Apparently, Dad hadn't heard me.
At least, I hope he just didn't hear me.
His massive Cerberus, KyGerNi, loomed before me. His shoulders were above my waist, and his neck raised his snout to eye level. It was a hulking shadow silhouetted against the dim light filtering from the windows. Two of its three heads were snarling, teeth bared like ivory daggers as long as Julie's fingers. The third head seemed to be surveying the scene with an eerie calmness that was more unnerving. It looked at me confused and back to Jake and Julie, then back to Dad.
I gulped, the sound a dry click in my throat. On pure instinct, my hand shot up, the bracelet on my wrist flaring to life with a shimmering aura of protective spell manifesting between me and KyGerNi, glowing a soft color, like tinted glass. I summoned my wand, and with a flick and toss of my hand, I switched my wand to offhand. I still wasn't quite used to the weight, having it for just over a week since my father and mother gifted it to me. The Cerberus's left face, mere inches from mine, tested the barrier with a curious 'boop' of its nose, only to recoil with a disgruntled growl as a static shock zapped it.
"Back off!" My voice cracked as I commanded, more bravado than confidence seeping into the words. I desperately searched for the barrier spell in the wand and aimed it at the space between Jake and the 2 snarling snouts. A ripple of shimmer pulsed from my wand, casting a barley invisible barrier between Jake, Julie, and the two heads that had focused their menacing gaze upon them.
"Father, it's John!" I finally found the strength to shout my identity. My voice was higher pitched than I wish it was. But it was louder than the first time.
Dad strode forward, his black teacher's cloak billowing around him like the wings of a raven, with his wand still glowing a fierce red, like the embers of a blacksmith fire fed by a drake. I tore my eyes from the wand, hoping my barrier was strong enough, and looked at his face. His smirk was a slash of shadow across his face with underlighting from the red of his spell with highlights, making his eyes glow red in the dim corridor. "Couldn't stay away? Got homesick in a week, huh?"
He gestured with his free hand, crafting a wandless spell —a sign of a true master. The air rippled as he conjured a dampening spell, a counter to my own that absorbed the magic with a hiss and a pop. I winced, not just from the sound but also from the memory of trying—and failing—to cast that spell without a wand during my training. Only bad grade I had.
Dad looked back at me, shaking his hand out from what I knew was a numb feeling. "Cerberus got your tongue."
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, I lowered my hand, allowing the magic to ebb away. The shield dissipated, the light winking out like a snuffed candle.
"Um...not exactly," I admitted, my gaze skittering away from his penetrating stare to where Jake stood in the kitchen, his posture rigid with protectiveness as he shielded Julie. His hands, balled into fists, were the only sign of his agitation. His jaw was set hard, eyes cold, and focused on the snarling snouts pointed in his direction.
Dad's gaze slid from my still-shimmering wrist and wand to my flushed face, a hint of mischief playing around the corners of his mouth. "John, did you bring friends over?" he inquired, sliding his wand back into the holster at his side with a smooth, practiced motion. "I noticed you peeking into the kitchen. Is there a young lady among your companions?" The arch of his eyebrow was teasing, accompanied by a conspiratorial wink that felt out of place in the tension-saturated air.
A rush of heat scorched my cheeks, and words tripped over each other in their haste to leave my mouth. "No... I mean, yes, but— it's not what you're thinking." The words tumbled out in a clumsy jumble, betraying my discomfort, as I waved my hands in protest. KyGerNi's head that was focused on me zeroed in on my moving hands.
With a knowing smirk still etched on his face, eyebrow raised, Dad turned to follow my reluctant gaze. His smirk faltered, morphing into a look of stark realization as his eyes landed on Jake with Julie huddled behind him in the kitchen. A shadow of something—sorrow, perhaps, or regret—flitted across his features so quickly I almost missed it. His hand fell upon the Cerberus's massive back, a silent command in the touch. The beast ceased its growling, retreating to sit by my father's side, its posture a mirror of disciplined attentiveness.
"Jake," he uttered, the name seeming to catch in his throat. His complexion paled as the sight of my cousin robbed him of his vitality. With a gulp and rapid blinking, he added, "And Julie, is that you there?" His voice was strained, an undercurrent of emotion causing it to waver. "Welcome," he managed, his tone laced with a warmth that didn't quite reach his eyes.
