006

— the king and his heir —

THE SUN POURED INTO THE GLAMOUROS ROOM, SOAKING EVERYTHING IN WARMTH AND RAYS OF SUNLIGHT. Hazel was thankful Vema at least shared that Earth, it meant she could sit on the end of the bed, taking in the sun and not have to think, just be. Until there was a quick knock at the door.

Hazel called out to whoever was on the other side and Arralyn stepped through, holding more clothes of golden and red colour, the fabric so grand it reflected off of itself. "You are to meet with your father for breakfast," She explained, making Hazel sigh. "He wishes to speak with you as well."

Arralyn watched Hazel stay still, barely nodding as she kept her gaze towards the windows. Arralyn draped the clothes on a chair and walked to Hazel, stopping a metre from her. "Can I ask what's on your mind?" Arralyn asked.

Hazel took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at Aaralyn, "The sun, it's like the one back on earth, reminds me of home," Hazel explained, smiling softly and the brown-haired girl nodded sharing the same smile.

Arralyn smiled sadly, her eyes drifting away. "I'm sorry about your situation," she said, keeping her voice sweet and hopeful. "I don't entirely understand what is happening, but it seems unfair, what's happening to you."

Hazel smiled at her, appreciating her words, "Thank you, Arralyn."

"Come now," She took Hazel's hands and pulled her to her feet, getting a small breathy laugh from Hazel. Arralyn grabbed the red and gold silk, showing off the long sleeves and trail, almost like a long coat. "You didn't look too pleased when I brought you the gown, so I tailored them. Hopefully more to your liking."

Hazel walked to Arralyn's side and brushed her hand over the luscious fabric. "Thank you, again." Arralyn smiled and nodded before slipping out the door and leaving Hazel alone once again. Hazel grabbed the dark teal pants and shirt, even in the simple shape Arralyn had made them the most gorgeous pieces.

However, Hazel set them aside for the moment and walked to the table where her suit had been folded nicely. Her fingers traced over the fabric, the colour had shifted, and small parts had been singed and burnt. Then again, she was thrown through the sun. She made sure the suit was still folded nicely before she turned and grabbed the clothes Arralyn left.

❁

Hazel skipped breakfast.

She had worked herself up to grabbing the door handle, but before she knew it, she was frozen in place, hearing the loud thump of her heartbeat in her ears. She stopped and took a breath, knocking on the door and telling Ryn she couldn't come down and to tell Valli. She couldn't face him and just sit there; it made her stomach twist and tumble.

She eventually wandered down to the hall, her hands twisting in nervousness as she saw Valli sitting at the empty table, the doors to the balcony open to let all the light in. Valli turned to Hazel and smiled softly. "I had everything put away, I didn't know how long you would be," Valli explained. "I can have everything brought out again when you want to eat."

Hazel nodded softly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Hazel's eyes bounced around in nervousness before finally looking out the open door and out at the glowing world. Valli followed her gaze and smiled softly, "Did you want to speak out there?"

Hazel looked back at Valli, "Is that okay?" Valli nodded and stood, and they both walked out onto the balcony, the glowing colours reflecting back in Hazel's eyes. They stood in silence for a few moments, letting Hazel sit in the sun in silence again.

"Why did you go to earth?" Hazel asked. Vali's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Hazel realised just how snappy her voice sounded. "Sorry. . . I didn't really think about what I was going to say," she apologised, chuckling softly.

"No, no, you have questions," Valli said, his tone still bright. He moved to stand beside Hazel, his back to the world around him. "Ask whatever you wish."

Hazel took a deep breath and pressed her hands to the stone wall, trying to keep herself steady. "I just. . . I don't understand why you go to and then stay on Earth?" Hazel said, her tone twisting between questioning and a statement.

Valli took a deep sigh and slumped his shoulders, "I met a woman who made me feel like a boy." His tone was so soft it made Hazel laugh softly, not at him though. "I told her who and what I was. She didn't push me away. . . she was my best friend even when I was at my worst," he said, and it made her think of Gar.

