Kharma was restless. The twins were due any day now, and each passing moment made her nerves fray further. From the bedroom, her voice rang out, edged with urgency.
"Xavian! Xavian!"
He appeared almost instantly, curiosity and concern flashing across his face as he took in the sight of his wife, sprawled on their bed, her hands resting on her swollen belly.
"Yes, baby?" he asked, moving to her side.
"How long does this take?" she groaned, glaring down at her stomach like she could intimidate the twins into hurrying up.
Xavian chuckled, trying to mask his own anxiety. "How am I supposed to know that?"
Kharma's eyes narrowed. "Isn't your sister the head doctor at the city hospital?"
Before Xavian could answer, the holographic phone buzzed sharply on the nightstand. A tall, broad-shouldered man materialized above it. It was Xavian's brother, DeArko.
"It's urgent," Xavian muttered, picking up the device.
DeArko's voice boomed through the room, thick with impatience. "XAVIAN! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?! The meeting started an hour ago!"
Xavian winced. "DeArko, I—Kharma's almost due, I lost track of time."
DeArko's expression softened. "Alright, little brother. But move. Fast. This meeting isn't about paperwork—it's about survival." Then, with a grin, "Tell Kharma I said hey. Can't wait to meet my nieces."
Xavian turned to Kharma, his expression apologetic. She waved him off. "I heard it all. Go. Just meet me at the Council Plaza when you're done."
"I will," he promised, leaning in for a quick kiss.
As he pulled away, she smirked. "What's wrong with DeArko?"
"You already know the answer to that," Xavian shot back.
"Exactly. We'll finish this conversation later," Kharma said, eyes gleaming.
At the Military Hall, the tension was palpable. Generals, strategists, and sergeants buzzed around, their discussions blending into a chaotic hum. As Xavian entered, the room fell silent.
"It's about time you showed up," said Sergeant Duff, amusement in his voice.
Xavian offered a quick apology, but his mind wasn't on the meeting. It was with Kharma—and the strange tension building inside him, like an invisible string was pulling at his core.
He barely registered the chatter until DeArko's booming voice snapped him back. "Tell them, Xavian."
The discussion turned grave as they outlined the Xentagic threat—a militaristic species from the neighboring sector. Their encroachment wasn't just a border issue. It was personal.
"We've been passive for too long," Xavian argued, his tone sharp. "Honor demands we face them. Even if it means—"
"An honorable death," interrupted a general, eyes gleaming.
Before more could be said, Xavian's holo-comm buzzed. The message was simple but life-changing.
"She's in labor."
The hospital's automatic doors slid open with a hiss as Xavian stormed inside, his heart pounding. He barely heard the receptionist's directions before sprinting down the sterile hallways.
Then it hit him.
A sharp, gut-wrenching pain.It wasn't his own.
He staggered, clutching his abdomen as waves of agony crashed through him. The pain wasn't physical—it was echoed. His mind raced. Kharma… is this your pain?
No, it was something deeper. Stronger.
The twins?
Forcing himself forward, Xavian burst into the delivery room. Kharma's screams echoed off the walls, raw and primal. He rushed to her side, gripping her hand tightly.
"Kharma! I'm here."
A doctor appeared, her expression calm but focused. "She'll be alright, Xavian. But this… this is unusual."
He nodded, too breathless to speak, the phantom pain still twisting inside him.
Twelve hours later, the room stilled. Two cries—sharp and in perfect unison—pierced the air. The twins had arrived.
A boy and a girl. Nika and Nora.
Their skin shimmered with a soft golden-brown glow, as if the light itself clung to them.
But it was their bond that drew the most astonishment.
The attending doctor, her voice laced with awe, spoke. "Their connection… it's unlike anything I've ever witnessed. Even in the womb, they were clinging to each other. We had to physically separate them to deliver safely."
Xavian's heart thudded. "They… didn't want to let go?"
"No," the doctor smiled gently. "They came into this world holding on to each other, as if they were one life, not two."
Xavian's gaze softened as he looked down at his children. "It's like they're connected," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
Yet outside that hospital room, the world seemed to pulse.
In the Flux Meadows, the sacred fruits began to vibrate, their colors deepening unnaturally.Across Elementera, sensitive Konnectics experienced phantom surges of power—brief, disorienting flashes they couldn't explain.And high atop the Council Tower, the ancient Echo Bells, silent for centuries, emitted a faint chime—so soft it could be mistaken for the wind.
But those who knew better felt it in their bones.
Change had begun.