"Mom?" Vale whispered, afraid of saying anything out loud. She had never seen her mother look so delicate, so breakable.

Kriss blinked and pulled her eyes from the doorway where Mortem had just disappeared from. "Yes?" she asked, coming back to herself.

"I think you need to fill me in on what just happened," Vale crossed her arms. "What was Mortem talking about?"

Kriss sighed and stretched out her arms like she was preparing for a brawl. "No chance of you letting it go is there?" Vale shot her mother a hard look. Kriss held up her hands. "Fair enough."

Kriss gestured towards the door. "Mortem saved my life. I wasn't the best..." The words died and she tapped her fingers against her leg. "Well let's just say that there was a reason why I learned to fight."

The room grew quiet as Kriss stared towards the window. Shadows crossed her face, carving hard lines into the grief that filled her far-off expression. "Your father... was not a good man. He had too much power and too little of a moral compass." Each word was clipped, sounding painful to say.

"I used to work in the black markets, selling parts, information, anything that couldn't be found on the main web. My parents had died the year before in a fire, leaving me with too much time and grief to think through the potential dangers of the life I had fallen into."

Kriss paused, seeming to edit her next words several times before landing on what to say. "Your father lived a far different life than mine. He enjoyed the thrill of visiting the black markets and going against the law. Doing what was wrong made him feel alive. He was..." Kriss looked down, "Incredibly handsome. With the type of looks that would make you lose your train of thought mid-sentence."

Her eyes found the window again. "Mortem often came to buy pieces in the black market and when he saw your father talking to me, Mortem warned me about his reputation. That he always wanted more and I should be careful."

Kriss turned to look at her daughter, her eyes dark. "One night, I was tasked with locking everything up. It was quiet and I didn't think to keep my eyes out for anyone sneaking into the shop when my back was turned." Kriss's hands balled into fists. "He was stronger than I was. I never made that mistake again."

Angry tears streamed down her face, her voice hard. "Mortem found me in the early hours the next morning. I refused to go to the hospital. I knew that if I reported anything, that if anything went into the system after I realized I would be having you, your father could claim you. He had the resources for it." 

Kriss walked over and placed her palm against Vale's cheek. "And he has no right to you. You deserved more than he was. I refused to share you with a monster like that."

Vale placed her hand over her mothers, offering her own strength for Kriss to continue. "So Mortem took me to The Healer, Dash's father, and mother."

A small smile crossed her face at the memory. "I stayed with them until you were born and put Mortem's name on your documents. His last name was Vita before he joined the rebellion. His identity was destroyed when he joined. That's why your father is declared dead."

Kriss squeezed Vale's hand. "I did teach Mortem how to fight, but that wasn't when we met. The truth isn't something we talk about. For your safety and for his."

Vale couldn't breathe. Her father was alive. A living breathing monster. "Did Mortem know?" Vale whispered. "Did he know who I was the day I joined him on his ship?"

Kriss let go of Vale's hands. "I don't know. You'll have to ask him."

...

Strapped into a tight corset dress left Vale with a foul taste in her mouth. She already found it a challenge to breathe with all of the new information that had been handed to her in the last twelve hours, and the tight constriction against her ribcage made it impossible to think straight.

"We'll get you as close as we can, but you'll have to jump," Ace was saying as he tilted his head to look over the side of the skymaran. His black turtle neck was studded in chains, causing a clicking sound with every move the wind made. It didn't matter that they were on a mission, he refused to omit his accessories.

Vale nodded, too tightly wound to register the comical image that her dramatic entrance would evoke. "It hardly seems lady-like," Ace muttered in protest. "But my idea of renting you a hover limo was vetoed.

"This is better," Vale insisted. "I'd rather jump."

Ace searched her face. "You okay? That idea sounds mad, even for you."

Vale shook her head. "Honestly, no. But I can't fix everything right now."

"Spill." Ace placed his hands on his hips. "At least unburden some of it before you can't trust anyone around you."

"They aren't my secrets to share," Vale muttered, irritated.

"Okay... Then let me tell you what I know and you tell me if I am close."

"You are going into a lion's den dressed to the nines with a list of rules you don't care to follow, all while trying to find the boy you love and save humankind." Vale let out a snort at the blunt depiction of her current situation. "Not to mention the fact that I may or may not have heard a part of Dash's declaration earlier..." He pursed his painted lips to keep from smiling too wide. "And based on how Mortem has been acting, he and your mom have some... history."

Vale laughed. "I love you, Ace."

"Do us both a favor sweetie and pick between the two boys who are mad for you. Don't add me to the mix."

Vale rolled her eyes. "Fair." She reached for Ace's hand. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything. I live vicariously through watching others say and do things. Makes for great reality shows." He sighed wistfully. "I miss streaming content."

"Well, when you head back with... Dash, tell him to build reality show content into your schedule. You deserve it."

Ace smiled widely, his Cheshire grin brightening his face. "I absolutely do after the ghastly time I've had with you and Mortem."

The skymaran began to slow. Vale threw her arms around Ace. "Keep Geo out of trouble. And... take care of Dash."

Ace let her go and offered her a sad smile, wiping his hands gracefully across his face to catch the tears before they could ruin his complexion. "Come back alive and do that yourself."

Mortem pulled the Skymaran to a stop and turned to look at Vale. "Do me a favor and don't die."

Vale climbed onto the railing and turned her head to look back at him with a grin. "Yes sir." She readied to jump but stopped mid crouch. "Do me a favor. Tell my mom how you feel." She watched Mortem bristle. "Standing quiet and watching someone leave when you have words that need to be said is foolish."

Mortem growled. "Usin' me own quotes against me." He barked a set of irritated expletives when Vale continued to hold his gaze. "I don't think she'll kick your ass for telling her."

Mortem chuckled. "Ye'd be surprised."

Vale rolled her eyes. "You are Mortem, the fearsome Tradesmen that can't be killed. What are you so afraid of?"

"It's not fear that holds me back. The moment the Devinus family knew, yer mother would 'ave a target on her back the size of a continent." He shook his head. "I decided years ago to keep 'er away from this. Until..."

"Until I came in and ruined it," Vale finished. "That can't be helped now."

She shrugged. "Kriss is your reason for breathing, isn't she? Tell her." Mortem stared at Vale quietly, weighing her words. She turned to stare down at the wispy clouds below, fully aware of how terrified she should feel to be jumping into the open-air willingly like a lunatic.

Vale turned to look at Mortem one final time. She wanted to know if he had known who she was the day she came to be a Lightning Seeker, but wasn't ready for the answer. "...If I don't make it back... Take care of my mom."

An unspoken promise passed between them and Mortem gave her a sharp nod. With nothing left to keep her on the skymaran, Vale shot Ace a farewell nod, turned, and jumped, her skirts flapping wildly in the wind as she fell through the air towards the Devinus Castle below.