The Sky Realm

Chapter 7

For a second, everything was quiet, and no one said anything. Aaliyah blinked twice, wondering if she had misheard Mika’s last statement.

    “I’m sorry; can you repeat that?”

    Mika looked pointedly at Aaliyah. “I said that you are our only chance.”

    “Me?” Aaliyah breathed out, wide-eyed. “I am an…an—”

    “An Ultimate. Yes, you are an Ultimate. You were one of the babies sent to Earth for your own protection.”

    Aaliyah looked down at her palms and wondered if she had powers, just like Mika. Could she control water, air, earth, and fire? Could she create fire from her very being? Was that possible? Up until now, she was okay with having survived a Raven Mocker’s attack and discovering Mika’s water powers, but to be a part of this reality was something entirely different.

    The confrontation of the aspirations she had had a few moments ago made her feel unsure of herself and, for the first time, uncomfortable in this new world—this new world that was slowly becoming a reality she was not entirely sure she was prepared to enter.

    “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?” Mika asked her. There was a hint of a smile on her face.

    “Not at all.”

    Mika shook her head, amused. “You are the strangest person I have ever come across.”

    “So,” Aaliyah swallowed before continuing her question. “I am an Ultimate? I was sent here with a Guardian and I have to defeat Areious?”

    “Relax,” Mika rolled her eyes. “The fate of the entire realm does not rest on your shoulders. There are other Ultimates and other Classics, but to answer your question, yes, you are an Ultimate, and you do have a Guardian.”

    “Are you my Guardian?”

    “No, your grandmother was your Guardian.”

    “Oh,” Aaliyah said. That made sense. “Okay. So what happens now?”

     “I don’t know. Wait for your powers to emerge and try to stay safe, I suppose. Areious knows about you, and he will soon discover that you escaped the Raven Mocker attack, but for now, we need to lay low and try to find a safe place.”

    “How do I get my powers to emerge?”

    Mika shook her head again. “It’s getting late. You’re already slow with eight hours of sleep. I cannot imagine how useless you would be without it. Get some sleep, and we’ll talk about this later.”

    “But—”

    “Aaliyah, this topic is not up for negotiation.” With that, Mika turned away and walked towards the lookout point she had appointed for herself.

    Aaliyah glared at the retreating Mika and mumbled a retort under her breath. How could she possibly fall asleep after discovering that she could have powers? Wasn’t that something everyone dreamt about? That one day they would wake up with powers and be able to do the impossible? She was too energetic to sleep now. Her body was humming as a thousand images of her fighting the Raven Mockers ran through her mind.

    She was nervous about becoming a part of this new world Mika had introduced her to, but at the same time she was excited. It was a good kind of nervous, she decided.

    “An Ultimate,” she whispered into the dark night as she forced herself to lie down on her makeshift bed. “I am an Ultimate,” her eyes twinkled as she stared at the night sky, “and I have the power to do the impossible.”