He faced me again, eyes searching, a frown creasing his brow as if he was deciphering a particularly complex spell. "What brings you all the way back here?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper of the confident tone I was used to hearing from him. This wasn't his usual demeanor.
Feeling the weight of their stares upon me, I cleared my throat, my voice sounding meek in my own ears. "Could we... maybe talk in the living room?" The words were more a plea than a suggestion.
Dad nodded and turned, a sliver of his usual robust color returning as he led the way. "Of course," he consented, but the paleness of his face betrayed his calm demeanor. "Let's go." KyGerNi followed him in step.
I watched Dad lead the way to the living room, the walls lined with enchanted paintings that were snapshots of my parent's life, including parts where I was present in the ones from the last 16 years or so. One caught my eye—a vibrant scene of a past birthday party, where laughter seemed to echo from the canvas. He settled into his high-backed armchair, its fabric worn at the edges. Jake, Julie, and I perched on the edge of the larger couch across from him, our elbows almost touching. KyGerNi created a living shadow, stretched out by the fireplace on his giant bed, two heads looking at his master, one head on us. Above the cold fireplace was an enchanted painting of my parents in one of the wild realms, kissing on a cliffside over a sea of trees.
The silence was thick, almost suffocating. None of us knew how to start the conversation none of us really wanted to have. We really should have thought this through a lot better. Dad's gaze shifted over Jake's guarded posture and Julie's earnest expression before landing on me, a silent plea for guidance in his eyes. His complexion, once ashen, now slowly warming up again. A furrow of anxiety still creased his brow.
Clearing his throat, Dad's smile seemed to move the quiet air. "Jake, Julie," he began, his voice a blend of warmth and something more fragile, "you two have certainly grown. It's good to see you after so long."
Julie's response was a beacon of brightness in the emotionally dim room. "Thanks, Uncle Zepher," she said, her smile radiant as she glanced between my Dad and KyGerNi.
Dad leaned forward, elbows on the armrests, face leaning forward, eyes focused and intense. "Start from the beginning," he sighed deeply, blinked long, and focused his eyes earnestly and searching on me again. "What brings you here?" he asked, the question laden with a thousand unspoken words.
I glanced between Jake and Julie. I really hoped they would pitch in for this conversation. To my disappointment, they gave me subtle nods and designated me as our impromptu envoy. With a steadying breath, I embarked on our tale.
"So this is kinda complicated, Dad. Let's start with Julie. She has been grappling with unexpected magical powers," I said, my voice even, but my eyes never leaving Dad's face. "We went to a witch doctor from the enclave. She pinpointed it to a mutation. It is not particularly rare for a confluence of non-magical and magical lineage. Aunt Fraya, being your sister, had a chance of this happening. So..." I trailed off, realizing I was rambling.
I paused, the silence heavy. Dad nodded but didn't comment. I sighed before dropping the next bombshell. "She also...revealed...said...Jake and I ...are brothers in more than just spirit. His magic, or lack thereof, is the mirror of Julie's condition. Sort of...like we are really twins...she said." I struggled to say the words.
Dad's expression shuttered flashes of pain, sorrow, and regret, morphing his expression in sequence, his jaw tightening as if to hold back a flood of words. The silence followed was stifling, only the soft huff of KyGerNi's breaths punctuating it.
After a tense eternity, he spoke, his voice a whisper of weariness, "I understand," his tone laden with a deep-seated weariness. "This... should be discussed with your mother." He glanced painfully at Jake and Julie, "With all your parents."
The surprise jolted through me like a rogue spell. "So, it's real?" I gasped, the words jagged, raw with disbelief.
Dad's sigh was laden with complexities I couldn't untangle. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. I noticed a tremor in his hands. He opened his eyes and said in a quiet voice, "Complicated doesn't even begin to cover it," he conceded.
My emotions were a tempest—anger, confusion, a sense of betrayal. My grip on the couch became a lifeline, anchoring me in the storm.
"How complicated?" I pressed, my plea edged with desperation. "We're owed some semblance of truth."
