Chapter 66: Thunder, Secrets, and Spilled Nectar
It began not with a tremor, nor a scream, but with a sneeze.
Kael—unborn yet ever-present—had just sent a shockwave through the eastern spire of the Thalor estate. Silver-framed mirrors shattered in synchrony. Water lilies in the sacred pond turned red. Somewhere, a goat fainted.
Valeria, High Keeper of Flame, Princess of Pyranthos, and very pregnant, stood with wide eyes as the air buzzed with residual energy. She rubbed her belly. "Blessed stars, Kael, was that a divine sneeze or a sneeze sneeze?"
From within: "Achoo... sorry, mother."
Jaxon, just returning from a heated conference with the Thalorian House Elders, stared at the red-tinted lilies and muttered, "Well. That's new."
Mira turned to him slowly. Her hair was practically glowing, static crackling from her fingers. "He sneezed, Jaxon. And nearly took down the east tower."
Jaxon tried to keep a straight face. He failed. "He's a gifted sneezer."
"You're not helping."
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'm not supposed to. I'm here to look pretty and catch you when the universe collapses."
Valeria rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."
"And irresistibly charming."
"Debatable."
Before their playful exchange could drift into more flirtation, a sudden pulse echoed through the estate. Thunder cracked, not from the skies but from within the walls.
The elders of Pyranthos and Thalor had convened again. This time not about Kael's powers, but about the Second Entity. Elion—once Mira's childhood rival, now a conduit of something darker—had vanished from their sanctum and appeared in the ruins of old Pyranthos, where a mysterious shrine had cracked open for the first time in eons.
He had changed. His voice echoed in ten tones. His presence bent shadows the wrong way. And most disturbingly, he laughed at his own jokes now.
Mira, dressed in a flowing flame-gilded robe, stood before the combined council of both dynasties. Her face bore resolve, but her hands trembled.
"We underestimated Elion. Whatever he found, it wasn't dormant—it was waiting for him."
Lord Maelon Thalor, wise and water-bound, narrowed his eyes. "A second entity rising during a time when the flame heir awakens… prophecy twists tighter than we knew."
Lady Seraphyne Pyranthos scoffed. "You say this like it's unexpected. You married your son to a flame-born. You invited fate to dance naked in your halls."
Mira flushed. "I wasn't naked. Fate was."
There was an awkward pause. Then someone snorted. Probably one of the younger guards.
Jaxon stood, arms crossed. "We need to talk about Kael. He's... dreaming things into existence. Yesterday he imagined a lion made of jam. It's currently eating the spice rack."
Everyone stared at him.
"I brought a sketch," he added helpfully.
The room dissolved into nervous murmurs. Mira stood again, taller this time, eyes glowing faintly.
"We can't ignore it. The Second Entity is tied to Kael. Maybe it's his twin. Maybe it's his balance. But it is rising. And I will not let it take my son's future."
The room grew silent.
Then came the confession.
Jaxon cleared his throat. "There's something else. Something I haven't said."
Mira turned to him, her brow arched. "What now?"
He looked directly at Lord Maelon. "The dreams I had, the memories I dismissed—they weren't random. My real ancestry... it's not purely Thalorian. My mother was not mortal. She was a guardian of the Azure Gate. A celestial. That makes Kael… more than just flame and tide."
Gasps. A few people fainted.
Even Mira blinked. "You're what now?"
"I glowed as a baby. Maelon said it was a rash."
Maelon buried his face in his hands.
Jaxon sighed. "I kept it hidden because I didn't want to complicate things. But Kael deserves the truth. If this second entity is his counterpart, then Kael is more than a prince—he may be the convergence itself."
Mira paced. "So we're dealing with a supercharged celestial-flame-tide hybrid son… who's still inside me."
"Pretty much."
"Fantastic. I need a snack."
The council decided to reconvene after Mira had a mango.
In her private chambers, Mira lay on a divan, eyes half-closed.
"Mother?"
"Yes, Kael."
"He told you. About the light. About the stars in your blood and his. I can feel it."
She sighed. "I know, love. I know."
"He's not your enemy yet. The other one. He's confused. But his storm is waking. I can feel it too."
"Who is he, Kael?"
"The silence to my flame."
Mira shivered.
Jaxon entered with mango slices. "I think the jam lion is nesting in your pillows."
She smiled, tired but not broken. "Let it. We've got bigger threats to prepare for."
Outside, the skies trembled. Inside, the laughter of a divine unborn echoed like hope and thunder.