Valerie's mind went blank at Oberon's words. When she had realized that Chern was Reaper, it all made sense. But this...she never imagined the gruff, wild man she had spied on was her father. Even in the middle of the chaos, pride and joy flashed through her that she was his daughter, and that he was alive. He had somehow survived Chern in the Black Castle, and maybe now he'd save them both.

Chern turned his focus to Oberon, and the hum of his magic rattled in Valerie's bones. She had just found her father, and already she was terrified that Chern would make her watch him die.

Oberon didn't wait for Chern to make the first move. Instead, his hands sparked, and he threw two giant bolts of lightning simultaneously. One hit Oleander in the chest, and she fell to the ground, unconscious or dead. The second bolt evaporated before it reached Chern, but Valerie could see that he was red in the face from the effort.

The force pinning Valerie to the wall was released, and she dropped to the ground.

"Run," Oberon commanded, not breaking eye contact with Chern.

Eye contact...wasn't he blind? If he had been, he was no longer.

"I won't leave you," she said. "There's no way I'm going to find you and lose you in the same hour."

His eyes met hers, and she saw pride in them. But that moment was a mistake. The air around Chern crackled, and Oberon dropped to his knees.

Valerie had never missed her sword more. She swore to herself that if she lived through this, she would sleep with it strapped to her side. She had nothing but her fists to fight with.

They would have to be enough, she decided, and ran to Chern to tackle him the way she had Oleander. She had the element of surprise, because his eyes were locked on Oberon's.

When Valerie hit him, it was like running into a wall. An electrically charged wall. Pain shot through her weakened body, and she dropped to the ground.

For all he had told her about nobly fighting to save humanity, Chern wasn't above kicking her while she was down. His boot connected with her head, and she barely held on to her consciousness.

But seeing his daughter down seemed to give her father a burst of power, because Oberon stood. Lightning burst from his hands, and she heard a distant rumble of thunder. This time, Chern ducked to avoid the blast, but it singed his robe.

He snarled, and Oberon made a low sound of pain. Through her barely-open eyes, Valerie saw that his hand appeared blurry, as if it was beginning to dissolve, the way that she had seen Chern do to Midnight.

But Oberon seemed to fling off the attack. The room shuddered, and water began leaking in through tiny cracks in the walls.

"I'll fill this room with water in less than a minute, and then I'll electrocute you," Oberon said, his voice low with malice.

"That won't kill me," Chern said, his face an ugly red.

"I know. But it will incapacitate you temporarily, and others are right behind me. Are you so sure you can kill us all?"

Chern snarled, but he quickly created a window to the Black Castle. He yanked Oleander with him as he passed through, and it winked shut behind him.

Oberon rushed to Valerie's side. He cradled her in his arms. "Daughter, you are protected now, and always. This I swear."

She let herself black out, knowing she was safer than she'd ever been in her entire life.

When Valerie opened her eyes, she was in a room she had never seen before. It was small, with mint green walls. She was in a bed with a white headboard, and beneath her fingers was a quilt covered in pictures and symbols.

She slowly sat up. Sunshine poured through an open window, along with a breeze that smelled like flowers. Even though she had no idea where she was, she wasn't afraid. Grief for everyone she'd lost—Zaki, Jet, and especially Midnight—was still lodged inside her heart. It was like trying to breathe through a tiny straw.

But beneath the pain was the knowledge that she could finally open her box of grief and guilt, and deal with it. Because now that she had her father to protect her, she was safe. Was this what life was like every day for kids with parents?

Valerie shuffled out of the room and down a hallway with a door at the end. She opened it to see the most beautiful garden she had ever laid eyes on, with blooms in color combinations she didn't think were possible.

There was a low hum of power emanating from Oberon—Dad—as he pulled droplets of rain from a small cloud hovering over his head to water his flowers. He saw her, and smiled so widely that his face crinkled.

"You're awake. Henry and your friends left less than an hour ago. We didn't want to wake you. How are you?" Oberon asked.

She shook her head and dodged his question, not wanting to spoil the mood with the truth. "Where are we? I thought you lived in an apartment in a tree."

"This is the house I lived in with your mother when you were born. After I thought I lost all of you, I couldn't bear to live here any longer. But now that my children have been returned to me, it seems right to come back."

"That must be why this feels like home," Valerie said, as much to herself as to Oberon.

"I know we have a lot to talk about, and I have so much to explain. But please believe that I didn't know you or your brother were alive until Sanguina told me. And even then, I was so broken and blind, I didn't think you would ever forgive me for the sins of my past."

She had never heard him speak so many words before. His voice had a slight accent, and everything he said sounded very formal. She loved it.

"There's nothing to forgive," she said simply. "We can be a family now."

