Dmitri stirred slightly and yawned, causing Astral to blink awake. The heterochromic-eyed boy smiled softly. "Good Morning, Father!"
Dmitri glanced over, a bright grin on his face. He leaned over and tugged on a strand of Astral's hair that had fallen into his face, then brushed it aside. "I'm going to need to remind myself you're really here sometimes."
Astral snuggled closer to his father. "I need to remind myself you can see me sometimes."
Dmitri hugged his older son close. "I'm going to hate it when you're back to being an astral being and I can't see you."
"We can still write," Astral muttered.
"Yeah," Dmitri agreed, "I'll still miss you, though."
"We'll be right there, Father, don't worry," Astral assured him.
"I know, I know," Dmitri murmured, brushing Astral's hair back again, "I'm glad you're not dead."
"Same here, Dad," Dark Mist piped up.
Dmitri smiled and looked back at his younger son. "I still can barely believe you're really here." he repeated
"Better believe it, 'cause we're not leaving anytime soon!" Dark Mist said, grinning.
"Keep it down you three, I'm still sleeping," Gareth muttered.
Dark Mist grinned and half-yelled in Gareth's ear, "I'm sorry, are we being too loud?"
"Yes," Gareth muttered, shutting his eyes tighter.
"HOW ABOUT NOW?" Dark Mist called, causing Astral to roll his eyes and Dmitri to chuckle.
Gareth blinked up at Dark Mist sleepily yet with annoyance. "I wish I had a pillow so I could either stuff it over my head or throw it at you."
"Now I wish we all had pillows, we could start a pillow fight!" Dark Mist laughed.
"Brat," Gareth grinned up at the tanned boy. He stretched and yawned. "Time to get going?"
"I suppose so. I do not want to take the chance that Malachi is wandering around here somewhere we can access and we are just sitting here relaxing. That insane b*tch wouldn't waste a second before trying to kill Luhke and Sebastian after the shock/disbelief wore off," Dmitri snarled.
Astral shuddered and Dark Mist growled. "I- I'm really scared of him, but if he tried to mess with Luhke, I'll rip him a new one without hesitation."
"Thank you, Sebastian," Astral said, "But I'd prefer if we never see him in here. It's unlikely he could harm us in spirit form so we're relatively safe outside of the ruin. I'd just like to get out of here if only for safety reasons. For feasibly every other reason, I'd rather spend as much time as possible in here."
Dmitri smiled sadly, "I agree with Luhke. As much as I'd love to stay here for as long as we can just so I see and interact with you, your safety matters infinitely more to me. I am not letting you get killed again."
"Alright, so in that case, we'd better get the show on the road," Gareth said, "We've spent enough time here already. Hell, some of the others may be out of here by now."
Dmitri stood up and stretched. "Yeah, let's leave." Dark Mist and Astral got to their feet and hurried to catch up to Dmitri and Gareth, who had started to walk towards a large doorway. The took a step inside and found it fairly well lit. The light cast shadows across the stones in the walls that jutted out, causing the area to have an eerie but rustic aura.
"Sweet! It's not pitch black this time!" Dark Mist cheered.
Dmitri smiled faintly, "I suppose that's one way to look at it." He started walking down the corridor with Gareth and his sons behind him.
"This place is quite damp. I wonder where the water on the ground and in the air comes from," Astral mused.
"An underground water source maybe," Dmitri muttered.
"Well, we'll find out eventually whether or not there is if we find one," Gareth said.
"I suppose we will," Dmitri said with a rueful smile.
With nothing more to say, the four trudged down the path at a steady pace.
"So," Gareth eventually said, "What's it like being incorporeal, you two?"
"Well, I can pass through most objects so that can be fun and weird. But I can touch things and pick them up so I can chuck them at people I don't like," Dark Mist suddenly coughed which sounded a lot like "Malachi", "and they won't be able to tell it was me because they hero worship me for some retarded reason."
Dmitri started laughing as he relished for the first time the irony of who exactly Malachi was obsessing over. "Oh God... Malachi is going to be in for a world of hurt."
Gareth laughed as well, the sound resonating off the walls. "I can't believe he's actually reaching that level of obsession with his murdered nephews. This cannot end well for him."
"Trust me," Dark Mist said viciously, "It won't."
Dmitri smiled, "What about you, Luhke? What's it like for you?"
"It's... interesting. I can't touch things like Dark Mist can, so I generally watch or advise Yuma on what to do if the situation calls for it. He doesn't listen as much as I'd like him to sometimes. I usually observe my surroundings and could probably tell you in great detail exactly what Yuma's room is like, what his school looks like inside and out, how many steps are on the staircase in his house-"
"He hangs out with Yuma a lot, if you haven't guessed," Dark Mist rolled his eyes.
