The Same Cloth

Several months passed.

Spring became summer.

The Aster Clan continued to grow.

What had once been a small collection of homes had become a sprawling settlement that stretched across the valley. New roads connected the outer farms to the central compound. Workshops stood beside fields. The school had added additional classrooms, and the library had already begun requiring more shelves.

The walls had been expanded again.

Watchtowers overlooked the surrounding forests.

And the town itself had become so closely intertwined with the Aster territory that it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.

But perhaps the most obvious sign of change could be seen in the woman walking slowly through the center of the settlement.

Celine.

Her pregnancy was beginning to show.

She rested one hand against the gentle curve of her stomach as she walked beside Leo and Catherine.

She had stopped trying to hide it.

There was no reason to.

Everyone knew.

And everyone seemed determined to make sure she was comfortable.

"Sit down."

Celine stopped.

She looked at Leo.

"No."

Leo pointed toward a nearby bench.

"You've been walking for twenty minutes."

"I'm pregnant, Leo."

"Exactly."

"I'm not made of glass."

"I know."

"Then stop hovering."

Leo frowned.

"I'm not hovering."

Catherine laughed.

"You've been following her around all morning."

"I'm making sure she's safe."

Celine smiled.

"I'm perfectly safe."

Leo crossed his arms.

"That's what someone who needs to sit down would say."

Celine rolled her eyes.

Catherine laughed again.

"You're going to be unbearable when the baby arrives."

Leo looked horrified.

"I'm already unbearable?"

"Apparently."

Celine smiled.

"Apparently."

Leo sighed.

"Fine."

Celine continued walking.

Leo followed.

Catherine followed Leo.

The three of them continued down the road.

Celine's pregnancy had changed the rhythm of the household.

She still trained.

Just not nearly as much.

Ordan had reluctantly reduced her lessons.

At first, Celine had protested.

"I can still train."

"I know."

"Then why are we stopping?"

"Because you're pregnant."

"I'm aware."

"Then why are you arguing?"

"Because I feel fine."

Ordan had sighed.

"You are carrying another human being."

Celine frowned.

"I know."

"And your body is already undergoing enormous changes."

"I know."

"And yet you're trying to teleport while carrying a child."

Celine smiled.

"When you say it like that..."

"It sounds exactly as ridiculous as it is."

So Celine trained less.

She focused on meditation.

Sensing.

Control.

She avoided exhausting herself.

And something strange happened.

Her power continued growing.

In fact, it was growing faster than ever.

The first person to notice was Ordan.

He was watching Celine manipulate a small stone when his expression changed.

"Again."

Celine repeated the exercise.

The stone floated several inches above her palm.

Then it suddenly vanished.

A moment later, it appeared behind Ordan.

He turned.

The stone landed in his hand.

Ordan stared at it.

Celine smiled.

"I moved it farther this time."

"Yes."

"Was that good?"

"Very."

He examined the stone.

"How far?"

"I don't know."

"Try."

Celine concentrated.

She reached outward with her senses.

The spatial connection she'd created was still there.

She could feel it.

"Across the yard."

Ordan nodded.

"That's farther than yesterday."

Celine frowned.

"But I haven't trained much."

"I know."

"Then why am I getting stronger?"

Ordan didn't answer.

He simply looked at her stomach.

Celine followed his gaze.

"You're thinking it's the baby."

"I'm thinking it is one possibility."

The elders began discussing it.

Tomas.

Seraphine.

Edran.

Ordan.

Elara.

Marcus.

And several of the other elders who had joined the Asters.

Nobody had a definitive answer.

Celine's spatial affinity had been growing steadily since her recovery.

But the rate of growth had increased dramatically since her pregnancy began.

Tomas scratched his beard.

"It could be the child."

Seraphine nodded.

"Or her connection to Leo and Catherine."

Edran folded his arms.

"The three of them have unusually strong magical bonds."

Ordan nodded.

"Celine's spatial affinity may be responding to those connections."

Tomas frowned.

"Or the child could possess a similar affinity."

"Or something entirely different," Seraphine added.

Elara looked thoughtful.

"Whatever the reason, we shouldn't push her."

Celine, who had been listening from nearby, smiled.

"Thank you."

Tomas pointed at her.

"You still need to rest."

Celine sighed.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

"Because you're terrible at it."

