《Twin stars from Twinlight》


 prologue

    In a mid-sized town a days ride from the capital, two men were waiting with barely concealed anxiety. At this moment, the two who had been companions for nearly eighteen years were enduring a strained silence together as they strained their ears for the sound of footsteps desperate for good news.


    Thud, Thud, THUD. Finally the door opened and a woman stood there with a tired look upon her face. As she set eyes on the two of them she smiled and asked "Xia Jembai?" The larger of the two men stood up with a stiff, jerky motion. She faced toward him and said, "your wife and son are waiting, come right this way." The anxiety fell from his face like a mask. He grinned and shouted.


    "A son, can you believe it, Touma, I have a son." The second man gave a strained smile not willing to rain on Xia''s parade.


    "Congratulations, Jembai, now you can start making plans for how to start training him." Xia froze at his companions words then apologized.


    "Sorry, Touma, I forgot temporarily about your situation, please forgive m-" before he could finish Touma held his hand up and stopped him.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Just go, it is more important right now for you to be there than here, I''ll be fine, go see to your wife and child." Without another word Jembai followed the woman out of the room to see his wife.


    An hour later Touma could wait no longer and as he was getting up foot steps sounded behind the door again. The door opened and a man dressed in white splattered with a touch of blood stepped in. "Sir Chen Touma this way please." Still anxious Touma followed behind and asked the man, "Doctor please tell it to me straight, I can''t bear not knowing anymore, how is she?"


    The doctor paused and said, "I''m not going to lie, her wounds were severe, any later and we may have lost her. Even now it is still hard to give a definite answer. The delivery was successful but there may yet be complications. We are running some tests now and should know more by morning. For now she is stable so I suggest you put on a strong face and spend some time with your wife and offspring." The doctor began walking again. "In fact, she has a little surprise in store for you so when you go in be prepared to have your hands full." the doctor smiled at what was to come.


    They opened the door to the room and when Touma walked in he was shocked at what he saw. Before him two women were smiling at him, one holding a boy and the other a girl. A woman lying in the bed smiled up at him and whispered, "you are a father to twins, Touma."

 Chapter 1-First companion

    The officials from the Retired Companions Home were coming in to town. It had been two years since the rebellion in the neighboring province had been pacified. The men who had lost their lives had left behind companions who needed to bond to someone to remain within human territory and each year children at the age of two were brought forth to bond protectors for until they were old enough to bond partners using the Bond of Equals. This was basically a mental link which allowed the protectors to guard the children¡¯s mental capacities and to help train them. Depending on the companion the children might improve quicker or slower in proportion to the wisdom of the companion. The child, the parents or the guardian would pick. Either party, save the child, had the right of refusal of course, but such was rare indeed as the bond was extremely short-lived.


    This year there were eleven children who had reached two years of age and were eligible for bonding. There were another four who sought to establish permanent bonds after having turned twelve. Three of the two year olds in particular stood near the front where the best variety could be available for the picking.


    The animals available for bonding ranged from lions to owls to a particularly large frog which could easily fit a rabbit within its mouth and was eying a nearby bunny thoughtfully. The officials gave each of the children an armband with symbols. As each armband was secured the symbol would gradually change color. Next, the children and animals were given free rein to interact and become acquainted.


    The first companion to choose was the lion. He chose the boy at the front whose band had turned green. The official wrote down then called out, ¡°Jiang Xia, Tempest lion, any objections?¡± When no one objected Jemba Xia came forward and escorted his son and the lion to the nearby office to complete the bond and to pay the fees.


    Next was a white wolf. It chose the girl second in line whose armband had turned white. The man once again called out, ¡°Sisi Chen, Tundra wolf, any objections?¡± As before, no one objected although another girl looked somewhat disappointed. Touma stepped forward and brought Sisi to the side, not choosing to leave yet.


    Third was a boy who looked similar to the girl before him. Two animals came forth for his turn, a serpent and a hawk, each one glaring toward the other. His armband was half blue, half black. The official scribbled for a moment with an irritated expression then called out, ¡°Saiko Chen, Flame serpent or Clay hawk, double the fee for both, any objections.¡± Touma who had no objections lead his children away with their protectors after the crowd remained silent.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Once he was out of earshot one of the twelve year olds asked one of the adults nearby in confusion why one kid had gotten two companions. The adult answered, ¡°It is because he has two attributes and they may allow him to use one of the side elements. Of course with two protectors his cultivation will be slower in the beginning than most others at his age, so it is a give take situation.¡± He glanced at where the kid had left with his father and silently bemoaned the trouble the kid would endure in the future.