"What's up with your eyes? I mean, I'm really glad they're not gone, but..." Dmitri trailed off.
"Oh, when we became an astral being and number, our eyes started to reform. When they were done, they looked like this," he gestured to Astral's pale eye, "and this," he brought his hand up to his silver and black eye.
"I think they look pretty cool," Gareth grinned, leaning over to ruffle Dark Mist's hair.
"Okay, they kinda are," Dmitri said with a fleeting smile.
"Thanks!" Dark Mist said grinning, "That's what I said when Astral first told me what my eye looked like. You know, before we lost our memories."
"Speaking of which, if you didn't know you two were twins, what exactly was your relationship when you didn't remember?" Dmitri asked.
Dark Mist and Astral shared a look that very distinctly conveyed, 'oh crap'. "You know, Dad," Dark Mist said with a grin/grimace on his face, "You REALLY don't want to know."
"...why?" Dmitri asked.
"I might've been partially/mostly possessed for most of the time I was amnesic and Astral and I didn't quite hit it off at first. Trust me, you do NOT want to know what happened," Dark Mist said with resolution.
"We are both very much ashamed of how we acted to each other," Astral said, wincing.
"Hey, it was mostly my fault. The first time we had any real interaction was when I- you know," Dark Mist said.
"Well, after the that you did offer to help me that one time," Astral replied.
"Yeah, but that was because I wanted something from you," Dark Mist countered, "And then Vector and I tried to... you know."
"That incident is very clear in my memory," Astral replied, "And the one afterward."
Dark Mist groaned, "DON'T bring that up."
"Are you two TRYING to prompt us to ask what the hell happened?" Gareth asked.
"Nah, mostly because we really don't want you to know," Dark Mist replied.
Dmitri looked concerned, "Are you sure you two are okay?"
"Yeah! I mean, I was possessed for all of the you knows. We kinda made up and started up where we left off before we died," Dark Mist replied.
"...alright. I won't ask questions about what happened when you were possessed. Can I ask how you were possessed?" Dmitri asked.
"Oh, Astral was fighting this evil guy and he shot Astral with an energy beam thingy. As I number, I was kinda inside of Astral and apparently it hit me and caused me to be the equivalent of possessed. Now I think I'm going to take the emergency exit to the conversation. Oh look! There's a puddle! And there's another one!" Dmitri rolled his eyes at Dark Mist's antics.
"How's Eva doing anyway?" Dmitri asked.
"Great! She tends to go by Ena now, ask her why, I have no idea," Dark Mist said.
"She misses you," Astral stated, "She actually failed to rebuke Dark Mist for his language because she herself wanted to swear. She actually told Dark Mist he could bash Malachi's head in if he tries anything. Of course, she did tell me afterward not to let him bash his head in unless necessary."
Dmitri laughed ruefully, "Sounds like she hasn't changed a bit," he said wistfully.
"Hey, don't worry, you'll see her soon enough," Gareth said.
"I know, I know," Dmitri said, smiling. Suddenly he stopped as they hit a dead end.
"Are you f*cking kidding me?!" Dark Mist cried.
"Language, Sebastian," Dmitri reprimanded.
Astral took a few more steps towards the dead end, "I do not believe this is truly a dead end. There must be a hidden passage either here or along the path that we missed."
"Good idea, Luhke," Gareth said as he walked next to Luhke and set his hand on the wall. As he did, his hand went right through the wall. Gareth let out a yelp and jumped back. Astral hesitantly put his hand on the wall as well and sure enough, his hand passed through as well. Then he walked right through the wall.
"Luhke!" Dark Mist and Dmitri shouted. Astral poked his head back through the wall.
"It is simply an illusion. Come on through, there are some stairs leading up to somewhere," Astral said.
"Damn it, Lucky, give us all heart attacks why don't you?" Dark Mist said, running up to the wall and hugging Astral, which looked quite odd considering more than half of his body was passing through the wall.
"I am sorry for worrying you, Sebastian. You as well, Father," Astral apologized.
"It's all right Luhke," Dmitri said, calming down slowly, "But please don't scare me like that. I don't want to lose you again, or you, Sebastian. I can't lose either of you again."
"I am very sorry for scaring you, Father," Astral apologized again.
"It's all right," Dmitri repeated, "I'm just going to have to force myself to get over being a sudden overprotective father. It's hard, trying not to smother you when that's all I want to do at the moment."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you can still breathe under his ultimate rule," Gareth joked, causing Dmitri to smack him on the arm.
"Anyhoo, we should get going," Dark Mist said, stepping through the illusion-wall with Gareth and Dmitri quickly following suit. The four walked up the steps and then had to shield their eyes from a bright light. After their eyes adjusted, they found themselves staring at a doorway that led outside.
"That's IT?!" Dark Mist cried, "No number?!"
