"Apologies," the old sage said, his voice trembling with realization.
"What troubles you, master?" Alex asked with fear gripping his heart.
"There's something amiss... another babe," Elaphar exclaimed, pointing to Alleyna's barely swollen belly.
"Twins?" Alex's reaction was unsurprised, considering Alleyna and Leandra were also identical twins. The probability ran in their blood.
Elaphar gulped, the expression on his face casting doubt upon Alex.
"If I attempt to deliver the babe, your beloved wife may not bear the pain," Elaphar revealed the truth in one breath.
Alex shook his head in disbelief.
"Yet if I do not, neither may survive."
"Is the second child alive?" Alex inquired anxiously.
"I do not know," the sage replied, his voice heavy with sadness.
"What is thy intention?" Elaphar murmured to himself, his voice hushed and reverent. "Is this babe to be ensconced in the shadows, nurtured in secrecy by arcane arts, or is it the second child thou sought, transfigured by the darkness?"
His keen eyes roamed the dimly-lit chambers, as if seeking an answer from the very walls themselves. The silence that greeted him was as oppressive as the darkness that enshrouded the mansion, broken only by the faint rustle of the wind outside.
Thunder rolled and rain pelted the roof, echoing the woman's anguished cries. The cacophony surged to a deafening crescendo, causing Alex to cower and cover his ears. The former knight wailed and prayed to the Lord of Light and Orion, beseeching them to spare his wife's life and offering his own in exchange.
"Oh, mighty God of Light, Orion, hear my plea and safeguard my dearest wife! Though it may cost me my own life, spare her from harm's way! Oh, blessed Angels of Light, I implore you to spread your holy wings over Alleyna and keep her from all harm!"
Undaunted by the clamor of the storm, Elaphar continued with his task, carefully delving into the woman's womb until he extracted the being within. The frenzied clamor of the elements grew more intense, blanketing the room in darkness for a moment before the light returned. Alex raised his eyes to the ceiling, offering a final supplication before locking his gaze sternly onto the old sage.
"Reveal it to me," he commanded.
Elaphar shook his head gravely. "Beholding it can drive thee to the brink of madness," he warned.
But Alex was stubborn, and he strode towards the bed. The sage backed away, urging him not to venture any closer, but it was to no avail.
With a blank expression, Alex peered upon the obsidian-colored creature, its skeletal form and exposed bones bearing witness to its tragic existence. It bore a semblance to a human, yet its distorted features and twisted limbs set it apart. What struck Alex the most was the faint rise and fall of its chest, the feeble moans escaping from its pallid lips.
"She is alive," he exclaimed, his eyes widening in wonder.
Elaphar ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. "This is not life," he murmured somberly.
Alex collapsed onto the ground, his teeth grinding together as he bit down on his fist to muffle his anguished screams. Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to maintain self-control, the overwhelming pain threatening to shatter his resolve.
Abruptly, the world ceased its tumultuous spinning. The rain ceased its pelting, the sky quieted, and the woman's agonizing cries were silenced.
Elaphar sprinted to the woman's side, clutching her lifeless body and her children in his arms. He searched for a pulse, but there was none. A solemn prayer whispered past his lips as he paid his last respects to Alleyna, then focused his attention on the newborns. The first-born child was wailing, but the second was still and ashen, as though consumed by dark magic.
Concern etched Elaphar's face as he scrutinized the twins. He recognized this occurrence, and he knew what it signified.
"The souls of these twins are inextricably bound," he whispered, his voice quivering with emotion. "You must bestow a name upon the second child, Alex. It is the only way to keep it alive."
Alex gazed at his beloved wife, her serene visage lending him the fortitude to rise. He approached her, attempting to awaken Alleyna from her slumber.
"Alleyna, awaken," he implored. "Our second child has arrived. We must name her."
Yet, she had already passed on, her skin icy and unresponsive. Alex clenched his fists, his heart breaking with sorrow, but Elaphar urged him to remain steadfast.
"You must give this child a name from your heart," the sage intoned, his voice laced with grief. "It is imperative."
The aged sage wished to leave the grieving man to his sorrow, but time was of the essence. Elaphar persevered, despite the man's emotional outburst.
"Leave me be, old man! Allow me to bid farewell to my cherished wife. What's the point in naming this abomination that's about to perish!" The frail man wailed, tears streaming down his face.
Elaphar permitted the man to be alone for a moment, watching the rain and grove with one eye, while observing the presence on the ground with the other.
"If you do not give her a name, she will not possess a soul, Alex." He said sternly.
The feeble man carefully laid his wife down on the bed and stood up.
"What will you do, Master Elaphar? Tell me. Will you administer special fluids and heal her wounds with magic? Does this being have any hope, even the slightest chance?" Alex asked, his voice quivering.
Elaphar shook his head. "No, it is impossible. She is fading away, about to depart from this world."
"Then why bother?" Alex questioned.
The sage pointed to the infant lying on the floor, barely alive, half-dead on the sheets.
"She cannot survive in this body. She is fading away, and with her, Allendra is slipping away too. Unfortunately, Allendra requires the other's essence to survive. They are intertwined."
Alex approached his peacefully sleeping daughter on the bed, listening to her shallow breaths. Indeed, her breathing had slowed.
"I don't understand anything." The feeble man cried, nearly tearing his hair out.
"Be brave one last time, damn knight. Give your second daughter a meaningful name with all your heart. I will take care of the rest. You must trust me. You have no other choice if you wish to save Allendra. The creatures of the night lurk outside like hungry wolves, waiting for this being to wither away. The sky is torn apart, spewing animosity. What do you think it signifies? There are numerous things you do not comprehend. I don't have the time to explain them all to you right now, and you lack the power to grasp the truth. Give her a name!"
Elaphar's wrath had finally erupted and the malevolent darkness lurking in the chamber was vanquished as the blinded shadows scattered in terror before the overwhelming force of radiant light emanating from the halo encircling the old mage. Alex fell to his knees, a wave of relief washing over him, perhaps due to the blessed air's release of tension.
"Elia Cahosse," he whispered, his voice breaking with emotion as he fulfilled his beloved wife's final wish. Tears cascaded down his face, each drop a testament to the weight of his grief and the depth of his love for her.
For Alex, the fine line between sanity and madness was a precarious one, and he struggled to recall the events that followed.
He recollected the old sorcerer chanting ancient incantations, his spellcasting a blur of motion and sound. The abominable infant's shrieks echoed like the banshee's wail, tearing at Alex's soul with their hideousness. The wise man's fingers danced in an intricate pattern, directing the blackened and charred soul as it detached from the doomed infant and drifted toward the other baby girl. With a final gasp, the two souls merged into one, becoming Allendra's.
At that moment, something inside Alex snapped, never to be repaired. The scarring of his mind and soul would be permanent, a haunting reminder of the terrible price he had paid to save his daughter.