    In the office, Touma was wryly thinking the same but for another reason. I gave my brother hell before he died over cultivating so much slower than me and now my only son will have to go through the same thing. Talk about go around, come around. Sisi will be alright, she didn¡¯t have any particular elemental affinity but that just means it will be that much easier when increasing affinities in the future.


    Touma¡¯s daughter had a white symbol on her band so she could easily bond with any partner she or it wanted and could develop affinities through her bond, but Saiko would have to struggle with two affinities bleeding into every cultivation session, bad enough when just increasing affinities but worse when getting started. With two protectors the pressure on his mind would also increase exponentially especially with the attitude they had toward one another.


    Most would choose to pick one protector in light of these circumstances but Touma knew that more pressure would mean a more stable foundation for future cultivation. Some rich families would even intentionally pick two protectors for their children and would supplement the kid with medicinal pills to better prep the kid for future breakthroughs. Touma on the other hand could not afford to do any more for his son than to accept the second protector which was necessary since the protectors were able to offset the affinity for each kid and prevent them from becoming overly dependent on their original affinity.


    Historically affinities were strengthened as were since it was faster for cultivation until it was judged to imbalance the children¡¯s minds and prevent them from ascending to master stage in cultivation. There were some holdouts that still held to the old ways and boosted their kids cultivation speed but generally it was known as a given that mentally unstable kids like that were not trust worthy and even the protectors themselves usually avoided putting themselves into such partnerships. After paying the horrendous fees Touma met up with Jemba and the five of them left together.


    A quarter hour after they left, the last of the two year olds was the only one left. As he stepped forward the large toad suddenly pounced upon the Lily Rabbit nearby and swallowed it whole. The officials were infuriated and tried to make the frog regurgitate the rabbit in vain. The boys dad nearby smiled and before the officials could do any significant damage to the frog stalled them and picked the frog to protect his son. After agreeing to pay double the usual fees the officials relented and the man led his son to the office to pay up. As they walked away the official in charge realized something which caused him to blanch. The band on the boy that was walking away was half green half brown.

 Chapter 2-Countdown begins

    At the Daystar villa outside of Twinlight city, Jemba and his wife Xiaoning were cajoling three two year old children into learning to cultivate. The kids were rambunctious and only thought of playing with their new companions who truly held their full attention. After being unable to get the kids to do anything for half an hour Jemba finally looked at the protectors who were either fighting, playing with their kid or just lazing about (can you guess which one is doing which) and spoke with emphasis for them to hear, ¡°Well Xiaoning since we can¡¯t make the children concentrate I suppose we should turn our eyes to other matters.¡±


    Xiaoning answered with a bemused expression playing along, ¡°What matters are you referring to honey?¡±


    He smiled and continued, ¡°Our new family needs someplace to sleep tonight right? I¡¯m sure the cat would enjoy a nice flea infested bed to sleep in,¡± At that the lion raised its head with a snap to look at him nearly head butting the rider on his back. ¡°And the Chen¡¯s could probably do to have one for the dog as well,¡± The wolf froze mid jump to the chagrin of little Sisi. ¡°They may need to get some ever frost for the snakes bed since it may get with all those flames it spits out,¡± The snake which was about to launch a blast at the hawk missed its shot as it suddenly froze in place. As the hawk was about to make a comeback shot at the snake Jemba finished his threats with, ¡°and a nice dark little bird cage for our little feathered friend since it will need somewhere to sleep as well.¡± The hawk about to land a hit on the snake plowed into the ground before it could stop itself. As all four animals looked at him in alarm Jemba sighed. ¡°It is an awful shame all these big strong wise critters who have seen battle first hand and experienced the horrors of death are incapable of directing their companions in training and preventing themselves from losing another comrade in battle. All these fine specimens may look real reliable but I guess they can¡¯t be expected to manage to trick these two year olds into what is good for them, what a shame, guess we¡¯ll have to do it ourselves after all, too bad.¡± The animals immediately shot an irritated look at him then started trying to manage the kids. After an hour, between the adults and the protectors, they finally managed to get the kids calmed down enough to do some exercises. Once the kids got to having fun doing it the adults took a break and left the animals to keep them busy.