"Perhaps the other passage that Malachi, Yuma, and Vector hypothetically took led to a treasure room with the number," Astral suggested.
"Probably," Gareth replied.
Dmitri glared at the exit for a while, then gave a defeated sigh, "...I guess we all have to go back to normal now."
"You sound disappointed Dmi," Gareth teased, "And you complained at first about being in a teenage body."
"You know why I'm upset!" Dmitri snapped, "I- I won't be able to see my sons anymore..."
Dark Mist looked down and Astral sniffled, "Father... what if you and Gareth go first? Then Sebastian and I can follow and we can say goodbye with us as humans for a little longer while you're back to normal."
Dmitri nodded, "Sounds like the best plan we can have at the moment."
"I'll let you hug them goodbye, Dmi. From the sound of it, we'll be able to touch them in Astral World. I can wait until then," Gareth said with a smile, "C'mon, let's go."
He and Dmitri walked outside and very slowly, they aged back to their normal ages. It took five minutes total, so Astral estimated that was as long as they had to remain partially human after they stepped out there.
"Alright, you two, come on out," Dmitri said, back to his normal self.
"We're coming, Father. Come on, Sebastian," Astral said, tugging at Dark Mist's hand. The two twins ran out and hugged their father tightly.
"Daddy..." Dark Mist muttered into Dmitri's shirt.
"Sebastian, it'll be okay," Dmitri whispered, "And have I mentioned how great it is to see you both?" he sobbed.
"Only ten to twenty times so far," Dark Mist replied.
Dmitri laughed and squeezed both of them tighter. "I'm going to miss seeing you."
"It's only temporary," Astral whispered, "We'll make you able to see us again soon, I promise."
"I know, Luhke, but damn it, am I going to miss you both," Dmitri cried.
Dark Mist hugged his father tighter, then felt his left hand slip slightly. He pulled back and looked at his hand. It looked normal to him but... "Hey Dad, can you see my left hand?"
Dmitri glanced over and shook his head, "Nope."
Dark Mist tried to touch Dmitri, but his hand sank in up to his elbow. "Well, shit."
Astral glanced at his own hand and saw it was turning blue. "Ah, looks like we're running out of time."
Dmitri nodded sadly and swallowed a wad of emotion. "Looks like it," he hugged his sons again, "I love you both."
Dark Mist and Astral snuggled up to their father. "We love you too," Astral whispered. He stayed like that for a while, tears running down his face, when suddenly he fell through Dmitri and onto the ground. He looked at himself and saw that while he still looked mostly human with the exception of a few patches of blue skin, he was transparent again.
Dmitri turned around when he saw Luhke wasn't hugging him anymore. "Luhke?"
"I'm still here, Father, I'm just completely invisible and incorporeal now," Astral called, hoping his father could still hear him.
Dmitri nodded sadly, "Okay, I guess time's almost up."
Dark Mist waved his hand though Dmitri, "Hey, can you still see me?"
It took Dmitri a while to look down at Sebastian. When he saw the tanned boy's lips moving, he shook his head, "I can see you Sebastian, but I can't hear you," he choked back a sob filled laugh when Dark Mist pouted. He placed a kiss on Dark Mist's forehead and to his credit, didn't pass through too much. "I love you two so much."
Dark Mist smiled through tears that were falling from his eyes, "Hey, Lucky, tell Dad that we won't be far away."
Astral nodded, not even feeling the need to complain about the nickname, "Father, Sebastian says that we won't be far away."
Dmitri smiled faintly. "I know that, but I seriously need to be reminded about 24/7." he cupped Dark Mist's cheek as the boy faded from his sight. After a while, Dmitri let his hand fall to his side and Dark Mist knew his father couldn't see him anymore.
"Father?" Astral asked but Dmitri gave no sign of having heard him. Astral sighed and looked at his arm; it was its normal blue color and his markings were beginning to come back. He glanced up at Dark Mist and saw his marking were back and now his skin was turning black.
Dark Mist smirked bitterly at Astral. "Looks like we're back to being spectral now, huh?"
Astral nodded and looked down. A small part of him had almost thought they wouldn't have to change back, but all good things do come to an end.
Dark Mist hugged Astral and sobbed into his shoulder. "He can't see us anymore," Dark Mist cried softly.
Astral hugged his twin back, now the only one who could without passing through. He glanced up at his father, who had trudged over to a fallen tree and sat down with his head in his hands. Astral floated over to Dmitri, leading Dark Mist by the hand, and sat down on Dmitri's left with his head resting on Dmitri's shoulder. Dark Mist followed suit on his right, causing Dmitri to look from his left shoulder to his right, then smile softly.
Dark Mist gripped his father's hand and closed his eyes. At least his father knew who he was now. That alone would make the rest of the trip a lot more enjoyable.