My blood grew colder than it already was. I felt frozen where I stood in the doorway of the castle, staring blankly at the figure in front of us.

We had met Roseo previously, sure, but there was no doubt that we were in the presence of a deity here. The person in front of us was Dwi, the deity of darkness, curses, fear, and shadows. None of which sounded very inviting.

But they stood with a smile on their face, their dark eyes looked gentle, but not a comforting kind of gentle. Their eyes looked like they were trying their best to be pleasant, but it wasn't in their nature. It was as though an introvert had been taken from their private room and suddenly appeared in front of thousands of strangers. Their hands were awkwardly hanging by their sides, and I had the distinct impression that they were wishing they could disappear.

Not that they didn't have that ability in the first place. But they were apparently expecting us.

Appearance-wise, they looked like a sentient shadow, just like Onyx and Senka. But they looked far more regal. Their eyes shone like crystals, set in a black velvet shadow. They had long black hair and they wore a thin crown, with several spikes pointing upwards. They were black robes, which blended seamlessly into their skin, the only reason I could tell they were wearing robes was the shifting of the fabric. Unlike Senka, their skin was also pitch black. It truly made them look like a statue, or a shadow.

"Lord Dwi," Aknon greeted after a long moment of silence. He then gave a small bow. "Are you the one who we were supposed to be meeting?" I understood his scepticism. We didn't have a lot of details on who we were meant to meet, but I certainly wasn't expecting a deity.

"What do you mean you were expecting us?" Sarphi asked, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes. She sounded a lot less respectful than how Aknon sounded, but I felt myself fall in-between the two of them.

Dwi chuckled and shook his head, before addressing Senka. "It seems you kept your mouth shut. That's impressive for you." They smiled and gave Senka a pat on the head. Senka looked like she'd been given the greatest praise she could. Granted, they were a deity, so I suppose it might not be too far off.

"Dwi is your creator," I said with realisation. "This is who you meant."

Senka gave an excited nod and a small bow, looking very proud. "Yes, I was created about twenty years ago. I was made to be your babysitter and look after you all."

"You did a fine job," Dwi complimented. That was when I noticed that their voice was incredibly deep and echoed around the room.

I hadn't even taken the time to look around the castle since stepping in. We were in another castle, but this one seemed both less and more frightening. It was scary-looking and gothic, but it didn't feel threatening with its grandness and openness. And there was actual colour here, there were royal purples and emerald greens which decorated the otherwise dark castle. The lights in the castle were strange. It looked like there were bricks missing in the walls, letting light in from outside. But I knew that outside wasn't bright at all. What we were actually seeing were bright lights made of different crystals, which seemed to glow on their own.

"Thank you," Senka said enthusiastically once more, rocking back and forth on her heels. It was like she was waiting for some kind of reward, almost akin to a child.

"That makes her your sibling," Dwi said to my siblings and me.

Prin had hidden between Sarphi and me. She was shaking a little and had grabbed hold of my hand. I wondered if she was experiencing this place in a different way to how I was. She was cowering in fear, skin pale and eyes daring around.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, head snapping back to Dwi as I realised what they'd said. "Siblings?"

Senka looked like she was going to explode. She eagerly nodded her head and moved over to stand beside Dwi instead of in front of them. She was around a foot or a foot and a half shorter than they were. So, they were pretty tall.

"Yes, in all technicalities, you are siblings." Dwi nodded their head and gave a small sigh. Their breath travelled far, a cold breeze causing me to shiver. "I am sure that this had been a possibility in your minds for quite some time." They paused for dramatic effect. "I am your father."

The three of us had different reactions.

Aknon was frozen in shock. His eyes were wide, and he stumbled backwards into the wall. Sarphi let out a loud, "What?!" and she began jumping up and down, looking rather distressed.

Me, on the other hand, said a very casual, "cool." I didn't know what was going through my head, or if anything was actually going through my head. But I took the information in stride. I had thought of this a few times, maybe it was because I was a person who fantasised. I had thought of this before. It seemed big-headed to say that I'd thought that a deity was my father, but I was rather big-headed.

