I have led armies on countless battlefields. I battled war unicorns, demons, summoned abominations and even the occasional dragon without a second thought. All this, and I still experience fear when confronted to an angry mother. Maybe it is the result of accumulating wisdom over the centuries?

Excerpt of Sky Emperor personal diary

To say that the return home was uncomfortable would be an understatement. I was quietly fuming in the passenger seat while mom was chattering about how great it would be for me to finally meet my father. Meanwhile, the imp was trying her best to be inconspicuous while straining her ears to not miss anything.

After all, it’s not every day that she can hear about the man who had the strongest impact on our household, namely my absentee genitor, considering it was usually a taboo subject around me.

I let out a tired sigh as mom parked the Twingo in the driveway, then eased myself out of the car and into our home.

We lived in a simple home in one of Montpellier’s subdivisions, consisting of a big living room with an open kitchen separated by a counter and a bedroom with an attached bathroom downstairs, and three smaller bedrooms with an additional bathroom upstairs. French doors in the living room opened on a small garden in the backyard where we usually spent most of our spring and summer evenings.

“Kate, honey, go take a shower and a nap if you need it. Make sure to do your homework too. I’ll call you when it’ll be time to eat. Abigail, come with me, we’ll talk in the kitchen.”

“Moooom! I’m not a little kid anymore! I can help too!”

“Not with this, you can’t, and no discussion either. I’ll make brownies for tonight’s dessert ok?”

“With vanilla cream?”

“With vanilla cream.”

After a last hug and a peck on my cheek, Kate ascended the stairs in true stomping, wall-shaking teenager fashion, and I was left alone with the monster in the kitchen smiling sweetly at me.

“Now why don’t you start by telling me everything? I’ll tell you what I think afterwards.”

Defeated, I settled at the table recounting all the events of that day, including that moment of primal anger, the screeching, how the flames appeared at that time, and the weird dream I had afterwards. Mom stayed silent all the while, only her knotted hands betraying her emotions. Sometimes I forget how strong our often goofy mother really is.

“So you truly take more after your father than I thought. It’s a good thing though, or I would have lost a daughter today.”

I could see unshed tears glittering in her eyes at the whispered words.

“I don’t see what my father has to do with that mess.”

“Your father was an unusual man with far too many secrets. You got your eyes from him.”

I couldn’t deny being curious at those words. I never knew anything about my father, apart from the fact that he left my pregnant mother when she was only 18 years old. Didn’t mean I would like him though.

“Unusual how?”

“Well, for starters there was the way he looked. Have you ever met someone without a single scar, a single flaw, be it a pimple, a mole, or whatever else? Believe me I checked thoroughly and there was not a one.”

“Ok he was a pretty boy, so what?”

“I didn’t say pretty, I said flawless. I once saw a scratch healing in minutes. I discarded it at the time as a delusion of mine, but now I’m not so sure. It would explain a perfect body.

Then, there was his knowledge. He knew too many things for one so young looking, and his expressions when he wasn’t paying attention were far older than his apparent age.”

“Being a genius still doesn’t make him indispensable”

“Considering what you just told me, we both know it’s far more than that. I want you to go search for him. Please. Do it for me if not for yourself. As long as you meet him at least once, I’ll let the matter rest. We need to know what your bloodline is, and what we can expect in the future, if only to keep you and those around you safe.”

“I can’t go! I still have work, and besides we don’t even know where he could be, that would be a complete waste of time and money!”

“I already called your work place. You officially have a month leave to recover from your trauma. As for searching for him, I have a lead.

Uriel himself disappeared after sending me away, but Daniel Flores, a man that was always near him at the time still lives where I last saw him. I called him, and he agreed to help you. Your plane departs in two days, make sure to have good walking shoes and clothes appropriate for forest trekking.”

“Now, what do you want for dinner?”

…Mothers are truly scary…

And so, the next day I started preparing everything I needed for a September trip near Acapulco per google-sensei’s guidance.

I hadn’t paid attention to the mirror this morning when showering, since I wasn’t planning to go outside, so my appearance came at a complete surprise when I retrieved the cosmetics for my luggage.

“What the hell?”

What greeted me was definitely not the raccoon face I was expecting. Some bruising was still visible, but it had already lightened to the yellow tint of a week old injury. At this rate, it would probably be gone by tomorrow. I prodded it gingerly with my fingertips, noticing the absence of pain.

