It has been two years since Vilyam was born and two years since his mother Zasha passed away.
Deon had buried her body beneath a large tree that he explained was called an Uneti tree, a tree that is as beautiful as it is rare.
Every so often Deon would take Vilyam to the tree and talk to the tree as if he was conversing with Zasha herself, all while holding the toddling Vilyam in his arms.
Even though Vilyam wasn't fully comprehending the situation unfolding around him, a peculiar and almost overwhelming fascination captivated him, specifically focused on the tree.
It was as if the tree was emitting a beautiful, ethereal song carried on the breeze, and Vilyam listened intently, his eyes sparkling with wonder.
This was also the moment he first realized that the sky above wasn't just a simple expanse; it was actually adorned with not only two moons as well as beautiful constellations, nebulae, and loose gas clouds, but also the occasional roaming point of light that could only be identified as spaceships.
Vilyam's tiny blue eyes sparkled as a cargo freighter passed by overhead, its engines letting off a high pitched whine as it ascended into the atmosphere and off-planet.
"Dad lookit... It's flying!" Vilyam began to act more and more like a toddler as his memory of the previous world seemed to fade the longer he was here.
While the initial experience was undoubtedly disheartening, the memory of his former family and the countless cherished moments he shared with them eventually faded. At some point however, he found himself genuinely and thoroughly enjoying the new life he was building for himself.
Deon lightly pinched Vilyam's cheeks and chuckled warmly, "Yes, there are many flying ships, this is mostly a farm planet after all!"
He carefully carried the young toddler back inside the house.
Five years passed, and Vilyam was finally able to join his father on the family farm, a modest yet lush patch of land that had never failed to produce.
Aola, the midwife known for her distinctive blue skin and the twin tails she wore on her head, started visiting the Rax house more and more frequently.
Eventually, she and Deon reached a point where they decided to make their relationship official and began sharing the house as a couple.
Following a period marked by awkwardness, they gradually started living together as a cohesive family unit, rather than remaining fragmented by the loss they had experienced.
Vilyam was at the farm, working the fields with a ho, his tiny hands already calloused from the work.
However soon he struck something hard.
He brushed the dirt aside and revealed a rather large stone just under the surface, a large scuff mark on the top where he struck it.
Vilyam tried to pull it out, but the stone was larger than it appeared on the surface, and with his meager physical strength, he was unable to so much as budge it.
"NNNGGHH c'mon..."
He strained and struggled as much as possible but the stone remained steadfast and unmoving.
He roared with furious intensity, his voice echoing around the area before he finally let go.
His sapphire blue eyes remained fixed on the stone, staring at it with an expression of intense hatred, as if it were a personal enemy.
Vilyam sat down in front of the stone and pondered on how to remove it, but when nothing came to mind, he began furiously chopping the ground around it with the ho.
The stone began to reveal itself to be a small misshapen boulder.
Vilyam wedged the hoe between the boulder and the soil below and tried to wedge it free using leverage, but even this was not enough, and when the hoe snapped, so did he.
"AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!"
He let out a primal roar, and slammed the two halves of the broken farming tool into the dirt before thrusting his open hands out as if he was attempting to use the force, minutes passed like this but nothing changed.
He was so completely engrossed in examining the boulder that he completely failed to notice the very slight shaking of the grains of dirt around it.
After a while, he finally decided to give up on his task and instead picked up the broken hoe he had been using, then started walking back towards his house, which was located in the distance.
"My dad is going to be so mad that I broke it..."
He slowly made his way towards the front entrance, his head held low as he walked, pausing briefly as he reached out to grasp the door handle.
He let out a long, drawn-out sigh before finally opening the door, the cool air rushing in and whipping against his skin, and a distinct smell of something that strongly resembled lavender drifted through his nostrils.
The scent itself was a relatively recent development, actually; it was something his stepmom, Aola, had added along with a general effort to beautify the entire house.
William carefully made his way through the hallways, navigating between the vibrant purple and lush green ferns that lined the walls.
He eventually entered the spacious living room, where he found Deon comfortably resting on the couch, and the enticing aroma of something delicious was wafting in from the nearby kitchen.
Vilyam walked up to his father while holding the broken hoe in both hands before approaching his father Deon.
"Hey dad..."
Deon's eyes opened, his pale blue eyes meeting Vilyam's Sapphire blue eyes before he noticed the broken tool in his hands.
"Vilyam ... What happened? Why is the tool broken?" Deon sat up and began looking at William with a look of fatherly love and mild anger at the loss of one of their few remaining farming tools.
"I... I was trying to remove a big rock from the ground, but it broke... I'm sorry dad!"
Deon let out a sigh before sitting up, the physical exhaustion on his face apparent for Vilyam to see.
I wish I could do more to lift his burden, Vilyam thought as he twiddled his thumbs nervously awaiting his father's response.
Deon chuckled seeing Vilyam's nervous expression.
"Hey, after we finish eating, I'm going to take you down into town with me. We can pick up some more stuff there, it's been a long time coming, anyway!" Deon ruffled Vilyam's black hair with a quick pat, then started heading towards the kitchen, clearly feeling like he needed more than just a meal.
Vilyam could hear kissing sounds followed by the distinct sound of Aola giggling.
Five minutes later, they both emerged from the kitchen.
Deon, his father, carried himself with a clear expression of pride and satisfaction, while Aola's skin had a noticeable purple flush as they both carried plates piled high with what looked absolutely delicious food.
