuned down. Her face looked so confuse as she looked at each of them.
Her eyes then squinted at them, but when she caught Skadi Eira's figure by the door, as confused as she is, both their eyes widened. The Earthlings followed where she was looking and were shock to see His Equal, too.
His Equal's skirt ruffled and Solana barely showed herself to them, hugging her mother's leg.
Ohms Xirquit gasped for his breath that tries to escape his lungs. He grabbed his brother's hand. His breathing whistles. What's happening to him distracted everyone and his mother was the first one to run to his aid.
"M-My... Mom..." He called between his hellish struggle.
"What's wrong!? What's happening to Ohms!?" Franchetti Xerene panicked and rubbed her son's chest with her hand.
The Earthlings stepped aside to give them space. They opened the windows for ventilation. Voltage Xirquit went to get a towel and a basin of water when Ohms's nose began to bleed uncontrollably. Then he began vomiting blood. Red turning to black.
"OHMS!"
Solana hid behind her mother, horrified about yet another terrifying event that's happening before her innocent presence.
Watts came back from his office with an oxygen tank. Franchetti Xerene pulled out a stethoscope from her space storage and listened to her son's heartbeat. His body just burned up. A fever so high and hot.
"What the hell is going on, Ohms!? What's happening to you!?" She cried out loud and cupped her son's face.
"I-I'm fine---" He couldn't finish his words when he fainted. He woke up again and vomited more blood with thick clots.
"Stupid boy! What did you do!"
Elektra, not knowing what to do, ran upstairs. When she came back, she got lots of towels in her hands. She threw some to Spike before going down to her knees to wipe the blood on the floor. She's scrubbing the floor so hard like she's trying to clean up after committing murder.
"Ah!" Franchetti Xerene gazed at her hand. When she touched her son's skin, he was so hot that it burnt her. The couch, too, is. Ohms Xirquit looked so pale and bloody.
"W-What is happening to my son...?" Her eyes became teary and touched him again gently. They heard sizzles as her flesh get burned by his heat.
Ohms opened his eyes weakly. The sight of everything was blurry to him, but it adjusted to clear when he recognized the form of his always-loving mother.
Golden Azarese smiled at Skadi Eira and stretched out her hand to her, "Come, my friend. Don't just stand there."
There were slight changes in her face, but it remained tensed. His Equal's eyes glistened from the tears welling in them. Solana let her go so she could run to her friend. She stopped when she made it right in front of her.
"You're not her."
Golden Azarese nodded with a smile and clung onto her arm. She rest her head on His Equal's shoulder, "You're wrong. I am her."
The she brought her to where Ohms is, "Cool him down. It's nice that you're here. After that, we will play with your daughter."
Skadi Eira scrunched her nose, "Why would I do that?"
"Because a friend always helps a friend," Golden Azarese reasoned with a smile.
His Equal scrunched her nose harder until her eyes squinted.
But since she asked her to, she did it. She only cooled him down, decreasing his temperature to a normal fever. His vomiting stopped.
Voltage cleaned his son's face with the wet towel. Ohms is now completely unconscious.
"Let's move him to my room," Watts said, so Voltage carried his son upstairs. Watts followed, but he excused himself to Golden Azarese first before doing so. Elektra and Spike are still cleaning the floor, and Matthew helped them just because he saw them doing it.
Franchetti Xerene stand up and faced His Equal. With humility and respect, she bowed before her and paid her appreciation to her, "Thank you." Few words but it carried everything she meant to say to her.
"Meh. Whatever." His Equal rolled her eyes.
Franchetti Xerene then left to see her son herself and aid to him.
Voltage Xirquit gently pushes Ohms's torso up so his mother could undress him. Now, he's caught. His tattoos are now seen, they are now known. Her tears fell and she lightly hit her son's chest. Her name 'Aloisia' was placed on his skin vertically, where beneath it lies his heart. Even on his wrists where his heart pulses, her name was beautifully etched on.
"Stupid. Idiot. Tattoos are fucking cool," Franchetti Xerene cried and punched her son's chest lightly once again.
Her son, her children, will always be clean in her eyes no matter how dirty they've become and no matter how dirty the things they did.
