Legacy of the Stormblessed [Private|Skylar and Velvet]

Jonathan Silverwind. A legendary wizard known as the 'Stormblessed'. A man who never met an enemy he could not defeat, never fought a battle he could not win. And yet, a man who claimed his greatest moment was when his son was born. His son, Skylar.

Skylar Silverwind, the last Stormcaller, sat on his bed, silent tears running down his cheeks as he read a much-folded old letter. One day, almost ten years ago now, Skylar had woken to find this letter on his pillow, and his father long gone. It was the last thing he had of his father, and he read it every week to remind himself.

"Son - By the time you read this, I will be gone. I'm sorry to leave you this way, but it was the only way I could keep you safe. As you know, I have considerable power, and I use it to help people as I see fit. This has had the unfortunate side effect of creating many enemies for me. People who took offense to the way I did things. Some of them are quite powerful, and one of them has tried to kill me many times. He finally tracked me down, so I had to leave. If he got his hands on you... I would kill anyone who got in my way as I came to save you. But you could end up hurt. So, to protect you, I had to go away. I love you, son, and I would do anything to keep you safe. I hope you can understand. Please, don't come looking for me."

Skylar finished reading the letter and went to wipe his eyes, when a teardrop fell on the page. Cursing under his breath, he went to quickly wipe it away before it could ruin the paper when he suddenly stopped. As the water soaked into the paper, it curved oddly, forming a shape instead of a random blot. A shape that looked a lot like a letter.

Suddenly excited, Skylar summoned an orb of water and splashed it onto the letter. As he'd expected, the water ran off of most of the letter, due to some form of hydrophobic coating, and soaked into the paper, forming first letters, then words around the periphery of the paper and what appeared to be a map in the middle. His father had left him a secret message, and it had taken him ten years to find it.

"Son, if you're reading this, you're either just as clever as your old man, or just plain lucky. Either way, if you really want to see me, despite the risks, follow the map. I hope one day soon we can see each other again."

The map, according to the legend, was a mountain somewhere in the lands of Joya, east of Tailwind Village. Skylar had been there not even a month ago. He'd been so close to finding his father, and he'd never even known it. Suddenly determined, he sprang to his feet and rushed out of the guild hall, leaping into the air and flying in the direction of the Ace of Spades. When he found his dad, he wanted Velvet to be there with him.

Finally, after an hour or so of flying on the winds of a storm he'd summoned, Skylar saw the Ace of Spades below him, and began to descend on a thin tendril of wind and cloud, like a miniature tornado. He touched down near the center of the town, at the park he'd visited with Velvet the last time he was here. Once his feet were on the ground, he flicked his hand, allowing currents of wind to disperse the stormcloud he'd brought. He looked around, hoping to see Velvet somewhere around the lake.

Filled with a mixture of anxiety and impatience that was foreign to him, he could barely restrain himself from whipping into the air again and flying around until he found her. He kept himself to bouncing on his heels instead, his emotions causing the wind to kick up around him despite his best efforts. He could only trust that she'd felt or heard the storm coming, known it was him, and came looking for him.

Despite his whirlwind of emotions, almost literally at this point, given how much wind was moving around him, Skylar couldn't help but smile as he turned and saw Velvet hurrying towards him, a smile on her face as well. There was something new, though. A small white dragon rode her shoulder. Something about it... seemed familiar. The magic he could feel emanating from the dragon, vibrating in the air, was very similar to Velvet's. Was this... somehow her mentor?

"Velvet. Gods, it's good to see you again." he said, barely resisting the urge to sweep her into an embrace. "I need your help with something."

"I know where to find my father." Skylar said, as plainly and succinctly as he knew how, in deference to the dragon. The way the dragon had called Velvet his 'daughter', he knew now for certain that the small dragon was the one that had taught Velvet her magic. Having recently been reunited, he was sure they would be able to empathize with him.

He'd mentioned his father to Velvet once, explaining that Jonathan had left him behind in order to save him. He'd never made it clear just how deeply that loss had hurt him, but he was sure that with Velvet's keen senses and deep empathy, she'd known. And he was sure the dragon knew as well, if Velvet had told her mentor and father figure about him.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the letter and unfolded it. It had dried during his flight, but somehow the secret message had remained visible. Gently taking the Skydancer's hand, he put it on the page. The difference between the paper and whatever Jonathan had used to create the hidden message was plainly felt. "I was reading this letter he left me, all those years ago, when... I got it wet. Somehow, my father imprinted it with a secret message and a map, telling me where to find him. I... I need to go. And I want you to come with me."

