Chapter 2: The Impossible Awakening

Three weeks had passed since that cursed night at "The Velvet Abyss," and my world was beginning to splinter into pieces. This morning, I woke up with sensations I had never felt before—as if all my senses had been sharpened to a painful degree. I could hear the heartbeat of a stray cat on the street below, and even the sound of a neighbor’s dripping faucet echoed like the strike of a hammer in my ears.

​The sunlight that I usually loved now felt like needles stabbing into my corneas. I was forced to pull all the curtains shut, letting my apartment sink into total darkness. Yet, strangely, in that darkness, I could see everything with terrifying clarity. The dust motes dancing in the air, the fibers on the carpet, and even the veins in my own hands, which now appeared a vivid blue, pulsing with a life of their own.

​I stood before the bathroom mirror, staring at a reflection I barely recognized. My skin, usually glowing with health, was now deathly pale—almost translucent like fine porcelain. But the most terrifying change was my abdomen. In just a matter of days, my lower stomach had swollen unnaturally. This wasn’t mere bloating; there was something hard and rhythmic throbbing there. Something growing with a speed that defied every law of nature.

​With trembling hands, I took the pregnancy test I had bought on my way home. One minute felt like a century. When I finally saw the result, my heart felt as if it had stopped beating. Two thick, crimson lines.

​"Impossible..." I whispered, my voice raspy and foreign. "It’s only been three weeks."

​I hurried to a small clinic on the outskirts of town, wearing oversized sunglasses and a scarf to hide the marks on my neck. The elderly doctor examining me turned pale as he stared at the ultrasound screen. His hands, usually steady, began to shake.

​"Miss Belov... I don't know how to explain this," he stammered, his voice filled with dread. "There are two heartbeats in there. They are too strong for human fetuses. And their size... these babies are developing five times faster than normal. At three weeks, they are already the size of a four-month-old fetus."

​The doctor looked at me with horror, as if I were a monster. "This is not a normal pregnancy. My advice is to undergo an immediate D&C procedure. These... these things inside you will drain your life force until you wither away before they are even born."

​I looked at the black-and-white screen. Two tiny flickers of light were pulsing in perfect sync with my own heart. In an instant, a massive wave of protectiveness exploded in my chest. Something primitive woke up within my soul.

​"No," I said, my voice suddenly cold and filled with an undeniable authority. "Don't you dare touch them."

​I walked out of that clinic without looking back. Outside, though the sun was hidden behind heavy clouds, I felt watched. From a distance, at the end of the lonely street, the tall figure of Alaric stood still. He didn't approach, but his gaze locked onto me. He knew. The King knew that his heirs were breathing inside me.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***