A knock on the door woke him up, he looked at the window it was still dark. But it was winter so that didn't say much. Another knock landed on the door.

"Jeffery." A woman's voice slipped into the room. He knew that voice, it was his sister's voice. What in the Dragon Lord's name was she doing here?  He climbed out of bed and opened the door. It was indeed his sister who stood on the other side of that door.

"Abby, what are you doing here?" He asked, her long brown hair hung loose on her back. Her amber eyes were red rimmed, she had cried.

"May I come in?" She asked. Jeffery looked at Nora and Eviar who sat right up in bed. Nora had slept every night in their room. Nora nodded and suppressed a yawn. Jeffery's attention shifted to his sister and he stepped aside. 

"Sure." He said. Abby entered the room, and he closed the door behind her. "Abby is everything alright?" He knew that she wouldn't be here, if it was not urgent. Abby's gaze landed on Eviar and Nora. 

"Good morning, Abby." Eviar said. "This here is Nora." Eviar pointed at her, and she nodded. 

"I am sorry, but Jeffery can we talk alone?" Abby turned towards Jeffery, but he shook his head.

"Abby, they are my family too." Jeffery said, and Abby nodded.

"I know, they are your chosen family. The one who didn't cast you out when they learned about your sexuality." She said. 

"You are part of that family too, Abby." Jeffery said, he had told that many times. After Nora had introduced him to that idea, still he knew that it was hard to believe. He lived together with Nora and Eviar, they studied and fought together. Abby still lived with their parents in that large house, and they saw each other rarely.

"Father is in the hospital." Abby said, his mouth fall open. "He suffered from a heart attack. The doctors told mother, that he is in a critical condition." Jeffery could see and hear that she was fighting against her tears. His father was the one who kicked him out of the family. But still he had paid for Jeffery's education, until his mother put a stop to that. "I know he was not a very good father to you, but maybe this is your last chance to see him." Abby sniffed.

"Abby do you forget that he those not want to see me." Jeffery said. Abby shook her head. 

"But he could die." She said. Nora jumped out of bed. 

"Jeffery, we are going." Nora said. Jeffery looked at her with an open mouth of surprise. "I never had the chance to say goodbye to my dad. And besides that, I can maybe sense if he is really in a critical condition." She said. Jeffery wanted to protect, but Eviar climbed out of the bed too.

"I am sorry, Jeffery, but she is right about that. If this is the only chance to say goodbye than you need to do it." They started to grab clothing out of their closet. "And we are going to join you." Both of them disappeared into the bathroom. Jeffery looked at Abby. 

"It seems that I am going." He said, he still was not sure if he liked it. But something inside of him told him that he needed to do this. Abby nodded slowly, and a watery grin appeared on her face.

"Your chosen family is so sweat." She said.

"Our family." He corrected her. She shook her head as to say she didn't belong in his family. "Abby, you are my blood sister. But you are the only one of my blood family that stock with me when I came out. You never turned your nose up and kept supporting me. And do not think that I haven't noticed the money you put in my account every month. Something you shouldn't do." Abby looked away from him.

"Our parents sometimes heartless, what does it matter that you are gay. You are still Jeffery, you are still their son. What if Michel is turning out to be gay, or trans, or something else from that long list of letters. Will they turn their backs on him too, or on me?" She said and he frowned.

"Are you?" He asked, he was not going to judge her. No he will only love her more, because he knew that their parents wouldn't except her. 

"No, I am straight. But that is not the point." She said. But she was wrong there it was important otherwise she would not have brought this up. 

"You know that you can talk to me." He said, and she sighed. 

"Please Jeffery, just get dressed." She said and he nodded. 

*******

The trip to the hospital was very unpleasant, but luckily it was not far. Abby's car was not built for four persons. Hell it was not even built to hold one. Jeffery was relieved when he got out of the car. His mother ran towards them pointing her finger towards him.

"What is he doing here?" She screamed at Abby. "He is no longer part of this family." But Abby pushed her aside. 

"He is here to say goodbye, as a son should do." Abby snapped at her mother. "He is still your son, no matter who he loves. Or what he does." His mother grabbed Abby by here arm. 

"Do not talk like that, you ungrateful wench." Their mother snapped at her. "You are still my child, and you need to do as you are told." 

"Yes I am your child, but wake up mother. So is Jeffery, and so long you are too stubborn to take that head of your out of your ass. I will go my own way." She said. "Because currently I am not ashamed about my brother, I am ashamed about your behavior towards him." She pulled her arm loose and focuses on Jeffery and his friends.