    Xiaoning finally asked Jemba what he had Touma working on. Jemba explained. ¡°Several travelers have mentioned running into rogue critters on the forest paths in double or even triple the numbers they normally run. I just wanted him to check out if there is anything wrong deeper inside we should be worried about. After that we went through a couple years ago I thought it best to take no chances especially with us having kids now. Plus I have to put our bet to use on occasion or there is no point in having made it in the first place.¡± ¡±HaHAHa.¡± Jemba¡¯s wife just looked at him with a what am I going to do with you look in her eye.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Meanwhile¡­


    Back in the Night Orchid villa, a woman with a frail body lay in the shade with a caretaker checking her vitals for the second time that day. Touma¡¯s wife Yun Chen was severely injured shortly before giving birth to her twin children. While in recovery the doctor told her she could never bear children again and was lucky to be alive. In spite of surviving she lost most of her vitality and was bound to a bed and a strict diet.


    After the woman checked her vitals was finished she told Yun some bad news. ¡°I spoke to your physician before coming over today and he told me his final prognosis. After making you stable, there was no longer any doubt in his mind. He said that as things are going you will have no more than two years to live at the absolute best.¡± Yun¡¯s nurse let that sink in for a moment before continuing. ¡°six months of that will have you in a near unconscious state if not totally catatonic. As much as I admire and appreciate you keeping me around and the generous pay I have to say that I don¡¯t want to watch you as you waste away. It near breaks my heart to see you yearning to hold your kiddies only to have to give them up as they start getting restless. I plan to resign at the end of the month so I really hope you can find someone to take my place.¡± By the time she had finished speaking the woman was losing her composure.


    Yun smiled, ¡°That is fine dear, and you don¡¯t have to keep staying around just to keep me company. I remember what happened to you when your Pa passed away. I¡¯ll tell Touma when he returns and let him begin searching for someone to fill your shoes. I would try to keep it from him but he knows when something is up like a hound knows the smell of roast beef. Sometimes it makes me wonder who exactly the wife is around here.¡± With a little giggle she relaxed back into her seat before suppressing a cough.


    In the forest to the south of Twinlight city Touma had come upon an area of wood where at which the woodland critters had utterly abandoned. Not even a bird could be seen flying overhead. After searching for the majority of the day he finally stumbled back out of the abandoned area and immediately had to fend off a pair of panthers before returning his way home. As he made his way back he stopped by the Daystar villa to pick up the children. After informing Jemba about the strange empty section of the woods he returned to the Night Orchid villa.


    When he walked in the door he knew the instant he saw Jun¡¯s face that her days were finally numbered. Her apologetic face said it all. After letting the twins visit for a moment he made their protectors run them up stairs and moved to sit down beside her. He sat silent for about five minutes, ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Two years max. with the last half spent catatonic,¡± she whispered. Touma made a prolonged grimace as he took her hand and held his to her cheek.


    ¡°If I had Xiao Ming in my hands right now I¡¯d break his neck.¡±


    Up the stairs the protectors had gotten the kids into bed and slipped out of the room. Once they made it outside they heard the words of the two adults and the three of them froze. The hawk in particular lowered its head a bit further.

 Chapter 3-Learning control

    Jiang Xia woke up the next day at dawn and willing or not his parents were awake at dawn as well. The tempest lion chose to be lazy and remained where he was half asleep. The Xias started their day with a bite to eat and Jemba, noticing that the lion was still refusing to greet the day smiled. ¡°Honey, could you get me that new batch of lye soap we need to clean out our new protector¡¯s bedding.¡± Still dozing, not paying attention to all the two leggers walking about the lion didn¡¯t connect with what was about to happen. Too bad for him. Before he knew what hit him, Jemba had gathered several loads of cold water and some lye dust. He scattered the lye all around the lion and his bedding then commenced to dumping cold water.


    RROOOWWWWRRR


    By the time little Jiang had turned his head the lion had made it into the trees outside. Nothing could be seen except tracks on the ground.


