A week passes with Wesley staying as a guest in Orion and Vega's home. The couple (they married sometime last year) were a little unsure of Wesley, mostly due to his habit of speaking to plants and having long, seemingly one-sided conversations with a few of their house plants.

On Sunday, just eight days after Wesley arrived at the Mystic Isles, a knock was heard on the door. Vega answered it and warmly greeted Simon, who stood alone outside the home.

"I'm sorry to arrive unannounced. I was wondering if Wesley was here."

Hearing his name, Wesley raced to the door and peered his head over Vega's shoulder, "Simon?"

Simon nodded at him, "Wesley, could I speak to you outside for a minute."

"Yeah, sure." Wesley awkwardly stepped around Vega who watched them worriedly. She had never seen Simon so solemn before. No doubt he was still upset about what Sylvester had done. When Vega had heard the news she wishes she could say she was shocked, but Vega wasn't a liar. Everyone knew that Sylvester was a private man with menacing goals. They had hunted him and Simon all over the Ever Realm and the Mystic Isles for years. But the two always seemed to be one step ahead, at least until Sofia came into the picture.

It was strange how Simon went from a badmouthing, disrespectful child, to a nice young man, who surprisingly became a devoted father and husband. It was such a nice change, one that was very welcomed.

Being Persephone's husband, and by extension, her and Orion's son-in-law. Vega cared about Simon, and she could only imagine how hard this was for him. While it was good that Wesley was reunited with Simon, with the blond came a million questions with no answers in sight. The most important one of all was, what happened to Simon as a child.

Vega closed the door to leave the two men alone for a bit. She needed to get ready to leave anyways as the Protectors were having a meeting regarding some diplomatic issue between the Ogres and the Dwarves, which was going to spell disaster, considering that both Ogers and Dwarves are notoriously stubborn and almost non-negotiable, especially towards each other.

Outside, Simon stood before Wesley, his arms crossed over his chest as he sized up his cousin.

Wesley winced at the look, knowing that much like everyone else, he was being poked at with a ten-foot pole. Wesley wasn't an idiot, he knew from the beginning of his journey that people were going to be suspicious of him for one reason or another. Maybe it was his personality that threw everyone off, or his ability to talk to plants, whatever it was, he always tried to be clear as possible with everyone he met. No tricks, scams, or lies from him. He was as transparent as a glass window.

He knew, after learning about Simon's past, that people were going to dislike him and maybe even hate him for being related to Simon. Wesley brushed off their suspicious looks, their words of uncertainty, and pretended that it didn't hurt that someone so dear to him had been evil. Now even Simon was unsure of his presence, how was this going to work exactly? Was it really so hard to believe he just wanted to have his family back?

"I need you to understand something," Simon spoke carefully and slowly, "I love my family very much, and if this is some kind of ploy to hurt me, know that I will not allow you to harm my wife or our children. I may have renounced my former life, but I will not hesitate to take your life if you harm them."

Wesley shivered at the threat, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He knew that Simon was a lot more powerful than he was letting on. "No worries," Wesley smiled sheepishly, "I'm not here to hurt you or anyone. I just wanted to find you."

Simon cocked his head, "So how come you never looked for me before?"

"I thought you were dead," Wesley answered honestly, "We all thought you died, Simon."

"We?"

"Yeah, me and my parents, and our neighbors. I don't know if you remember this, but your house caught on fire, and... well, no one inside made it out."

Simon's eyes softened and he lowered his gaze to the ground, "I don't remember that. I don't remember anything besides me and my grandfather. Do you know how to undo this?"

Wesley shook his head, "I'm sorry, Cuz, I don't. I'm not the greatest sorcerer, especially when it comes to mind spells."

Simon hummed, "Maybe Persephone could do something. She's very good at manipulating the mind, but I don't know if she can summon up memories that have been erased, especially from that long ago."

Wesley huffed, feeling trapped in a corner. He finally found his cousin, but, of course, Simon didn't remember him. He thought for a moment, kicking a small rock away, "I hate to ask this, but maybe we could talk to Sylvester. He might be able to undo the spell."

Simon visibly winced in pain, "He's dead."

Wesley's eyes widen in shock, "Oh..."

"Yeah," Simon looked away bitterly, "The old man died years ago when I was a kid. He tried to... he tried to possess my body using a dark mark, and almost made me kill Princess Sofia and Cedric."

