Chapter 8

"Nothing. I asked the support team in the Isle to look for details about her and they couldn't find anything. They said that none of the people with that name had the same description or even anything close. It's either she lied about her name or she doesn't exist."

Miran wasn't sure about the former but he knew she existed, the red marks on his neck could prove it. No one had ever dare such a fit before and that he had been caught unaware spoke volumes of her speed. He could understand Serena's frustrations, they were clearly running blind on this matter and the pressure coming from his grandmother was intense. She needed him back home to sate her paranoia but Miran knew she wouldn't dare call him back.

Until he submitted a full report to the High council, he was not allowed off the case without good reason. On top of the many questions the council was sure to ask, taking him off the case would be considered a show of weakness and the Matriarch's pride would never allow that.

"What if instead of trying to figure out who she is, we concentrate on her powers first. A sage would be able to determine what kind of energy she has and how much of it there is." This task would be easier and a step in the right direction. If his suspicion was correct, Reyna was as clueless as the rest of them and if not, it would take time and effort to retrieve the answers from her.

"If we are to get one from the Isle, unnecessary attention will be drawn to this case. We don't need that right now. " Serena frowned a bit as she always did while she was thinking hard about something, "If I'm not wrong, there might be a few of them here in the mortal realm but I'll have to check to be sure. We can call one to have a look at Reyna."

She stood up to leave but turned around as she reached the door, her hand on the handle. 

"I'm still wondering why Reyna attacked you, could it be that someone sent her?"

Miran didn't think so but he wanted to keep an open mind. Making assumptions was pointless, he had promised himself to wait until he got the actual facts. Yet now that Serena mentioned the attack, he couldn't help but think about it. Just one look at him and the next thing he knew the woman had tried to kill him. They didn't share a past considering the last time he had been in the human realm was centuries before she had been born.

Interrogating her was also a waste of time, Reyna barely spoke and only gave answers to the questions she thought were harmless or irrelevant. Using force on her was pointless, they didn't know how much power she could wield and that would have caused more harm than good. The single thing that he was absolutely sure of was that Reyna knew nothing about Guardians.

If she did then instead of going for his throat, she would have aimed for his solar plexus. Though Guardians had the same body functions as mortals, they only needed their energy to survive. Suffocation would not work because even though he breathed air, it was out of routine more than anything else. Novice Guardians were trained on how to breath in order to blend in with humans while in their realm.

Her fighting skills were above average and Miran intended to spur with her at least once before the case was closed. He took out the documents that he had placed in the desk before Serena showed up. How he had stumbled upon them was a miracle. Without them he wouldn't have known where to look for his mother or even the possibility of her being alive. Miran had never thought he would one day be grateful of his grandmother's controlling nature but clearly there was a first time for everything.

He had spent years in the palace halls staring at the portrait of his mother, looking for assurance or just something to tell him that she was indeed his mother. They had no common features but the Sages had dismissed that due to the difference in energies. His mother was a Fire Guardian while he was the only being in all realms with the affinity for Light.

He had sketched her image a thousand times until he could recreate the portrait from memory but even then he had never thought that anything was out of place. Until one day, a few years back, he had discovered a smaller version of the same portrait in a secret compartment in his grandmother's office. The image was the same except for one thing, the lady in the picture was not wearing her silver pendant. He returned the small portrait to it's former place before going to check on the one that was in the hallway.

The gown, the hairstyle, even the pose were the same but the pendant that hang from her neck was not. After carefully analyzing of the painting, he realized that the jewelry had been added to the painting much later. Accidentally his hand touched the heart of the pendant and a small pressure pad under the painting moved. Having been raised in the palace, Miran was used to secret chambers and tunnels hidden in the oddest of places. He half expected the painting to open up revealing a staircase or another room but nothing happened.

It was only after looking down that he saw an envelope that must have fallen from the painting. It had been sealed by the Matriarch's sigil but fortunately, the seal was already broken. His grandmother would have know he had the envelope if the sigil had been intact. Three stars, aligned vertically that was her sigil. The one in the middle connected the other two, just like the Isle connected two realms. 

Inside he found documents and pictures of the one person he had longed to see his whole life. Among the documents was a latter and a piece of paper containing an address. Miran had made copies of every single thing before returning the originals back inside the painting.

After going through the documents, he found out that his grandmother had been keeping an eye on his mother even while she was in the mortal realm. The address he had found was where his mother was residing and even though the other reports offered nothing useful, the address would come in handy. The last of the reports had been submitted in the same year and therefore he knew he had a chance to meet her.

The letter came last and as he read the cursive handwriting, he couldn't help how his heart squeezed in his chest.

***

To my dearest Azara,

I know I left the Isle without your knowledge and in the many years I have been away not once have ever I written before. Because I know your have someone watching me, then you already know why. The only reason I am letting him be close by, is because I know you would not be able to sleep at night if you had no idea where I was and many would run away from your red eyes. They are terrified of you as we speak, no need to give them more to worry about. I am as safe as can be at the moment, do not worry yourself at my cost. Although I know you will continue to worry, I am just saying do not do it. 

Azara, on this day I am giving over to you my live, my little ray of sunshine, my Miran. I know that you are aware of the details of his birth and whether you decide to reveal them it is up to you. Please take care of him for me, at this moment I am unable to because of the one who is after him. His life is at risk in this realm and that is something I cannot tolerate.

I am sending him to you because I trust you and I know that you will give him the love that I cannot. You were more than a mother to me and I know you will be the same to my son. He is special and the most beautiful child I know. Teach him well Azara.

With all my love, Carina.

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Sorry for the late update, I'll try to keep it as consistent as I can.