Yoongi was full of questions, but as each came to the tip of his tongue, his mind would go blank.

The sky above them was bright, and with it, Yoongi took the opportunity to glance at the crow -he had just learned- held his father within him. He studied his face, a face that still had the likeness of his deceased friend Jimin.

He hated having to look at it, his face making Yoongi feel sick, but he had no other choice. He was his father, and even though they shared the same face, they were two different people. 

"How could you?" Yoongi asked angrily.

"How could I what?"

"How could you not tell me? All this time. Do I mean so little to you? Was...how..." Yoongi groaned out, averting his gaze from the crow.

Lucious went silent while continuing to walk, Yoongi following close behind him, awaiting any sort of response, yet nothing. Lucious had made his way to the beach adjacent to the cottage, Yoongi's legs sinking into the sand with each step. He hoped Lucious would say something, anything was better than the silence shared between them.

Were all their interactions up till then, lies?

Deep down, Yoongi had grown to care for the crow, to see him as someone who had filled the father figure role in his life. The many times Yoongi ran to him when he cried himself to sleep the night before because of how different he was and how many secrets he had to keep from his family felt like nothing. He had shared all those grueling nights with him. He had hugged him on each one of his birthdays, he had walked roads and flown through mountains with him by his side. Had all that meant nothing to him?

"The master and I once came to this beach," Lucious mumbled while sitting himself down on a large tree log.

"It was a long time ago, before the war. He was a good man. A very good man," Lucious added, his words so quiet Yoongi could barely make them out.

"Never thought I'd be here with his kid."

Yoongi's eyes softened.

The crow's expression was as pathetic as his own had been at some point. His form began morphing to one he had never seen before, one that was more mature, and far more serious looking. This shape was one he was sure was Lucious' original form, his true identity. He had sharp eyes, a well-defined jawline, and jet-black hair. This was the face that suited Lucious's voice the most.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Lucious. I am your late father's familiar, and the rain demon belonging to the Shino clan. We have been looking over you for a while, but I, as the main host of the body, decided not to say anything because I didn't want to put you or your family in danger. Also, yes, this is my original form,"

Yoongi stayed silent.

It wasn't enough. He didn't know what words would fill the empty spot that had been torn open with the news of who he was, but those were not the words he hoped to hear.

"He did resurface. Your father. Unfortunately, being inside a demon's body is not easy, and his memories, for the most part -of your existence- were wiped clean with each time he became conscious. I cannot know for certain how much he remembers of you-"

"-I remember," a voice broke through, the voice of whom Yoongi presumed was his father.

It was a kind voice, soft and light like a feather. Yoongi remembered hearing it at some point, the gentleness of his words, and the mellowness of the tone coming from the man who was his father.

It made him feel, weird. Like when a small ray of sunshine hits you during a cold winter morning, that was what he felt like, or at the very least it was the closest comparison.

Yoongi thought back to a vivid memory that had followed him throughout his childhood.

Men in his village were seen as nothing, and he often got picked on by other kids for not having a father who could give him his name. His mother was seen as an unwanted woman, and he and his brother were the unlucky kids.

It had been on a cold winter afternoon, many years back when Yoongi first encountered his father. The snow that covered the door of his hut that year reached well above Yoongi's head. The firewood they had kept in the shed had become humid, and the nights became colder because of the lack of a heat source.

Was he 6, maybe 5? 

Yoongi was unsure when exactly, but he remembered that winter well. It was bitter and cold, and with not much food or wood to go around, his family had to scrape by with one meal a day.

Yoongi and Jungi were both running around to find a doctor, someone to help their mother who had fallen ill, but no one would listen. 

Their mother spent many winter days fishing or tending to the hens they owned in hopes of bringing food for them, and on one of those outings, had caught a bad cold. Yoongi recalled heading to the town square, his brother's hand holding tightly onto his. They talked to each passing adult, yelled, and screamed for someone to listen, but no one dared turn their eye to the two sons of a witch.