"Oh, Sugar Honey Iced Tea," His cousin gasped, mouth hanging ajar, "That's terrible! He used a dark mark on you, is it..." Wesley stopped himself from saying it. He knew what a dark mark was, almost every sorcerer knows. He couldn't imagine how painful that must have been, "...Simon, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry, Cedric removed it, and Persephone healed my scar," he smiled fondly, remembering the way Persephone's hands caressed his skin. Back then he never felt anyone touch him like that, now though Persephone always found an excuse to touch him and love him in a variety of different ways...

Thinking about his wife, there was something else he knew about her. Her feathers and their power to speak to the dead. "I think I know how to talk to Sylvester."

Wesley cocked his head, "Isn't he dead?"

"Yes, but I know a way to speak to him from beyond the grave." Simon's fist clench tight, the skin on his knuckles stretches white. He hated the idea of speaking to Sylvester, much less asking him of all people for help. Part of him didn't even want to remember his past, yet seeing Wesley in the flesh bought in emotions he hadn't felt in a long time. A strange, sibling affection the same one that he had for Chrysta, Sofia, and many others in the Mystic Isles. Wesley was the key to his past he didn't realize he had in the first place. And as much as he was scared, he was also curious about it. What had his life been like before?

Once again, they were at Simon's house. Persephone was cleaning Chise's wings, combing her claws through her flight feathers, helping get rid of all the nasty dirt and old feathers that stubbornly stood in her wings.

"My love," Simon called after they entered the living room. Aristotle was lying on a small mat, taking his afternoon nap. Chise looked ready to fall asleep as well, her mother's touch always made her feel so relaxed that she often drifted off to sleep after a few minutes. Persephone smiled at Simon and looked at Wesley curiously. Wesley smiled at her and gave a quick wave, "Hello."

Persephone gives him a curt nod, while Chise begins to doze off, laying herself down on the sofa to sleep. Carefully rising from where she sat, Persephone snuck over to the two sorcerers and they stepped out of the living room for a few minutes.

"Wesley, this is my wife, Persephone," Simon introduced and was taken aback by Wesley's grin, his silver eyes wide with excitement. "Is something wrong?"

"No, "Wesley laughs, "I'm just surprised you fulfilled your promise." Seeing their confused looks, he continued with an awkward cough, "Well, when we were kids, we read about Phoenix Shifters and you said that if you met one, you would marry one."

Simon frowned a little and shook his head, "I don't remember that." He turned to Persephone and smiled, taking her hand in his. Persephone smiles lovingly at him, leaning closer to nuzzle his cheek, making the redhead blush.

"Well you did," Wesley said with a light chuckle, " You liked them for their rich heritage and their unique magic. I guess it's because of your memory spell thing that you don't..." He winced at how his tone came out. He was terrible with small talk.

"Yeah..." Simon sighed before turning to Persephone, "My love, I need your help with something that neither of us is going to like."

Persephone cocks her head, waiting. Simon explains, "We need to find out why my memories were erased and the only way to uncover them would be to speak to him." His tone dropped, practically spitting out the last word like it was poison. Persephone's eyes widen in shock, she knew how much her mate despised his grandfather. It was the same as it would be if she were to have to contract Grimtrix of all people. Just thinking about him and Sylvester made Persephone's wings ruffle with growing disgust. Spits of embers flying off the gold and red feathers. Thankfully they died long before they hit the ground.

Simon squeezes his wife's tan hand, "I hate it too, my love," he looks into her eyes, "But I need to do this. I want to know what happened." He couldn't let his grandfather win. Sylvester was a cruel, evil man. He had done horrible things and to learn that the man was still pulling the strings made Simon's skin crawl. If Sylvester had taken his memories then Simon will get them back, he will take back everything that the cruel old man had stolen from him.

Persephone smiled and kissed her husband on his cheek, before nodding. Simon smiled, "Thank you," he turned to Wesley, "Could you step outside while we take care of this? Maybe watch the kids for us?"

Wesley looked worried, but nodded, "Yeah, sure." Wesley turned and walked into the living room, closing the door behind him.

