Chapter Text
Fiora Luxen dismounted from the air taxi, alighting neatly on the residential street near Pennelia’s city center. She smiled and waved cheerfully at the Air-Att pilot, reaching into her bag to hand him some money.
The pilot shook his head, pushing the money away. “Wouldn’t dream of charging the Bridger of Realms!” he said frantically. “Please, please, keep it! The ride’s on me!”
Fiora shrugged. “Suit yourself, then. Oh! Whoops!” She made a show of allowing her money to fall from her hand, where it was picked up in the vortex of gently swirling winds that made up the air taxi. “Looks like I ‘accidentally’ dropped all this money into your air taxi. Oh well!” Before the pilot could object further, she turned and started heading toward the nearest house on the street. The pilot stared after her for a moment before making a few quick gestures with his arms, causing his wind vortex to lift him up into the sky, on his way toward his next passenger.
The house Fiora approached was an ornate, lavish one. Even among the many extravagant homes on the street, this one stood out from the others. Personally, Fiora thought it was a little much, but it made her wife Shreya happy, and that was enough. Besides, she admitted to herself, it’s kinda growing on me. Not that she’d ever tell Shreya, of course.
The front door was just as fancy and decorated as the rest of the house, though it conspicuously lacked a handle. This was by design. Fiora reached out an arm, allowing her palm to rest on the front of the door. She closed her eyes for a second, allowing the tiniest burst of Fire Stoichi to gather in her palm. The moment the door’s ward detected her energy, it swung open all on its own. It was only a token security measure–if any would-be criminals wanted to get in, all they’d need was a single Fire-Att among their number–but no one would be dumb enough to attack the home of not one, but two Heroes of Cordonia. Obviously.
Fiora stepped over the threshold into the foyer, and was immediately greeted by a whispered “Shh!” from Shreya, walking slowly down the stairs, a soundly sleeping Priyanka held in her arms. Fiora nodded in acknowledgement, making every effort to set her bag down as quietly as possible so as not to disturb their daughter. At not-quite-two years old, it was very difficult to get the little girl back to sleep once she’d awakened, as her two mothers had learned the hard way on more than one occasion. Shreya approached and gave Fiora a light peck on the cheek, maneuvering to avoid jostling the little one too much. “How was work, ma charmante epouse?” she asked in a whisper.
“Not much to say,” Fiora whispered back. “Pretty normal. How’s our little girl?”
“She was a handful all day, I can tell you that much. Finally got her to sleep. I’d like to keep her that way for a little while yet.”
“I’ll be quiet.”
“I’ll take her back upstairs. You’d better eat something, promise me?”
Fiora smiled. “Of course, love. I promise.” Shreya smiled back before turning to head back upstairs to allow little Priyanka a little more time to sleep. Fiora tiptoed back through the hall into the kitchen. “Now that I think about it… I really am hungry,” she whispered to herself. Normally, the problem would be solved the way it always was: a quick Summon request, followed by the food instantly appearing in their home a few seconds later. Though, given the loud thunderclap sound that always accompanied a Summon, that wasn’t exactly an option while Priyanka still slept. Instead, she settled for the traditional Tuneless method: staring at the inside of the fridge, hoping something she had a taste for could be found.
She was just starting to consider walking outside and requesting a Summon from the other side of the street, hoping the distance would be enough to ensure the little one kept sleeping, when Fiora was abruptly startled by her phone ringing. Her normal, Tuneless phone. (Setting the network up for reception in the Stoicheal Realm had been a logistical nightmare, but they’d managed.)
Frowning, she closed the fridge and fished her phone out of her bag. It wasn’t something she checked much. After all, most of her friends were Attuned like herself, and they had plenty of easier ways to get in touch with her. The only people she really stayed in touch with on the other side of the mirror… wait. She did a double-take at the name on her phone’s screen.
Estela?!
Alright, that was definitely unusual. Estela barely used her phone as it was; why she would be giving her a call out of nowhere, Fiora had no idea. Curious, and more than a little nervous about what terrible news her fellow Hero of Cordonia might be bringing, she answered the call right away. “Uh… hello? Estela–?”
A loud burst of static answered her, and Fiora quickly jerked her phone away from her ear. Behind the static, she could barely make out a high-pitched voice shouting, “Mama! No, no!”
Then Estela’s voice: “I– Ian, stop her!”
Then Fiora’s friend Ian, Estela’s husband: “I’ve got her. Olivia! Olivia, please!” Followed by the telltale sound of a stoicheal technique being used, along with a few more smaller bursts which to Fiora’s ears sounded wild and uncontrolled.
Finally, the static receded. “Fiora?” came Estela’s voice over the phone. “You’re still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” Fiora responded, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.
