I'm Okay, Dad

When Dani walked back into the dining room with Sky and the other members of American Explorers in it, she handed him the note silently and sat down in the chair beside him to watch him read it. Sky read the note in his head while everybody else talked over dinner time.

"Dear Sky Asterio,

It is me, your daughter. I'm sure by the time you get this, you might not have had a second one, not yet. However, that doesn't take away the weight of this note, considering that you know who I am. I stormed off on you when Mom died, and I semi-apologize for that. I don't take anything back. I meant everything.

This note wasn't meant to make you feel bad about yourself, but it still needs to be said. You are weak, your strength depends on your Strands, and this will bring you to nothing but despair. I've watched you destroy your body and the bodies of others with those Strands, and it's only a matter of time before somebody else that you love follows the path of death. Death surrounds you, but life is brighter.

How do I tell you that I regret leaving the way I did? How do I tell you that I regret the things I said to you? How do I tell you that I wish I was a better daughter? Can I? Is it even possible?

When Mom died, everything I had been fighting for died with her. My motivation, my mind, my body, I felt emotionless for a long time... I felt like what I imagined you to feel like. It was my mom, your old wife, it was a sting to my chest I couldn't deal with. However, as much as it killed me, I'm doing alright now. I'm afloat, which is the most important thing to me. I'm alive.

My abilities have drastically increased in power. Since you saw me wield the half-assed Gaze of Wrath, it has exponentially improved. In fact, I can't turn it off. It fatigues me frequently, so I have to cover my right eye to prevent it from leaking out. In addition, other abilities have increased as well. The Eternia Palm, the ice around my wrist, and my Aura have been significantly improving over the past months that I've been gone. I've been able to take care of myself quite well. As I write this note, I have a temporary home, and go around the world for contract work to support myself. 

I don't know what you're doing out there for yourself, Dad, but what I do know is that after what I said to you, I don't expect you to unconditionally love me anymore. I tore you open, I know it had to have hurt you. I guess, the only thing I wanted was to see you be the man we could all depend on. People are dead, and it was unavoidable, but I just wanted you to be strong when I couldn't be. I've learned I said it wrong, and I regret it. From now on, I want to complete my own challenges and become somebody worth your time. I have forgiven you, and I know it will take time to forgive me, so I've decided to become stronger on my own before I return. I want to be worthy of the title of your daughter.

I guess all malice set aside, I miss you. I want you to succeed as the leader of that new city I've been hearing about, Alicas. I just hope you know above all else that I forgive you and look forward to how you'll improve as a person,"

As the note came to a close, Sky read it with a straight face, remembering his daughter's smiles before setting it down into his lap. As he set it down, he caught the corner crinkling, and more words on the back following.

"I thought I would've been done with this note, but I had to include this information somewhere. There is a man, an evil man out here. I know, you could handle him, but I've decided. My goal is to kill that evil man before I return to your side. He's a man who taunts many with his powers, and he is of considerable strength. I don't even think you could take him if he actually tried to kill him. That's why it's my goal. I will kill Finlis Vega," 

At the very end of the note, the name was written in blood, in complete contradiction to the ink on the note that wrote every other message. Sky folded the note in his pant pocket and went back to eating his food. However, as good as he was at hiding his emotions, Dani was able to sense something was wrong, and headed back outside to speak to Faith.

When she crouched by the barrels to see her, Faith was missing. Instead of the barrels, Faith was sitting on the high tower that held up the sails with her feet hanging off the edge, hidden by the large structure of the white sail. She looked off into the horizon, thinking that it was impossible to be found by Finlis Vega out at sea. She became less stressed, looking back toward the dining hall while bouncing the plate off of her hand.

Dani was unable to find Faith and eventually decided to head back inside. Faith nodded after she left, using her strands to create a pillow and a blanket for herself on the tower.

Faith was the only Arkian who was capable of keeping strands moving and functional even while sleeping, so she drifted off into sleep after creating the pillow and blanket.