Valli turned to Hazel and smiled softly. "I fell in love."

Gar flashed through her mind again and she turned her head, her cheeks burning red. She had tried not to, but she had missed him more than she thought she would. It made her heart ache and her stomach twist, but at the same time it hurt to think about him, it was like she was torn in two.

"I found the picture of you and Nina," Hazel said with a small smile. "It seemed cute."

Valli shook his head softly, "Nina threw me out of the house the moment I told her what I was. And Allison Claire. . ." Valli puffed his cheeks out. "Did you know Whisky is a very strong drink." Hazel outright laughed at that, even Valli laughed with her.

"I met Marina by complete chance," Valli remembered, a lovesick smile on his face. "A couple cars collided. A few bystanders ran to. I helped a young gentleman in his fifties, he should have died but I healed him. Your mother saved his wife." Hazel smiled at the mention of her mother, the ache in her heat only growing. "She saw me heal the man, and demanded I answer her questions. . . over dinner."

"Oh," Hazel laughed, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "I don't need to know how the rest of that story goes." Valli laughed along with Hazel.

His face suddenly fell serious and sullen. "You were so perfect when you were born, you were so young, but you were so. . ." Valli closed his eyes as if he were replaying the moments in his mind. "I was so happy. I never thought I would love someone as much as your mother. And then you were there, and I had never been more wrong."

His words were so meaningful, even with his sullen face his words held so much love. And Hazel just stared at him. Hearing stories of her mother was wonderful, remembering her mother was wonderful. "If you loved us so much, who do you look so sad?" Hazel said, shaking her head, her tone bouncing between anger and sarcasm.

"I almost got you both killed."

Hazel's head snapped to Valli, and he sighed. "I told her too much of what was out there, and it led a trail back to our home," He stood, wiping his hands together to clean them of small rocks and ducks. "And I wasn't there."

Haze followed. Valli with her eyes, watching him closely. "Those men you saw at the Asylum, and that man that—" Valli swallowed the lump in his throat and huffed. "That man that shot your mother, they're not human, they're demons that feed on power. And somehow, they sniffed you out." Valli's words dipped in and out and in how harsh or sad he was, but one thing was certain, he was enraged.

Then like a dime his face switched into something Hazel couldn't determine. "When I got back all I saw was blood and when I walked inside all that was there was death, and pain, and sadness, and. . ." Vali trailed off and stared at Hazel, "my three-year-old daughter crying, healing her mother."

Hazel's eyes had widened and started to fill with tears, "Are you—?" Hazel choked on her words, her throat tightening as she stared at Valli. "Are you telling me I killed someone when I was 3?"

Valli shook his head, "6 demons." Hazel's stomach flipped and she shuddered. "You saved your mother—"

"Yeah, well, she's dead now!" Hazel's mood switched on a dime, the anger rising so quickly she didn't realise her power had grown just as quickly. Her eyes and skin burned red, sparking and shooting red hot flares of light.

Valli's eyes widened, and he jumped back in surprise, barely dodging a flare that would have surely burnt him for a few moments. "Sunarr. . ." Valli slowly raised his hands and stepped closer to Hazel. She stared at him, her chest still heaving in anger. "It wasn't your fault."

Hazel shook her head quickly, "If I had stayed—"

"Koriand'r did the right thing in getting you out of there," Valli assured.

Hazel continued to shake her head, remembering the colour of her mother's blood that soaked the floorboards, she remembered the smell, the dread she felt. Valli stepped closer again and placed his hands on her arms. There was a warmth, not from his hands but from his eyes; soft apologetic eyes that promised to tell Hazel nothing but the truth. "It was not your fault." Hazel's breathing started to slow, and the light started to fade. "This is not your burden to bear."

Hazel's light and anger had disappeared, but her breathing was still quick. Valli stepped back and waited until she had gathered herself before speaking again, "I have something to show you."