"Your brother..." Oberon said hesitantly.

"He'll come around," Valerie said. Then, timidly, she asked the question that still burned inside her. "Is my mother alive?"

Oberon's face collapsed, and she saw a flash of how old he really was. "No. Our plan was for her to take you and Henry to Earth. We were being hunted by the Fractus, who could not forgive me for betraying them. We were sure they would never find you there."

"What happened?"

"All I know is that she used blood to call blood, and returned to Earth through her connection with her mother—your grandmother. We were meant to meet afterward, but I never saw her again. Chern found me and told me that he had seen her killed, along with you and Henry. He swore he would help me avenge your deaths if I returned to his side."

"Did you take him up on his offer?"

Oberon shook his head. "I promised your mother I would never help the Fractus again. To break my oath would have dishonored her. For my refusal he took my sight."

"Maybe she's still alive somewhere, like Henry and I are," Valerie said, her hope like a stubborn flame inside her that she couldn't stamp out.

"Though that is the dearest wish of my heart, I cannot see how it could be. Nothing would separate her from her children if she had remained on Earth, and if she were on the Globe, we would have found each other. I have some minor psychic powers, enough that I would find her beloved mind if she were on this world. And then there is the matter of your sword—Pathos," Oberon said.

Valerie sat down on his front steps, stunned. "Adelita's sword...she's my mom."

He nodded. "She had always planned to leave it for you and Henry to find when you came to the Globe. She left your grandmother with a book that told the tales of King Arthur so you would recognize what it meant when you drew the sword from the floor of the Great Pyramid."

Her breath hitched. "I had that book my whole life. I didn't know it was from her."

"If she made it to the launch chamber, she must have returned to the Globe. And when she made it here, someone killed her." Oberon's eyes swam with tears, and he sat down next to her.

Valerie's little flicker of hope that she might meet her mother died. It made all of her grief rush back at once, and her eyes stung with tears. Images of Midnight's agonizing death flickered through her mind like a horror movie, and she couldn't hold herself together any longer. Her father tentatively put his arm around her shoulders, and she turned in to him, releasing her sobs into his chest.

There weren't enough hours in existence to cry away all her pain, but eventually Valerie ran out of tears. Her father's face was streaked with dried tears as well. When his eyes connected with hers, she knew that he understood loss, maybe even more deeply than she did.

"How did you get your sight back?" Valerie asked, her voice hoarse.

Oberon shook his head a little ruefully. "When I tackled Chern through the window back into the Black Castle, he was furious. But he still wanted me to lend him my power. When I promised to consider his offer, he returned my sight. He never intended to let me escape, but I know his castle almost as well as he does, and was able to return to Arden. If I had known you were there, fighting, I would have stayed to protect you," he said earnestly.

"I know you would."

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Finding you and your brother is more than I ever dreamed. Is all this real, or have I descended into madness?" Oberon asked.

"You're not crazy, Dad. I'm here to stay."

The next day, Valerie left her father's cottage to see Henry and her friends. It was surreal to walk back to her old life. In spite of the pain she would always carry with her, she had something to counterbalance it—love. She had never dreamed such riches would be hers—friends, a brother, and now a father.

"Val!" Cyrus spotted her first as she was crossing The Horseshoe. He sat with Henry, Kanti, and Dulcea on the steps of the Society of Imaginary Friends, sharing some of Dulcea's amazing neon pastries.

"You look different," Henry said, examining her closely.

"I'm not an orphan anymore," she said.

"Oberon told us everything. Chern's nowhere to be found, but you can bet he'll be back," Henry said.

The fragile peace that Valerie had achieved after talking to her father wavered. "Let's worry about that tomorrow," she begged. "Besides, we'll fight him as a family now. And Dad is so powerful—he'll stop Reaper in the end."

Cyrus grabbed her by the elbow and turned her to face him. "You're not off the hook, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Just because Oberon's your father, doesn't mean he's taking over. You're still going to have to lead the charge when we take out the Fractus for good."

"And they're on Earth now, too," Dulcea added.

Valerie took a breath, trying to repress the panicky urge to run away from the conversation.

"Sheesh, can you let her enjoy her peace for one freaking minute?" Kanti asked.

Henry gave Kanti's hand a squeeze. "Sorry, everybody, she wanted to meet up for lunch instead of breakfast so she'd be her usual charming self, but I couldn't wait that long to catch up."

Cyrus shook his head. "No, Kanti's right. We're all allowed to relax."

"And grieve," Valerie added softly.

"Sounds like someone's in need of a shot of unadulterated hilarity, so here I am," Jack said, rounding the corner of the building. He sat down next to Dulcea, who was rolling her eyes at his comment. "What are you dorks doing here, anyway?"

