The Same Cloth

Spring had finally arrived in the valley.

The last patches of snow clinging to the mountains were beginning to disappear, and the fields surrounding the Aster Clan had become a sea of green.

The school was full.

The library was filling faster than anyone could have imagined.

New houses were appearing almost weekly.

And every few days, another family arrived at the gates.

The Aster Clan had become something much larger than the small refuge Marcus and Elara had once imagined.

It had become a place where people wanted to build their lives.

And, increasingly, it had become a place where people wanted to build their families.

That realization had been weighing on Leo's mind for several weeks.

Not because anyone was pressuring him.

Quite the opposite.

The Asters had always been remarkably respectful of his relationship with Celine and Catherine.

But eventually, the three of them knew they needed to have a conversation about what they wanted their future to look like.

So one evening, after dinner, Leo, Celine, and Catherine sat together beneath the great oak overlooking the compound.

The sounds of the settlement surrounded them.

Children were laughing near the school.

Someone was practicing an instrument.

The forge rang in the distance.

A few guards walked their evening patrol.

Celine leaned against the tree.

Catherine sat beside her.

Leo sat across from them.

For several minutes, nobody said anything.

Finally, Celine broke the silence.

"So."

Leo looked at her.

"So?"

"Mom asked us about children."

Leo nearly choked on his drink.

Catherine burst out laughing.

"You should have seen your face."

"I wasn't expecting that."

Celine grinned.

"That's why I said it."

Leo shook his head.

"All right."

He set his cup down.

"Children."

Catherine smiled.

"I want them."

Celine nodded.

"Me too."

Leo smiled.

"Eventually."

"Eventually," Catherine agreed.

Celine looked thoughtful.

"But there is something we should consider."

"What?"

"Our family situation."

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the fact that you're both married to me?"

"That is certainly one part of it."

Catherine laughed.

Celine continued.

"If we both became pregnant at the same time..."

Leo's expression changed.

"Oh."

Catherine nodded.

"Exactly."

Leo thought about it.

Two pregnancies.

Two newborns.

Two exhausted mothers.

One father.

An enormous clan.

And the likelihood that neither of them would sleep for months.

He looked at Celine.

Then Catherine.

"That sounds terrifying."

Both women laughed.

"I knew you'd understand," Celine said.

Catherine smiled.

"Imagine trying to take care of two pregnant women at the same time."

Leo pointed toward himself.

"Imagine trying to survive two pregnant women at the same time."

Celine narrowed her eyes.

"Careful."

Leo immediately raised his hands.

"I said nothing."

Catherine laughed.

The three of them continued talking.

Eventually, they arrived at a solution.

It wasn't complicated.

Whoever became pregnant first would have the full support of the other two.

The other sister would help throughout the pregnancy.

Then, after the baby was born and the mother had recovered, they would give the other sister the opportunity to have her own child.

That way, neither woman would have to go through pregnancy alone.

And neither would Leo.

Celine smiled.

"I think that makes sense."

Catherine nodded.

"I do too."

Leo smiled.

"So whoever gets pregnant first wins?"

Both women stared at him.

Leo immediately corrected himself.

"That came out wrong."

Celine laughed.

"Very wrong."

Catherine leaned against her sister.

"No winning."

"No losing," Celine agreed.

"Just family."

Leo smiled.

"Family."

They sat quietly for a while.

Then Celine smiled.

"I think our children are going to have a very interesting childhood."

Leo laughed.

"That's putting it mildly. Will they be siblings or cousins?"

Catherine tilted her head.

"Or both. I wonder what element they'll inherit."

That question made all three of them pause.

Leo possessed an unusual combination of three powerful abilities.

Celine had spatial affinity.

Catherine possessed temporal power.

Their children could inherit any combination of those traits.

Or something entirely different.

Perhaps they would possess abilities none of them had ever seen.

Leo smiled.

"Whatever they inherit, we'll teach them."

Celine nodded.

"And we'll make sure they know they don't have to become what anyone expects."

Catherine smiled.

"Exactly."

The three remained beneath the oak until the stars filled the sky.

For the first time, they weren't merely thinking about the future.

They were imagining it.

The next morning, Marcus had an entirely different problem.

He stood at the eastern gate staring at a line of wagons.