Now being alone, Persephone plucks a gold feather from her wing and lights it. She holds to Simon and he gingerly takes it, closing his eyes he whispers, "Sylvester. the Steadfast" A chill falls over them as the flame flips around before thick plumes of smoke rise up. Soon the appearance of the man Simon loathed came to be, smiling at him and Persephone sinisterly.

"Well, this is quite the unexpected," The old man chuckled, "Simon, my grandson, how are you?"

Simon clenches his teeth together, his free hand tightening into a fist, knuckles stretching white. "I met Wesley," he finally grits out, barely containing the venom in his tone. Sylvester cocks his head in mock confusion, "Wesley? Who is Wesley?"

"My cousin," Simon growls, through his teeth, "You didn't tell me I had more family, old man."

"Old man," Sylvester snorts, "How disrespectful. Have I taught you nothing of manners, Simon? And here I thought you were contacting me because you missed me, my dear boy. I see that's not the case."

"You're not answering my question," Simon said, losing his patience, "You sealed my memories away. I want them back, right now."

"Or what?" Sylvester chuckled, "You'll destroy me? Please, as if I can be more dead than I already am. You should be grateful though, grandson. I have my reasons for the spell after all."

"What do you mean?" Simon demanded, struggling to keep his voice level. He didn't want to alert their children of this, or even let Sylvester see them. Sylvester didn't deserve to know.

The old man's red eyes twinkled, "Wouldn't you like to know. Actually, you wouldn't, Simon. So just let it be, alright. You're better off without those anyways."

"Stop acting like you're doing me a favor," He growls, "You owe me an explanation after all that you've done. I never knew anything about my family other than you. I know I had parents, I had to have parents. What happened to them?"

Sylvester sighed. The flame was getting weaker now, soon he'll be gone. "Oh, Simon, you really don't want to know."

"Did you kill them?" Simon asked losing his patience, "Tell me how to undo the spell."

The old man rolled his eyes and huffed, before smirking at his grandson, "You're so much like your mother, Simon. It's almost hilarious. So passionate and yet so naive. Very well, if that's really what you want, I'll tell you, but don't say I didn't warn you, child. Your memories are sealed away. I couldn't fully get rid of them, no matter how hard I tried. The emotions attached to them were too strong. So I sealed them away and raised you myself. If you wish truly wish to undo this spell, then it will cost you a lot more than you realize, my boy."

"You're bluffing," Persephone said next, moving to stand next to Simon. She takes his hand into her own. "You only want to hurt us."

Sylvester smirked, "My, you're a pretty little thing, aren't you? Such a sweet girl, Oh, and your wings. A Phoenix Shifter? I'm impressed Simon, you managed to tame an unusual beast."

"Don't you dare speak to my wife like that," Simon warned, "She is far more human than you'll ever be, old man!"

Sylvester chuckles, "Or you, my boy. Well, since you're so insisted on this, I'll tell you, but as I said before, this information will cost you greatly. You must return to the location it was cast in. I'm sure your cousin will know where that is. Once you're there, you will need to recite this spell, 'Venite ad memorial et ite, reddite ad me quod meum est.' And you'll remember everything."

"That's it?" Simon asked, both he and Persephone were surprised by how seemingly easy it sounded.

Sylvester smirked, "Don't be fooled, boy. There is a reason why I sealed them away." His voice faded as the feather was eaten away by the flame, leaving behind only a stem, with Sylvester's voice echoing around their heads, "Ignorance is bliss."

Simon and Persephone looked at each other, both equally worried. Both were wondering the same thing: What was erased from Simon's memories?

Simon knew Sylvester had a reason, and that was what frightened him the most. Sylvester the Steadfast was a cruel man who took pleasure in others' miseries. If the old man was doing him a favor then perhaps it was for the best he left it alone and live his life in ignorant bliss...

Simon shook his head. He gazed down lovingly at Persephone, he could see she was worried too and also curious. Persephone reached up to press her warm hand on his cheek and Simon leaned into her comforting touch. "Thank you, my love." He sighed, nuzzling her hand, before taking it and pressing a few kisses to her knuckles. Persephone smiled, a soft purr rolling off her chest. She withdrew her hand to embrace him in a tender hug, that Simon returned wholeheartedly, with his wife's wings wrapping around them both.

After a few minutes, they returned to find Wesley laying on the ground with Chise, watching the young girl color, while her brother, Ari, climbed onto Wesley's back and tugged on his hair. Wesley laughed, twisting his neck to see the little boy, "Be careful not to mess up my style!" Both children giggled.

