A World of Revelation

Val slowly thumbed through the several first pages of the book. It was rather interesting. Inside, there were letters, diagrams, notes, and all sorts of other things written in her mother's elegant script or her father's bold font. This looked like a journal, and one that had been started soon after the Vanishing judging by the dates.

The journal passages were all written strangely too. They were her mother's and father's thoughts but written as if addressing her directly.

She didn't understand why, but she wasn't complaining. It almost felt like she was speaking with them again.

Their voices echoed within her head as she started reading from the beginning.

***

 Year 1890, Second Day of the Autumn Season:

 …My dear, I hope that you are well. It's hard for me to keep up with the days, but you seem to be doing better now that we're out of the city. Alaric and I are glad that you're enjoying the new place.

 By the time you're reading this, you'll likely be old enough to understand why we left Kael'cizia and moved out here; it was just too dangerous to stay. There was nothing for us in that city anymore, and when everyone vanished without a trace, we were terrified that we'd be next.

 We've tried our best to figure things out since then, but we've only ended up with more questions.

 At least from what we can see now, we made the right choice. Despite the Vanishing, you seem happy now. That's all that matters to us.

 —Mom & Dad

***

Val went quiet as she remembered those early days. She had been barely three at the time of the Vanishing. All that she could recall was that she had been scared at first.

Reading through this, it was strange to think that her parents were as vulnerable and frightened as she was. Yet, they still managed to persevere and raise her despite everything.

Her heart clenched as she skipped forward to a different entry.

***

 Year 1892, Third Day of the Summer Season:

 Hey sweetie, we've been noticing that you're having a hard time with your speech and language skills. Your mother and I have been worried about that, but it's not your fault; you're only five years old.

 Of course, our current situation likely isn't helping. You don't have any other kids to interact with for obvious reasons, and we've been a bit preoccupied with keeping this farm running.

 On the bright side, you've taken to magic like a fish to water. We're very proud of you! It seems you take more after me than your mother in terms of magic type, but you're a natural at evocation and your control is impressive for your age. Perhaps one day you'll even be able to overcome the hurtle that is restoration magic. You and your mother would be able to hold that over me, ha!

 —Dad

 Alaric, stop being an idiot. Restoration isn't that hard; you just suck at it.

 —Mom

***

Val couldn't help but laugh at the banter between her parents. Her father always had been a little silly, though she had never seen him express that humor through writing before. Her mother on the other hand had always been more reserved. But now after reading their comments, perhaps she was a little more mischievous than she originally thought.

Aside from their playful back and forth, Val remembered the things mentioned.

She had always struggled with speaking and understanding words when she was young. Her words came out in jumbles and her parents often had trouble understanding her. It had taken years for her to work past it.

Her thoughts briefly diverted to Cael. He had come from an entirely different world, and yet he was able to become nearly fluent in just two months. Well, perhaps not fluent, but he was far more conversational than she had expected.

He was a quick learner, which was something she had to admire, although she had to admit she'd been envious at times. She wondered what it would've been like to pick up new skills as fast as he did.

She felt her cheeks heat up as her mind lingered on him.

Nope. Nope. Not now.

She returned to the journal, skimming ahead to another future entry.

***

Year 1893, Fifteenth Day of the Spring Season:

 Val, my dear, today you asked us a lot about your grandparents. Unfortunately, we can't tell you too much. Our own childhoods were… not the best, to say the least. We had each other, and that was about it.

 I'm sorry that you'll never meet them, but I'm also not. You're safe and loved; that's all that matters, even if it's just the three of us in this world.

 I was able to satiate you by making up some of stories, though, and I'm happy that you enjoyed them. Maybe one day we'll tell you the truth.

 —Mom

***

Val's eyes widened as she read those last few lines. She remembered that day clearly. Her mother had told her the most wonderful stories about her grandparents. She had never questioned it at the time, since she had already known that her mother was an amazing storyteller.

To find out that her mother had lied to her about something so important though, hurt. Even if it was to protect her from a harsh reality.

But she knew her mother hadn't meant it maliciously. She had only wanted the best for her, even if that meant lying to her face.

She sighed.

She also noticed that the bottom of the page had been torn out where a notation might've been. Perhaps her father had added something that her mother didn't agree with?

It was strange, really. All of her life, she had idolized her parents. She loved them with all her heart. And now, she was finding out things about them that she never would've imagined.

Yet it didn't make her love them any less. In fact, it only made her miss them even more, knowing that there was a part of themselves that they had kept hidden from her until now.

She decided to flip over a chunk of pages to glimpse at a future entry. Perhaps she could find a more cheerful one.

***

 Year 1895, Tenth Day of the Winter Season:

 My sweet daughter,

 Happy birthday! It's hard to believe that you're eight already. You're growing so fast, and you've learnt so much recently. I'm very proud of you, and I'm sure that you'll become a powerful spellcaster one day.

Remember, no matter where your path leads, always stay true to yourself and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Well, not that there is anyone else anymore, but that's beside the point.