They wore dark cloaks, covering their faces and their vision slightly, but Valli never let his eyes stray from his daughter. They followed the neon dark blue and purple trail over mossy hills, winding through the trees. As the trees and vines grew dense, the trail slowly disappeared. Valli continued to walk on, making his way up the hill.

Hazel stared up at the big hill, the trees losing their bright glow and turning dark green and blue. "Where are we going?" Hazel called out and Valli stopped.

He chuckled softly and shook his head, "If you're worried about your safety, do not be. You're much more powerful than I am."

Valli turned and continued on, acting as if his words hadn't made Hazel shake at her core. Hazel picked up at her feet and rushed after Valli, climbing up the hill, and the one after that. They reached the end of the treeline, stopping in front of the thick black vines sprouting black leaves.

Hazel reached out but Valli grabbed Hazel's shoulder, urging her to stop. He smiled and pulled his hood back, letting the dark green and black cloak hand from his shoulders. Hazel glanced around, darting through the thick woods but with another nod from Valli she pushed her hood back.

"No one knows of this place," Valli promised. "It's just us."

He reached out and the black vines separated, breaking away and letting the glow trapped on the other side spill out into the trees. Fields of glowing lavender that stretched out as far as Hazel could see and in the centre was the tall, white wood Old Tree. Its bright pink and purple feather like vines sprouting from the wood and stretching out falling and flowing in the wind.

Valli stepped out, the lavender flowers rippling in their colour as Valli walked through the field. Hazel looked back at the dark trees before she stepped into the field. The power pulsed through her and the lavender rippled, the colours buzzing against her skin like soft feather tickles.

Hazel smiled and strolled through the lavender, letting her hands drop to her side, brushing over the soft flowers. It made her feel like a child playing in the tall grass in her old home in Minnesota, years before she even moved to Michigan and met Rachel.

Valli had sat under the tree, his knees propped up in front of him. Hazel let her eyes wander over the sprawling fields, the purple lights glowing and reflecting in her eyes. When she turned to face the tree, she let out a long-relaxed breath, the tension in her shoulders. That was a definite positive of Vema; her body, down to the bone, was relaxed.

Hazel walked over to Valli and sat beside him under the tree, the pink and purple vines falling around them. She reached out, grabbing one softly in her hands, feeling the soft feathers slid through her fingers. She sighed and leaned back on her hands, her eyes darting over the swaying fields.

"Do you know what this is?" Valli asked, motioning up at the swaying tree.

"The Old Tree, seed of the universe," Hazel remembered, searching her mind of the old books she had read. "It's like the tree of life but. . . more." Hazel shifted uncomfortably, her mind not finding the answer. Valli chuckled at her and Hazel couldn't help but laugh with him. "If it helps, it wasn't any good in school."

That made him laugh harder, "Trust me I know." Hazel raised her eyebrows and Valli shook his head. "You think I wouldn't look out for you?"

Hazel turned her head, almost ashamed. "I didn't think you would want to," Hazel confessed.

Out of all of the answers she could have given, this was not what he expected. "Why do you—?"

"What do you mean?" Hazel cut in, stopping Valli from thinking any harder. Hazel forced her eyes to Valli and took a breath, forcing her voice to steady. "You're much more powerful than I am?" Valli kept his eyes on Hazel, even as hers shot away again. Valli took a deep breath and let the conversation die out, for the moment.

Valli raised his hand, and an orb of golden light appeared between them, the gold and white lights twisting and melding together. "This power, our power, it thrives on the living, on breathing, existing," Valli explained, making sure Hazel was listening. He flicked his hand, and a red and white light lit up beside it. "It feeds on your mortality." The lights attached to each other, merging and twisting together. "Your power is constantly expanding and growing."

"Is that why my light—?" But before Hazel could finish her sentence the lights exploded in a flash or red. Hazel stares and the slowly simmering lights fading out. Valli looked at Hazel and she nodded softly, "Oh. Ok." She nodded softly imaging her twisting inside her like that. "I get it."

Hazel shifted, clearing her throat as she sat cross legged. "Why wouldn't I want to look out for you?" Valli asked quickly, catching Hazel off guard. Her eyes snapped open, and her stomach twisted uncomfortably. "I have never loved anything more than I have loved you."

