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Abigail:"W… we can't… wait, WHAT?!" I exclaimed, unable to believe what I was hearing.
"You guys must be joking. How did we never know about this?" Aiden said, still trying to process everything.
We looked at each other, trying to make sense of it all.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true, my little ones," Dad said, using the term he only uses when he's trying to console us.
"How can we believe you? Our whole life… it feels like it's built on lies," Aiden said, a bit angrily.
"No, my babies. We might have lied about a few things, but not everything is a lie," Mom said.
"Oh! So, you're telling us now that we are hybrids who will gain special powers, and our grandparents are alive, protecting the king… and we think this doesn't change anything," I said, overwhelmed.
"It does change a few things, but the life we've been living here is real. We never lied about how we built this pack. We had to lie about some things to protect you both from bad people. You were little, and we didn't want anyone to harm you," Dad explained.
"You're right about that, but how is lying about our origins protecting us? You're not telling us everything," Aiden said.
We watched as Dad and Mom mind-linked with each other. We both sat back down, still in shock.
"Well, you guys are smart," Dad said, chuckling.
"Whose kids we are," I said, now smiling.
"Come on, Dad. We're old enough to know about this," Aiden said, finally accepting what we'd been told.
Dad sighed, sounding reluctant, but continued.
"You both already know that your mom and I were fated mates, right?" Dad asked.
"Yes, we know. You told us this," I said, looking at him.
"Before we found out we were mates, we had gained our special powers as the Chosen Ones," Dad said.
"WHAT??" Aiden and I exclaimed, not believing our ears.
"Yes, sweethearts. We were the heirs of our families, but we couldn't be together if we had to protect the royals," Mom said, looking lost.
"Why? You both were mates," I asked.
"Yes, we were. But the mate bond demands mates be together, and if we wanted to be together, we'd have to give up our powers—plus our position as heirs," Dad replied.
"Why??" Aiden asked, confused.
"Well, we had different responsibilities, and our families' houses were built on opposite sides of the kingdom. We couldn't just stay together," Mom explained. Seeing us still confused, she continued:
"Ok! First, let us tell you about the two families of the Guardians: my family, the Ignisfang Clan, and your Dad's family, the Azerfang Clan," Mom said, smiling at the memory.
"Wow! Cool names," Aiden said, amazed.
"They're not just names, dear. They represent our family origins and the powers we were born with. The Ignisfang Clan is fierce, destructive (not in a bad way), and passionate—they are the wielders of red flames. The Azerfang Clan is mystical, controlled, and divine—they are masters of the sacred blue flames. Because of this, my family lived on the eastern side of the kingdom, while your father's family lived on the western side. Since we were heirs, we couldn't just leave whenever we wanted to meet," Dad explained.
We stared at them, wide-eyed in silence.
"Wow! This is unbelievable," Aiden said, stunned.
"Yeah… it is. But why is it called red and blue flames?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.
"Hmm… isn't it just a fire?" Aiden asked, curious.
"Well, fire is a combustion of gases humans use, while flames are the manifestation of the power within us," Dad explained.
"Red flames represent a strong, fierce, and sometimes uncontrollable combat style, whereas blue flames are precise, mystical, and elegant—deadly in their own way," Mom added.
"Are people with red flames more dangerous than those with blue flames, since they're uncontrollable?" Aiden asked.
"No, they're not more dangerous. Both are dangerous in their own way," Dad said.
"But you said red flames are uncontrollable," I said.
"Yes, but not in a bad way. They act fiercely, sometimes without thinking about consequences—like jumping into a battle with no backup—but they do everything to protect the royals, even if it means going against the king's orders. Those with blue flames prefer to control the situation," Mom explained.
"Oh! So they're impulsive, just like you, Mom," Aiden said, laughing. Mom looked at him for a moment, then laughed as well.
"Well, you can say that. But remember—you're just like me. Still, you're right about them being impulsive," Mom said, making everyone laugh again.
Then Aiden got serious, thinking.
"One question: does everyone have these powers, or just the Chosen Ones?" he asked, a little seriously.
"Of course, everyone in the family has them," Dad replied, grinning.
"B… but you said only the Chosen Ones have them," I said, shocked.
"As we said before, those powers reveal our origins. We're born with them, but the Chosen Ones gain special powers on their sixteenth birthdays, on top of these," Mom said, smiling as she saw our fascination.
"Then… do you have them?" I asked, still shocked.
"Yes, we do," Dad grinned.
"Woohoo! WAIT, WHAT?? You have them… then what did you give away?" Aiden asked, dumbfounded. He looked at me, and we just stared at each other.
"We gave the special powers back. Like your mom predicts the future, and I can heal anything with just a touch," Dad said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Then both Mom and Dad made flames appear in their hands. Abigail and Aiden froze, watching in awe.