As Liora and Jalen turned five, their abilities became harder to hide. When Liora laughed, candles lit. When Jalen cried, water rippled through the room. Melia began writing down everything their phrases, their drawings, their odd dreams.
One night, Liora awoke in tears.
"I saw them again. Mommy and Daddy. They were standing in the stars, calling us home."
That same night, Jalen whispered to Melia, "We're not just children. We're pieces of something old. Something still growing."
The villagers noticed. People grew wary. Whispers turned into fears. But others, the brave and kind-hearted, still visited and left notes at the willow.
Soon, strangers began arriving. People from distant cities, mystics, scholars all hearing the tale of children reborn from a grave. Some wanted to protect. Others, to control.