Skylar relaxed a little when Velvet said she was coming with him. "Thank you. It... really means a lot." he said, carefully folding the letter and put it back in his pocket, considering his next step. "The map leads to Joya, east of Tailwind Village. I've been there once before. It will take about a day to fly all the way there, without stopping. It will be far easier if I summon a storm to ride on, as the winds themselves will support us, but Windrunning can be a little... Frightening the first time. If you'd like me to... I can guide you through it." he said.

What he said was not entirely false. Riding the winds of a storm conserved energy, as opposed to flying alone. But storms were loud and chaotic, even when bent to his will. It took practice and precision to navigate a storm. But, if he was to be honest, the real reason he'd suggested it was because he would get to not only show off a little, but also hold her hand through the storm.

Skylar was disappointed, to say the least. He was really looking forward to riding a storm with Velvet. He was thinking of another way to approach it when something Velvet said caught his attention. He thought it would be the perfect way to both appease the dragon and get what he wanted.

"In that case, what if Velvet used her magic to contain the effects of the storm I summon?" he suggested. Before either could speak up, he carried on. "I have already noticed that Velvet's magic seems to have the opposite effect of mine. Whereas mine creates storms, hers tends to clear the skies. If we work in tandem, we could both move faster, riding the winds of the storm, and keep it from upsetting the natural weather patterns."

Skylar sighed in relief that his plan was accepted by both Hraesvelgr and Velvet. Not only was it a solid plan, but it would allow him to get closer to Velvet. He turned to her, gazing into her beautiful, but sightless, blue eyes. "For this to work best, Velvet, I believe we'll need to maintain contact as we fly. We need to keep our magic perfectly in sync so one doesn't overtake the other. If mine overpowers yours, the storm will spill out over your boundary. If yours overpowers mine, it will kill the storm. It will be difficult to maintain the balance, but... I believe we can do it."

The Stormcaller reached his hand out to her, expecting her to take it in hers. The air thrummed with energy as he began summoning up his magic power. "I'll wait to summon the storm until we get into the air. It's easier that way."

Skylar took a deep breath as he took Velvet's hand in his, ignoring how soft and warm it was for the moment. He closed his eyes and tilted his head forward a little, focusing on his magic. Delicately, he reached towards the wellspring of power he could feel in Velvet. The instant their magics touched, he could feel the bond, thrumming to life like a bass cello string. He let out a slow sigh of relief. It was just as he'd believed; they were compatible. Guided by instinct, he pulled on that bond, plucked at it, drawing more effort from the both of them as their magics fell into sync.

Wind kicked up all around them, stirring the leaves and blades of grass, thrashing the water of the nearby lake to chop as Skylar directed their combined magic outward. Slowly, the two lifted off the ground, still connected by their joined hands, borne aloft by the winds at their command. Elation and joy rose up inside the Stormcaller, flowing across the bond between them, and they sprang further into the sky, a cloud of mist beginning to envelop them.

Finally, Skylar opened his eyes, manipulating the winds so he and Velvet were side-by-side instead of across from each other, their bellies towards the ground, still holding hands. The cloud of mist, ensnared and directed by his will, grew and grew until it was a fully-fledged cumulonimbus. "This is where you come in." he said, the wind carrying his voice directly to Velvet's ears. "You contain the storm, and I'll guide it."

Skylar sighed to himself in relief as Velvet's magic began to swirl around them, neatly gathering and suppressing the fury of his storm. It took his power and compressed it, making the stormcloud he'd created the size of a single cumulus cloud rather than a towering thunderhead. He could already feel the stormwinds rebounding off of hers, picking up speed and power. He allowed himself to grin a little. Not only were their magics compatible, but they perfectly mixed and complimented each other. They made a perfect pair.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he focused his will, binding the storm to his power and directing it forwards, in the direction of Joya. It wouldn't be a direct path, having to navigate the prevailing wind currents and jet streams. But it would be much faster than any other method of travel, save teleportation. "We'll reach Joya in about twenty-four hours." he said, calling over the roar of the winds. "If you fall asleep, I'll keep you up, and do my best to contain the storm myself. Don't worry, I'll never let you fall."