Half an hour later;
The crowd in the stands had grown restless, murmuring in confusion as the promised semifinal battle, scheduled to start fifteen minutes ago, had yet to begin.
Instead, Arjuna and Raphael were in the waiting hall, while Eon and Rael found themselves in a private chamber, facing the head of the tournament's organizing committee, Zhu Jian—the Kingdom's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This was Zhu Jian's first time overseeing such a significant event, and he wanted everything to go perfectly. Until, of course, he personally witnessed Eon summon a death scythe, and Rael conjure an hourglass. It was something unprecedented.
Present in the room was also Duke Aurelius, the father of the siblings and one of the most influential figures in the kingdom. His confusion was mirrored by that of Zhu Jian as they tried to make sense of the extraordinary display before them.
"Azrael, Eon," Duke Aurelius addressed them with a firm voice. "Speak up. What trickery have you two been involved in?"
Zhu Jian, initially suspecting they had used an artifact, was quickly growing frustrated. He was convinced the use of such an item would violate tournament rules. Aurelius, however, held a different opinion. As a demigod, he could easily sense when an artifact was in play, and he was aware that they didn't use it.
At the same time, he had never encountered a situation where one's Arcana spirit had been used by another person as Arcana spirits are soul-bound and they will never exhibit loyalty to a person other than their host, even if it is a deity. Even the rare quadruplets had never been recorded as exhibiting such a phenomenon. His curiosity was piqued naturally. After all, how many things in the world that a demigod couldn't understand? Such incidents can be counted on one's fingers.
Rael stepped forward to speak, though not fully disclosing the truth. "On the day of our awakening, we essentially awakened the same Arcana spirit, one that is in divine grade. It split its powers between Eon and me because we share the same soul," he explained. He glanced over his shoulder at Eon and continued, "Eon and I can summon each other's Arcana spirit when the other hasn't called it forth, and we can also share each other's memories." He purposefully left out the truth about their fusion technique, keeping it hidden for now.
Zhu Jian stared at Rael in disbelief, struggling to process what he was hearing. "So, you… both have the same soul and the same Arcana spirit? And it's the mythical divine-grade one mentioned only in the stories from the apocalyptic period?" he stammered. "You each wield part of its power—one with the death scythe, the other with the hourglass? But you can summon the other at any time you want?" He paused and turned to the Duke, silently asking if this was some elaborate joke. If this is said by two adults, it would be more believable to hear. But coming from two 8-year-old kids… Zhu Jian couldn't help but sigh internally.
Duke Aurelius didn't answer immediately, instead running his fingers through his beard as he mulled over the implications. "The same soul… and the same Arcana spirit. That's… unprecedented," he mused aloud. "I've never seen anything like it. But, it would make a lot of sense." His eyes narrowed as he focused on his children. "But that doesn't explain why you've kept this secret from me, your father." His voice turned stern as he continued, "Did you think you kids could hide this from me, or worse—keep it a secret from the Kingdom? Both of you aren't commoners. You two are the heirs of the Garcia House."
Eon offered a nervous smile. "It wasn't exactly something we could explain over dinner, Father." She was clearly uncomfortable, but she kept his composure.
Rael, shrugging his shoulders, quickly added nonchalantly, "It's complicated."
Zhu Jian let out a long sigh, his skepticism evident. "Complicated doesn't even begin to describe this. What you're describing isn't just some uncommon thing or extremely rare—it's just unheard of. Arcana spirits don't share their powers like this. Even divine-grade spirits aren't supposed to work this way. No historical record supports your reasoning."
Rael shrugged once again, his voice light despite the tension in the room. "Truth is truth, Minister Zhu. You have to accept it."
"But…" Zhu Jian seemed unconvinced and it was evident on his face.
The Duke understood Zhu Jian's thoughts and addressed them directly. "Minister Zhu, how much do you know about human anatomy? Specifically, reproduction?" he asked.
"Human anatomy? Reproduction?" Zhu Jian repeated, blinking in confusion.
The Duke nodded. "Yes, precisely. You see, twins occur when a single zygote splits into two embryos. In cases where the genders differ, it's because two separate zygotes are fertilized. My wife, too, carried two zygotes during her pregnancy. She was meant to give birth to twins. But something unusual happened."
Zhu Jian leaned forward, intrigued.
The Duke continued. "One of those zygotes split into two embryos. The result is not Raphael and Azrael, who are identical twins as you might think. Instead, it is Eon and Azrael who share this unique origin."
"What?" Zhu Jian shot to his feet, staring at the Duke in astonishment.
Then, a thought struck him, and his eyes widened in realization. "Wait a second… That means—"
The Duke inclined his head. "Yes. Azrael and Eon are monozygotic twins—an exceptionally rare occurrence. According to our family's records, it has happened only once since our lineage was founded. It's a detail we kept hidden from the public—and even from most of our relatives. Sharing this information widely would only lead to confusion and baseless rumors among those who lack the necessary medical understanding and the church would start their conspiracies of abomination." He paused briefly, casting a glance at his children. "But I wasn't aware until now that they are not merely monozygotic twins—they actually share the same soul. That revelation clears up everything for me."
"Uhh… so… what are we supposed to tell everyone else who has the same questions?" Zhu Jian asked, his brow furrowed in concern. Even if he believed the Duke's explanation, such information couldn't be made public for obvious reasons. They needed a plausible explanation—a lie, or at least a carefully constructed half-truth.
The Duke fell silent for a moment, deep in thought, before speaking again. "We'll say it's a secondary inborn skill. That's believable enough. My other son, Raphael, was born with two inborn skills, after all. And it's not uncommon for siblings to possess identical or complementary skills. It's an explanation that people can accept without raising eyebrows."
Rael and Eon exchanged surprised glances, the same realization dawning on both of them.
'Why didn't we think of that?'
*
Once the matter was cleared up, the two siblings returned to the waiting hall, their steps light but their minds weighed with everything they'd just uncovered. The Proctor, after receiving the nod of approval from Zhu Jian and Duke Aurelius, quickly made the announcement that the tournament would resume.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! Now, without further ado, let's welcome the extraordinary talents you've all been waiting for—the rising stars, the future pillars of our kingdom: Raphael Garcia, Eon Garcia, Arjuna, and Azrael Garcia!"
The crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer, the stadium trembling with their excitement. Flags waved high, and enthusiastic chants echoed across the arena.
After all, it wasn't every day that one witnessed triplets fighting their way into the semifinals of such a prestigious tournament. Even among seasoned spectators, it was a spectacle to behold, a story destined to be talked about for years to come.
Eon glanced at Rael as they stood behind the massive gate to the field, the muffled roar of the crowd just beyond. "Just one battle to go, huh?" she mumbled, her tone light but laced with nerves. She grabbed his hand.
Rael squeezed her hand with a smile and nodded. "Yeah, after this, no one would try to separate us again."