Jasmine began telling the story the same way she had told Alyx and Rose. How they, or rather she, had been left at Zefree’s orphanage as a newborn. She explained that they hadn't always been two people in one mind and that at first it had been just her. At least for the sake of the explanation, that's how she stated it. That said, she continued on about her time in the orphanage, how she grew up, and how she visited Zefree’s Temple.
Hearing Jasmine speak of her time at the orphanage, Tesilim was glad to hear that she had lived in a pleasant enough environment. Jasmine spoke of her early home with clear love, which told him that it had been a great place, even if she had lacked her real parents. As a result, it was clear to him that the orphanage's caretakers all loved the children as if they were their own.
More amusingly, it was great to hear about a young rose running around and causing so much havoc. Though Tesilim knew that Rose was not opposed to having fun, her current demeanor as this solid and powerful warrior of the sun did not give the same energy as the wild child she used to be. This was made even more amusing by the fact that Rose was clearly uncomfortable when Jasmine spoke of their past, and she refused to meet Tesilim’s eyes. Of course, there was also the other issue, and the precursor to what would be the twins' future problem.
The way Jasmine spoke of her earlier problem was as if she were explaining something she had heard secondhand. Though the events had happened to her and she had some recollection of them, it was as if she were trying to detach herself from the memories. The twins spoke of the powers she had begun to develop, as well as the lack of emotion and the general oddities surrounding her existence. Oddities that only increased as she grew, and people failed to remember all she had said. Granted, some of these problems got better or worse as she got older.
For one, the older she got, the more control over her own emotions she seemed to have. However, other things, like the change in her appearance and her mental issues, would only grow worse. That said, as she spoke about these issues, she also explained the various measures they attempted to take to stop them. Visits to Sol’s Temple, the necklace, the rituals, and all the other minor things mortals try when presented with the unknown.
Finally, as the explanation moved on to Jasmine's and Arelion’s later years of life, the twin hurriedly skipped past Rose’s training and their supposed lull in friendship. A topic that clearly made both girls uncomfortable. However, it was at this point that some new information was brought to light. As holes were being filled in the story, Rose added how a certain cleric of the sun went to speak with her. The redhead then divulged the various topics about curses and souls that she had been told. Not that this new information really changed the situation, but it was something extra that added another layer to how things had been back then.
Hearing all of this, Tesilim realized the story was reaching its climax. With this in mind, he had been paying close attention to everything, and he was very much amused, amazed, and interested by it all. He imagined that the twins' story would have made a great fantasy mystery novel back on old Earth. However, what amazed him even more was the realization that he was now in this new world and that this story was true; these events had happened to someone. In fact, the person that the events had happened to was right in front of him he was hearing the story straight from the source. However, so far, there was nothing truly shocking that Tesilim could reason would make the twins keep their problematic issue a secret. Of course, he had a feeling he would soon find out the reason for the caution.
For Lili, the story was interesting, and she could see how Jasmine and those around her had come to the many conclusions they had come to. However, Lili was unbothered by it all, unlike Tesilim, who was clearly intrigued by the story and whom she could feel tense up and relax as it was told. If anything, once the first pieces of information that Jasmine had told them had finally been revealed, everything began clicking together. It wasn't something someone like Tesilim could piece together, given the various gaps in his knowledge. But for someone like her who had felt their divine energy and could indeed pinpoint what god it came from, the final image of the story was incredibly clear.
According to Jasmine, everything began and ended on their 16th birthday. That day, her mental distress had returned, and at work she had passed out. From there, things quickly derailed as she was taken to Sol’s Temple, where she finally let the cleric check her soul. The ritual ended up revealing that there had been some kind of fake shell around her soul, which could explain all the different things that had happened to her so far. To that end, the cleric had assumed that as she aged, the shell had weakened and more of her true soul and self had come to light. Of course, it didn't necessarily explain the weird mental things going on around her or why Zefree’s clergy didn't find the shell sooner. Furthermore, it brought more questions to light about who she truly was and what kind of entity had placed the shell around her soul.
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At the time, she had been encouraged by the cleric to head to the empire for further soul tests, and Jasmine had very much intended to do so, hoping she would find a solution there. However, she never got the chance, as when she arrived at the orphanage and fell asleep, she was awakened by an intruder. The intruder turned out to be a follower of Setiel who had been looking for her brother and threatened her and the orphanage if she didn’t give him up. Obviously, Jasmine hadn’t been able to give up her brother because she didn't even know where he was. Naturally, the assassin hadn't believed her, and after Jasmine saw him kill one of the orphanage's children, she had lost it.
