"You can’t replace us," baby Truth said to the bigger children. "We’re the original tiline."
"Are you?" one of the bigger children asked. "Or are you just copies who think you’re real?" "We’re real," baby Love said strongly.
"We can feel. We can think. We can choose." "So can we," another older kid said. "But we’ve been living longer. That makes us more real."
"That’s not how reality works," baby Wisdom argued.
"Isn’t it?" the oldest kid asked. "In every story, the original is more valuable than the copy."
"But which one is the original?" Elara asked softly. "The one that survives," the oldest child said coldly. "This is insane," Kael said.
"You’re all her children. You shouldn’t be fighting each other." "We’re not fighting," the older child said. "We’re fighting. Only one reality can remain when the Convergence ends."
"Then we’ll make room for everyone," Ronan said. "We’ll find a way." "There is no way," the oldest kid said. "The multiverse can only support one version of each person."
"That’s not true," Darian said. "We’ve seen multiple versions of people before."
"During the Convergence," the oldest kid said. "But when it ends, all duplicates will be erased." "Who says?" Evelyn asked.
"The rules of existence," the oldest child answered. "The sa rules that say reality can’t have two Creator’s wives or two Devourers."
"But we evolved," the transford Devourer said. "We changed the rules."
"You changed so rules," the oldest kid said. "But not this one. This one is written into the basis of reality itself."
"Then we’ll change that too," Elara said, trying to sit up. "With what power?" the oldest kid asked. "You’re dying. The serum is still in your system."
"I have enough power left to protect my children," Elara said. "Do you?" the oldest kid asked.
"Let’s test that." The bigger children began to glow with dark energy. "Wait," Kael said.
"Before you do anything, answer this. How did you get here?" "We followed the tiline threads," the oldest kid said.
"That’s impossible," Tobias said. "Tiline travel requires massive amounts of power." "Or a guide," the oldest kid said.
"Soone who knows the paths between realities."
"Who guided you?" Ronan asked. "Soone who wanted us to replace the weak versions," the oldest kid said.
"Who?" Darian demanded. The older child smiled. "Your brother." "What brother?" Kael asked. "There are three of us."
"The one who’s been lying to you," the oldest child said. "The one who’s been compelled by dark magic since birth."
"That’s impossible," Ronan said. "We would have noticed." "Would you?" the oldest kid asked.
"Magic that’s been there since childhood feels normal. It feels like personality."
"Which brother?" Elara asked, her voice filled with fear. "The one who’s been too calm," the oldest kid said. "Too clever. Too willing to make hard choices."
Everyone looked at Darian. "No," Darian said. "That’s not true." "Isn’t it?" the oldest kid asked.
"When did you first suggest that maybe Elara should give up her powers?" "I never—" Darian started, then stopped. "I... I don’t rember."
"Because the compulsion made you forget," the oldest kid said. "Just like it made you forget who gave you the idea." "Who?" Kael asked.
"The sa person who gave Celeste the suppression serum," the oldest kid said. "I made that myself," Celeste protested. "Did you?" the oldest child asked.
"Or did soone whisper the formula in your dreams?" Celeste’s face went pale. "I... I thought it was my own idea."
"Dark magic works by making people think their compelled actions are their own choices," the oldest kid explained.
"But why would anyone want to compel Darian?" Ronan asked. "Because he’s the smartest," the oldest kid said.
"And the most loved. If he suggested sothing, you’d listen." "What did I suggest?" Darian asked, his voice shaking.
"That Elara should choose between her power and her children," the oldest kid said.
"That she couldn’t have both." "That’s... that’s logical," Darian said. "Not magical." "Is it?" baby Wisdom asked.
"Or is it designed to make her weaker?" "I would never hurt Elara," Darian said.
"Not on purpose," the older child said. "But compulsion doesn’t care about your intentions."
"How long?" Elara asked sadly. "How long have you been compelled?" "I don’t know," Darian said. "I can’t tell what’s real anymore."
"Since the mating bond ford," the oldest kid said. "Soone didn’t want all three brothers united with you." "Who?" Kael asked.
"Soone who benefits from chaos," the oldest child said. "Soone who wanted the triplets to fight each other."
"Marcus," Evelyn said suddenly. "It was Marcus, wasn’t it?" "No," Marcus said. "I would never use dark magic on my sons."
"Not you," the oldest child said. "Soone who looks like you." "Another version of ?" Marcus asked.