Simon smiled sadly, a guilty feeling tugging at his heart. Wesley was his cousin, a long-lost relative who spent so much time and energy looking for him. Even if Simon wanted to live in ignorance, he knew he couldn't. Wesley was a surprised guest who brought with him more questions than answers. As much as Simon didn't want to, he felt he needed to know what happened. So many questions came to his mind:

What happened to his parents?

What were they like?

Did he have any brothers or sisters?

Did Weasley have any siblings?

Just how many family members did he actually have?

And the most important one: What memories were stolen from him?

Simon shook with uncertainty. He turned to Persephone and she returned his knowing gaze. He prayed she wouldn't be upset with his decision. Persephone blinked once and then offered him a sad smile, before nodding her head. She took his hand in her own and squeezed it. Simon let out a shaky sigh and nodded, before embracing her, "Thank you, my sweat." He whispered in her hair.

It took three more days to get ready to leave. Simon would admit he dragged his feet through most of it, but sadly the day finally arrived for him and Wesley to start their journey.

Wesley was ecstatic, he practically beamed with so much excitement that Simon worried his cousin might explode. Persephone was fine with them going on their journey, though she did later voice her concerns when the children were asleep and Wesley was in a guest room. Simon assured her he would return, he promised he would.

After packing their belongings, Simon and Wesley stepped out into the chilly morning air, they didn't have much in terms of luggage, mostly some spare clothes, and a little bit of money to pay for an inn and some food. Anything else could easily be conjured with magic. They weren't sure how long they were going to be gone. Wesley explained that their trip will take a few days.

Simon kissed Persephone goodbye before hugging his kids. "I'll be back soon," he told them, "I'll even bring back some goodies if you're good to your mommy and your grandparents."

Chise nodded, trying to be a big girl. Aristotle on the other hand broke into messy sobs and clung to Simon's shirt, begging to come along. Simon hugged his youngest, cooing at him gently and rubbing his back, "Ari, I promise I'll be back soon." He smiled as his son looked to him with the same shade of red eyes like his own, "I promise, I'll be back before you know it."

"Don't go..." Ari whimpered, shaking his head viciously, "Stay!"

"I have to go on this trip, son," Simon said again, "It's only for a short while. Now come on, dry your tears," he swiped the tears from his son's face, as Persephone stepped in to scoop their child in her arms. Simon kissed his nose, "I'll be back. You and Chise need to stay here and take care of mommy for me until I return. Grandma and Grandpa will come and see you. Can you promise you'll be on your best behavior while I'm gone?"

With runny noses and glassy eyes, both children nod.

"Good," Simon hugged his family once more. He hated that he was making his children cry, but he needed to know, or else he might lose his mind with all the questions he has.

After Simon let's go, Wesley walks up and offers Chise a compass, "Here," he said handing her the device, "It's a magic compass that takes you where you're needed. It's a special family heirloom that's been passed down through my side of the family. I need you to keep it safe until we come back, okay? This is a promise that we'll return."

Chise and Aristotle looked at the compass in wonder.

"It's indestructible too," Wesley adds, winking at Persephone, "So don't worry if the kids start acting rough. Just promise you won't lose it, while we're away."

"We promise!" Chise said, watching in awe as the needle spins around and around in fast circles.

An hour passed into their travel, all of which was filled with silence between the two cousins. Wesley hadn't spoken, though he did come close to it on several occasions. He wanted to speak up when he heard plants talking amongst themselves, clearly enjoying the chilly but bright day. They were sleepy too, he learned, no doubt the cold's influence was taking its toll on local vegetation.

"Wesley," Simon spoke first, his tone soft. He regarded Wesley with uncertainty, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Wesley chirped, happy that they were at least talking. He couldn't stand silence, it was a miracle that he lasted this long. "What's up, Cuz?"

Simon frowned at the name but shook it away, "I was wondering what you remembered about my parents. What were they like?"

Wesley's eyes twinkled merrily as he smiled, "Aunt Simone and Uncle Luther, they were awesome! You look a lot like Uncle Luther since you have red eyes like him. But yeah, they were great. We were a very happy family. I and my parents lived right down the street from you guys, so you and I would play all the time. We lived in a small neighborhood. We would run around and play with some of the other kids, getting dirty and roughhousing. You always kept close to me, though. I guess it's because when the older kids started picking on you, I was the one who told them to knock it off."

