When a celestial entity of fire or shadow is born, the world reacts with violent, destructive elements. The sky burns, or the sun goes dark.
But when the physical manifestation of Life itself decides to enter the world, the destruction is far more terrifying, because it is driven by an absolute, desperate mandate to grow.
The moment Valeria's biological labor truly began in the secure medical wing, the Oakhaven valley did not shake from a tectonic earthquake. It shuddered with the terrifying, kinetic force of hyper-accelerated evolution.
In the primary courtyard, the cobblestones began to aggressively bulge and crack.
Orion, Elara, and Zenith stood in the center of the shaking courtyard. Five-year-old Mira was seated calmly on a stone bench, watching a butterfly that had suddenly appeared from the winter air.