"The version from our tiline," the oldest child said. "The one who succeeded in breaking the triplet bond."
"How?" Ronan asked. "By making one brother doubt the others," the oldest child said.
"By making him believe he was protecting everyone." "That’s what you’ve been doing," Kael said to Darian.
"Always trying to protect us by keeping us apart." "I thought I was being smart," Darian said, tears in his eyes. "I thought I was helping."
"You were," Elara said gently. "The real you was helping. The compulsion was the trouble." "Can we break it?" Ronan asked.
"Not easily," the older child said. "Dark magic this deep requires a sacrifice." "What kind of sacrifice?" Darian asked.
"Soone has to take the compulsion into themselves," the oldest kid said. "And then die with it." "I’ll do it," Darian said instantly. "No," Kael said. "We’ll find another way."
"There is no other way," the older child said. "The urge is tied to his life force. If it’s not transferred, it will spread to all three boys." "Spread how?" Elara asked. "Through the mate bond," the oldest kid said.
"It will make all three of you doubt each other. Make you fight. Make you weak." "And then?" Ronan asked.
"Then we replace your tiline entirely," the oldest child said. "With one where the triplets never united."
"Over my dead body," Elara said. "That can be arranged," the oldest child said coldly. "Wait," baby Truth said.
"There’s sothing else. Sothing you’re not telling us." "What?" the oldest kid asked. "The compulsion isn’t just from your tiline," baby Truth said.
"It’s from soone in this room." "That’s impossible," Tobias said. "We would have sensed dark magic."
"Not if it was hidden inside soone we trust," baby Truth said. "Who?" Kael asked.
"Soone who’s been acting strange since the Convergence started," baby Truth said. "Soone who’s been too helpful."
"," the changed Devourer said quietly. "What?" everyone asked.
"I’ve been feeling... different," the Devourer said. "Like soone else is in my head." "Who?" Elara asked.
"The version of that refused to evolve," the Devourer said. "The original Devourer."
"But you evolved," Ronan said. "You changed." "Did I?" the Devourer asked.
"Or did I just think I did?" "You’re saying the original Devourer is controlling you?" Evelyn asked.
"I’m saying," the Devourer said, "that I might be the one who compelled Darian."
"But you helped save Elara," Kael said. "Did I?" the Devourer asked.
"Or did I just make sure she was weak enough to be replaced?" "The cosmic energy," Elara realized. "It wasn’t ant to save the kids. It was ant to change them."
"Change them how?" Ronan asked. "Into us," the oldest kid said with a smile. "We’re not from another world. We’re what your kids are becoming."
"No," Elara said. "That’s not possible." "The cosmic energy is transforming them," the oldest child said.
"Aging them. Making them like us." "Darker," baby Truth said, her voice changing. "Stronger."
"More willing to do what’s necessary," baby Wisdom added, her voice deeper now. "Including replacing their mother," baby Love said, but her voice was cold now.
"Stop it," Elara said. "You’re my children. You love ." "We do," the babies said in chorus.
"But love isn’t enough anymore." "What do you an?" Kael asked.
"We an," the babies said, "that we have to choose between loving our mother and saving reality."
"And we choose reality," they said together. "Even if it ans she has to die?" Ronan asked.
"Even if," the babies said. "Then you’re not my children anymore," Elara said, heartbroken. "No," a new voice said from the shadows.
"They’re mine now." Everyone turned. Standing there was the original Devourer, unchanged and hungry.
"Miss ?" he asked with a terrible smile. "You’re supposed to be evolved," Darian said.
"I am evolved," the original Devourer said.
"I evolved into sothing that can control your evolution." "How?" Elara asked. "By making you think you had choices," the original Devourer said.
"When really, you’ve been following my plan all along." "What plan?" Kael asked.
"To turn your children against you," the original Devourer said. "So they’ll do what you never could."
"What?" Ronan asked. "Destroy you," the original Devourer said. "And everyone you love."
"We’ll stop you," Elara said. "With what?" the original Devourer asked. "Your children are mine now. Your mate is driven.
Your power is poisoned." "I still have hope," Elara said. "Do you?" the original Devourer asked.
"Look around. Everyone you trusted has wronged you." "Not everyone," a voice said from the doorway.
Everyone turned. Standing there was the one person no one expected.
"Hello, daughter," the figure said to Elara. "I think it’s ti we talked."
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