Watts put his clothes down on the bed, "He's much bigger, but these are the only oversized clothes that I have,"
Franchetti Xerene wiped her tears away and composed herself. She smiled at her youngest and cupped his face with one hand.
"Thank you. Thank you, my love---"
Until it returned to her. Only to her among the Earthlings. What happened truly before this. The sin of her children.
Her husband and son watched him act so strangely. She was crawling back until she's not on the bed anymore. They couldn't explain the way she looks at Ohms. Her eyes betrayed her by pushing her tears out. She left without looking back while covering her mouth. She stormed out of the room and left the place, leaving everyone speechless and concerned.
Skadi Eira looked away from the door Franchetti Xerene shut and pretended to not know anything. She looked at Solana who's now playing with Golden Azarese and Matthew happily.
What if she will never know what it's like to be a mother? She wished she was never curious about it.
.
.
.
Voltage Xirquit dropped the book he's reading down to his lap when he noticed Ohms is gaining consciousness. He's stable but he still have fever.
"Mom..." Is the first person he looked for.
"I'm here," his Dad made known. Ohms gave him a short glance, sharp.
"I want Mom."
'Is the Dad not loved in this family anymore?' Voltage told to himself and sighed. Everyone is a Mommy's Boy.
But if Elektra heard his thoughts, she'd prolly announce, "Me! I'm a Daddy's Girl!"
"I'll find her."
He left the room and went downstairs. Everyone is playing but their minds were occupied by many things.
"Is he awake?" Watts asked. His cute son is wearing a onesie. How cute.
He walked to his son to pinch his cheek, "Yes. I will go look for your Mommy. He needs her."
"Garden," Skadi Eira lowly said while playing the claw machine. It's a hint and Voltage Xirquit thanked her.
He made his search quick so they could return sooner. He found his wife in the garden, standing alone in the middle of the sea of flowers.
"Ohms is awake. He's looking for you."
"I don't want to see him."
Her quick response told him there's something wrong. His wife is mad to Ohms and he doesn't know why. Out of the blue? That's so not her. There must be a reason.
He stood beside her, close enough for their shoulders to touch.
"Tell me."
Franchetti Xerene heaved a deep breath. Her eyes were red, fresh from crying.
"He did something unforgivable with Lorreign. They slept together."
The strength of his knees weakened. He almost fell over had he not balanced and got himself together just in time.
"I'm guessing he brought back time to when we're just about to find out. But it went back to me. His Equal...doesn't seem to be affected by it and only returned to the time she's already inside the penthouse. Golden Azarese must've noticed, too. My children... To do this to me... To u-us..."
Voltage Xirquit was in loss of words. He's in a state of shock, and he didn't want to believe it. Lorreign is not a stranger to him. He never treated her and Selene as some stranger. He's even willing to take them in as his own. He's willing to give them his name, his love, and be the father their fathers never were. But King LIFE took his responsibility with Selene and unexpectedly, he treats her well. But Lorreign, she was left alone. He didn't stepped in as a father, but as an Uncle. Because he realized that he mustn't replace King Liorei as her father, that even though King Liorei is dead, they have stories to tell her about him. Her Uncles became her fathers and she got lots of them. Max, Paris, Yohanne, to name some... And King LIFE.
Not having her real father must be a reason why she became like 'that'. A freak, they say. Always going to parties and clubs, safe hookups and safe sex. Sometimes she date three boyfriends at the same time and those boys didn't mind. For Lorreign, she's only living her best life. Taking all her privilege and luxuries for granted. But for them, she's ruining her life and herself.
Her Uncles were somebody's fathers, too, that's why they will not always be available for her. Selene has King LIFE, and King LIFE will take her to their family outings. She's doing well with her mother and Voltage Xirquit, but when Ohms happened, she was left alone.
She would go to houses and though she was warmly welcomed, she felt out of place, that she's being a bother, so she will just leave and spend her time going shopping, visiting other cities and countries, and the like.
And maybe her loneliness is what drove her to challenge and seduce her brother who had everything. And because he can easily have anything he wanted, Ohms seek for things with thrill, something with a 'spark', so he accepted his sister's challenge.
"He's...sick. Just this once."
Voltage Xirquit intertwined their hands together. His wife gave him a look of disbelief, then wiped her tears while shaking her head.