Being the son of a witch had always been a curse, but then more than ever, a five-year-old Yoongi begged for someone to listen.

"Help my mommy! Please, please save her," he cried, his brother letting go of his hand momentarily to go beg the elders for help.

There, in the distance, he stood, the small black sparrow. Flying up, Yoongi flung his tiny hands upwards in hopes of pulling the bird back down to the floor.

"Help me, Lucious," he pleaded once again.

The sparrow's wings elongated to that of a crow before it flew up higher in its new form and with a single flap of its wings, beckoned little Yoongi to follow.

Yoongi ran as fast as his legs could take him, the frigid air snapping at his skin while the tears he had once shed created small cracks on his cheeks. His lungs were burning by the time he caught up with the bird, Yoongi wanting desperately not to lose sight of it.

"Will you help?" Yoongi asked as they reached the edge of the forest, towards where the humans lived.

The crow's body morphed into one he now realized was that of the image of his friend Jimin. At the time, he had no idea that was whom Jimin would come to look like as an adult, all he knew was that this face was the first form of the one named Lucious.

"What kind of a sick man would let his lover die?" the man chuckled in response.

The man pointed at the floor, Yoongi shuffling over and sitting himself down. The man ignited a small flame and slowly drifted down to Yoongi's eye level before signaling for the little boy to extend his hands out. Cupping the small flame, Yoongi took the fire into his hands, his body immediately filling up with the feeling of warmth.

"Wait here," the man ordered.

His eyes were determined and for some strange reason, Yoongi trusted him. He felt reassured by the man and knew he'd come back. He had to come back.

The sun of winter lasted for a very short while, Yoongi recalled. Sometimes, by the time he and his brother got home from class, the sun was gone, and there Yoongi sat, the darkness extending its reach. He was afraid, he was scared, the sounds of wolves and moving leaves making his tiny heart race, however, he stood still. He was not to move. He couldn't. That man had been the only adult willing to listen to his cries, and Yoongi would do as told even if it cost him his own life.

There had been a rustling of leaves, Yoongi remembered, 3 pairs of glowing eyes making tears begin to form in his eyes.

"W-who goes there?" he asked shakingly.

He was afraid.

Those woods had been known for the packs of wolves roaming it, but he was not to move. No, he couldn't move. He felt panic set in on his shoulders, his hands continuing to quiver, but he put more faith in the flame. He had known that barriers and spells could do all sorts of things and only hoped that this was like that. Maybe just maybe, this flame would protect him.

Just as the rustling appeared to grow closer, the man returned holding a couple of bags in his arms, Yoongi's hands shook when realizing that the rustling of leaves had been him, a large sigh leaving his lips.

"Brave boy. Wolves I'm guessing," the man muttered while motioning with his head at a pair of bushes to the right of them.

Yoongi finally let his tears spill, the man crouching down to touch his head while using the hand that held the bags to grab the fire that Yoongi refused to drop.

"Let's go kid. Your mother must be worried sick," the man giggled to himself, amused at his own pun.

Yoongi grumbled, extending his hand to hold that of the stranger known as Lucious.

For a moment, Lucious hesitated, but quickly, he tightly held the kid's hand in his.

Yoongi remembered how this had been one of the few moments that made him feel like that was what a father was supposed to be like. A father was willing to listen, to protect, to cheer you up.

"The many times we got sick or went hungry, you were there, weren't you?" Yoongi questioned, Lucious's head nodding involuntarily.

"I-"

"The time your brother graduated, the time you learned to swim, the time when you got lost in the woods, and the many times you attempted to learn how to fly. I have been there for all of that," Yoongi's father's voice admitted.

Tears.

Hot steamy tears ran down Yoongi's face, and without giving him a second to respond, Lucious's body turned to that that held Jimin's face, his stature much shorter than Lucious's real form, and his hands much smaller.

The man felt warm against Yoongi, the hug he gave him soothing in a sense.

"You grew up to be a very good son," he whispered.