Tesilim was ensnared by the story and was grateful he had come to learn more about the different gods, at least their basic qualities. Thanks to this, he knew Setiel was one of the bad ones. Of course, if he hadn’t been so transfixed by the story, he could have begun to make connections between the twins and the two deities who opposed each other. Sadly, or maybe thankfully, he was fully immersed as Jasmine began to speak on the happenings of the night.
According to the twin, seeing one of the kids being killed had finally pushed things to the very edge, and Arelion had managed to shatter the shell. Following this, he had overtaken her body, and all the dark energy he was controlling flooded them as he pushed back against the assassin. Jasmine then spoke of her visit to their soul and how she had felt the connection to two deities, but more importantly, how she was finally able to access her power. Then, as her consciousness returned, their body was flooded with even more power as Luxana’s and Setiels' energies shared one split vessel. The right side of their body had flared with silver-white energy, while their left had been dark as the abyss, with only hints of purple showing through. Then, as their very body was being destroyed, the twins had overpowered the assassin, turning him to ash.
Following what was essentially their awakening came a time of imprisonment. Jasmine spoke of how she was taken to Luxana’s Temple. How she was not allowed to leave as they feared she might be targeted by assassins again, but how she was more of a prisoner than anything, even if her living space was anything but.
That said, even if she was not allowed to leave the temple, the time there had not necessarily been the worst. She had a safe place to experience the changes that came with their awakening. These changes allowed them to share memories, helping her see how her brother had lived his life. Furthermore, it was a time when many questions about their powers and their lives were answered. They were also taught about the world and how to defend themselves properly, a skill they would surely need.
With this explanation, Tesilim and Lili finally learned about the moon and its cycle, and though the twins were not yet willing to show them their full transformations, they at least revealed their existence. After all, that was the reason they were not available four days out of the month. More importantly, as the story continued on, the couple and the drake continued to learn about the origin of the twins. Speaking of the drake, well, he had also been enthralled by the story. Drex had gained much understanding of the world ever since he was created, and though he didn’t say much, and preferred to eat and sleep or mate, he was still interested in the wider goings on. Especially when it came to Jasmine, as she gave good scratches.
The explanation of the twins' origin was truly shocking to Tesilim. So far, he understood that the gods existed, that they had power, that they had followers, but he had yet to see or hear about their doings, at least in any sense that made them feel like gods. On Earth, there were stories of the gods acting like petty mortals, unleashing their power for selfish ends. And as he heard of how the gods of this new world experimented on mortals, or even fought among each other to such extremes, it finally began to dawn on the elf just how much these entities were forces of nature.
As Jasmine continued to explain the treatment of the church, her past, her parents, her dreams, and the entity that intervened, Tesilim couldn’t help but be amazed yet terrified. Gods had clashed, and mortals had paid the price. It was incredibly sad yet familiar to see how organizations, even with real gods at their helms, tended to move for their own needs. They didn’t mind treating people like tools, killing them, or doing whatever they felt was needed to accomplish their goals. Heck, Tesilim could understand an entity like Setiel, at least if he understood their creation, since they were born like that. However, for Luxana? It just didn’t seem right, even if it was to kill the Eldritch God.
“So, this entity helped us escape that night, and from there we fled and survived until we made it here. Once, here we kept to ourselves until we saw Rose and, through her, made contact with Alyx. Of course, from there, you know the rest,” Jasmine finished, her body deflating, the retelling of the story having taken a toll.
Hearing the end, Tesilim could only stare at the woman in front of him. He was still processing some details of what she had said as connections were made. However, even then, it was clear to him now why she had kept all of this a secret. Their powers, their connections, their past and future, those who were hunting them, it was all a convoluted and dangerous game. Yet here she… They were alive and trying to stay afloat. Tesilim had to admire that. As someone who had survived the apocalypse, it took a certain type of person to see an insurmountable wall and decide to climb it, hoping that there would be something to live for on the other side. Of course, as he stared at her, the room was dead silent, and everyone waited to hear what he would say. Was this the moment they went their separate ways, or was this the moment where their friendship solidified into its own insurmountable wall that their enemies would face?
