Loyalty (Bonus Chapter)

In the blink of an eye she vanishes, but I don't wonder where she's gone for long, as I feel her arms wrap around my torso, hugging me tightly.

"I'm scared, Dad," she cries into my chest, and my arms go around her automatically.

A chill runs down my spine as she calls me Dad, the unfamiliar word getting applied to me. I'd grown up without my parents and in a way so had she. Can I be the father she needs me to be? What if I screw up and make a mistake?

Knowing that no matter what I do, I'll never be perfect, I hug my daughter closer to me. "There's nothing to be afraid of," I tell her, knowing my words for lies, but not certain what else to say.

"That's not true," she chides me, but doesn't pull away. "I don't know if I can become the Pillar of Air like she wants. I don't even know how to get out of your head."

Just like that, I'm dumbstruck again. I had completely forgotten about Gaia and her plans for my daughter.