He met my gaze, his eyes a mosaic of sorrow and regret. "John, I wish to lay bare every skeleton, every hidden shard of our past, but it's not a burden I can shoulder alone. Your mother and Jake and Julie's parents—they must be here. I'm not strong enough to do this alone."
The tremor in his hands got worse, betraying the turmoil. It was the first time I'd seen this man anything other than perfect strength in my entire existence.
"Fine," I relented with a deep sigh, steading my own hands, the word a frayed thread of acceptance. "We'll wait."
Dad's smile was a wan echo of reassurance. His hand tremor subsided. "Thank you, son," he murmured, the term carrying a weight that felt heavier than ever before.
I glanced over to Jake, whose intense gaze was locked with my Dad's. His lip trembled subtly, and when he spoke, his voice was a hushed storm. "Are you my dad?"
Dad's reply was a battle between his stoic facade, with a hard jaw, and the pained truth behind his eyes. A solitary tear, a silent defector from his restraint, traced a path down his cheek. Dad whispered, "Biologically, yes. But please, I implore you, let's wait for Beatrice, Fraya, and Paul. This is a conversation we should all face together."
Jake's laugh was bitter, edged with scorn. He pointed at Dad. "Ha!" His other hand balled into a tight fist, knuckles whitening. "So, you need time to synchronize your stories? Make sure your lies are more believable?"
Dad's reaction was a subtle but palpable shift, a fortress of composure becoming slightly less impregnable. His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing, a steeliness there that was usually reserved for darker moments. With a snap, he turned to me, his stare piercing as if he could see through every secret into the core of my being. "John," he said, his voice sharp as a blast of arctic winter ice. "Please tell me, have I ever lied to you?"
I swallowed, feeling as though his gaze were a weight upon my chest. "No, sir. You've never lied, as far as I know." Taking a quick, deep breath, I added, "But we've stumbled upon truths that beg many questions. So you should understand Jake's accusation..." I trailed off, withering under Dad's intense gaze.
Dad nodded as his gaze lingered on me, as if assessing my resolve, before snapping back to Jake. Then, with a sigh heavy as the history it carried, he turned to me again. "And when Jake inquired, I responded with candor. Your mother and I, we've harbored no deceptions." He gestured to Jake and Julie. "And Fraya and Paul, they've nurtured you with nothing but love and integrity. Or am I wrong?"
I looked over as Jake and Julie's eyes dropped to the coffee table, their silent nods sending ripples through the thick air of the room.
I grappled with the revelations, trying to align them with the father I knew—a man of unwavering strength. Yet, here was a chink in the armor, a secret that had lain buried. Trust was the foundation I wanted to cling to, but doubt was a persistent shadow at the edge of my thoughts, suggesting the ground beneath me was shifting.
"Alright," I conceded, my voice strained with the effort to keep it neutral. "We'll wait for Mom to arrive. Then, all together, we'll unravel this tangled past." With a weak smile, I added, "I trust you, Dad."
Dad's face softened, a visible war between stoicism and the raw anguish in his eyes as he looked at each of us. "John, Jake, Julie... my love for you runs deeper than the roots of the oldest tree. But all of these truths are too weighty for me to bear alone." His hands started trembling again, betraying the struggle behind his composed words.
"Alright," I said quietly, my voice nearly a whisper, aware of the simmering tears in Jake's eyes and the slight tremble in Julie's lips. "We'll wait."
Dad's smile was a feeble attempt at warmth, and he turned to Julie. He was seeking respite in less turbulent waters. "Magic flow, that's quite a turn for our Julie," he said, his voice threading through the heaviness of the room.
Jake's sharp intake of breath was a nonverbal echo of our shared disquiet. Julie's emerging powers were like a flare illuminating the once-hidden secrets now slowly coming to light.
"How did you come upon this discovery?" Dad asked, his tone wrapped in tenderness, leaning forward and looking at Julie.
Julie paused, her uncertainty hanging in the air, nearly tangible. Then Jake reached out, his hand taking hers—an anchor amidst the chaos. She met his gaze, drew strength from it, and then turned to mine, searching for an unspoken reassurance. Receiving our silent nods, she straightened her shoulders, inhaled deeply, and turned back to Dad, ready to reveal the beginning of our unraveling tale.
