Dinner was winding down when Selene froze mid-sip. Hand drifted to her stomach like she'd felt a kick from the inside.
Caden's fork clattered. "Babe?"
She smiled, slow and stunned. "Guess who's getting a plus-one."
Caden whooped, scooped her up, spun her once—then remembered she was pregnant and set her down like she was glass.
Leo blinked. "Wait. Sibling?"
Selene ruffled his hair. "Big brother, Leo."
He tried to play it cool. Inside: *Caden, you absolute legend.*
---
Night. Leo on his back, staring at ceiling knots.
*Two skills for everyone. Rest you grind. Got it.*
He replayed the day—Lyra's laugh, Caden's dumb grin, Selene's glow. *This is… mine.*
Smiled into the dark. Out like a light.
---
Morning. Pancakes and teasing.
"Pass the syrup, future babysitter," Caden said, mouth full.
Leo flipped him a pancake instead. Selene snorted.
Books after breakfast. Mana circles, old wars. Then yard—*clack-clack-clack*—wood on wood. Caden grinned every time Leo parried.
Afternoon sweat still drying when—
"Leo!"
Lyra at the gate, waving like a flag.
Same voice. *That* voice. The headache whisper.
Leo's stomach dropped. *Echoes was past only. What the hell?*
"You okay?" she asked, head tilted.
He forced a grin. "Peachy."
---
They tore through the village—tag, hide-and-seek behind rain barrels, Lyra's stuffed horse as the prize.
Flopped in the grass, cloud-watching.
"Your parents?" Leo asked.
"Dad runs the village. Mom's his backup. They're busy."
Leo whistled. "Big shoes."
Lyra rolled over. "Forest next?"
Her ears drooped. Leo backpedaled. "Kidding. Secret instead."
He leaned in. "I see the future sometimes."
Lyra's eyes went saucer-wide. "Shut up."
"Sworn to secrecy." He zipped his lips.
Focused. Mana slippery, then—*snap.*
Vision hit like a slap.
Smoke. Screams. Fire eating houses. Lyra's plush burning.
He jerked, gasping.
"Leo?!"
"Dizzy," he lied, pointing at a cloud. "Sword-duck."
She bought it, giggling. He didn't.
---
Bed that night. Ceiling again.
*That future's real. I stop it.*
Echoes—past *and* future. Void Reclaim—steal powers, but don't break yourself.
*Monsters. They've got the crazy stuff. Hunt young, grow fast.*
Plan formed.
Tomorrow: more swings, more spells, more everything.
He rolled over, fist bumping the mattress.
*Big brother's got work to do.*