Where was he?
Who was he?
He looked at his surroundings and saw that the place was cold and minimalistic. He looked at the place he was sitting on, and to his confusion, it was a crib. Why was he in a crib? The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he looked at the source of the footsteps. It was a woman, one who was staring at him with a small smile.
She was a beautiful woman, with a face that looked like it was sculptured to perfection and eyes that held a warmth that made him happy for some reason. He didn't realise he was smiling at her until she mentioned it.
"Happy to see me, Val?" Val. Was that his name? Yes, his name was Val. The woman, his mother, he presumed, picked him up from his crib and held him close to her. "Come, let us walk. You have been staying here too often now, I fear."
They left the room, and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the place. The only word he could think of was beautiful. The place was futuristic and yet had a sort of artistic design that took his breath away. It seemed that just because they were technologically advanced didn't mean that it had to be cold and sterile.
"You always seem to be in awe of your surroundings, my son." He heard his mother say, and he turned to look at her and saw her smiling at him with a look of amusement.
He then began to feel memories returning to him, and it made him gasp silently in realisation. Val knew who he was. More specifically, he knew that he was the son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, the parents of Superman. And that's not all he remembered. Memories of a different life came to him, one where he was human from a planet called Earth.
He remembered reading and seeing multiple media of the hero known as Superman, his future brother. Val felt a moment of panic seize him as he came to the realisation that Krypton would explode. The feeling didn't last, though, as he squashed it down. It wasn't wise to panic when he still had time.
"Here we are," Lara said, and that's when the living room came into view. As his mother sat down on the couch. She lay him down on the couch and looked at him. "So serious. What is going on in that little head of yours?" she said.
Val didn't say anything. Well, he couldn't even if he wanted to. So, all he could do was stare at her. Her attention didn't stay on him long, as a hologram appeared near her. She waved her hand, and a voice came from the other side.
"Aunt Lara, it's me, Kara." A young blonde girl came into view, her eyes wide as she stared at his mother. "Hello, Kara. What can I do for you?" Lara asked, looking at the girl.
"I wanted to see, Val! It's been so long since I've seen him," Kara said.
"You saw him last week, Kara. Also, you have to focus on your classes since your exams are coming up," Lara said.
Kara groaned in frustration. "But it's so boring! I'm already doing well in my classes, and I finished studying for my exams. I just wish to see you and Uncle Jor-El," she said with a frown.
His mother sighed. "Fine, but you must ask your parents first."
"They already said I could!" Kara exclaimed in happiness. Lara nodded. "You can come now if you wish, but I must tell you that your uncle isn't here at the moment," Lara told his cousin.
"Alright." She nodded, and then the video call closed. His mother shook her head with a sigh and turned to him with a small smile. "It seems your cousin wants to see you," His mother said, and then went to pick him up.
She sat him on her lap and started to play with his arms. Val looked at her with a deadpan stare, not finding it amusing at all. His mother, on the other hand, seemed to find enjoyment in his looks and gave him a kiss on his chubby cheeks. "Your face looks so cute, Val," she said.
He glared at her, which only seemed to make her smile bigger.
[Later]
The sound of footsteps caught their attention, and Val looked over to the door. Entering was a young girl, six years old by the looks of it. She had blonde hair and blue eyes as bright as crystals. "I'm here!" Kara announced and quickly walked towards them.
She gave his mother a quick hug and then turned to look at him. "Hello, Val," Kara said, looking at him with a smile. "Can I hold him?" She turned to his mother and asked her. Lara nodded and handed him over to his cousin.
Said cousin held him tightly, as though she was afraid she would drop him. "You're so light. And fat." Val glared at her, which made her chuckle. "Sorry, I meant to say you are chubby." His glare didn't lessen at all.
"Are you always angry, baby cousin? Do you hate me?" Val ignored her and instead focused on his thoughts. 'She is annoying.' He thought and leaned back onto the girl. He was reborn in this world. A world that would die soon, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. In all honesty, he didn't know if he would ever have a brother. Or if he would even survive and make it to Earth.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't make plans. Suddenly, his train of thought was cut off as he felt a pair of strong hands grab him, lifting him. In front of him was a young man, around his late twenties, from what Val could guess, with jet black hair and sharp, yet intelligent blue eyes that seemed to bore into him with a feeling of pride and happiness. "Look at him, already in deep thought. Just like his father."
This must be Jor-El, Val realised. His father. The man seemed happy to see him, and the man brought him to his shoulder. "He's growing bigger by the day, isn't he Lara?" Jor-El asked his mother.
She nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, he's a big boy. Aren't you, Val?" She tickled his stomach, which made him laugh against his will. She continued to tickle him for a solid minute, his laughter echoing throughout the house.
"Alright, alright. Enough with that, can't you see the boy is about to pee himself, dear?" Jor-El said, moving him away from his wife. Val breathed out in relief, looking at his father in thanks. "I was just playing with him, dear," she said
"So what did you do today, Uncle Jor?" Kara asked, looking at the man. "Well, I had to report to the council on the current project. I can't say anything about, confidential as you know," Jor-El told her, sitting down on the couch.
"Aw," she grumbled, crossing her arms. Val once again tuned out the conversation around him. He didn't know what he was going to do. How can he survive this planet's destruction? He was just a baby, and even when he was older, he doubted that he would have enough influence to convince people that Krypton was dying.
His only solution would be to try and save his family.