When a week went by without answering any calls or messages, Caravel was becoming increasingly more worried about Para. He was so worried that he was about to go to Para’s house when the doorbell rang to his house. Curious, he went to the door to see who it was and found Mrs. and Mr. Feign at the door. Surprised, but baffled to see them, Caravel welcomed them inside. He led them to the living room where his parents were sitting at the couch, looking at the news on the TV.

“Kami? Richard?” Caravel’s mother, Aurora, said, stunned to see the Feigns.

“Hey,” Mrs. Feign said weakly.

“What’s going on?” Caravel’s father, Yonda, asked.

“We just have some questions.” Mrs. Feign said.

“About what?” Aurora wondered, standing up from the couch, turning off the TV.

“How much do you know about Byd Cyntaf?” when Mrs. Feign said this, Caravel’s mother blanched, a struck look on her face as she staggered backwards, almost as if she was hit.

Yonda’s expression went dark. “What about it?” He asked stiffly.

“See—” started Mrs. Feign, but her voice broke, and she cleared her throat, rubbing her eyes, trying to stop her tears from falling. “P-Paradox…he…”

A pit was forming in Caravel’s stomach. “What happened to Para?” he asked. He was having a bad feeling about what happened to him. He hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was but considering how it had been over a week since he had last contact with him, he was worried if it was true.

“A Lycan—” started Mr. Feign before he too was overcome by emotions.

“It’s useless,” Yonda said suddenly, voice sharp. He stood up from the couch. “Your son’s dead.”

“Dead?!” screeched Mrs. Feign, green eyes wide.

“He’s not dead—” Aurora panickedly added.

“He might as well be dead,” Yonda pointed out.

Caravel didn’t understand where this all was going. “Wait, Para’s with a Lycan? Why would—” he stopped. “Shit. He’s Marked, isn’t it?” This was shocking. He never believed Para to be a risk taker or someone to do something so irrationally. That was out of character. It had to be a dominant that took him, a dominant that had manipulated him. Caravel ran his hands through his hair, sighing heavily. This was bad. It was his fault for bringing Para to Dodencel—no, bringing him to Lumen Lunae. If he hadn’t, then Para would still be with them.

“Is there anyway—” Mrs. Feign said helplessly.

Yonda cut her off: “I’m sorry, Kami, there isn’t anything you can do. I suggest you and your husband leave.”

“But-but Yonda…” Mrs. Feign pleaded. “I just…my son, my only son. You must—what do—how can I—”

“Dad?” Caravel asked Yonda. He didn’t understand why his father wasn’t giving Mrs. Feign a clearer answer. Yonda was a pretty cold guy, but he wasn’t heartless.

Yonda turned to Aurora and drew out a sharp breath. He grabbed her shoulders and said sternly, “It’s up to you, Rora. I’m not saying anything. You know more than I do.”

“Wait, how does Mom know about Byd Cyntaf?” Caravel asked his father curiously.

Aurora was beginning to panic, something very uncharacteristic of her. “Kami, Richard, I-I can’t help you. At this point in time…I don’t think—I don’t think you should know…stuff. Clearly you’re both so emotional since Paradox has been taken from you. You should…give it some time.”

Mr. Feign wasn’t having it: “How would you feel if Caravel was taken from you, huh? What if some Lycan took him, I doubt you would be as collective as us! We want to know—we know you had some sort of history with the Lycan World and we wish to know what we can do to get our son back.”

“That was years ago—” Aurora started furiously.

“History? What history?” Caravel asked his mother.

“Go to your room, Caravel,” Aurora said stiffly.

“What?! I’m not a child! And Paradox is my best friend! What do you know about Byd Cyntaf?” Caravel demanded to his mother.

Aurora’s blue eyes flashed furiously. “It’s the past, Caravel, now go to your room before—” she stopped short, looking at Yonda deploringly.

“It’s not my mistake. It’s your fault for even telling the Feigns you had history in Byd Cyntaf,” Yonda said, giving a half-shrug. “You might as well come clean now. Everyone’s here.” Yonda took a step backwards, away from the group. He made an exaggerated gesture, saying, “The stage’s yours, Rora,” before crossing his arms over his chest.

Caravel was getting frustrated that this was going nowhere. His mother was refusing to talk, his father was being mysterious; Para was Marked by a Lycan, not even a Hybrid like he was. The Feigns were in his house, trying to ask his mother if they knew some sort of way to get to Para, but Caravel, after going to Byd Cyntaf for the last two years knew it would be impossible to get him because of the rigid rules they had.

“You must have picked something up, please, Aurora,” begged Mrs. Feign. “You were a prostitute in Byd Cyn—”

Aurora let out a vicious screeching noise, waving her hands frantically, trying to silence Mrs. Feign, but Caravel had already heard.

“So you were a prostitute in Byd Cyntaf, not just a prostitute,” Caravel said. “Huh.”

“It’s how she got you,” Yonda muttered.

Aurora gave him a horrified, betrayed look.

It hit Caravel a moment later. “What?” His voice jumped an octave.

“Wait, Caravel’s not your kid?” Mr. Feign sputtered, staring at Yonda.

Caravel was staring at him too. His father, or perhaps, not-father had an expressionless face.

“Yeah.” Yonda said simply. “I mean, seriously, do we even look alike? The kid’s a spitting image of his mother and real father. The real father’s a really, really disturbing guy.”

“What?” Caravel repeated, dumbfounded. Did that mean he wasn’t…human? Half-human? Half what?

“Has—does Caravel…who?” Mrs. Feign said.

“He’s swung by multiple times before. You’ve actually met the guy. We claimed he was ‘Aurora’s older brother’ because he looks like her: blue eyes, blondish hair, pale skin.” Yonda said.

“Uncle Khyn?” Caravel sputtered.

Aurora had left the room without a word. Everyone stared at the empty spot where she had stood.

Yonda laced his fingers together and said, “You know, it’s hopeless, Kami, Richard. Like I said, your son’s a goner. He got Marked by a fucking Lycanthrope. He might as well be dead. And Caravel, feel free to call me whatever you like, now knowing the truth. I don’t give a shit right now. It was bound to unfold considering your nature is very much like your mother’s. I know you have a lover in Byd Cyntaf. Just like your mother. A whore and whoreson. Amazing, huh? Now I think I’ll go out for a smoke, hm?” Yonda patted Caravel’s shoulder and walked out the house.

Maybe there was more to Byd Cyntaf that Caravel had yet to discover.