Caleb reached his arm across the bed. The embroidered bedsheet, neat and taut, marked where his wife should lie. Caleb felt the cold space, concerned for her absence. In the other rooms, he could distinguish four separate heartbeats. They drummed together like a percussion ensemble. Their gentle breathing is a whispered song of hope for the future. Wearily, Caleb pulled back the sheet. A chill spread through his body as his feet touched the cold wooden floor. Charlotte stood in the doorway of Damien’s nursery. She smiled as his nose twitched and his hand gripped the sheets. It remained uncertain how long she had stood there, but she was not tired. Charlotte felt peaceful. She welcomed the fading warmth of Caleb as he wrapped his arms around her. Both watched the sleeping toddler, wondering what he was dreaming.
Since Damien was born, Charlotte began to have dreams. They were vivid and with the same outcome of her death. Talking about Eliza triggered the same nightmare. The fiery vision that drove her into her sister’s bedroom the night Eliza left. She was standing in a broken world. Earth scattered across the black, blue, and purple sky. There were stars, two moons, and where she stood a doorway. It shimmered and rippled like the surface of a bubble. Charlotte had never seen this place, but it was real. She could feel the warmth of its night air. An angry voice, neither male nor female, broke the silence. Its physical form was blurry, as the haze of heat caused the form to be indecipherable. Waves of sorrow flowed through her, shaking her body. Charlotte clenched her fists. The figure moved closer, launching balls of fire from their hands. It engulfed her body. Charlotte cried out as the dream self burnt alive. The waking reality woke drenched in sweat, her hair stuck to her body. Charlotte understood this was the future. The Ministry worried about and why it needed to remain a secret from her family.
Caleb buried his face into her neck with feathered kisses, meant to remind Charlotte of all the love he had. She seemed unable to share her dream or explain the peace Damien gave whenever they were close. Charlotte bowed her head, squeezing Caleb’s arms. Anger at herself, Eliza, and the past troubled her thoughts. He guided her to their bedroom. Charlotte needed to focus on the good that came from Eliza’s departure. Eliza’s city life was the reason Caleb saw Charlotte. She was a beacon of light in his darkness. He knew as he waited for the vendor to offer their blood, Charlotte would change his life. She leaned back in his embrace, letting the shared pain flow through. Caleb moved his lips to her ear. He was sorry for the pain she suffered. Starting a family was a future Caleb intended once her training was complete.
He did not regret gifting their daughters with a human life. For allowing Patrick to be their father, and neither should Charlotte. Daciana was an anomaly. She would come home to them when she was ready. Charlotte turned, seeing tears in his eyes. He wanted to believe those words, as Charlotte wished they were true. The Ministry would not share information about Daciana. Caleb feared they wanted to harness her abilities. It would explain why they refused to share how she fared under their training.
Charlotte and Caleb were to remain absent from the lives of the humans. Their eldest, Cornelius, would soon come into his powers. Caleb worried they would use Cornelius as a pawn to manipulate Charlotte. A threat to uphold their ideals and keep the old magic she dreamed about in check. Charlotte’s vision of fire confirmed the rise of at least one elemental in the future.
By the Grace of Sim Gods 