Two Sides of The Moon | Gay BxB |

39. Control

"Good," I said and started making my way slowly through the yard. "So much for getting some time alone."

"Oliver, no," Cedric muttered just before I turned into a spirit and bounced off the ground. "Oliver!"

He flew after me, but I didn't stop. I searched for a quieter place and spotted it almost right away. The hill was looming up ahead, overlooking both the werewolf town and the Forest of the Dead, so I landed on top of it. It seemed like the spirits were avoiding the place, so I turned to Cedric to ask about it.

"This is where people died during the battle," he muttered. "It's a ground of grief."

"Should we not be here?" I asked.

"We can stay as long as we're being respectful," he said, looking down at the bottom of the hill where I had held the Blue Moon and destroyed it.

"Do they still have ways to enter the Spirit Realm?" I asked.

"There are other portals, but most of them are with peacekeepers by now. I'm surprised they hadn't collected the Blue Moon before," Cedric said.

I nodded slowly, lingering in the memories of that day when I received the power of Hades.

"Do you think I can handle the Echo?" I asked, pressing my hand over my chest.

Cedric watched me for a moment, then shrugged. "The corruption keeps trying to spread within you, but so far, you've been dealing with it just fine."

"We did not expect any less from you."

I turned around when I heard my dad's voice. He smiled when our eyes met, and carefully spread his arms for a hug. I did hug him, but quickly pulled away, feeling glad he had come to see me, but ashamed as well.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited you," I said quietly.

"Don't be. You shouldn't travel between worlds just to visit your old man right now," he said dismissively. "I actually came here to scold you for being here now."

"I do what I want," I said with a grin.

"I have noticed," Dad said, his lips spreading into a smile. "But why are you here? You should be asleep."

"I couldn't even close my eyes, so I wanted to take a walk," I explained. "There's been so much going on that I can barely keep up."

"I understand," Dad said quietly. "The supernatural side of the world is a lot to take in without having to try to save the entire world at the same time."

"Understatement," I said with a chuckle, then let my amusement fade away and turned to look toward the Forest of the Dead again. I sighed. "Do you think I can do it? Control the Echo?"

"If you can't, then no one can," Dad said.

"That's not reassuring," I noted.

"Do you feel like it's getting out of control?"

I shook my head. "It's been quite easy to deal with. If I stay in the shadow form for too long, then it gets harder."

"Perhaps it is better to stay out of it," Dad said, and I nodded.

I didn't want to think about any of it at that moment, so I turned to take a better look at Dad. His young age really messed up my head. And the fact that he looked so much like me. It hurt knowing how short his life had been. It hurt knowing I could've had a father, but my uncle had taken him from me.

"What have you been up to?" I asked before I could go down that hateful path.

He let out a weary sigh. "I have never been running around as much as I have lately. I deliver messages, find people, watch people, help to locate things and beings and..." he ended his short rant with another sigh.