Missing Abilities

Osbert could have sworn he watched Jel walk away, though he could do nothing to reach out to the man.

No matter how much he willed his body to grab the man, it wouldn't listen.

There are so many things I want to talk to you about. He thought, staring at his retreating back, a light began to surround the man. How much longer will I have to wait to see you again?

Why do you keep disappearing?

Jel's voice resounded in his subconscious, "Don't worry, we'll see each other again."

But that only made him more annoyed. When? Aren't we seeing each other right now? Can't we talk now?

You keep going to a place I can't ever reach.

You said you would answer all my questions and yet you disappeared. What am I supposed to do now? I still have so many questions and I can't even ask the people closest to me.

…

…

Don't go.

______________________

"Alby!" A frantic voice pulled the man out of his thoughts as he struggled to open his eyes. "Lily!"

"I'm here." A female voice said, grabbing the man as tightly as she possibly could as heat started to fill him. A kind of heat that makes one want to stay in the bed the entire day.

Trembling, he snuggled closer to this person before losing consciousness again.

So … tired.

_______________________

Eyes shooting open, Alby stared at the ceiling right in front of him. The room looked so familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.

He could hear the rustling of leaves from outside the window, opposite to where he lay.

There were clothes scattered all over the ground and he was covered with a mountain of blanket that made it a little hard to even sit up, let alone, move around.

Annoyed at the heat around him, Alby pushed the mountain of blankets off, watching as they fell to the ground in a loud thump.

Alby released a deep, tired breath and finally looked around again.

This is the closet. He thought, looking at what he was laying down on and it was a table with a mattress on top of it.

Really? He thought, raising an eyebrow at it. Well … we don't have any beds so I can understand this, somehow.

As he was about to get to his feet, he felt something in his hands, opening them he saw a red gem just like the colour of the Vampires eyes that he met.

Specifically a certain Vampire he couldn't help feeling annoyed at the moment he remembered him again.

What is this doing here though? He thought, remembering what happened back in the murky waters.

"I'll get him a new one." Jel had said, breaking the other gem with his bare hands.

That was what sent a shockwave all around them. He remembered feeling wrapped in something warm and then darkness.

Jel's voice came to him now and then but he could not hear what he said.

I thought I was imagining him. Alby thought, looking at the gem in his hands. But I guess this shows that he did come. Though … I am just wondering, how powerful is that man?

I did some research on the gem he gave me and it is said that no one has been able to even break it. When they tried to, the magic in the gem seeped into them and caused their bodies to be filled with magic to the point that they overflowed.

Just like water in an earthen pot, if overfilled, will cause it to break and spillover. That was what happened to their bodies.

Jel said something about being powerful enough to absorb all that magic.

Just … what on earth is he?

Flinching, Alby quickly shoved the gem in his pocket the moment he heard footsteps rushing to the door and stared blankly when he saw Roy bursting into the room.

"Alby!" The man shouted, pulling him into a hug before he could even process what was happening.

"Gently, Roy." Lily chuckled from the doorway, smiling at the man. She looked very tired, with bags all along her eyes. "You are going to injure him again."

"Sorry." Roy quickly pulled out and took a good look at Alby, he also looked very tired. "I was too excited. How do you feel, Alby?"

"I feel fine," Alby said, staring at his hands, doing whatever he could to not look at the two in the face.

For some reason, he felt guilty, though he could not point out why he did.

"That's good," Lily said, grinning at the man. "Come on. Let's have breakfast. It is four in the morning, about time for sunrise."

"Ok," Alby said, getting to his feet with Roy staring at him as though he feared he would break to pieces if he took his eyes off of him.

"Come on, Roy," Lily said, holding the door open for Alby.

"Yeah. Ok."

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Alby ate the meat in front of him uncomfortably as two pairs of eyes stared at him closely. Watching his every movement without saying a word.

This is so uncomfortable. He thought biting into the meat.

He looked at the two, they were not even trying to be subtle as they stared closely at the man.

"I think you should all hurry up. The sun will rise soon." Alby said, swallowing the meat the felt like sandpaper down his throat.

"That's right," Roy said, looking at Lily with wide eyes. "The SUN will be up soon."

"Of course I know that the Sun will be up and it will be MORNING." The woman said back, both communicating with their eyes again.

Alby looked from one to the other, if he wasn't confused before, he sure as hell is confused now.

"Uh? Is something wrong?" He asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin on the table.

"NO. No. No." The woman said, stabbing the beans on her plate. "Nothing is wrong, right, Roy?"

"Yeah, nothing is wrong." The man said, not taking his eyes off of Lily. "Nothing at all, Lily."

The silence was so loud that the sound of the grandfather clock in the living room seemed to have disappeared to Alby's ears.

Should I ask them how long I was asleep for?

Will they even answer me? What are they even having a problem about this time?

"Well ... ok. I will just ... um ... wash this."

"Sit," Lily said, smiling at Alby but her smile was not a happy one, it was almost threatening.

"Yes ma'am," Alby said, quickly sitting back down and looking at the two again. "Is something wrong? Did you two get into a fight again?"

"No."

"What makes you think that?"

Alby held his hands up in surrender, "I was just asking. I am sorry if I offended you two."

"You didn-" Roy sighed, running his hands through his hair. "We have to tell him, Lily."

"I know." The woman said, sitting like a teacher at a meeting with a school principal. "You tell him."

"Why do I have to tell him?"

"You are his uncle. You both are blood families."

Roy rested his head on the table, Lily was right and there was nothing he could argue about that.

"Fine," he said, giving up. "Stay with me though? In case I say something I shouldn't."

Lily took the man's hands in hers and smile, "Of course."

Alby looked at the two, seeing hearts everywhere as he tried popping those hearts that got closer to him, trying to distract himself from the two in front of him.

"Ok then." Roy's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as he turned to the man.

He did not look nervous at all. But he looked very, very worried.

"Do you need water?" Alby asked, handing him a glass.

"Yeah. Thanks." Roy said, taking the cup from him and gulping everything down. Slamming the cup on the table, he began. "Alby. I have something to tell you."

"Shoot."

Roy paused, pursing his lips. "Before that, how are you so calm after waking up? I would be panicking and wondering what time it is."

"I knew you two were going to tell me, sooner or later." Alby shrugged. "Continue."

"Wow. You really trust us."

"Ahem." Lily cleared her throat, glaring at Roy.

"Ok. Ok. For real this time." Roy sucked in a breath. "Alby. No, Osbert. You have been asleep for a week now."

"Huh," Alby said, raising his eyebrows. "Only?"

"What do you mean only?!?" Roy asked, throwing his hands in the air. "It's been a week, you missed your birthday too."

"That's a plus then," Alby said, resting his head on the table as he stared at Roy. "With the way you two were reacting, I thought I was asleep for a year or something like that. Or that I have a child somewhere."

"Alby!"

"I was just thinking."

"That isn't the end though," Roy said, fiddling with his fingers. "You see, Alby. That battle did a number on you to the point that your shapeshifting abilities may be ... gone."

"What?"