Chapter 4: The Revelation

"I'm sure that you are very confused right now but it's okay. I know that you are not ready to hear the truth but we are a bit pressed for time." Jackie declares.

"What are you saying?" Laura is even more bewildered.

She slightly gazes at the doctor but then turns back to Laura. "You are not Laura Lopez." Jackie moves closer to her. "You are Princess Elzilaura, heiress to the throne of Fliska, a planet so far away from this star system. We have come for you. We're here to bring you home so you can fulfill your destiny."

"What destiny?"

"To become our Queen and save our world. Restore peace and prosperity to Fliska and the rest of the galaxy."

"What?" Laura couldn't believe what they were saying.

"In truth, I am your sister, Kanunia, and this is Zyric of Craiine, former marshal of all Fliskan military forces, son of Duke Ocvon and our childhood friend.

Upon mention of their names, her mind instantaneously traveled back and recalled that she had seen them in her dreams. One dream she once had was of Kanunia. They were running around the palace grounds as children then later as adolescents. Another dream was of Kanunia's birthday ball where she danced with Zyric.

Zyric's face was very familiar to her. In her dreams, he was the prince she loved secretly for she was engaged to someone else. Her recurrent dream about him was that particular moment in Kanunia's ball wherein they danced together for the first time.

"The duke used the Sapphire Sphere to open a portal so we could find you. The power of the sphere led us here." She narrates their journey.

"As we went through the wormhole, an entity spoke to us. We cannot see her but her voice was loud and clear. She claims to be Caracan, an ancient duchess of Craiine."

"She is the first duchess of Craiine. After their deaths, the Duke and the Duchess became revered as the protectors of Craiine." Laura replied instinctively and then stopped in horror. She asks herself. How does she know that? Before she could ask, Jackie or Kanunia continued.

"Caracan showed us what happened to you through the walls of the wormhole. It became like a screen seeing what you've been through from the time you were transformed by the crystal cross into a human and every experience you ever had."

"So am I reincarnated?" Laura asks.

"In a way, you are. The gem's power allowed you to be reborn in order to adapt until we could rescue you."

"So, you are all reborn too?

"No, I'm not. We are not reborn because we didn't have to adapt to earth life. Your rebirth is not only a manner of adaptation. It is also a cloaking principle to keep you hidden from our enemies until we can come for you." Kanunia explains. Though it made some sense, it was still unbelievable. It sounded like a fantasy book series she was reading as a child.

"If this Fliska is a faraway planet then by this time you must be hundreds of years old?"

In earth time, I'm hundreds or thousands of years old but in Fliskan time, I'm in my late twenties. This happens because of the different heavenly body locations and rotations. This galaxy was nearer the center of the universe which is why everything ages faster.

Our technologies are far more advanced than the Earth so we travel faster than what earthlings consider as light years." Kanunia discloses.

"I don't know." Laura sighs as she bows her head. "It feels real. What you're telling me sounds like an absolute truth but it doesn't make sense to me." She was about to cry but she tries to continue.

"I am Laura Lopez. I just found out I'm adopted but I am an earthling." She repeated says.

Kanunia smiles as she explains. "Can you not see the logic as to why there is no trace of your biological parents or why your adoptive family felt the need to conceal this from you? Why does Laura Lee suddenly become your company's sweetheart or why did Steve and Kathleen just magically fall in love? This is all by the power of the crystal cross. It sent you a sign to wake up so you can face your responsibilities as Princess of Fliska and prepare you for our coming.

It has happened before to our ancestors. For example, Princess Mindelea who lived during a Fliskan civil war journeyed to the ancient era of a budding planet when her mother, Queen Erdelise, used the power of the crystal cross to keep her daughter safe. When the war was over, the wounded queen sought help from the duke of Craiine to retrieve her daughter. He found the girl being worshiped as a goddess and has been content playing the said role. The duke made her choose between fulfilling her destiny as a Fliskan queen or becoming a false deity. In the end, the princess chose to return to her time and her planet."

As she was explaining, Laura feels slightly faint and asked for a glass of water. Zyric hands her what she asked for. She holds the glass and thanks him. But as she looks at him, memories flash through her head. Vague images of a young boy to whom she handed a glass of milk were in her mind.

Soon, she realizes she was staring at him. He moves closer and places a hand on her shoulder before standing beside Kanunia.

"Oh, please continue. " She shifts her gaze to Kanunia who carries on. She then returns her sights to the man motioning for him to sit beside her. He takes his hand off her shoulder. As she looks at him, memories flash through her head. It was a time when they were children during a royal visit in Craiine.

She sneaks into the kitchen in the middle of the night and sees Zyric in the corner of the kitchen teary-eyed. She asks and says he could not sleep. He had nightmares for quite some time now. Elzilaura offers her companion a glass of milk saying that it might help him with his sleeping problems. He says that he has already tried that several times but failed. The princess insists and gives it to him saying he should try it again. Maybe this time, it will work. He takes the drink while she fixes another glass for herself.

After the quick flashbacks of memories returning, she snaps back to the present situation and focuses on Kanunia.

"I think you are still bewildered with the adaption and time discrepancies. Alright, let me go on further." The lady moves closer to Laura.

"To make it simpler, airplanes travel from one place to another. It adds or subtracts a day when it crosses the international dateline. When the Duke of Craiine sent us through a portal, time was lost as they crossed one end of the universe to the other. When you were sent by the Crystal Cross to another world, you experienced it but were unable to notice as you were physically transformed."

Kanunia brought out a small luminous brown cross. It looked like an old pendant.

"This I believe is the Crystal Cross. Caracan must have guided us here so we may find it. We landed near the mountains and found this. It has energy. Just like you, my dear sister, I can sense it too for we belong to the royal bloodline. I'm sure you feel it too. Zyric and I strongly felt this energy when we found it."

"I don't remember it to be wooden." Laura suddenly claims. Bits and pieces of memories were returning to her.

"It is said that sometimes the cross changes its form. It loses its crystal property when separated from its true bearer. When we found you that day the car hit you, it glowed. As I touched it, I saw all your earth dreams. It is the same when Zyric touched it."

Laura leans forward as Kanunia sat in front of her. "Now, hold out your hand."

As Laura follows, Kanunia placed the wooden cross on Laura's palms. Led by her instincts, Laura closed them tight. When she reopened her hands, the cross was no longer a slightly luminous wooden brown but a bright shimmering crystal cross. Indeed, she was the princess they were looking for. Her full memory as a Fliskan heiress was restored as she held on to that cross.