It should have made me happy, but instead it pissed me off tremendously. I really didn’t want anything related to him.

“Argh, I guess now there’s no helping it, I really have to meet that man!”

Not that mom would have let me off the hook anyway…

“I’m happy she’s working at the pub today, she would never stop gloating otherwise!”

The fated day I left before daybreak, my plane tickets in hands, for a harrowing 30 hours of travel through Paris, then Mexico before finally landing in Acapulco.

It was still dark when I arrived, the night air humidity almost instantly dampening my back.

I retrieved the rental car I had reserved then bent to the task of deciphering the chicken scratches supposed to be a map and directions to my contact’s home.

Six hours, two wrong turns and a stack of notes waved under the noses of innocent bystanders later, I finally pulled in the court of a small farm outside of a village near the coast.

“I’m never using a map drawn by mom again…”

A small girl, maybe 5 years old, looked at me getting out of the car before running back into the house.

“Abuelo! Hay una señora de oro en la corte ! “

An old man came out of the house with the little girl peeking timidly from his back, welcoming me in heavily accented English:

“Buenos dìas, I’m Daniel Flores, I’m the one who talked with your mother on the phone. I hope you had safe travel? Why don’t you come in so we can talk?”

I nodded and smiled, waving at the kid when he turned.

A few minutes later, I was slumped on the proffered chair readying my pen and notepad for the conversation.

I’m not sure if I was supposed to hear the whispered word of the old man as busied himself on the counter to make tea for us:

“Aye, it’s true then, the resemblance is uncanny, especially the eyes…that stupid old fool, why did he give up?”

He sat on the other chair, looking at me for a full minute before opening the conversation.

“So why seek him now? Why after all this time?”

I pondered, wondering how far I could trust that man. He looked back, black eyes unblinking in the deeply lined face.

“I had made my peace with his absence, but lately, there have been many things happening I don’t understand, things I believe are linked to my heritage.”

“Give me a good reason why I should lead you, who obviously hold a grudge, to my oldest friend and benefactor?”

“It is true I don’t want to meet him, but I also don’t plan on hurting him. If he truly doesn’t want to meet me, I’ll go and never come back. But please, tell me where I can see him.”

“There’s something else girl, no?”

I sighed, all pretense gone. I got up to the counter, then lightly scratched my skin with the knife lying on top.

Sitting back on the chair, I showed him the scrape where the blood had already coagulated, the skin almost visibly knitting back.

“I’m scared. I need to know where I come from.”

Visibly shaken, his eyes barely leaving my hand, the old man mumbled a few words:

“I need to think. You’ll stay with us tonight; I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

Dinner was a lively affair. The old man was widowed, and lived on the farm with one of his sons, his daughter in law and their four kids, the youngest being the little girl who kept sneaking glances when she thought I wouldn’t notice.

I slept like a log that night, the trip and jetlag finally catching up to me, so the sun was already shining brightly when I got up. Broken images of a half forgotten dream quickly faded as I stretched, leaving only an impression of claustrophobia.

I met my host in the courtyard, holding my breath in anxiety.

“Here girl, take this letter to him. Follow the beach south until you meet with low cliffs. There will be a path leading in the forest. Walk until you find a small glade, and try calling him there. You’ll understand when you get there. That’s the best I can do for you.”

“Thank you.”

I parked the car near the beach, then followed Daniel’s instructions. What I found at the end of the path was a rough small altar composed of a flat top littered with small trinkets, and an engraved raised stone picturing a stylized man shrouded by a flame.

There was absolutely nobody around, and no hints of any habitations nearby.

“What am I supposed to do here? Pray? Meditate? I suppose at this point I should give it a try. Nothing to lose anyway.”

I sat cross-legged on the ground, trying to empty my mind while regulating my breathing.

Oh yes, I could feel it.

I could totally feel the rock digging in my bum and the ant crawling up my leg. A mosquito whined around my ear, further distracting me. Whoever said meditating over nature’s beauty was relaxing obviously had an iron butt and the patience of a saint.

An hour later, I was ready to give up in frustration. Either I was doing the wrong thing, or I was totally unsuited for meditation.

“Girl, who are you?”