The palace gardens shimmered with discreet ether lines woven into the hedges and fountains, keeping the air cool despite the late afternoon sun. Holo-lights disguised as fireflies darted lazily above the flowerbeds, glowing softly when the twins shrieked past them.
Michel led the charge, wooden practice blade raised like he was storming a fortress, dark hair flying in the wind of his own making. Beside him, Ophelia kept pace, skirts hitched unceremoniously, her matching brown eyes flashing as she lunged with a sharp cry. The sensors embedded in the garden pathways flared faintly at their steps, tracking them as though they were precious cargo.
Gabriel sat beneath the shade of a glass-and-marble pavilion, one leg crossed, brown eyes calm and steady. The faint hum of the nursery wards followed him here, its usual occupants refusing to sit still. Two children stamped with his face, his eyes, and his hair.