“Sorry about that. Listen, we’re having a crisis. The Servis tried to kidnap Olivia while Ian and I were out–”
“Sources beyond!” gasped Fiora in shock, barely remembering to stay quiet. “What the– is she okay? Are you at home? I can be there in ten minutes; sooner if I go dragon–”
Estela laughed. “No, Fiora, it’s okay… Hayden was babysitting for us and she fought ‘em all off. Don’t think they expected to battle a Match when they planned their surprise visit. We’re all fine. Olivia’s safe and sound.”
“Phew,” breathed Fiora. “That’s good.” She involuntarily shuddered at the thought of something similar happening to Priyanka, making a mental note to entrust any future babysitting duties only to those strong enough to defend their daughter if need be. “But then, what did you–”
“It’s a different kind of problem,” Estela explained. “What we need now is advice. We’re both new to this whole stoichi, Awakening, Attunement thing, even Ian, and now Olivia is–”
Another series of uncontrolled-sounding stoicheal bursts. Followed by an exasperated “Olivia, no, please!” from Ian, and a series of more concentrated, refined-sounding technique usages.
Suddenly, the pieces clicked into place for Fiora. “Olivia’s Awakened,” she breathed. “But how? She’s only, what, two? She isn’t much older than Priya–”
“It happened during the battle,” Estela explained. “Hayden told me. Now the house is a disaster, and Ian can barely keep up. Do you or Shreya have any advice on handling a hyperactive, Attuned toddler?”
Fiora scrunched up her forehead in confusion. “Toddler? Not that I can think of. Shreya had her Awakening in high school, which seems like it’s pretty typical. Me, I didn’t Awaken until she helped me–”
Another burst of static drowned Fiora’s words out completely, then the sound of something clattering onto the ground, likely Estela’s phone. A second later, the sounds had ceased, replaced with a frantic cry of “Ian, stop her!” followed by a slightly calmer “That was Olivia again, sorry,” from Estela. “So do you know anyone who’s dealt with… uh, Awakening… this young?”
“No…” Fiora said uncertainly. She subconsciously glanced upward, toward the nursery. “Y’know what, let me pass this on to Shreya. She’d probably know better than I would–”
“What’s that? What would Shreya know better?” asked a familiar voice, calling a little too loudly from the entrance. Fiora looked over in the voice’s direction to see her twin sister Atlas, shaking out her long silver hair and setting a large tote bag down on the floor. “Hey, sis. Thought I’d stop by.”
“Atlas! Shh!” hissed Fiora frantically, gesturing toward the stairs and miming someone sleeping. “Priya!”
“Oh!” gasped Atlas, immediately dropping her voice to a whisper. “Sorry. You should’ve warned me.”
“I didn’t even know you were coming!” Fiora frowned as a thought occurred to her. “Hang on, how did you get through the door, anyway?”
Atlas held up a hand, allowing a small burst of electricity to crackle between her fingertips. “Those locks weren’t exactly designed for us Sourceborn,” she whispered with a smirk. “I thought I’d drop by and check in on you three,” she explained. “How’s my favorite niece doing?”
“You mean your only niece?” Fiora clarified with a laugh. “She’s okay. Sleeping peacefully. Why?”
“She might be Awakening soon. Just wanted to give you a little sisterly advice, since you–”
“Wait, what? I thought–y’know, actually, we were just talking about this. Don’t Attuned usually Awaken as teenagers? Not, like… age two?”
“Tell that to little Beckett number three. Froze his entire bathtub the other day, and his dad’s fingers along with it.” She shrugged. “Early just like me, though my Awakening was a Deluge rather than whatever ice thing he pulled off. Must be a Sourceborn thing.”
Fiora’s eyes lit up in sudden realization. “I have never been so glad to see you in my life, Atlas. Estela’s on the phone–their daughter’s a Time-Att and she just Awakened today. I think you might be able to help her out. Can you…?” She practically thrust the phone in Atlas’s face.
After a brief moment of confusion over how to use the device (Atlas still had never really gotten the hang of Tuneless technology, even now), she answered the phone. “Yeah? Hey, it’s Atlas.” Silence. “Fiora told me. Our little one Awakened the other day, and I myself was a toddler when mine happened. I think it’s got something to do with being Sourceborn.” Silence. “‘Prismic,’ whatever, same thing.” Silence. “At that age, it’s all subconscious. Based on their emotions. You both have to calm down, and she’ll settle down herself. I know it seems counter-intuitive.” Silence. “Trust me, okay? Look–”
A burst of static so loud that even Fiora could hear it sounded over the phone’s speaker, and Atlas jerked the device away from her ear, glaring at it as though it had personally attempted to assassinate her. Slowly, without taking her eyes off the phone, she brought it back to her ear. “What. Was. That?” she hissed. More silence. “…Okay, yeah. That’s a problem. You’ve got to get her to calm down.” Silence. “At this rate, she might tire herself out–even we Sourceborn have a stoicheal limit, and she’s just a kid.” Silence. “Alright, good. Hey, listen, let’s all have a Sourceborn–ugh, Prismic, whatever–let’s all plan a get-together. Sounds like we could all use a little advice now that the kids are getting to Awakening age.” She paused again for another few moments, then smiled, nodding at whatever Estela was saying on the other end. “There ya go. Happy to help. No problem.” She held the phone out in front of her face, frowning at it. “Uh, Fiora… how do I–”
Fiora sighed and snatched the phone from her sister’s hands, clicking the button to end the call. “There you go. So…?”
