The mist whispered with unseen voices.
Kael's breath came shallow as he lay on the damp forest floor, his body paralyzed, his magic shattered. The invisible presence in the fog hadn't moved, but it was still there, coiling through the air like a silent predator.
Then, Elira gasped.
Kael turned his head, heart stuttering at the pain on her face. Her hands trembled over her swollen belly.
"Elira, "
She clutched the earth, her fingers digging into the moss. A violent tremor shook her.
"It's happening," she choked out.
Kael's stomach dropped. "No. Not now."
Another growl echoed through the mist. Closer. Watching.
Elira groaned through clenched teeth, sweat dripping down her brow. She tried to rise. Couldn't.
They needed shelter. Safety. Anything.
But Kael couldn't move. Couldn't help.
Elira gritted her teeth and began crawling.
Kael used what little strength remained to drag himself forward beside her. Their progress was agonizingly slow, the forest swallowing them in silence and ancient blue light.
Then, a clearing.
A quiet place untouched by mist. The trees bent away. The ground hummed. Old. Sacred.
Elira collapsed. Another contraction hit. Her scream tore through the clearing.
Kael dragged himself closer, barely breathing. "I'm here," he rasped.
Moments blurred. Pain. Sweat. Breath.
Then,
A cry.
A newborn's wail pierced the fog.
A girl.
Elira clutched the child to her chest, sobbing with exhaustion. Kael stared in stunned silence.
The mist shifted.
The watching presence withdrew.
Something had changed.
But Elira screamed again.
"There's, another!"
Kael's eyes widened.
Twins.
More agony. And then, another cry.
A boy.
The air trembled. The ground pulsed. The fog recoiled.
Even the glowing trees flickered.
Kael gazed at them both, wrapped in Elira's trembling arms. The girl's warmth shimmered with something unknown. The boy's presence bent the mist itself.
"What… did we bring into this world?" Elira whispered.
Kael had no answer.
But the forest was silent.
As if the Lower Realm itself was holding its breath.