SKYE’S KINGDOM: ORIGIN - CHAPTER 4: THE LONG AWAITED MEET

Within the blink of an eye, I had arrived at Tanah sihir. I expected to enter the exact same way my mother had when she first arrived, however, that was not the case. Instead, I strangely ended up inside what appeared to be a large ancient library. There were books covering the walls as well as the rows of tall bookcases around the room. Tables were even spread out, for the students when they needed to study no doubt. What surprised me the most was that there were no people around, I was all alone in the room.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is there anyone here? I mean you no harm! I am looking for someone! Please! It's of great importance that I find him!" I continued walking around and calling, but there was no reply.

Then…suddenly…there were whispers.

"He-Hello?? Is there someone present?? Hello??" I walked towards the direction of the whispers. They led me to the back of the library where a painting of what appeared to be stories of past events covered the wall. Why did I come here? I thought to myself. I can't press on any further? And yet…the whispers continued to mutter, pounding around in my mind. My fingers began to tingle again and a small part of the painting began to glow. I observed what was currently glowing and noticed something familiar. This section of the artwork was of a man posing victoriously over his foes and wrapped around his neck, covered in the peculiar glow, was the medallion mother had bestowed upon me. Is that Stephan? Is that my father? Part of me had hoped that it was him; knowing his appearance would assist greatly in my search for him. The closer my hand got to the glow, the more my fingers tingled until finally, both made contact. I pressed my fingers up against the painted medallion and it pushed back. Sounds of a hiss then stones rubbing together could be heard. A large portion of the wall opened up, revealing a secret passageway. I continued to follow the voices down the hidden stairwell until I arrived to an underground library. This one was much smaller, contained fewer books, and had one elongated table. That was when I began to ponder if this room was meant as a place for secret meetings…or…if it was for one very important individual. I couldn't think on the matter for very long due to the whispers continuing to ring in my ears. Towards the back of the small library, the wall was opened up to reveal one more room. At the core of this rounded room, there was a small podium with a gem sitting on top. As I got closer to the item, the whispers became even louder noises until I finally arrived. That was when they all stopped so suddenly. I gazed upon the purple gem, wondering if this magical item was the one who was calling to me. To this day I'm still unsure how or even why, but I subconsciously reached out to touch it.

I awoke from this trance, however, when I heard a voice yell, "Stop!" I looked over and saw four figures standing by the stairway. Two of them ran towards me while the other two slowly approached me direction. The men grabbed then dragged me over to- who appeared to be- their superiors.

"Your Excellencies," one of the two men began to say, "what shall we do with this trespasser?! Throw her in the dungeon perhaps?"

"No, please! I come in peace and mean you no harm!" I assured them.

Due to the harshly dim lighting of the room, I could not see the faces of their superiors that well. The one who spoke first sounded like a woman. "I see. You say you mean no harm, that you come in peace, and yet you were going to steal our society's most prized possession."

"No! That-that was not it, I swear!" I answered.

"Oh, really?" the other man gripping me said. "Then what were you doing?!"

I did the best of my abilities to answer. "I…I don't know to be perfectly honest." Though I could not see their faces very well, I sensed their disbelief. "It's the truth! I went through a portal and it brought me to the library upstairs! I heard whispers that lead me to the secret passage and to your gem over there! I can't explain what happened next. It was almost as if it-"

Before I could finish, the other superior- a man from what I could gather- completed my sentence with, "As if it told you to." I nodded. Unbeknownst to me at the time, but when I was battling the grip of the two men to stand up straight, my mother's medallion had swayed around, shocking the male superior. "Wait," the gentleman began saying. "I know that medallion." With a wave of his hand, the lighting in the room became much brighter. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I was stunned to see who was standing right in front of me. The woman was dressed in golden regal attire and stood with a commanding presence. Yet, she looked surprised upon viewing me; like an unexpected visit from an old friend whom she was happy to see. As for the man, he appeared exactly as the one I saw in the painting on the wall of the hidden passageway. He was tall, had dark hair, displayed a nice goatee, and wore clothing of a culture I did not recognize, and…his eyes…they were purple like mine. That was when I knew. The man standing before me was none other than Stephan the Great, my father. His skin was lighter than mine, however, I believe that this was due to the members of Mother's family possessing dark skin. He came closer to have a better look at the medallion currently hanging from my neck. "I know that medallion. Where did you get it?"

With a smile, I softly replied, "My mother, Andrea. I'm her firstborn, Skye."

The eyes of the man widened, his lip quivered, and his hands began to shake. "Firstborn?" I nodded to him again. After the woman dressed in gold let out a happy gasp, the man turned towards the two who were still holding onto me. "Let her go and leave us."

The men were shocked at this. "But sir?" one began to say while the other had a peek at my back that was exposed from the torn portion of my top.

"Do as I say!" the gentleman, assumed to be my father, quickly demanded.