Julie's eyes dropped, her gaze retreating to the safety of the table's grainy patterns. "I... it was in school. I was cornered by a bully and this surge... I felt like I was burning up from the inside. I hid in the restroom, and then, the walls just... they started cracking," her voice was a whisper and trembling.
Jake's concern cut through the thickening silence. "Julie, when did this happen?" He seemed to have forgotten his own emotions in a flash.
Her answer was a soft murmur, eyes glued to the table, "Some months back."
"And you didn't think to tell us?" Jake's words were edged with a brother's protective sharpness.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, a small gesture of discomfort. "Emma said—said that you might... react badly. That wizards can be... unpredictable," Julie's voice dwindled into sadness.
"Emma?" Dad's question was a gentle prompt.
"She's... well, she's my best friend at school. And she's also a werewolf," Julie's admission was tinged with a timid pride.
I turned from Julie to look at Dad. He absorbed the information with a slow nod. "I can understand the Lycons' concerns, albeit misguided. We'll address that later." For a brief second, anger flashed in his eyes. He paused, his eyes softening as he regarded Julie. "So your magic—it's been more instinctual than intentional?"
The term Dad used seemed to wrap Julie in confusion; she bit her lip and gave a small, uncertain nod. "I think so... I don't really understand any of this," she admitted, her voice barely audible.
Dad's smile was a warm beacon, a far departure from his emotional turmoil when we talked about Jake and me. This was closer to the Dad I know, "We'll navigate this together, Julie. This isn't an impossible challenge," he assured her, his voice a steady anchor. He leaned back and glanced at his watch, and he exhaled a soft sigh. Turning to me, his expression held a mixture of resolve and weariness. "Your mom will be home soon. I'll get started on dinner and reach out to Fraya and Paul. What about you kids? Any plans for the rest of the day?"
Caught off guard, I could only muster a noncommittal shrug. This conversation and the day's revelations had left my thoughts swirling like leaves in a tempest. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead. This whole thing was a bit spontaneous and random. We hadn't planned beyond... well, this..." I trailed off.
A gentle laugh escaped Dad, the sound oddly comforting. "Well, that is absolutely obvious," he said, the twinkle in his eye softening the mood.
Julie's face transformed with enthusiasm, her earlier unease momentarily forgotten. She was able to flip her emotions on a dime, leaving Jake and me in the dust. "The walk here was so intriguing. Could we maybe explore the town a bit more?" Her eagerness was infectious.
Dad endorsed the idea with a light nod. "You have a little over an hour before I finish food, and Beatrice will be home. Though the shops might be closed, the town has its own charm after hours. John, if you want, you can show Jake and Julie around."
Julie's joy was palpable as she hopped off the couch and danced in place. I glanced at Jake; his face was less enthused. He looked at me and shrugged. He seemed to be at least a little interested.
With a resigned sigh, I acknowledged the inevitable. "Fine. In an hour, we can easily do a full circle around the town..." I trailed off with a frown
Jake and Julie exchanged looks—a silent conversation—before their eyes landed on me, etched with a blend of curiosity and mild confusion. Dad's chuckle sliced through the uncertainty, a sound of homely assurance. "Our town's heart beats in a small chest," he said with a grin. "You might even manage two laps if we set our minds to it."
Rising to his feet, Dad gestured to his Cerberus, familiar with a practiced tap of his leg. "No lounging tonight, old friend," he said as two of the three heads lifted, grumbling their protests. "Snacks won't sway me. You're coming with me and helping me out." With a begrudging shuffle, the guardian beast trailed after Dad, dragging its 6 paws on purpose, exuding an air of a grizzled veteran stirred from rest.
I stood, unhappy to show the tiny realm. But Jake and Julie wanted it, so I would oblige. "I'm not sure what you're hoping to find, but let's go." Julie's enthusiasm was bright, undimmed by the closed storefronts or my barely hidden displeasure. "We can window-shop for now."
Jake's smile, a rare phenomenon lately, emerged as he playfully ruffled Julie's hair. "Let's take in the sights," he stated emphatically. He glanced at Dad, and for a moment, his gaze darkened but quickly went back to happy.