 I know that things are tough right now. But please, know that we'll get through it, okay? We'll be fine, as long as we stick together. And even if the worst should happen, I promise that everything will turn out alright in the end. I love you.

 —Dad

***

Val smiled softly. Even when the odds were stacked against him, he always managed to find the silver lining.

However, she felt herself deflate a little when she realized the date of the entry.

The tough times referred to his worsening health. She had been too young to realize it at the time, but looking back now, it was obvious.

Did he know he was dying? Was he trying to give her some advice in the hopes that she would remember it later in life? Did her mother know as well?

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. She cautiously thumbed over to the next couple of pages to see if her suspicions were true. A very lengthy entry met her.

***

 Year 1895, Twentieth Day of the Winter Season:

 Valeria,

 I've come to realize that I may not have long left in this world. My body grows weaker each day, and my mind is starting to fail me. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold on, but I wanted to write this letter to you while I can.

At some point when I can no longer do so, I'll have your mother transcribe for me. I have many letters I want to write for each of your future birthdays and milestones.

 First and foremost, I want you to know that you are loved. No matter what happens, no matter what comes into your life, or what tragedies befall you, always remember that there are people who care about you. Don't forget that.

 I won't mince words; I don't have the time or energy to. We may not be alive by the time you read this, I know I certainly won't be.

 However, know that wherever we end up after death, our hearts will remain with you forever. You are our daughter, and nothing can take that away from you.

 You'll find that as you grow older, there are things that are hard to accept and harder to face. Life itself is one of them. But don't give up, and don't lose hope. Keep fighting, keep struggling, and eventually, it will get better. It may not seem like it at the time, but trust me, it will.

 As for our situation? I wish that I had more answers for you, but the truth is, I'm still searching for them myself. Whenever one of us went back toward the city for supplies, we'd always stop at libraries or any place where we thought we might learn something. Unfortunately, we've found nothing. Not even the faintest hint. It's as if the Vanishing was some natural phenomenon that no one saw coming, but I can't bring myself to believe that.

 I can feel that there is more to it. There are answers somewhere. It's frustrating to think that they might be lost to us and certainly to me, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. So, please, keep looking with your mother.

 You're a clever girl, Val, and I think that you'll be able to figure out whatever it is that I missed. Perhaps you'll discover the truth behind all of this, but even if you don't, I just hope you and your mother continue to lead a wonderful life.

 I'm sorry, I'm rambling. The pain is starting to get to me, and my thoughts are becoming more scattered than usual.

 The last thing I will write myself is that I'm sorry for leaving you. If I had my way, I'd be there to help raise you more, to watch you grow up and become the beautiful woman that you will undoubtedly turn out to be.

 I always wanted to see you become happy, fall in love, and find someone who would cherish you as much as you deserve to be cherished. I'm sorry that I won't be able to see that, or that you are no longer in a world where that could easily happen.

 Regardless of it all, just remember that even though I'll be gone, you carry the best parts of your mother and me within you; you'll never truly be alone as long as you have that. Perhaps one day you may even share them with another person if you can find a way to escape this lonely world.

 —Alaric Evernight (Daddy)

***

Val choked back her emotions as she stared at the page. She could hardly process what she had read. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly shut the book to prevent them from staining the parchment.

She clutched at the book tightly to her chest, as if somehow it could bring him back to life again, but it was useless. His warmth had long since faded from the world.

He had known he was going to pass away. And yet, he had stayed strong for her. Even in his final days, he had tried to make her happy.

It took a while before her crying ceased, and even then, her vision remained blurred from the tears. She wiped them with her sleeve.

She wanted to read more, to learn more, to understand more of her father and what he'd been thinking in his last days, but she knew she couldn't process reading any more entries now.

She slowly stood up, tucked the journal safely away, and made her way toward the door. She needed some air. She needed to calm down.

She needed Cael.

Her steps froze as the rogue thought drifted into her head. She blinked, and she let out a deep breath.

She needed Cael.

She didn't want to wake him, of course, but she couldn't deny this slowly unraveling feeling in her heart. She wanted to be with him, to just exist in the same space. He didn't have to say anything or do anything, he didn't have to comfort her or offer words of solace, he didn't even have to notice her.

Perhaps it was time she go to sleep. She could feel her face grow warm, and her heart was pounding in her chest.

She carefully walked toward the bedroom, trying her best to move silently. The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating Cael's sleeping form on the bed.

She settled in, slowly taking off her pendant as she always did before she went to bed. If she didn't hide its glow, the light would be enough to prevent sleep from taking her.

*flicker*

"…" Val blinked at the pendant in her hand. Had she just seen that?

A moment of hesitation passed, and she narrowed her eyes. With a firm, deliberate motion, she held the necklace out in front of her and waited.

It must have been her imagination, right? There were still some tears in her eyes, so perhaps it could've been the light reflecting oddly from them. Or maybe it was her exhaustion. That had to be it.

She waited.

"…"

"…"

"…"

*flicker*