As ordered the two men let me go and began their depart, but not before one of them stopped and said, "Be careful of this one Your Excellency. I don't trust people who mark themselves like she has."

When the two men finally left, the woman gave me a warm, friendly smile and said, "Skye, forgive me for not recognizing you right away. The previous lighting of this room made it difficult to see well. Still, it's very nice to see you. I have been awaiting your arrival for quite some time."

Remembering Mother's tale, I had then pieced together who exactly this woman was. "You're the Supreme Sorcerer, aren't you? The one from my mother's story…the one she knew well enough to call Supreme."

"Yes dear child," she answered. "It is I. And the markings of which that man spoke of. I assume he means the markings on your back?"

"Yes, Your Excellence," I replied. "He was referring to my wings. Which, until a couple of hours ago, I always assumed they were a strange birthmark. But after what occurred earlier, I…" I didn't have the strength to finish that sentence.

Supreme Sorcerer and the gentleman both knew anyway, no further explanation required. The man then approached me, his eyes were glossy. "You were born with wings?" I nodded once more as my eyes were becoming as watered as his. He slowly put his hands on my face and observed me further. "Are you my daughter??" he finally asked while his voice cracked.

In that moment, I was filled with pure happiness. Not that I didn't love Mother's current husband, the king, as if he were my father, but I always felt that there was something missing from that relationship. So upon learning I had another father- my true father- it was as if something new had awakened within me; like a missing piece was finally found. I began crying as I gleefully uttered the words, "Hello Father." My father grinned from ear to ear then gave me such a tight hug that the wind was nearly knocked out of my lungs. Despite the current need for air, I hugged my father right back.

He finally released me from his tightened grasp and said, "I can't believe you're really here! Look at you, you're so big! Fifteen, correct??"

As my father wiped away the tears from my face, I answered, "Yes, Father. I am currently fifteen years old."

"Well," Supreme began saying, "I wasn't expecting you, a young girl, to speak in such an old-fashioned tongue."

I chuckled. "I maybe still considered a child, but I am very much an old soul. My sister, on the other hand, has the mind and mouth of any modern day young one."

"You have a sister?" Father asked of me.

"Yes, she is my half sister." I saw how saddened he became. It was already hard enough to let the love of his life go, but to then hear that she had a second child with the other man she was forced to wed, it was all too much for him to absorb. "But rest assured, she is every bit of Mother as I am every bit of you. In fact, I don't believe there are any parts of my sister's father dwelling within her. Not enough room due to being consumed entirely by Mother's stubbornness and temperament."

Father and I laughed. "Now that I can very much believe," he responded. Although I was very happy to have found my real father and was in the place I believed I truly belonged, there was still a matter weighing on my mind. "What is it my child?"

I looked my father in the eyes and said, "My magic awoke today…and…I don't know how to control it."

He sighed. "That's why your mother sent you to me," Father said. "Don't worry, I will train you how."

"And my wings?" I asked.

Supreme stepped forward, "I will be the one to show you how to use them. I remember being shown how these things worked in the times when Universal Sorcerer's were allowed to have offspring. Therefore, I shall be the one to train you."

"Thank you, to you both," I said to them.

"Now," Supreme reached out for my hand, "let us get you some new clothes to wear and we'll discuss what actions to take to conceal your true identity. Your mother did inform you as to why this is?"

I answered while accepting her hand, "Yes. She had explained to me nearly everything before I left. I assume there is more, but I'm sure you two will fill in the rest."

Supreme affectionately patted my hand. "Of course we will, my dear." I then chuckled at a current thought. "What is amusing?"

"I was just thinking of how, up until this point, I had but one nickname, and here I have already been called by a few."

"And what was this nickname you speak of?" Supreme asked.

I replied, "My mother would call me 'Star Catcher.'"

"Star Catcher," The name itself was enough to have Father be lost in the past. "Now that is a name I had not heard in many years."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Father returned to us and then said, "That was what your mother would call me. She said that whenever I cast the spell that would have lightning strike within my hand, to her, it would appear as though I was catching a star." I smiled upon hearing this, for more connected us than just blood and magic. Father had a grin on his face as well. "Come, as Supreme suggested, let's get you some new clothes. We can discuss on how to go about hiding your identity after you have something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry."

"Come to think of it," I said upon realizing the truth in his statement, "I am feeling famished. I suppose the awakening of magic, discovering one's true heritage, and reuniting with long lost relatives really does work up quite the appetite." The three of us laughed as we made our way up the stairway.

The moment I set foot outside of the library, my new life had begun where I was taught how to have better control of my wings and became a Universal Sorcerer like my father. For a while, all was good and I was content with where I was. However…this satisfied lifestyle would not last.

NEXT TIME: SKYE'S KINGDOM: ORIGIN - CHAPTER 5: FIVE AMICABLE YEARS LATER