"How could you not tell me you were alive this entire time?! You think you could just neglect your energy to the point I couldn't feel anything from you, and I would just accept that?! I spent years trying to find you thinking you were nothing but a corpse in a gutter somewhere. My ass got captured because of you! I was safely secured in my little corner of the human realm until your spark went dormant, did you even know I was still here?!"
"Are you done?" Vince sighed, rubbing his temples. He laid along the bench staring at the ceiling. Aware of how much Ito liked to vent in the past, he was mentally prepared for her outburst the moment he left the house.
Ito drew in an exaggerated breath before leaning against the wall.
"Yeah, I'm good now."
"I neglected my powers to become human. To better hide from Gavlen once I found Mekhi. I needed him to believe I was powerless so Mekhi was his only concern. Had he known my powers were still intact, he would have tried to kill me again.... To be fair, you're the one who left."
"I know. And I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I was so sure he was dead. That Gavlen killed him too."
"Instead, he raised him. I didn't know you had a son here. Let alone that you had one with Gavlen. How did you not know that Mekhi was with him?"
"I haven't seen Gavlen in ten years when he took my son and fed me to that monster."
From the small amount of time Vince got to know Amias, he knew the kid was at least fourteen. Ito had him long before she ever saw Gavlen again in the human realm, but his powers were too strong to be part human.
Vince's eyes widened as Ito glanced down at her hands, bashfully.
"He's.....I didn't..."
"It's okay. Even before I thought you were dead, I had no intetion of telling you. Looks like Gavlen took something from both of us. My Amias.....You told me that all this time he assumed Gavlen was his real father. I can only assume Mekhi does too?"
"He asked me when I first brought him to the Sanloft. I simply told him Gavlen wasn't, and he believed me."
"He certainly has her instinct," Ito sighed in amusement.
Vince sat up when Ito knelt next to him. She gently took his hand, assuring all of his attention was on her. A tactic Ito mastered during their time in Markvere.
"You have to tell him."
"Calliope."
"His powers are thriving and you're the only one who can guide him. Protect him. Telling Mekhi is now your responsibility. Telling Amias is mine."
After school, the lot chose to watch Kevin and Jack during their baseball practice before going back to the hideout. Mekhi sat backwards, facing Amias as the two juggled a feather of blue energy between their hands.
Amias was morally comfortable with his psychic abilities, giving Mekhi the opportunity to better learn without losing control. The stream of energy snaked up his arm and around his neck before running back down to Amias, repeating its path. He could feel how relaxed the kid really was when expressing his powers, for the energy he let run along them was friendly and affectionate like a kitten of light.
Amiire watched as the two practiced honing the loose energy. He had seen Gavlen's true power, the amount of strength and anger he expressed that night terrified him. That deranged look in his eyes as his neck bled from Amiire's hold haunted him anytime someone mentioned the man.
How are you his son? His powers were strong, no doubt, but his intentions were not dangerous. The kid was more charming than manipulative like most Moltons and before, Amiire assumed that was the one characteristic he needed to watch. Seeing him interact with Mekhi now, Amiire saw nothing more than a curious and kind child playing with magic.