Hazel stared at him for a moment, before she was jumping to her feet, the nervous jitters running through her like wildfire. She turned and stared at Valli who looked confused at her sudden movements. "You need to stop trying to be my father," Hazel said quickly, unsure if her words were angry or shaky. "I don't want you as a father, nor do I need you."

Valli sat in silence for a moment before he nodded softly. "What do you want?"

Hazel took a deep breath.

She didn't exactly know what she wanted, no part of her had ever wanted to reach out and find her father, even before she knew where powers came from. Then she found out who she was, and she wanted answers to what she was, what she was meant to be. Sometimes she barely knew who she was, like a stranger wearing her skin. Why would he want a broken daughter?

She sat beside him once again, a little closer this time. "I want to get to know you," Hazel admitted. Valli turned to her, behind his sad eyes a glimmer of hope. Hazel began to toy with her hands again, trying to calm herself. "Maybe. . ." Hazel stopped herself to breathe again. "Maybe one day I could see you as my father." The world felt oddly strange on her tongue. "But I don't even know you yet. And I'm sorry that I am not what you wanted."

Hazel's apology was quick and quiet, stuck on the line between guilty and remorseful.

She was on her feet not a moment later tracing her steps back through the fields without another word.

She was barely halfway down the hill when a chill ran down her spine. She froze. It felt like hands pressing into her skin, eyes boring into her and studying her every movement, her stomach twisting in knots over and over as the terrible feeling settled in her brain as one thing: Evil.

She looked over her shoulder, her eyes darting around the thick woods. The shadow seemed to grow and stretch, playing tricks on her eyes as she searched. Her breath picked up, the terrible nerves growing inside her body. On instinct her light took over her skin, red light burning around her hands.

She nearly jumped when she turned and stared at a man.

He didn't move or flinch, just standing there, his long tatty clothes hiding what his figure really looked like. Then slowly, clearly calculated, he tilted his head observing Hazel to her very core. He took a cautious step forwards and Hazel was quick to shuffle back.

"Stay where you are," Hazel ordered, her voice strong and authoritative.

"It speaks." His voice distorted, twisting into each other. Even if she couldn't see his face, she watched his gaze seemingly narrow, closing in on Hazel. She shifted uncomfortably but she held her ground. "It is afraid."

Valli's call for her name cut through the silence, followed by his quick footsteps. He froze when he saw the man, and a fraction of a second later, he grabbed Hazel and pulled her further away, keeping her shielded behind him. "What's—?"

"Do not speak," he said quickly. Hazel quickly shut her mouth, the nerves rising into her throat. She tried to ground herself, her hands fisting the fabric of Valli's sleeves.

"Let it speak," The man hissed, creeping forward again. "Soon it will die."

Hazel's stomach dropped, the urge to vomit rising in the back of her throat. No matter how many times she had been threatened to be killed, or how many times she had actually died, hearing those words always made her world spin.

Valli threw his hand out, an invisible force racing at the man. It sent him flying until eventually he was impaled on a branch. The thick branch through his torso held him up, black goo dripping from his body like thick jam. Then he croaked, sucking in a deep breath of air. Through a thick voice, filled with pain he began to sing, "The light shall claim. . . what is theirs. . ." His voice faded, stuck in his throat. Not a second later his body rippled into dark black sand and fell to the floor, forming a plie.

Hazel stared at the ground, watching the pile of black sand closely. She was so consumed in her panic and the terrible evil that leaked from the man's ashes she didn't even register Valli speaking to her. Only when he crouched and placed a hand on the side of her face did she finally shake the feeling off. For now.

Valli forced Hazel to look at him, his face painted with worry and fear. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice the sweetest and soft she had ever heard. Hazel nodded, barley, but it was there. Valli dropped his hands onto Hazel's shoulders and squeezed softly. "Are you sure?"

She took a deep breath and stared at him, "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

— legacies —