    An hour later the ruffled lion was back and nearly dry again. He moved into the yard and spied Jemba preparing for the day. As nobody was watching for his return the lion quickly and quietly made his way to Jemba with a crafty gleam in his eye. Jemba caught a glimpse of the lion¡¯s reflection in the nearby water barrel and quietly reached down to a piece of leather he had nearby. The lion pounced and Jemba immediately spun and fitted the leather around the lion¡¯s mouth. Upon landing the lion paused with a puzzled expression. Jemba had the speed of the first level mastery realm despite not having broken through yet. The tempest lion¡¯s previous companion had only been third level profound. Being equal in strength with his previous companion meant that the lion was much weaker than Jemba and much slower. Once it had broken past the confusion and realized it was muzzled the lion snapped. It tossed and turned and rolled around the ground fighting the muzzle until Jemba set his foot on the lion¡¯s neck mid roll. The lion froze and Jemba began talking. ¡°Rule one, you are my son¡¯s protector and better act like it. Rule two, this is my home and you had better learn your place if you don¡¯t wish to be cast back out into the wild and made to find your own lair. The comfort and quality of meals here go to those who earn them and some layabout cat that can¡¯t fulfill its duty will not be tolerated. Rule three,¡± and at this point he dropped down to where the lion could see his face and eyes in particular, ¡°if you harm any member of this household you will be skinned stuffed and mounted where my son can use you as a rocking horse. Are we understood?¡± The lion nodded and dropped its head in contrition. ¡°Then get to the boy and get to it!¡± Intimidated by Jemba¡¯s strength the lion quickly made its way to little Jiang.


    Two hours later, Touma arrived with the twins and set them to studying with Jiang Xia. Jemba then brought him into the house where he informed them about his wife¡¯s prognosis. He requested their help with finding a replacement nurse and set out to the forest once more. Shortly after he left Xiaoning departed to go visit Yun.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Jiang Xia had been learning the forms of swordplay when the twins arrived and his father left to deal with Touma. He began telling the two about the fun stuff that had been happening. ¡°¡­and after that dad tied a muzzle on his mouth.¡± The twins laughed along with him. ¡°Oh, and one more thing, mum said that I get to have a new baby brother soon, can you believe it!¡±


    About this time the companions began urging the three to begin training, especially the lion. They were old enough now to start learning to increase their elemental capabilities so the animals started using their own elements to motivate the kids to want to learn how to control theirs. Jiang started having success first. The grass he was focusing on began to sway in time with his fingers despite the lack of wind. Sisi was having trouble since she didn¡¯t have any natural affinity. The tundra wolf kept encouraging her to keep her mind focused on the nearby soil. Saiko was able to have a little trembling on his pail of water but couldn¡¯t separate the water energies from the metallic energies that he was directing. An hour later Sisi managed to flatten a small hump of earth but Saiko was still barely making waves and was growing more frustrated by the moment. Jemba came back and started them on lessons in weaponry albeit two year old size weapons. Jiang chose the spear this time, Sisi chose a whip and Saiko grabbed a mace throwing a sneaky look towards the lion and wolf or more accurately their tails which Jemba caught. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a saber and pulled Saiko to the side and started telling him stories about his dad in the war swinging his saber around dicing up members of the Xiao clan and helping to put an end to the rebellion that happened three years ago. Saiko turned his wide eyes to the saber and grabbed it tightly with an enraptured expression upon his face.


    The lion had been aware of everything that took place and was now much more willing to follow the commands and even the slightest whims Jemba might express in the future. Just thinking of what might have happened made it draw its tail in closer to its body. The tundra wolf on the other hand was painfully oblivious to how narrow an escape it just had.


    Jemba called forth the ex-military man he had hired to train the kids in combat and excused himself from their attention. After finally extricating himself from the situation he was now free to make his way to Touma and assist in finding out what exactly was causing the strange phenomena in the woods. Along the way he may even find himself a worthy companion. His was lost a few years ago during a particularly nasty battle and he had never been able to find another companion close enough to his own strength to replace it. It wasn¡¯t only him though; even Touma and Yun had lost their companions in battle, although in addition to losing her companion Yun had also nearly lost her life along with the life in her womb.


    Due to the unstable condition of his wife, Touma decided to bypass acquiring another companion in order to spend more time by Yun¡¯s side. Jemba may have been able to exchange for a new one at the market but he was romanticized by the thought of fighting it out in the wild with his companion to be and coming away with both parties respecting the others fighting prowess.