Essence of the Angels (The Starlight Chronicles #2)

Chapter Twenty Six

Valarie's POV

The void's usual, unpleasant effects washed over me, and it took me a moment to regain my senses as I emerged out the other side—right in front of a sprawling tower.

I stared up at it. I knew what lay within, what I had to do now. A part of me was terrified of this moment . . . of finally meeting him.

Shade.

My real father.

I approached the doors, my heart beating fast. This was really happening, after all this time.

I didn't have time to stand out here letting my thoughts consume me. Already, the ground had a faint tremble to it, and I could have sworn the air was growing colder by the second.

I pushed on the hardwood door. It should have been heavier, but it swung open easily at my touch. The air inside felt strangely stiff and cold, and there was a single spiral staircase leading up and up and up—I couldn't see the top floor.

My footsteps echoed as I approached the staircase and began to climb.

Mixed emotions swam through me. I was still overcome with grief and the shock of remembering that my other father was dead. But that pain had settled now—the fighting had helped me channel it out of my system. Now its usual ache had taken place in my heart.

It no longer felt like an ache I wished to release, but rather a familiar reminder. My dad was dead, and that was a fact.

I still had people who I cared about. I still had a reason to live—now more than ever. Tonight had reminded me of that and instilled it inside of me more so than ever before.

It seemed like an eternity when I finally reached the top. Another room was up here, sealed behind a set of golden doors. I pressed against the cold doors, and they opened, emitting a bright, harsh light. I squinted, peering through into the room.

There, encased in a silvery glow, eyes closed and arms hanging limp, was a man. His hair fell long around his shoulders in brown locks, and stubble had grown on his face. The Timelock must have kept him exactly as he'd been upon freezing within it—he didn't look any different to the visual I'd seen unfold in the library. His clothes were navy—he wore a long jacket and fitted pants.

I approached the light tentatively, unsure what to do. My heart beat wildly now, looking up at this man.

I'd always wondered what it was like to find out you were adopted and meet your real parents for the first time. I imagined it was awkward more times than not—who meets someone for the first time and is able to love them at first sight? Even if you share the same blood, you don't even know each other.

This felt a lot like that. I knew this was my father . . . I knew that we were related, but I had no clue what to expect, how to act, or what to even say for that matter.

I didn't know this person before me.

After standing there for a moment, I raised my hands and I reached out for the light. It was cold as I pressed against it, and it seemed to ripple against my fingers.

I let my magic glow on my fingertips—the sunlight magic. It burned at the Timelock, and a soft hissing sound filled the air. It was slow at first, but then the Timelock caught fire like a flame, and it licked the entire, glowing frame of the light encasing Shade away until he collapsed on the floor.

He grunted, wheezing, as he took his first breaths of fresh air once more. I couldn't breathe as I watched him.

He rubbed his temple, then looked up at me with bleary eyes. Our gazes met, and he stared at me.