They say where one goes, the other follows.
In the sprawling expanse of the cosmos, Paul Atreides and Seraphina Sylvane are bound together by an unbreakable tether. Despite the light years and planetary divides throughout the Known Universe, their...
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!Warning: Graphic Content Ahead!
Fern Morven felt her ears ringing, a piercing sound that seemed to vibrate through her entire skull. Her vision swam as she forced her eyes open, the world around her blurring and shifting. Each breath came heavy and labored, as if the very air had been stolen from her lungs. The ground beneath her was hard and unyielding, but it was the weight pressing down on her chest that held her attention. A heavy body lay protectively over her, its presence both a comfort and a stark reminder of the peril they had just faced.
Above her, the glitching buzz of their Shadowcloak provided a faint, sporadic shield from the chaos around them. Its failing attempts to cloak them were like the dying breaths of a once-mighty guardian. The memory of the explosion was still fresh in her mind, a fiery inferno that had erupted with a force capable of obliterating anything in its path. The shockwave had thrown them far from the burning warehouse, now a distant inferno casting a hellish glow against the night sky.
It was a trap. A meticulously crafted scheme to divert their attention, to lure them away while the real threat closed in on Seraphina, the Lady they were sworn to protect. The layout plans had pointed directly to her bedroom, a calculated move that now filled Fern with a cold dread.
As her mind pieced together the events, a chilling realization settled over her. The body shielding her from harm was her twin brother, Alder.
"Alder..." she whispered, her voice a raspy croak that barely escaped her parched throat. She felt the sticky warmth of blood trickling down her brow, mingling with the sweat and grime that covered her skin. A pounding headache threatened to split her skull, but it was the stillness of her brother that truly terrified her.
She shifted beneath him, desperate to see his face, to find some sign of life. His features were pale, almost ghostly in the flickering light of the flames. His eyes were closed, his breathing shallow and irregular. Panic surged through her veins, a cold terror that threatened to consume her.
"Alder, wake up! Please, wake up!" she pleaded, her hands trembling as she gently shook him. When he didn't respond, she felt a surge of urgency. She couldn't lose him. Not now, not like this.
With shaking hands, she positioned herself beside him, placing her palms over his chest. She began compressions, counting aloud to steady herself. "One, two, three..." Each push felt like an eternity, the silence between each count filled with her desperate hopes.
"Come on, brother, breathe!" she shouted, her voice breaking. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. She leaned down, giving him breath, willing him to take it. "Don't you dare leave me! You fucking promised!"
Fern was shaking as she continued the compressions she watched to see if he war responding, checking his pulse but there was none. "A-Alder! You can't leave me... Please don't leave me... please!"
