the beginning after the end perfect duo

The Strength of Twins: A Mother's Pride and Secrets

TOM'S POV

"We must try our best if we want to beat him," I said, my voice firm, but my mind was already running through possible strategies.

"Yes, you're right, Tom. We'll use the same formation we used against Father," Arthur replied, his focus unwavering.

"Okay, I'll be supporting from the back, and you go for close-range, right?" I said, double-checking the plan.

"Exactly. We need to gain some distance at the start, and I'll protect myself with a shield or something," Arthur confirmed.

"Okay, do your best," I said, offering a reassuring smile before backing off to gain distance.

I projected a MANA shield around me, solidifying my position as I readied myself. Arthur didn't waste a second; he charged forward, wooden sword in hand, slashing at Adam.

Adam danced around the attack with ease, twisting his body and using his agility to avoid Arthur's strike. As he pivoted to get behind Arthur, I saw the opening. Just as Adam thought he had the upper hand, Arthur dodged and sent a wind bullet toward him. Adam barely managed to duck, kneeling to avoid the attack.

That was the moment Arthur was waiting for. He lunged, knocking Adam off his feet just as Adam attempted to strike.

Adam was quick to react, rolling out of the way and throwing his spear at Arthur. Arthur pivoted on his foot and caught it, using MANA to strip the weapon from Adam's grasp. With his spear now gone, Adam was left defenseless, but Arthur was open to attack.

In the blink of an eye, Adam tried to strike at Arthur's chest. I acted instantly, manipulating gravity to make Arthur float, avoiding Adam's powerful strike. With Adam wide open, I dropped the gravity manipulation and allowed Arthur to fall onto Adam, wooden sword ready.

By the time we finished the spar, I wasn't exhausted. I had only used a few spells: a MANA shield, a wind bullet, and gravity manipulation. The latter drained most of my MANA, but I still had 70% of it remaining. Gravity had consumed a hefty 29%.

"What kind of hellish training did you put your kids through? They're small monsters at this point," Adam said, his voice tinged with awe.

"I just gave them those swords. They learned everything else on their own," Father said nonchalantly.

"Arthur, you've got to teach us those movement techniques. How did you jump so high? You never mentioned your wind affinity," the twin-horned warriors said.

"That was Tom. He's the one who conjured the wind spell. He's a quadra-elemental conjurer. As for me, I'm an augmenter. I haven't unlocked any affinities yet," Arthur explained.

"Wow, an augmenter and a conjurer as twins? That's incredible! These kids are prodigies, Rey. You should get them a mentor or something," Adam said with admiration.

"That's exactly why we're heading to Xyrus," Mom replied, smiling.

"Oh, right. That's great," Adam said, still in awe.

"Ada, you got beaten by kids who aren't even four years old," Helen teased from the sidelines.

"It's their teamwork. If I had gone for Tom first, things might've been different," Adam muttered.

"They got you, didn't they?" Jasmine chimed in, teasing him further.

NIGHTTIME

"Arthur, we need to get even stronger," I said, sitting down beside him. The victory felt good, but I knew we were far from our best.

"Yeah, we're still weak, even though we won. But Adam isn't that tough. I could tell," Arthur responded, his voice thoughtful.

"I'll leave you now. I need to purify my core. What about you?" I asked.

"I'm going to read some more about elemental magic. I want to unlock my elemental affinities," Arthur replied.

After our conversation, we had dinner. I focused on spreading my MANA and reabsorbing it, letting my energy slowly refill.

NEXT MORNING: ALICE'S POV

"Arthur, go wake up your brother. Breakfast is ready," I called from the kitchen, my thoughts drifting to my children.

I couldn't help but feel proud as I thought about Tom and Arthur. They were so strong, so brave, and so clever. And soon, I would have another child with Reynolds. Would it be a girl or a boy? I couldn't wait to find out.

But there was something... a nagging feeling that they were hiding something from me. I didn't know what, but I couldn't shake the thought.

"Mom, Tom's already awake. He was training all morning," Arthur said, walking into the kitchen with a grin.

"Tom, what did I tell you about training before breakfast?" I called out to him from across the room.

"Sorry, Mom. I just woke up early," Tom said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Angela, Helen, Jasmine, Adam, Durden, Reynolds, let's get going with breakfast!" I called out to the others, who were all scattered around.

After breakfast, I was chatting with Angela while the others kept watch over our cart. I didn't mind; they could do as they pleased while I took a moment to relax.

"Angela, I'm pregnant. Please keep this between you and me. I want it to be a surprise for the kids," I whispered, my face softening.

"Oh, really? That's wonderful news! We'll have to get you something when we reach Xyrus," Angela replied, her voice full of warmth.

"You don't need to," I said, smiling at her.

"Congrats, Alice! I'm so happy for you," Helen added, overhearing our conversation.

"Thanks, Helen," I said.

"It seems like you're building a small army over here. How did you manage to raise such wonderful kids?" Helen asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

"They're geniuses, that's all I have to say. I knew they were going to be special ever since Tom's awakening at one year old and Arthur's at three," I said, pride welling up inside me.

"Wow, that's so rare. I've never heard of anyone awakening so young, but that still doesn't explain why they're so skilled. Sparring and books can't account for all of that. Don't you think they're hiding something from you?" Angela asked, voice laced with concern.

"I feel that too, but I love them. They mean the world to me, and I believe that when the time comes, they'll tell us everything," I said, my voice steady despite the lingering doubts in my mind.

"So, that's what being a good mother is?" Helen asked, her tone thoughtful.

"I don't know. Maybe. I just want to be strict so they have an easier life ahead, but sometimes it's hard when they use their cute faces on me. I don't want to spoil them," I said, feeling uncertain.

"No, you're definitely a great mother," Helen and Angela said in unison, offering me their smiles.

"Thank you so much," I said, feeling reassured.