Melia took them in, raising them in the small cottage that once belonged to Dianne. She kept their origin secret from outsiders, but within the village, they were legends.
By age three, Liora and Jalen began speaking with strange wisdom. They described places they had never seen, remembered people long gone, and often spoke of the willow tree like it was a person.
"Mommy said we'll always find her under the stars," Liora whispered one night.
"Daddy hums in the wind when we sleep," Jalen added.
They remembered things no child should.
And slowly, magic began to stir around them. Flowers bloomed out of season, animals gathered wherever they played, and once, during a tantrum, the sky turned violet.