The morning began clear and bright, the light of Gaia Paradise rising slowly behind a floating ridge of crystal terraces. Dante and Anarissa walked side by side along the gleaming pathway, heading toward their scheduled training session. Vorun had summoned them early—which wasn't unusual—but there was a tension in his voice neither twin could interpret.
Their mentors waited ahead in a wide plaza of pale quartz. Vorun stood with his arms folded, his towering frame exuding calm authority. Lysera sat on a floating crescent of light, humming with faint amusement as she watched the twins approach. Varael leaned on his staff of interwoven darkwood and gold, eyes half closed as if listening to distant echoes only he could hear.
Dante raised a hand. "Morning. Or… whatever counts as morning here."
Anarissa laughed softly. "Time is a suggestion in this place."
Lysera slid gracefully off her crescent. "Good. Humor means you're at least somewhat rested. Today we test finesse, not force."
Vorun's stern expression eased into something resembling approval. "You will spar with your peers. Controlled abilities only."
Ryalis, Tovan, and Marion waited in the sparring ring already, stretching and exchanging friendly banter. Seris approached with a tired smile, probably recovering from last night's attempt at recreating mortal-style noodles. Rethallos and Lyria arrived moments later, greeting the twins with easy familiarity, while Torwen—massive and broad as a small mountain—carried the practice weapons.
"You two look awake," Rethallos said, tilting his head. "Better than last time."
"Last time, Dante nearly collapsed," Lyria reminded him.
Dante rubbed the back of his neck. "I tripped."
"You fell because Ryalis dodged," Seris offered with a sympathetic shrug.
Ryalis shot him a look. "That's called skill, Seris."
The mentors signaled for everyone to take their positions. The sparring match began smoothly, with Dante paired against Rethallos and Ryalis, and Anarissa facing Lyria, Torwen, and Marion.
At first, everything felt normal—divine energy flowing cleanly, senses sharp, focus steady.
But halfway through a maneuver Dante felt something strange coil beneath his skin—a sudden rush of heat, violent but controlled, like a buried instinct clawing upward. His breath caught. His vision blurred around the edges, and then sharpened far too much.
Anarissa stumbled at almost the same moment. Lysera's head snapped up.
"Stop!" she called.
Vorun raised a barrier instantly, separating the twins from the others. The shift in Dante grew stronger now—a tension flooding through his muscles, a whispering sense of something ancient stirring awake.
Vorun stepped closer. "Describe what you are feeling."
Dante exhaled shakily. "A pull. Like something is waking up inside me… but not here. Somewhere else."
Anarissa nodded, gripping her arm. "It's happening to me too. My essence—it's resonating with something far away."
Varael's eyes narrowed. "This timing… the mortal avatars."
Lysera stepped beside him. "Yes. Their births have stabilized. The connection is opening."
The twins felt it then—a faint but unmistakable awareness. Two lights flickering in a distant world. Soft, small, but unmistakably theirs. Dante felt a tiny heartbeat echo through his chest, followed by the strange surge repeating.
"My other self," he whispered.
Anarissa blinked rapidly, tears gathering. "I can feel her. She's… alive."
A ripple of energy burst from Dante before he could restrain it. Vorun reacted instantly, bracing against the shockwave.
"Easy," the mentor said. "Do not resist. Let it rise slowly."
But the change was already happening. Dante's hair shimmered, gaining streaks of violet and silver that hadn't been there moments earlier. His ears lengthened slightly, sharpening into elven points. A fine coat of silver-violet fur began to appear along his forearms. His eyes brightened into a striking violet hue, focusing sharply as if adjusting to a new spectrum of light.
Anarissa gasped as her skin briefly glowed with warm solar gold. Her hair lengthened and brightened into flowing strands of gold-white. Her ears sharpened as well, but her aura flared like a miniature sunrise, gilded with soft warmth and fierce radiance.
Ryalis stared. "They're—changing."
Marion took a careful step forward, his voice low. "It's a harmonic bleed. Their mortal counterparts have awakened bloodline traits… and the resonance is mirroring those traits here."
Varael moved between the twins, studying their shifting auras closely. "Fascinating. The transformation is partial—divine and mortal aspects aligning, not colliding."
Lysera touched the air near Anarissa's shoulder. "And their instincts are restructuring. Dante's lunar affinity is sharpening. Anarissa's solar authority is stabilizing."
Dante's heartbeat thundered. His vision expanded; he could see flickering motes in the air, threads of light stretching into infinity, and something else—a deeper darkness, swirling with silver lines.
Anarissa felt her senses heighten too. Warmth and creation energy pulsed through her body in rhythmic waves, mirroring the heartbeat of her mortal avatar.
Vorun stepped back with rare surprise. "Your forms are beginning to converge with your lineage. This is only the beginning."
Dante winced as another pulse shot through him. "Is this supposed to happen now?"
"No," Varael said dryly. "Which is why it is happening now."
Even the gods in training exchanged confused glances.
Rethallos let out a low whistle. "Divine puberty looks intense."
Lyria elbowed him. "Not the time."
Dante held onto his composure, though the shifting inside him was relentless—fur threading down his spine, his senses stretching, his instincts sharpening. Anarissa glowed even brighter, the solar radiance wrapping around her like a protective veil.
Lysera placed a steadying hand on Anarissa's shoulder. "Breathe. This resonance will settle. You are not transforming—you are aligning."
Varael nodded. "Your mortal avatars are expressing your lineage in a new world. You feel their instincts, their physical shifts, their energies. The divine body mirrors what the soul remembers."
Dante forced a slow breath. "So… this is because they were born."
"Yes," Vorun said. "And you must learn to control the resonance before it overwhelms you."
Anarissa steadied her grip on Dante's arm. "We can handle it."
"Perhaps," Lysera replied. "But not alone."
The shifting stabilized—fur fading but leaving faint silver patterns on Dante's skin, light receding from Anarissa but leaving her eyes bright like twin suns. The twins stood there for several breaths, breathing slowly, letting their divine bodies recalibrate.
Ryalis finally exhaled. "So… does this mean sparring is canceled?"
Vorun gave him a look that could turn a meteor into dust. "Yes."
Ryalis nodded. "Great. I'm going back to sleep."
Seris laughed nervously. "I… think we all need a break after witnessing that."
Torwen crossed his arms, nodding deeply. "Impressive."
Marion watched Dante with a thoughtful expression. "Your resonance song has changed. Your frequencies are deeper… older."
Dante blinked. "Is that good?"
Marion shrugged. "It's very interesting."
Lysera stepped forward. "The two of you will need monitoring for a while. This is a delicate transition, and the next stages may be stronger."
Varael tapped his staff. "The connection between divine and mortal selves has truly awakened."
The mentors exchanged a silent look—anticipation, worry, and curiosity woven together.
Vorun finally spoke. "Your journey has shifted paths. And now… it will become much harder."
Dante and Anarissa shared a glance.
Whatever came next, their worlds—both divine and mortal—were awakening together.
And nothing would ever be simple again.