Supreme Magus

Chapter 4075: Just as Impressive (Part 2)

"I have jinxed nothing." Kamila said without believing her own words. "Also, Ely said fai, not Fae, and chees doesn’t mean cheese."

"Sadly, that’s only for us to know." Lith sighed. "Are you ready to do your part after the wedding?"

"Gods, I had almost forgotten about that." Kamila groaned. "Yes, I’m ready."

***

As it often happens, life had its own plans and no care for what others wished for or found convenient.

Three days before the wedding, Quylla’s waters broke.

"Right now?" She asked to her womb, which had just made a mess of her bridesmaid dress and the family carpet during a rehearsal. "After all the trouble I went through to have it fitted?"

"I told you to use a Featherwalker armor!" Morok swept her off her feet and Warped to their bedroom.

He had prepared everything for such a moment. Clean blankets, hot water, and things for Quylla to crush in her grip instead of his hands were quickly arranged around and on the bed.

"Now is not the time for ’I told you so’!" A painful contraction had her grit her teeth. "Where is Faluel?"

"Right behind you." As Friya’s mentor and master, Faluel had been chosen as a bridesmaid as well. "Don’t worry, everything will be fine."

"What about fast?" Quylla asked.

"I’m sorry, but not even Guardians can rush nature." Faluel shapeshifted her dress into comfortable scrubs for the delivery. "That’s on you."

"Don’t worry, sweetie. You’re not alone." Jirni’s elegant day dress turned into a midwife’s scrubs as well, and so did Friya’s bridal gown.

"Seriously?" Quylla couldn’t believe her own eyes. "Everyone but me was wearing armor?"

"It would be silly otherwise." Friya cleared her throat. "We don’t know when the Gernoff will attack, and the ceremony is the perfect moment to strike. Lots of guests, noise, and chaos."

"I hate you! I hate you all so much!" Quylla sobbed, feeling stupid. "Especially you!"

She pointed her finger at Morok in accusation.

"Why didn’t you warn me?"

"I did it at least 100 times!" Morok gritted his teeth in synch with Quylla.

He had no contraction, but her hand squeezed his as a vise that threatened to crush his bones.

"I said no ’I told you so’ and you rub 100 of them in my face at a time?" She asked in outrage.

"Make up your gods-damn mind, woman." He replied. "If you want me to shut up, I will, but if you want me to answer your questions, don’t expect me to spout nonsense. That’s your thing!"

"How dare you!" Quylla growled, holding Morok’s hand with every ounce of her considerable strength. "I’m going to kill you!"

"That’s it, Quylla. One more push." Faluel said.

"Wait, what?" Quylla had been so busy arguing with Morok that she had almost forgotten about her predicament.

"I said push! Don’t relax on me right now!" Faluel scolded her.

Pain, however, was a great reminder and an even better motivator. Five minutes later, the first twin was out, and the second one came right after.

The silence that fell over the room awfully reminded Elina of the day of Lith’s birth. Neither of the children cried or made any audible sound. They were too busy looking around the room and kicking at each other.

"They quarreled at birth." Faluel said in disbelief. "It’s not like Awakening, but it’s just as impressive, if you ask me."

"They take all from their mother." Morok puffed his chest out with pride.

"You-" Quylla didn’t know whether he was mocking or complimenting her, so she bit her tongue.

’Knowing Morok, it’s both.’ She inwardly sighed.

"Are you ready, babe?" Only when she saw the worry in Morok’s eyes did Quylla understand why he had yet to cut the first umbilical cord. "Do you need a minute to prepare?"

"One second, please." She used her Injection spell to restore her fluids and nutrients.

Quylla also took a steaming honeyed tea with lots of sugar out of her dimensional amulet.

"Do it." Even from behind the door, her stern tone and authoritative voice reminded Lith of an old man in a black bathrobe.

Morok did as bidden, cutting only the first umbilical cord. Strength abandoned Quylla’s body like water from a broken glass. She felt as if gravity had suddenly doubled, making it hard for her even to breathe.

"I don’t think I can do it." She gasped as Jirni helped her to drink small sips of tea. "I’m going to faint."

"Quylla is fine, and she will be fine." Scarlett the Sekhmet, the Guardian of Children, had asked and received permission to assist with the childbirth. "Yet she will not feel fine for a long while. How long it will last is up to her."

Turning down the offer of the one being who cared about the well-being of children above everything else would have been beyond stupid.

"You promise?" Quylla had met Scarlett only a few times while she lived with the Verhens, but in that moment, she trusted the Sekhmet blindly.

"You have my word." She nodded. "Your talent, mana, and body will come out of this unscathed. Your mind, however, is not something I can control."

"I’m cutting the last one." Morok said, and Quylla nodded for him to continue.

When the second twin could be cleaned and wrapped in a warm towel, Quylla felt as if someone had hit her on the back of the head. Her vision blackened out, and her body fell limp.

She had no mana nor energy. Everything felt like torture, even keeping her eyes open.

"Here’s your children, Quylla." Faluel and Scarlett brought them to her first. "Have you already chosen their names?"

"Yes." Seeing the smiles of the twins and hearing their giggles allowed her to tap into unknown reserves of strength in her body and cleared her vision. "We’ve decided to call Orikan the boy and Jirya the girl, to honor my parents."

From behind the door, Orion had a hard time not bursting into the room to thank his daughter and meet his grandchildren.

Orikan and Jirya sniffed at Quylla, cooing at her with joy when they recognized her.

"Oh, gods! They are perfect." She took them in her arms, and the joy of holding her babies washed away all the pain and worry she had felt until a moment ago, giving her more energy. "Ten fingers, ten toes, and... two eyes? Is this normal?"

Orikan had a pitch-black eye and a blue one, while Jirya’s were red and yellow. Streaks of the same colors were all across their hair as well.

"Of course." Morok nodded. "A Tyrant’s eyes are like Lith’s or a Hydra’s. They are a matter of mastery and control, not something you get for free."

"Can we let everyone else in, please?" Quylla asked while Faluel cleaned and healed her, and then restored her body to its pre-pregnancy state.

"No way!" Morok replied. "If we let them in, your father will start to cry and fuss over the babies until he gets to hold them. I’m not going to argue with anyone for my right hold my children. I’m the father.

"You did the hard work and deserved to go first, but now it’s my turn."

’I’m not going to cry.’ Orion thought, and he was being honest.

Yet the unyielding desire to strike Morok’s neck and knock him down to hold the babies first was just as true.