Page 98 of Trivium

Loveleena stared at Zeina like she was some foreign creature. “I always thought Ahmina had two personalities. Now it makes sense.”

“You’re triplets, actually.” Lennox scratched the back of his head, awkwardly.

“Triplets!?” Ahmina and Zeina said at the same time.

“Lenny.” Ren’s voice was a warning.

“What! It’s about time they all know.”

Serena cut in, “Woah, let’s slow it down a bit. Why don’t you all take a seat.” She guided them over to a bench against the outer wall of the house, whispering to Lennox as she passed him.

“Let us tell you about the Velorias. That will help clarify things,” Serena reasoned, trying to ease the tension. “Please,” she urged, “sit.”

Reluctantly, the three of them followed her request. Admittedly, it felt good to sit after all that walking. But it didn’t help Zeina’s pounding head.

Serena sighed, plopping down on a stump across from them. “Before the wall was built, when Jarrah was a new city, Jarrians lived in harmony with the creatures. They maintained strong relations with other cities. Life was good.”

Zeina knew of the legend of the lost cities. Over the years, she would daydream that she was a noble there, living a completely different life than that of a homeless orphan. She would make up the architecture, fashion, and food—creating her own little world. It always felt like an impossible dream.

“Then, things started to change. There was a growing fear of creatures at the time, based on a few unfortunate instances. Rumors spread. Apprehension grew. Things started to take a turn. The Veloria family was known for having a particularly close relationship with the creatures. Especially the Aura Stallions, who have a high ranking within the animal kingdom.”

“Because of the rising tension, one of the Veloria brothers, Ash, convinced the Aura Stallions to give him and his twin brother, Ember, the magical power of exceptional intelligence.” Backtracking, she explained, “the disconnect between humans and creatures was spreading and they thought that it would be useful to have someone who would empathize with humans and understand creatures at the same time. If Ash and Ember could use magic to help strategize and work through the problems, both creatures and humans would benefit, and things would go back to the way they were.”

“Before that, magic in humans was impossible. But Ash heard the Stallions speak of the concept, and once the thought was planted, he couldn’t let it go,” Ren added.

“So, the Stallions agreed to give him magic. But once the magic was transferred to Ash and Ember, things started to change, and Ash went rogue. His intelligence and creature understanding meant he also knew how to exploit them. His greed for more magic intensified and he began manipulating creatures, gaining their trust under the guise of keeping the peace. He became powerful, too powerful, and started controlling the creatures, harming their natural way of life. In return, they retaliated. Ember, and the other families tried reasoning with Ash, but it didn’t work, and things only escalated. Ash was cruel to the creatures, draining their magic for himself, torturing them for his own gain. For power. And he started recruiting followers under the promise that they too would be given magic. With no other option, the creatures tore through the city, hellbent on destroying anything that threatened their kingdom. Any human that could tap into Ash’s magic and use it against them, they slaughtered. Or at least tried.”

“Ultimately, the city banded together and built the wall. It acted as a symbol of peace. Humans on one side. Creatures on another. If it stayed that way, peace would be maintained.”

Serena had gone quiet, her eyes distant. Zeina watched as Ren paced, his arms crossed.

“What happened after that is… generations of stories,” Lennox continued where Serena left off. “But fast forward: twenty-four years ago, you three were born, descendants of Ember Veloria. Meanwhile, your great, great, great uncle Ash has lived for generations, through means that are only known to the creatures. It’s some sort of immortality that we still haven’t been able to figure out. But when he found out three Veloria triplets were born⁠—”

“Wait.” Loveleena stood up. “Are you sure about that? There haven’t been triplets born in Jarrah for hundreds of years.”

Twins were rare in Jarrah, but triplets may as well have been imaginary. Zeina didn’t think it was possible. “Who is the other triplet?” Zeina asked. If there was a third triplet that looked like them, where were they?

Serena, Lennox, and Ren all shifted their gaze to Loveleena.

“Me?” Loveleena said defensively, her head already shaking. “There’s no way. I’m an Alva.”

“She doesn’t look like us,” Ahmina argued. “She couldn’t be.”

“No. But triplets don’t always look like each other,” Ren said.

“Zeina and Ahmina are identical twins, part of a triplet set. Loveleena, you’re their fraternal sister—you developed from a separate egg, so you don’t share their exact features. I know this might come as a shock, since you grew up as an Alva, but what your family never told you was that you were placed in their care. Your birth name is Veloria,” Serena explained.

Loveleena was lost inside her mind, staring off into the distance. “My family… I—I always looked a little different, but…”

“It will take some time to process,” Ren said flatly, like he was trying to be empathetic but failing horribly. “And in case it’s not abundantly clear, all three of you have magic.”

“We’re aware.” Loveleena shot him a dirty look. “At least, Ahmina and I are. I’m not sure about Zeina because this is the first time we’ve…” She turned to face Zeina. “Wait, how many times have we met?”

“I made the truth potion,” Zeina offered. She wasn’t about to go into detail on every interaction they’d had. But that potion was complex and she was proud of it. “And it was me who went with you to Talamalu.”

“So that was your Alchemy work, then?” Ren commented, impressed. “It was very effective. Unfortunately it ended up in everyone else’s cup except the intended party.”

Serena rolled her eyes at Ren, and Lennox burst out laughing. “Priceless,” he said, mostly to himself.