There were twelve.

Behind them were families.

Dozens of people.

Marcus sighed.

"More?"

The guard nodded.

"More."

Marcus rubbed his face.

"How many this time?"

"Thirty-seven."

Marcus looked toward the settlement.

"Where are we going to put them?"

The guard smiled.

"That's why they're here."

Marcus stared.

"That's not an answer."

"No."

"It really isn't."

The guard laughed.

Marcus walked toward the wagons.

Families climbed down.

Some carried belongings.

Others carried tools.

One man had brought an entire forge.

A woman had brought books.

Several children were carrying wooden practice swords.

Marcus smiled.

"You've come to the Asters?"

The man with the forge nodded.

"We heard about the school."

Another woman spoke.

"We heard anyone could learn."

A third said:

"We heard people aren't turned away."

Marcus looked at them.

"They aren't."

The families smiled.

"Then we'd like to stay."

Marcus looked toward the growing settlement.

"Welcome."

By midday, Marcus had a meeting with Leo.

They stood over a large map spread across a table.

The map showed the Aster Clan's existing territory.

Marcus pointed toward the western fields.

"We're nearly out of room."

Leo nodded.

"I know."

"The school is full."

"I know."

"The library is filling."

"I know."

"The new families need homes."

"I know."

Marcus looked at him.

"You seem remarkably calm."

Leo smiled.

"I learned from the best."

"That's true."

Leo laughed.

Marcus tapped the map.

"We need to expand."

"How much?"

Marcus pointed toward the surrounding land.

"Quite a bit."

Leo studied the map.

Most of the land around the Aster Clan belonged to one family.

The local mayor's family.

For generations, they had owned farms, forests, hills, and large stretches of undeveloped land surrounding the town.

Marcus had already considered approaching him.

Now there was no choice.

"We should speak with the mayor."

Leo nodded.

"Let's go."

The mayor's house stood in the center of town.

It had belonged to his family for generations.

The current mayor, Edmund Hawthorne, was an older man with silver hair and a warm smile.

He welcomed Leo and Marcus inside.

"I was expecting this conversation eventually."

Marcus smiled.

"You knew?"

Edmund laughed.

"I have eyes."

Then he gestured toward the window.

From there, the Aster Clan was clearly visible.

"Every month, it gets bigger."

Leo nodded.

"We're running out of room."

"I know."

Edmund sat down.

"My family has owned most of the surrounding land for generations."

Marcus nodded.

"We're aware."

"We've farmed some of it."

"Some."

"The rest has remained largely untouched."

Edmund smiled.

"And you're interested in it."

Leo nodded.

"We need land for homes."

"Fields."

"Training grounds."

"Workshops."

"More schools eventually."

"And perhaps another library."

Edmund's eyebrows rose.

"Another?"

Leo smiled.

"The first one is already getting crowded."

Edmund laughed.

"I believe that."

Marcus leaned forward.

"We aren't asking to take the land from you."

Edmund looked at him.

"What are you asking?"

Leo answered.

"We want to expand the Aster territory into the surrounding land."

Edmund was silent.

Marcus continued.

"We'll develop it."

"Build homes."

"Fields."

"Roads."

"Defenses."

"We'll take responsibility for maintaining it."

Edmund looked at the map.

"And what would my family receive?"

Leo shook his head.

"Whatever arrangement is fair."

Edmund smiled.

"I don't want money."

That surprised both of them.

"Then what do you want?" Marcus asked.

Edmund looked toward the town.

"My family has lived here for generations."

"My children were born here."

"My grandchildren were born here."

"This town is home."

He looked back at Leo.

"And the Aster Clan is becoming part of that home."

Leo listened carefully.

Edmund continued.

"I'll give you the land."

Marcus blinked.

"All of it?"

"Not permanently in the sense that my family disappears from it."

He smiled.

"I want one condition."

Leo nodded.

"Name it."

"My kin must always be welcome."

Leo looked at Marcus.

Marcus looked back.

Then Leo smiled.

"They will be."

Edmund extended his hand.

"Then we have an agreement."

Leo shook it.

"We do."

The agreement changed everything.

Within weeks, surveyors began mapping the new territory.

Marcus designed roads.

The builders began laying foundations.

