Thomas knocked on his father's door. His hands were shaking and his heart was pounding in his chest. He shut his eyes, swallowed his fear, and called out a little too shakily,

"Dad?"

Lloyd opened the door and smiled. "Hey, Tommy. I feel like it's been forever." He hugged his son. "What's up?"

Thomas closed his eyes and sighed. "Dad... do you know anything about... about my biological parents?"

Lloyd fell silent. He motioned for Thomas to come inside his room and sit on the bed. "Tommy... I've been meaning to bring this up. I just... I didn't know when."

Thomas leaned in close, listening intently. "Yes?"

"I... I found out a week ago. Your mother wasn't... I mean, she was..." Lloyd sighed and bit his lip before looking at his son in the eyes. "Thomas, your mother was a spirit, one of a powerful and ancient evil. I fear that... you're in danger because of her."

Thomas fell silent. Millions of thoughts raced through his head. Am I a spirit? Half-spirit? What was my father? Did I even have a father? Am I evil? Am I a threat? Dad...

He stared into his father's eyes.

Does Dad hate me now? Is he afraid of me?

As if he was reading his mind, Lloyd held his son's hand and reassured him. "This changes nothing, Tommy. I'm just scared that... I won't be able to help you..." He shut his eyes, a few tears slipping through. "I'm... I'm going to do everything I can to help you. But for now, we need to closely monitor everything you experience. You may need to cut down on your training, at least your elemental training."

That was the last thing Thomas wanted to hear. He shut his eyes and exhaled sharply. "I... I see..."

Lloyd looked at him. It wasn't a look of shock or pain, but almost... sadness.

Thomas noticed this and shook his head. "N-No, what I meant was... I understand. A-And I know you're doing your best. I appreciate that, dad." He felt his eyes sting with tears, but he quickly brushed them away.

Lloyd nodded and brought his son in for a close hug. "It's okay... I'm here."
-
Amaya approached her cousin, resting on one of the couches, and sighed. "Ebony.."

Ebony jumped up and looked at Amaya. "Amay- hey..."

"I was hoping we could... talk..."

Ebony nodded and moved aside for her to sit down. "Yeah, of course... And I just want to say that I'm sorry-"

"I know." Amaya interrupted. "Sorry, I mean.. I need you to know that I forgive you. And I know what I did wrong, too. In fact..." She sighed and looked down. "You helped me see it. I was being reckless. I just... I wanted you to know that."

"I... helped you?" Ebony shook her head. "I don't really understand."

"My mind has been... elsewhere. I-In regards to the dreams..." She shifted her gaze to the wall. "I didn't realize I was hurting Nicolette because I was so tangled up in those thoughts; I was ignoring the world outside of my dreams. Still, that's no excuse for how I treated you both. I'm sorry."

Ebony shook her head and held Amaya's hand. "Hey, c'mon, no need to beat yourself up. You can't help having your dreams and those thoughts. Honestly, none of this was your fault. I promise."

Amaya nodded softly. "Still... I need to apologize to Nicolette and make things right with her." She got up from the couch. "Thank you, Eb. For everything."

"Yeah. No problem, Amy."

She watched as her cousin left the room, wondering how her conversation with Nicolette would go.