"Trying to enjoy the morning," Dulcea replied, and gave him a shove when he sat too close to her. "No offense, but you weren't invited."

"I'm not here for you, beautiful. That was a happy accident. I'm meeting the big cheese herself."

"Who do you mean?" Valerie asked curiously, happy for the change of subject.

He gestured to the open area of The Horseshoe, and she saw Azra gliding across the grass, her iridescent mane fluttering in the wind. She trotted toward their group, her hooves seeming to leave a trail of glitter behind her. The sight left everyone silent with awe.

Welcome back, children. Gideon told me of your adventure, and I have never been prouder. I only wish I could have seen it for myself.

Valerie rose to stand next to her, breathing in her aura of peace along with the scent of lilacs.

"Did he tell you everything? Lives were lost under my direction," Valerie said quietly.

Many more were saved. You do not need absolution for your sins, because you have not committed any.

"But Midnight..." Valerie couldn't even complete her thought aloud. She'd been too late, too weak, to save her. And now she had lost her friend, and the Globe had lost one of its best leaders.

I loved her, too. But she is part of us all now, in the air we breathe. We will remember her. And we will avenge her. Azra tossed her mane defiantly, and hearing her words strengthened Valerie's own resolve. The Fractus's reign of terror will end at last. We will do it together.

Valerie and her friends stared at the unicorn with awe. She was a force of nature, and hearing her words was like seeing the future.

"We will," Valerie agreed, and for the first time, she believed it, and knew that she would be the one to lead them.

Azra turned her eyes to Pathos, which was strapped to Valerie's side. The magic in your weapon has evolved. I have never sensed so much power in a single object.

Valerie drew her blade, remembering the oath that she had made with her friends. "Yeah, we promised on my sword to never lie to each other, and there was this flash of light and there are new words on it. What does it say?"

Azra's eyes skimmed the symbols, troubled. Once by duty joined, once by the golden cord, the Pillars of Light are honor sworn to fight for the Balance, bound together unto death.

"What did we get ourselves into?" Henry asked, a little breathless.

It is a binding spell, a powerful one that cannot be broken. But even I have never heard of the Pillars of Light or the Balance. A weapon like this would only be woven with new magic in times of great chaos.

"It's another sign that something big is coming," Kanti said.

"Which we all kinda knew already," Cyrus said, trying to lighten the mood. "We already said we wouldn't lie to each other. This just makes sure we can't."

"And whatever's coming, we're in it together," Valerie added.

Azra nodded thoughtfully, but then, with a little shake of her mane, seemed to let the stress ripple off of her back. We know change is coming. But thanks to you, Valerie, we have a slight advantage.

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked.

The orb that you ignited in the Black Castle was placed there by my husband long ago. He lost his life putting it there, though I never learned who killed him.

Valerie's heart clenched at the knowledge of how brutally Azra's love had been torn from her.

"What does it do?" Cyrus asked.

It absorbs dark magic. Any Fractus who are within a radius of several miles will find that their powers are significantly dampened. It also defuses the magic that hides the castle from the rest of the world. We will never need an invitation to return if we need to. If we fight Reaper on his own ground, he will be weakened.

"And if we fight him on our turf, we still have an advantage," Kanti said with a grin. "Way to go, Val. We should start thinking about our next plan of attack now—maybe we should try to surprise him before the Fractus have a chance to regroup."

Valerie's fingers turned cold at the thought of returning to the Black Castle. She had hoped to never see it again, though her instincts told her she wouldn't be that lucky.

Enough talk of war. Today I am here to meet your courageous friend who escaped the Fractus to make a new life for himself. He has asked for my help in developing his natural magic. Come closer, Jack.

Jack's usually snarky expression had been wiped off his face and replaced with wonder, making him look younger, like the kid he really still was. He approached slowly, and, almost as if he wasn't conscious of what he was doing, he slid his fingers through Azra's mane.

Can you sense the spark of your power inside you already?

He nodded, his eyes a little glazed. "Like a candle flickering in the darkness."

That's exactly what magic is at its best. A light in the chaos, truth that dispels the lies, and hope that drives away despair.

The truth of Azra's words washed over Valerie, reminding her why she would continue to fight the battle against the Fractus to the bitter end. They had to protect magic as a force for good in the universe. And she didn't have to do it alone. She never loved her friends more than at that moment.

"We've got our work cut out for us if we want to make sure that those words stay true for the next generation of humans and Conjurors. Are you guys up for it?" Valerie asked with a smile.

Her friends nodded, and a sense of purpose and determination filled her. Protecting all that was beautiful and good about magic was what she was meant to do with her life, the positive mark she'd leave on the universe.

"The adventure continues. Count me in," Cyrusquipped. She couldn't agree more.