Farmers prepared new fields.

The hunters cleared dangerous creatures from areas where homes would be built.

The guards expanded their patrol routes.

New watchtowers were constructed.

The Aster walls grew longer.

And the settlement began spreading outward.

It was no longer possible to think of the Aster Clan as a single compound.

It was becoming a proper territory.

A community.

A small nation within the valley.

The people of the town celebrated.

The mayor's decision had made the relationship between the town and Aster Clan even stronger.

Merchants began setting up regular trade routes.

Farmers exchanged seeds.

Blacksmiths traded techniques.

Teachers visited the Aster School.

Aster healers helped townspeople.

Town hunters trained with Aster warriors.

The boundary between town and clan became less important.

They were becoming neighbors rather than separate communities.

And Edmund's family was welcomed exactly as promised.

His grandchildren attended the school.

His relatives used the training grounds.

His farmers worked alongside Aster farmers.

His craftsmen contributed to the growing settlement.

The promise was kept.

Meanwhile, the twins continued their own training.

Celine's spatial control had advanced considerably.

She could now teleport short distances reliably.

She could manipulate the space around objects.

She could create brief spatial barriers.

Ordan was pushing her harder.

"Again."

Celine disappeared.

Reappeared.

Stumbled.

Ordan caught her.

"You're trying to move too far."

"I know."

"Then stop."

"I thought you wanted me to push myself."

"I do."

"Then why are you stopping me?"

"Because there's a difference between pushing yourself and falling on your face."

Celine laughed.

"Fair."

Ordan nodded.

"Again."

Catherine's training had become equally intense.

Edran was teaching her to distinguish between possible futures.

"Don't chase every possibility."

"I know."

"You don't."

"I think I do."

Edran smiled.

"That's why you don't."

Catherine sighed.

"You're impossible."

"History has recorded that many times."

She smiled.

But beneath the humor, Catherine was becoming something extraordinary.

Her temporal perception had grown so refined that she could sense disturbances in time itself.

She could feel someone approaching before they entered the room.

She could sometimes sense an action before it happened.

She could navigate the compound without sight.

And, most importantly, she was beginning to understand the difference between seeing the future and changing it.

That distinction would matter greatly one day.

One evening, Leo watched the two sisters training together.

Celine teleported.

Catherine predicted where she would appear.

Celine changed direction.

Catherine laughed.

"You're cheating."

"How?"

"You know I can sense your movement."

"That's the point."

Celine disappeared again.

Catherine turned.

"Behind me."

Celine appeared.

"Got you."

Catherine smiled.

"You didn't."

Celine frowned.

"What?"

Catherine pointed.

"You appeared three feet too far away."

Celine looked down.

She had.

"Ordan!"

From across the field, Ordan shouted:

"I SAW IT!"

Celine groaned.

Leo laughed.

"You're getting better."

Celine smiled.

"So is she."

The sisters looked at one another.

Their abilities were different.

Their challenges were different.

But they were growing together.

As they always had.

That night, Leo returned home.

Celine and Catherine were waiting.

Elara was in the kitchen.

Marcus had not yet returned from inspecting the expansion.

Elara looked at Leo.

"How did the meeting go?"

"Good."

"Very good?"

Leo smiled.

"Very good."

Elara nodded.

"Then I suppose we'll need more bedrooms."

Leo stopped.

"Why?"

Elara smiled.

"Because you three were talking about children yesterday."

Leo's eyes widened.

Celine and Catherine started laughing from the other room.

"How did you know?"

Elara shrugged.

"I'm a mother."

She returned to preparing dinner.

"Your father-in-law and I know everything."

Leo laughed.

From the doorway, Celine called out:

"Mom already started planning."

"I heard that."

Catherine laughed.

Elara smiled.

"I am not planning anything."

A pause.

"Yet."

The house erupted in laughter.

Outside, construction continued.

More homes.

More fields.

More roads.

More people.

The Aster Clan was expanding in every direction.

And somewhere beneath the laughter, beneath the hammering of builders and the voices of students leaving the school, another future was beginning to take shape.

The future of the Asters would not simply be measured by how much land they controlled.

It would be measured by how many lives they gave room to grow.

And now, with an entire valley opening its arms to them, there was finally time for that future to begin.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!