Dwi chuckled. "My, I wasn't expecting quite this reaction." His voice was still incredibly deep, but it had softened some, along with his eyes. The room we were in seemed to grow warmer, like I was being embraced. "I understand that this could come off as a large shock to you three. Your mother hadn't informed you. I am unsure if she's even aware of your status as my children. I have tried to discuss this with Odon, but they have kept their lips sealed." They shook their head sadly.

"What?" Sarphi asked again, but a bit quieter.

Senka looked down at the floor, her hands behind her back. I didn't know if she was scared to see our reactions, or if she wanted to let Dwi deal with it, but I could've done with some of her support right then.

"Yes, I am your father." Dwi nodded. "Your mother, as I'm aware, hadn't treated you with kindness due to your appearance."

"Because we're freaks," Aknon muttered under his breath and looked down. Twenty years full of self-loathing and being told that we were cursed had finally appeared on his face in an expression of misery. "That's why she didn't treat us kindly."

"That's not what I meant." Dwi stepped forward, and they took another step once they realised we weren't backing away, besides Prin, who stayed behind us. "I meant that she wasn't aware of my power, my being. She wasn't prepared to have children, Nevermind ones so unique as you three."

"Even I know unique is a kind way of saying what Aknon said," I pointed out with a small frown, pointing my tail in his direction. "You're a deity. You could have made us look like whatever you wanted. You could've given us to another mother, one who would've actually cared about us."

Dwi took a deep breath. "Like I say, I cannot see the future. That is Odon's job. It is my job to be in control of curses, fear, and shadows. I do not hold power over much else."
"This feels like a curse," Aknon blurted out. His voice was harsh, and his eyes were defensive. "Our entire lives, we've been shunned for what we look like. We have been beaten and sworn at. We've had things thrown at us. We've been laughed at like some kind of public oddity. This is all because you're our father." His back straightened with each word, trying to be taller. I couldn't tell if he was pleased to have the answers or not. I couldn't tell if he was simply blaming Dwi, or if he found some bittersweet lining in the fact it wasn't because of us. We hadn't done anything to deserve what we went through.

"It isn't a curse," Dwi denied. "I'm sorry all that happened to you. I wasn't intending you to live such repressed lives, to have to be hidden. I truly thought that you would be magnificent creatures who would go on to do great things. I was right in that regard."

I found myself feeling proud. I didn't want to feel proud, but this was our father, saying that they were proud of how we turned out and that we'd done great things with our lives. We hadn't been completely abandoned by him. They watched over us, they sent us aid, and they gave us care when nobody else would. That care came in the forms of Senka and Onyx.

But there was a lot that they had to answer for.

"What about the fact that we didn't know?" I asked, stepping forward. "We spent our whole lives thinking that we were abandoned by our father, not even knowing if our mother told him that she was pregnant. We were raised by shadows. We're unlike anything else on this planet and we were on our own. We didn't have guidance." I glanced over at Senka to see if she was taking this personally, but I couldn't read her expression. "We spent countless nights wishing we could be normal. We wished that we could be around regular people, doing things like going to the market, or making friends. We couldn't do that. Nobody would give us the chance to do that, all because of what we look like." I was getting a little choked up. "We needed a father."

Dwi hung their head. "I am aware. I didn't expect this to happen when you were born. But I was unable to aid you personally. I am bound to the shadows, and it is not easy for me to travel."

"There's no excuses," Aknon spat. "You could move enough to get our mother pregnant. You have power over the shadows, meaning you can travel through them, even within the night." His chest was heaving. "You were just scared. You were scared that your children would hate you."

Dwi was silent. They closed their eyes and held their breath, bracing themself for something.

"Well, you were right." Aknon then spun on his heels and ran out of the castle.

"Aknon, wait!" Sarphi yelled and immediately ran after him. Prin followed her, still attached to her by the hand.

I gave Dwi a look before rushing after them. I didn't know what I tried to convey in my look, maybe a sign that I didn't hate them. But my brother was my top priority right now.