They returned together. The people inside pretended to not see them and went on with their business. Only Franchetti Xerene went inside the room. She stood by the door and couldn't bring herself to go closer to her son.
"Mom, come. Can you ruffle my hair like you used to?"
Franchetti Xerene hold her tears back. Then she wore a smile and nodded.
"S-Sure. My b-boy...is sick."
She walked to him and joined him on the bed. She sat and rest her back on the headboard. Ohms crawled her laid his head on her lap, his arm wrapped around her legs, hugging her. She placed her hand on his head, gently playing his hair.
Ohms closed his eyes and softly whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom..."
Franchetti Xerene looked up and faked a laugh, "Why are you s-sorry for? What did you d-do?"
Ohms kept his silence for a moment.
"I'm bad. There was a girl... I once liked a woman so bad. Beautiful and fearless...and amazing. Like you. You know, I dated many girls, but it was different when it's her. We're a match. Very compatible. And it got to me one day, told to myself, that I want her. That she's the woman for me. That I'd take the risk and do it. That I will shoulder the hell we will meet once we introduced the 'us' to everyone. But she ruined me. Rejected me. She refused. She didn't want to be my bride. She's the first one I'm willing to take the riskiest risk for, and she left me."
Franchetti Xerene closed her eyes tight. She wiped the tears that escaped from them quickly before they fall on his head.
"I understand. I get it. We can't be together. But the forbidden relationship we had, though the after taste is bitter, before it was sweet. We clicked. We're a match. I liked her. She's like you and I'm like Dad. I'm great and she can match my greatness. Don't you think we're meant to be together?"
'You're nothing like Volt,' she wanted to tell him, but couldn't.
"I really...saw myself with a family like ours with her, Mom. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mom. Please... It's over now. It's over. I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry but loved Lorreign."
A tear fell from his eye. Though she tried, she couldn't hold her sobs back anymore. Ohms listened to his mother's cries and it squeezes his heart every time she will sob. Every second of it was hell for him. He hate himself. He hate himself for being the things his Mom never taught him to be.
"I'm sorry for being a coward. I didn't want you to find out about it that way, so I tried. Believe me, I didn't want to keep it this long. But I was scared that you will not care for me anymore once you find out. We ended it. Please don't disown me. I love you, Mom. So please... Just forgive me. "
Her grip on his hair tightened. She wanted to hurt him, but nothing good will come from doing so. It happened. It's over. She must accept it.
"Do you still...have feelings for her?"
Ohms slightly opened his eyes. Sure, he still look at her during gatherings. Stolen glances of her and she never looked his way. They greet each other and that's it. Nothing but formalities and casual greetings.
"Someday, we will cross our paths and I will never look back. I will never look her way...ever again."
When Voltage entered the room with a light meal for his son, he's back to sleep again with his mother. He's holding onto her; his lifeline that she is. And she's holding him back, so accepting and loving. His wife's love for her children is truly unconditional.
He stepped back and closed the door. He went down and gave the food instead to Matthew, which he shared with his new found friends: Solana and Golden Azarese.
"Hmm! Dewishus!" Solana grinned and thanked Voltage Xirquit.
He smiled down on her and bent over to pat her head.
"Eat well so you will grow well."
"Yes! I will grow very pretty like my sister Lorreign!"
The mention of her name wiped the smile on his lips. Duke Paris noticed it. Chancellor Titania saw it. Prince Maxigaufeas and Lord Thirdy, too, but they chose to be patient. They will tell them about it.
"Come here, Eggo," called Skadi Eira, sitting on her cloud.
Solana went to her with a smile. His Equal placed her pointing finger on her forehead.
"You don't know her. You never knew her. Her father, too. I trusted the wrong people."
A light went inside Solana's head. It came from His Equal's fingertip. The light washed away the memories she had with Princess Lorreign and King Liorei. It overwrote everything she knew about them with fake memories of her with her mother and... Azarese.
"Why would you do that?" asked Golden Azarese.
"A mother protects her child." Is what she replied before leaving to play with the other machine.
Solana flounced back beside Matthew and ate the meal Voltage Xirquit cooked. And as she eat, a trail of cold tear ran down her cheek.