The air was thick with the aroma of the fresh produce they had grown themselves, mingling with the hearty scent of large portions of mud yak flank steak.
Alongside the meat were generous servings of mashed potatoes, accompanied by greens that resembled a mix between lettuce and cabbage, and finally, sliced loaves of bread.
Vilyam approached Aola and helped relieve her of the heaviest plates, and together they set the table.
Aola thanked Vilyam with a warm smile before reaching out for both of their hands, and closing her eyes which the other two did as well.
"Sei Beera, jinqa imhalyan kukae..."
Her words seemed to reverberate throughout the room either through accoustics or some other unknown means.
Deon and Vilyam repeated the words simultaneously.
"Sei Beera, jinqa imhalyan kukae..."
"Sei Beera, jinqa imhalyan kukae..."
They quickly settled down to a substantial family meal, which proved to be quite satisfying for everyone involved.
To complement the meal, they accompanied it with a glass of Endrolian ground-apple juice and a cup of Sapir tea.
Vilyam, Deon and Aola sat back in the chairs around the table with looks of perfect satiety on their faces.
They spent about a half hour just chatting about the farm and other family things when Deon stood up.
"Alright let's head to town, the road is long so we will take the landspeeder!"
Vilyam shot up excitedly, his sapphire blue eyes sparkling in the light of the sun coming through the window.
"Oh my God, I finally get to ride in the landspeeder!"
His thoughts were quite clearly displayed on his face, prompting Deon to chuckle in response.
Immediately following this, Deon swiftly grabbed up his favorite jacket and then gave a head gesture, indicating to Vilyam that he should follow him.
Vilyam reached for his own ribbed bantha leather jacket, then promptly followed closely on Deon's heels.
He took a quick glance over at Deon's jacket and noticed the faded sigil of the Republic Navy emblazoned on the left shoulder.
This sight made him immediately wonder if his father had been a pilot.
The back door slid open with a soft hiss, and a breath of warm air rolled in from the garage, carrying with it the scent of machine oil and sun-warmed metal.
Deon stepped in first, motioning for Vilyam to follow.
The garage itself was modest, but the centerpiece resting within it drew the eye immediately.
An aged landspeeder sat low to the ground, its once-bright paint dulled into a matte, weathered finish.
Faint scratches traced along its sides like old battle scars, but every panel was clean, every seam tight.
It wasn't new.
But it was loved.
Vilyam's eyes lit up as if someone had ignited twin stars behind them.
"Whoa…"
He stepped closer, almost reverently, as if approaching some sacred relic.
Deon chuckled under his breath and walked up to the driver's side.
He placed his thumb against a small, embedded scanner near the door.
A soft beep answered him.
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then...
A low hum awakened beneath the chassis.
Panels flickered faintly as dormant systems stirred, and a soft blue glow pulsed along the undercarriage.
"Security measure," Deon said casually.
"Keeps honest folk honest… and slows down the rest."
The hum deepened.
Then the landspeeder lifted.
Not violently.
Not abruptly.
It rose like a breath being drawn, smooth and controlled, hovering just above the ground as unseen forces took hold.
The air beneath it shimmered faintly, distorting the light like heat over stone.
Vilyam tilted his head, squinting.
A high-pitched whine threaded through the air, steady and alive, like the machine itself had found its voice again after a long silence.
"How does it even..."
Deon smirked. "You'll learn one day."
He gestured to the passenger seat. "Go on. Strap in."
Vilyam didn't need to be told twice.
He climbed in quickly, fingers fumbling only slightly as he pulled the restraint across his chest.
The material tightened with a soft click, adjusting snugly against him.
Secure.
Deon gave him a quick once-over, eyes scanning like a checklist.
Satisfied.
He slid into the driver's seat and pulled his own restraint into place.
Another click.
"Alright…" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
With a gentle shift of his hand, the landspeeder began to move.
It glided forward slowly, easing out of the garage with careful precision.
The light outside spilled across the windshield, washing the interior in gold.
The moment they cleared the threshold, the world seemed to open up.
Endless stretches of farmland rolled out before them, painted in shades of deep green and soft amber.
Trees clustered in the distance like islands in a vast sea.
They drifted toward the dirt road that connected their home to the wider world.
The speeder paused for just a heartbeat as it aligned itself.
Deon glanced sideways.
"Hold on tight."
Vilyam blinked. "Wha..."
The engine's whine spiked.
And then...
They surged forward.
The acceleration slammed Vilyam back into his seat, his small body pressed firmly against the headrest as the world outside transformed into a rushing blur.
Fields stretched and smeared into streaks of green.
Trees whipped past in rapid succession, their forms bending into elongated shadows.
The road vanished beneath them, swallowed by speed.
Vilyam's eyes went wide, his breath catching somewhere between shock and exhilaration.
It felt like flying.
No...
It felt like being launched.
The air itself seemed to part before them as the landspeeder cut through it, the high-pitched whine now a sharp, constant note that sang in his ears.
Below and around them, the farmland flowed like a living ocean, waves of grass and forest rolling endlessly toward the horizon.
Vilyam gripped the sides of his seat, heart pounding wildly in his chest.
And then...
Slowly…
A grin began to spread across his face.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Just pure, unfiltered excitement.
"Again!" he shouted over the rising whine, laughter breaking through his voice.
Deon let out a short, surprised laugh of his own, shaking his head.
"Let's survive the first ride, yeah?"
But despite his words…
The corners of his mouth lifted.