Fallen Star

Chapter 29

I didn't want to believe it. Yet in my heart, I knew it to be true. Everything suddenly made sense: Why I was abandoned by my parents, why I looked so weird, why I could see Empyrean right from the get-go. I was half-Sanctus by my mother. When I looked up at King Blazar, I could see the resemblance. If his aged white hair were instead a shade of silvery white then it would match my hair to a T. And his eyes... His starry eyes rested amidst a dark blue sky and they looked exactly like my left eye. His skin was a pale, milky blue and it shared a pallor similar to mine... Ignoring my human half, if you looked closely, anyone could see that we were family.

I broke out of Blazar's grip, shaking my head. No, no, this couldn't be possible. Me, a half-alien prince? There was no way. As much as I wanted to believe Blazar's story, there were still a few things that didn't make sense. And if my suspicions were right, then they would prove that I was fully human like I'd thought for the past eighteen years. I couldn't be Sanctus! I just couldn't! I didn't want to be different from all the other Omega orphans! They all had their parents die from starvation or World's End. If I wasn't like them, then that would mean that I'd been...

"If Sanctus had such a good relationship with humans before," I said, "then why do they hate them so much now!?"

"The Council was furious at my daughter," Blazar said. "They would not tolerate such impudence from her or her husband. Your father had gone down to Cadere with you and from then on, humans were banned from entering the Sanctus World. In the Council's eyes, your father had betrayed their trust by teaming up with my defiant daughter, who had stolen Argenti, and was officially an adversary to Sanctus peace in their eyes."

"If he went down to Cadere, then why was I raised by Sally!?" I yelled. "Didn't he... Didn't he love me? Isn't that what parents are supposed to do!? Was I worth anything to him!? Why did he abandon me to be an orphan!?" I took a deep breath. "Why was I raised in Omega when clearly, if he was such a prestigious scientist, he could have helped build Alpha City and raise me there!? Why did he leave me!?"

When I looked up at Blazar through the tears, his eyes were sad. He just shook his head and took me into his arms. Was this what it felt like to be embraced by a parent? Sally was tough on all her kids since she knew that any amount of affection would make them soft, and in Omega, that was the perfect way to get killed if you weren't careful. But this... This felt nice. Despite the tears, I felt a sense of ease. Despite being told I was literally abandoned by my own father, I couldn't help but calm down.

"I don't know," Blazar said truthfully. "We all thought your father had gone down to Cadere to raise you himself and train you to use Argenti and your Sanctus powers. We never thought he'd abandon you. I don't know what Beathan was thinking. But he was a smart man. I know he had an ulterior motive. Peace, Hiro, he would not have purposefully abandoned you. If there is one thing I know for certain, it's that he loved his son. I still remember his smile from the day you were born."

I wiped some of the water from my eyes.

"If that's the case... Then can I at least meet my mother? She's still here in Sanctus, right? What did you say her name was? Galaco?"

Blazar pulled away from me but when I looked up at him, his eyes were sadder than ever.

"I am sorry, Hiro," he said. "But my daughter... The Council deemed her a threat to public safety and feared that she would continue to spread her 'dangerous' ideas if left unchecked. They locked her up in a place known as the Aurora Tower... No one is allowed to visit her, not even me, and the Council has no intention of lifting her punishment. Try as I might, this was a decision I could not get them to overturn no matter how much I begged."

I felt my hands ball into fists as rage completely overtook me. How... Dare they, those sick, stuck-up bastards! She was just trying to do what she thought was right! Why did they care about what happened to me, her son!? Her son... It was a weird thought. Did those Council jerks just care about their reputations!? About how they would look if the people found out that Argenti was stolen by my mom because they weren't willing to do anything about the coming problem? I was going to beat them to high and hell and back if it was the last thing I ever did.