Leo laughed.

Celine glared at him.

"You're supposed to support me."

"I am."

"You're laughing."

"I'm supporting Tomas."

Tomas nodded.

"Excellent choice."

The town had changed as well.

The boundary between the Aster Clan and the town had nearly disappeared.

People from the town attended the Aster School.

Aster healers treated townspeople.

Merchants traveled freely through both territories.

Farmers shared irrigation systems.

Hunters worked together.

Children from the town played with Aster children.

The two communities had become one.

Eventually, the mayor, Edmund Hawthorne, was invited to a meeting with the Aster elders.

Marcus sat at the head of the table.

Leo sat beside him.

Edmund looked around.

"What is this about?"

Marcus smiled.

"Something we've been discussing for a while."

Edmund raised an eyebrow.

"You aren't trying to give me more land, are you?"

Everyone laughed.

"No," Marcus said.

"We want to recognize you formally as an elder of the Aster Clan."

Edmund blinked.

"Me?"

Leo nodded.

"The town is already part of our territory."

"And you're one of the people responsible for making that relationship possible."

Edmund looked uncomfortable.

"I'm a mayor."

"You are."

"And you're a clan patriarch."

"Yes."

"Those aren't the same thing."

"No."

Leo smiled.

"But they can coexist."

Edmund looked around the room.

The elders were smiling.

"You've all agreed?"

Tomas nodded.

"Absolutely."

Seraphine smiled.

"Your family has protected this valley for generations."

"You helped us when we were expanding."

"And you've welcomed our people."

Edmund was quiet.

Then he smiled.

"I'd be honored."

Leo stood.

"Then welcome, Elder Hawthorne."

Edmund shook his hand.

The room applauded.

From that day forward, Edmund wasn't merely the mayor of the town.

He was an Aster elder.

And the town was no longer simply a neighbor.

It was part of the clan.

Meanwhile, the power of the Aster family had reached a level that few people in the valley could comprehend.

Leo had mastered his plasma ability.

His control over lightning and fire had become extraordinary.

He could combine them into devastating attacks.

Catherine's temporal abilities had advanced to the point where even Edran occasionally struggled to keep up with her.

She could sense movements before they happened.

Slow small areas of time.

Accelerate objects.

See possible outcomes.

And navigate the world through temporal perception despite her blindness.

Celine's spatial abilities had grown even faster.

She could teleport across large distances.

Create spatial barriers.

Manipulate the distance between objects.

And, increasingly, fold space around herself.

Together, the three had become extraordinarily powerful.

The elders didn't speak openly about how powerful.

They didn't need to.

Everyone could see it.

Even Lance knew.

One evening, Lance stood on a balcony overlooking the Vale compound.

There were fewer lights than there used to be.

Fewer people.

Fewer voices.

He had tried threats.

He had tried pressure.

He had tried intimidation.

Nothing worked.

People continued leaving.

And now the Aster Clan had become something Lance could no longer dismiss.

He watched a messenger approach.

"What is it?"

The messenger swallowed.

"The Aster patriarch."

"What about him?"

"Leo."

"What about him?"

"The scouts say he has become considerably stronger."

Lance's expression darkened.

"How strong?"

The messenger hesitated.

"Strong enough that our warriors don't want to confront him."

Lance stared toward the distant Aster territory.

"And the twins?"

"Both are powerful."

"How powerful?"

"Powerful enough that even our strongest fighters don't believe they could defeat them."

Lance clenched his jaw.

For the first time, something unfamiliar settled in his chest.

Fear.

He had spent years believing Leo could eventually be isolated.

Broken.

Made dependent.

Instead, Leo had done the opposite.

He had surrounded himself with people.

Built a clan.

Found purpose.

Found love.

And now he was going to become a father.

Lance hated that most of all.

Leo wasn't broken.

He was thriving.

Silas entered the room.

Lance turned.

"Any news?"

Silas shook his head.

"Nothing from the Hollow."

Lance frowned.

"Still?"

"Still."

Silas looked toward the mountains.

"I can't hear the voice anymore."

"The seal?"

"Working."

Lance stared at him.

"Completely?"

Silas shook his head.

"No."

"It is still there."

"But the connection has been severed."

"At least for now."

Lance's expression hardened.

"Then we'll have to wait."

Silas nodded.

"Yes."