"And what changed?"

Wesley sighed, running a hand through his light hair, "There was a fire. I don't know what started it, but your house caught on fire, Simon."

Simon grew tense, a pressure in the back of his skull forming, making him wince a little. Flashes of an image, a tall home lit aflame. Screaming. Crying. Shouts for help.

Spots dance across his vision. Simon stumbles and Wesley catches him, "Dude, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Simon grunts, pushing himself away, and rubbing the spot on his head that ached, "What else happened?"

"That's it," Wesley said, "We all thought you were all dead. I knew your parents were, but we never saw you. Soon afterward, my family moved and my parents fell sick. I wound up being taken in by another family and raised there."

Simon bit his lip, hurt in his heart, "I'm sorry to hear that, Wesley. That's terrible."

Wesley smiled sadly at him, "It's not your fault, Cuz. I'm just happy to know that I still have some family left. I found out you were alive after I started having these dreams about you."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah," Wesley nods, "I'm a big believer in fate. Things happen for a reason, even if we don't know what it is yet. I started dreaming about you over a year ago, and that led me on a search to see if you were alive. I talked to a bunch of plants about you, and only a few actually knew who you were."

Simon blinked, "So how did you learn to speak to plants?"

Wesley laughed, "Oh that. Well, actually you accidentally cast a spell on me when we were kids practicing magic. Mom was furious and my dad thought it was the most hilarious thing ever. Your parents were worried about me though since it was your father's wand that you used. Luckily, I wasn't hurt, He beams.

Another distant memory resurfaces in Simon, one that is also accompanied by aches and pressure in his skull. He's running alongside someone. It appears to be Wesley but much smaller. They race to a large oak tree that looms over them. Wesley jumps up and hugs the trunk of the tree with both his arms and legs, looking like a wild monkey as he clings to the bark, "Hello, how old are you!" Wesley bellows in a high voice. He hops down and looks at him, grinning widely with dimples on his cheeks. There is a gap between his teeth, where he lost a tooth, "The tree says it's over two hundred years old!"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Simon clenches his teeth to keep from crying out. The memory stirs his emotions, a tear slips out from his eye. Wesley notices it and silently curses Sylvester's name. What had that mad man done to his cousin? Thinking fast, Wesley pulled a small pouch from beneath his robe and handed it to Simon, "Here. These are special beans that I found a while ago. They're supposed to help with migraines and ease any uncomfortable aches and pains, even magical ones."

Simon wince as he took the bag, "Did fate tell you this was going to happen?" He took out a few pearly white beans, all speckled with tiny black, pin-sized dots. He has never seen any like them before and was cautious when handling them.

Wesley chuckled, "Nope, but Fate did send them to me. I'm a traveling merchant so I pick up things while I'm on the road. I happened to help this woman fix a wheel on her wagon while it was pouring hard out. She gave them to me as a thank you, and I've shared them with whoever needs them. Just one or two helps."

Simon nodded his head before taking a small bite of the bean. It tasted surprisingly like coffee beans, making his pulse jump at the addictive smell of caffeine. A minute after consuming the bean, the ache in his head vanished with only a phantom pulse remaining before it too left. Simon sighed in relief and handed the bag back to Wesley, "Thank you, that helped a lot."

"No problem!" Wesley chirped, happily putting the bag away.

"So where are we heading towards?" Simon inquired him.

"Well, you said that you need to go to the place that the spell was cast, right?"

A short nod from Simon.

"Well, what I'm thinking is we go to our old neighborhood and see if you can recall anything. That's the last place I saw you, so maybe if you see where we grew up, you might remember."

Simon sighed, "I don't know if I will or not. How can we be so sure?"

"Like my dad always said, 'the best thing you can do is the right thing. The second best thing you can do is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. We have to start somewhere, Cuz, so why not?"

Simon smiled despite himself, "Very well. Lead the way, Wesley."

Wesley laughed, giving Simon a friendly punch in his arm, "Don't worry, Lil bro, we'll get your memories back or my name is Snivy McFiggermenjenson, and it's not!"

Simon rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "I'll never understand you."

"Funny, that's what you used to say when we were kids!"