“Am I a genius, or what? The kid’s calmed down. They’ve got her under control. Piece of cake.”
Fiora sighed in relief. “Thanks, Atlas. Seriously. I had no idea what to tell her…” She frowned as a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait. You’re saying this ‘early Awakening’ thing happens with all Sourceborn?”
“As far as I can tell, yeah. Seems to be followin’ that pattern. Well, except you… natural Awakenings only happen when there are adult Attuned around. You were a special case.”
“Yeah, no, I get that part. I’m just worried… so, Priya–”
She was interrupted by a sudden shriek from upstairs, followed a moment later by the sound of an explosion. Fiora and Atlas exchanged a glance. “You just had to jinx it, sis…” sighed Atlas. Fiora shot her a death glare in response.
The twin sisters sprinted straight for the stairs, only to see little Priya, now wide awake, dashing down the stairs trailing flames from her hands. Shreya followed after her, thrusting out her arms in a desperate attempt to re-absorb all of Priya’s flames. “Priya, no! Priya!” she called out in desperation. “Priyanka Alyssa Luxen!”
But the toddler continued on, relentlessly continuing on into the foyer in her effort to apparently cover the entire home in sparkling flame. Fiora gasped in shock. “Stop! Priya! No!”
“I got this,” said Atlas nonchalantly, flicking a wrist over her head and summoning a small cloud in the center of the foyer. “Torrentus.” The cloud expanded, covering the entire room and covering the room in a brief shower of rain that easily extinguished the flames and left Priya in the center of the room, soaking wet. The toddler immediately burst into tears; Shreya rushed to her side as Fiora shot Atlas a glare. “What? Nothing’s on fire anymore…”
“Our daughter is soaking wet, Atlas. You’ve replaced one problem with another.”
“Relax, sis.” She made another quick gesture, palm-out, in Priya’s direction. “Absorb.” All of the water in the room leaped off of the various surfaces–Priya included–and coalesced into a neat, swirling stream that vanished into Atlas’s palm. “There. Fixed.”
“Atlas, you are… just… Atlas,” Fiora sighed in frustration. Then she approached her wife and daughter, kneeling down beside the two of them. “Shh. It’s okay. Mama Fiora’s here. It’s okay.”
After a few minutes, Priya calmed down enough to stop crying. She simply stared up at her parents and Atlas with confusion. “Ma-fa?” she asked. “Ma-sha?”
Shreya and Fiora both nodded at her. “We have you, Priyanka,” Shreya reassured her. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”
“Well, as great as this all has been,” said Atlas, “I’ve got my own little Sourceborn to get home to. That bag I brought has a few things that might be useful for keepin’ Priya under control: Torrentus and Deluge gems included. Like I told Estela–the key is calming her down when she gets like this. But if the house is about to burn down, might wanna skip straight to the gems.”
“Y’know, Atlas, you could’ve mentioned the whole ‘early-Awakening’ thing before today. Just saying.”
“To be honest… I kinda… didn’t think of it until just now,” Fiora’s sister admitted. Then Atlas smirked at her as she pulled open the front door. “Besides, experience is always the best teacher.”
“That doesn’t–!” shouted Fiora, exasperated, as Atlas shut the door behind her.
Once the door had shut, Fiora and Shreya exchanged a knowing glance. Shreya sighed. “Well, I must say, that was… inattendue,” she said. “I had no idea this would be an issue for… at least another few years, to be sure.”
“Me neither,” admitted Fiora. “Atlas really could’ve warned us, y’know?”
“That would certainly have been helpful. Your sister is certainly… a character.”
Fiora shook her head and smiled. “True. She drives me nuts sometimes… but I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”
They both looked down, regarding their young daughter who was even now subconsciously summoning small glowing orbs of light between her fingers. “Well,” said Shreya, “sounds like Priya and the other little Sourceborn are going to be quite the handful.” She looked away, lost in thought. “Who knows what their futures will hold, now?”
“I dunno. Whatever it is, we’ll all face it as a family. And not just us, either–our whole, big, Heroes of Cordonia family. Right?”
“Of course, la bien aimee. All of us, we’ll face it together!” The three of them–one Fire-Att and two Sourceborn of Light–held each other tightly, certain that their family’s future, whatever it might hold, will be bright.