Yoongi teared up, a small yelp coming from his body.

Had he always wanted a father? No. Had he grown up with strong male figures to look up to? No.

From a young age, he remembered seeing the faces of men cowering before women, afraid to speak a word to them. Yoongi recalled the favoritism in his classroom, one he always wished to speak up against.

This man brought a twisted sense of comfort and familiarity that made him feel like there was still hope for the men in the village. There was still hope for him.

"And Jungi, why- why did he not-"

"Jungi chose the life of a human, he didn't want to have an ounce of magic. Magic for him would be a hindrance more than a virtue. I didn't want to leave him in the dark. However, revealing myself to someone who so wholeheartedly believed in protecting his mother, he would have just turned me in," the man said.

"He, if he had known you were our dad-"

"He would have been confused and hurt. He got to meet me longer than you and I loved him dearly, but he also ended up seeing me as a threat to their survival, to your survival. Jungi is a good kid with a strong love for his family, a love so strong, he would bow his head to anyone to keep you two alive."

They went silent, taking in the moment they were sharing as if it was their last moment together.

"Magic, not everyone wants that life. Jungi most definitely didn't want this life, and so, he prevented his merge with magic," the man added.

"Isn't that painful?"

"Very."

"You. Can your souls be separated?" Yoongi asked.

"Wouldn't know," Lucious's original voice answered.

Slowly, his father's face faded into the body, Lucious reappearing with a sad look on his face.

"I have tried, but with no vessel for the souls to go into, the remaining fragments of your father would disappear. Not to mention your grandfather still being attached to him like a leech. He's a parasite, consuming your father's essence with each passing year."

Walking towards them, Ina took a good look at the beach before interrupting their heartfelt encounter.

She had only known the man for a short while, so she wasn't sure how he would react to the news of his father being inside his familiar, however, after finding out her mother was not her birth mother, Ina sensed she was ever so slightly closer to that stranger named Yoongi.

Now more than ever, Ina wanted to be of help to them. She wanted to help him get his family back. From what Agatha had told her, the toads they were looking for lived not far from them, in a swamp Agatha used to gather supplies in. It was the first ingredient on the list, and after some discussion, Ina felt like she had an idea of what the other ingredients would be.

Walking down the beach, Ina reached them in the middle of their conversation, clearing her throat before looking at Yoongi.

His eyes were a bit red, likely from crying. 

"Why are you here?" he grumbled, a hasty response that Ina wasn't expecting.

Could it be out of embarrassment?

"Cute," Ina muttered to herself.

"Well, I am here to give you some good news. Agatha has directed us to a swamp not far from here. There is an infestation of large toads that we most likely can use to save your mother. I believe Agatha said she would meet us at the library when we have gotten the toad eyes. She wants to help us find a way to not only bring your mother back but her son, your dad," Ina explained, extending her hand out to help Yoongi up and off a large hollow log he had been sitting on.

"Forgot to mention, the place is a bit dangerous, so you will most definitely be bait," Ina smirked.

"Well, I guess we should be off. And Miss Ina, I thank you once again for saving me," the man smiled, walking over to her before taking her hand in his and kissing it.

Ina immediately blushed.

"Chivalry is not dead, indeed it's not. Hah. Your familiar sure is something," she mocked Yoongi, Yoongi groaning at her words.

"He's not my familiar!" Yoongi groaned out. 

"Oh, my bad, I forgot he's your dad."

"That...he isn't that either. Let's just go. We need to save my mom," he sighed in response, Ina noticing the nape of his neck go red.

"Suit yourself, Mr. Grumpy."

°˖✧♡✧˖°

🐨Holly shit, it has been ages and I apologize for my long absence. As some of you know I get writing blocks here and there are times when I go months without posting. Here is a short chapter and I hope I get more time to write throughout the week. I'm back in class so I hope this will give me time to write.

I hope you enjoy it.

I thank you for your lovely comments and the votes. They really keep me going whenever I have a block.

Thank you!

Marili Cruz

~♔~