"Jeffery I am warning you." His mother said.

"What will you do mother, you took away my blood family, the allowance and even tried to stop my studies. What more can you take away from me?" jeffery said. "My sister. Well she just made it clear that she is not listing to you anymore, and if you want to excuse me. I am going to see my father, if it is his time on earth or not at least I want to say goodbye properly." He walked in, flanked by Nora, Abby and Eviar. They walked through many hallways, until they entered his father's room. Jeffery was shocked to see his father lay on the bed. Intravenous drip were going every were. His chest slowly rose and then fall. It was scary to see him like this. The man who he used to look up to, was now looking so sick and weak. Abby pushed him towards a chair that stood next to the bed. There was no tube inside his father's mouth, but there was a small cord under his noise. Eviar and Nora lingered at the door, Nora whispered something to Eviar. He only couldn't hear what she said. Abby stood right behind the chair. He was grateful that she was there, his father may not have threatened him right. But he was still his father. He cleared his throat. "Dad?" He said softly. His father's eyes flew open and Jeffery wanted to curse. 

"Jeffery? Is that you?" His father's voice was cracked, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. Jeffery nodded and sighed.

"Yes, dad I am here. Abby has fetched me." Jeffery said. His father's gaze went to Abby and then back to him.

"She has always been a smart girl. I am glad that you are here." His father said, and Jeffery's mouth started to drop. "I was a fool when I rejected you." Jeffery didn't know how he needed to react to that. He could say that it was alright, but it wasn't alright. He could say that he understand, which would be another lie. "I had a lot of time to think, while I pretend to be asleep. I have no regrets in my live accept one. The way I reacted when you told me you were gay. You trusted me enough to tell me this, and what did I do. I tossed you out of my house, dumped you on a school and broke ties with you. I was ashamed not off you and who you are. But about the way I acted." Jeffery's eyes started to blur, this was what he wanted to hear.

"Dad. I do not know what to say." Jeffery sniffed.

"Then say nothing, tell me how is school?" His father said. Jeffery didn't know where to begin.

"Jeffery passed the using magic in combat test, with ease." Nora said. "He is also allowed to train with Eviar and me to improve our magic outside the classroom." His father looked at Nora.

"Passed using magic in combat? Why do you need to know that? My son is not a hunter." His father said. "At least I pay good money so that he does not have too." Jeffery frowned, Eviar and Nora followed his example.

"Dad, you stopped paying for my education a few months ago." Jeffery said. His father looked shocked. "But no, I am not a hunter I had to give up my private bedroom. So now I bunk with Eviar in his room." Jeffery said, nodding towards Eviar. "And the reason why we are currently training for combat is very simple. Eviar, Nora and I were attacked by Fantaseria's army a day after I saw mom and Michal in the mall." His father's mouth fall open.

"You are kidding me, please Jeffery this is not funny. I just had a heart attack, and it is not sure that I will come out of this hospital." His father said. 

"It is not a joke, dad. Mom told me that you have decided to stop paying for my education. And we were attacked by an army, but we survived. And no I do not need you to pay for my education. I like to bunk with Eviar, and I think he likes to bunk with me too." Jeffery said.

"But son, I write out a check for your education every month, I never stopped doing that." His father said, his gaze darkened. "Wait a minute, your mother said that. What else did she say?" 

"She stopped paying his allowens." Abby said, Jeffery already told him that. Or he believed he had done that. His father's mouth fall open. Jeffery got up and looked at his father.

"So that means that only mom has rejected me completely." Jeffery said.

"And I paid off my guilt." His father said. "That those not make me any better. Abby, from now on you will be the one who goes to the bank in my name. I do not trust your mother. I do not know where she is using Jeffery's acorns for."

"For Michal." Abby said. "She is spoiling him rotten." Jeffery was glad that his acorns were given to Michel. Still it hurts like a Centaur kick. Nora stepped forward. 

"Mister Night." She said. 

"Please call me James." His father said, giving her a smile. Jeffery's heart warmed a bit. But he holds his breath just in case.

"Alright James, I am Nora Rane." She continued. His father's eyes widdened. 

"You are the Necromancer." He said, and Nora wiggled with her head. His father started to grin. "O yes, you never complited the last test. But what can I do for you?" Jeffery let go of his breath.

"It is not what you can do for me sir, but what I can do for you." She said. "My ancestors and the rest of my coven are using our type of magic to revive people who passed away before their time. But that is not all it can do. I want your permission to use my magic on you." Nora said.