Gift of a Miracle

Chapter 19

The look of surprise across the man's long, oval face mirrored Kazuki's own expression. Mr. Dancey pressed his thin lips together before opening it again as if to say something, when a familiar male voice spoke out from within the room.

"Who is it Clive?"

As if afraid to lose sight on him Mr. Dancey retained a locked gaze with Kazuki and remained silent. Curiosity simmered from the familiarity of the male voice and resulted Kazuki to brazenly push open the door wider. Mr. Dancey stumbled backwards from his bold entrance, and the figure of Father standing up from a wooden chair stole Kazuki's full attention.

His father looked dishevelled. His shirt fell ungracefully over the top of his dark trousers, whilst his grey streaked brown hair fell wildly over his forehead like he was windswept. The integrity which usually dominated through his piercing blue eyes, faded into the reigns of tiredness and dejection. Almost immediately Kazuki loosely suspected Father bordering the first and most minor stage of possession... the change of habitual appearance.

There were five stages of possession before turning into a Tainted. And they were abbreviated as (H)ABMEV... habitual appearance, behaviour, memory loss, eye colour change and voice distinction. There were times when these stages wouldn't always progress in a sequential manner. It all depended on the strength of the inner Demon. Although recently it seemed the five stages have been re-oriented to a whole different level.

"What are you doing here?" Father questioned in a gruff tone.

"It seems like I should be the one asking that question." Kazuki responded just as curtly.

Father scoffed. "I assume that Priest told you of my whereabouts. I'm aware of the strange relationship you have with him... which you forced onto your mother." He turned his attention to Mr. Dancey as he sat back down onto the chair. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him."

Kazuki had never forced Mother to form any kind of relationship with Father Benjamin. It was Mother who introduced the priest to him at his first Sunday mass nearly four years ago. Although he was reluctant to attend, he was glad that he had for he wouldn't be the Purifier he was today if he hadn't have met him, Jung or Caitlyn.

"It was a friend who directed me to you... although he meant well, I don't see how anything in this room would interest me." Kazuki responded just as coldly as he was given.

He was nigh of turning back to the door when Mr. Dancey stopped him by a firm hold on his upper arm.

"Wait..." The man interjected in a determined manner. "For pity's sake Oscar... how is turning away your own son going to help matters? You're only going to repeat the same cycle you put yourself through nearly twenty-four years... please don't do it!"

Kazuki watched as his father plunged his head into his hands, his long fingers curled around the mass of brown hair behind him and gripped it as if for dear life. Seconds past in silence. Natural light from the clouded October morning struggled to bring incandescence into the already chilled stoned room, and as the atmosphere thickened, so did the bitterness simmer within Kazuki. It had only been these last few years where his father and himself struggled to see eye to eye. They had shared pleasant times in the past, especially in his younger days. Such days seemed so distant, and Father had become more detached towards him.

Kazuki turned to Mr. Dancey... "What happened twenty-four years ago?"

"Don't you dare say anything Clive?" Father growled without lifting his head from his hands.

Clive groaned under his breath. "The poor boy needs to know Oscar... he loves Beach Cove as much as you and Eleanor. He needs to know the truth, no matter how absurd it may sound!"