Neither man noticed the way the mountains seemed darker than usual in the distance.

At the Aster compound, the hunters had begun noticing something strange as well.

Animals were behaving differently.

Deer were moving away from the northern forest.

Wolves were traveling south.

Even some of the smaller monsters that normally inhabited the foothills had begun disappearing.

At first, the hunters assumed it was because of the expanding territory.

Then Catherine had a vision.

She woke in the middle of the night.

She sat upright.

Her breathing was rapid.

Leo immediately woke.

"Catherine?"

She didn't answer.

"Catherine."

She turned toward him.

"I saw something."

Leo sat up.

"What?"

Celine woke beside him.

"What happened?"

Catherine swallowed.

"A beast."

Leo's expression changed.

"What kind?"

"I don't know."

"Describe it."

Catherine closed her eyes.

"It was enormous."

"How enormous?"

"Bigger than anything I've ever sensed."

She paused.

"It was surrounded by darkness."

Leo felt a chill.

Catherine continued.

"I couldn't see its entire body."

"Only pieces."

"Claws."

"Teeth."

"Eyes."

Her hands trembled.

"And I recognized it."

Leo's face went pale.

"From where?"

Catherine looked toward him.

"The stories."

"The beast wave."

Silence filled the room.

The beast wave.

The disaster that had killed Lawrence and Corrine.

The event that had changed Leo's entire life.

The event that had nearly destroyed his family.

Catherine's voice became quieter.

"It was the same kind."

Leo stared at her.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

Celine reached for her sister's hand.

"Did it see you?"

Catherine nodded.

"Yes."

Leo's stomach tightened.

"What did it do?"

Catherine's face became pale.

"It looked toward the valley."

"And then?"

"It started walking."

Leo immediately stood.

"We need the hunters."

The warning spread before sunrise.

The northern patrols were doubled.

Then tripled.

Hunters began tracking animal movements.

Watchtowers were placed on higher alert.

The guards inspected the walls.

No one panicked.

That was important.

The Aster Clan had learned from its history.

Fear could spread faster than any beast.

So the elders acted calmly.

Methodically.

Tomas organized the patrols.

Marcus inspected the weapons.

Seraphine checked the magical defenses.

Ordan reinforced the spatial barriers around the settlement.

Edran examined the temporal disturbances Catherine had sensed.

And Leo stayed beside Celine and Catherine.

Celine wanted to help.

Leo refused.

"I'm pregnant, not helpless."

"I know."

"Then let me do something."

Catherine reached for her sister's hand.

"Maybe there is something you can do."

Celine looked at her.

Catherine smiled.

"Just not on the front lines."

Celine sighed.

"Fine."

The hunters returned two days later.

They had found tracks.

Massive ones.

Too large for any ordinary creature.

The trail disappeared into the northern forest.

The lead hunter placed a drawing on the table.

Leo stared at it.

He recognized the shape.

Not from personal experience.

From the old records.

The same type of creature that had appeared during the beast wave.

The room became silent.

Marcus looked toward Tomas.

"How many?"

Tomas shook his head.

"Unknown."

Seraphine looked toward the mountains.

"But if Catherine is right..."

Edran finished the thought.

"There may be more than one."

Leo's hands tightened.

Celine reached for him.

He took her hand.

Catherine sat beside them.

For years, the Aster Clan had been growing.

Building.

Learning.

Healing.

Now something from the past might be returning.

Something that had already taken too much from Leo's family.

But this time, the valley was different.

There were walls.

Hunters.

Elders.

Teachers.

Warriors.

A town united with the clan.

And three young people who had grown into powers far beyond what anyone had expected.

Leo looked toward the mountains.

"We'll be ready."

Tomas nodded.

"Yes."

The elders gathered around the map.

The hunters prepared their weapons.

The guards took their positions.

And high above the valley, Celine placed a hand over her growing stomach.

She felt something.

A pulse of spatial energy.

Strong.

Far stronger than it should have been.

She frowned.

"Celine?" Leo asked.

She looked up.

"I think..."

She paused.

Then smiled faintly.

"The baby is awake."

Everyone stared at her.

Ordan's eyes widened.

Edran became unusually quiet.

And somewhere beyond the mountains, something enormous moved through the forest.

The Aster Clan had built a future.

Now they would have to protect it.

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