The following morning, the village stirred slowly beneath a soft haze of dawn. The previous day's market bustle now felt distant, replaced by the familiar rhythm of home. The air held the crisp scent of early morning dew, and faint voices drifted from neighboring houses as families began their daily routines.
Inside Kaito and Amara's home, the quiet was warm and steady.
Amara stood near the window, gently rocking the cradle where the twins slept side by side. Vaughn, still and peaceful, lay wrapped in a thin cotton blanket. Beside him was Vera, his quiet twin sister, whose slow breathing rose and fell in perfect rhythm. Their stillness brought a rare moment of calm to the household.
Larz sat cross-legged on the floor nearby, quietly drawing shapes in a wooden slate. His brows were furrowed in concentration, his usually active nature subdued by the early hour.
Kaito stepped out from the bedroom, already dressed, adjusting the strap of the water pail he carried over his shoulder.
"I'll fetch water from the well before the line forms," he said, glancing at Amara. "Do you need anything from the storage hut while I'm out?"
"Yes," Amara replied softly, shifting Vera slightly. "Bring down the woven baskets. I want to sort through the herbs later."
Kaito nodded. "I'll bring them."
Liana entered moments later, her steps measured. She carried a folded cloth bundle under one arm and placed it carefully on the table.
"Amara," she said, "these are the old garments from when Kaito and his brother were infants. They might be useful for the twins in the coming weeks."
Amara looked grateful. "Thank you, Mother. They'll help."
Liana gave a small nod and turned her gaze toward the twins. Her expression softened at the sight of them sleeping so quietly.
"They're growing. Even just from yesterday," she murmured.
"Yes," Amara said, adjusting Vaughn's blanket. "Althea is beginning to open her eyes more often. And Vaughn… he sleeps so soundly every night."
Kaito paused at the doorway, hearing this. "He always has," he said. "Even the midwife mentioned it."
I shouldn't do that? Vaughnn's avatar thought.
Liana's eyes flickered, thoughtful, but she said nothing further.
After Kaito left, the household settled into its morning rhythm. Amara fed the twins one at a time, while Larz prepared simple chores without being asked. The boy moved with an unusual quietness, glancing often at the window, as though waiting for something he couldn't name.
By midday, the sky brightened fully, and the village around them fell into the steady hum of everyday life. Chickens scurried across open paths, and the scent of rice cooking drifted between homes.
Kaito returned carrying the baskets, placing them gently on the table.
"The well is quiet today," he said. "Everyone must be resting after yesterday's market."
"Yeah," Amara replied. "It gives us a calm day to finish some tasks."
Liana joined them at the table, beginning to sort through the old cloths.
"These will last only for a few months," she said. "After that, the twins will need new clothing. They're bound to grow quickly."
Kaito sat opposite her. "We'll prepare. I'll begin speaking with Elder Tomas next week. There may be work available for the season."
Amara lifted her head. "Are you sure? You've only just finished the repairs on our house."
"That's why it's a good time," Kaito said. "Better to plan ahead while things are quiet."
Liana folded another garment. "This is the calm before the year changes. After the harvest season, life tends to shift quickly."
Amara smiled faintly. "Perhaps that's good. Our children are growing. Change will come eventually."
The afternoon passed in peaceful tasks—mending clothing, preparing herbs, and tending to the twins. Occasionally a breeze drifted through the windows, carrying with it the rustle of distant voices from the village center. Nothing unusual, nothing alarming. Just ordinary life.
As the sun descended, painting the walls with warm amber light, Larz approached his father outside where he was tightening the rope on the firewood stack.
"Father," Larz said, holding his wooden puzzle, "will things stay like this?"
Kaito paused, glancing at him. "Like what?"
"Quiet," Larz answered. "No noise. No strange things."
Kaito set down the rope. "Life changes, Larz. Some days are noisy, some quiet. What matters is that we stay ready for whatever comes."
Larz considered this silently.
Inside the house, Amara held Althea against her shoulder, swaying gently as she hummed a soft tune. The setting sun cast long rays across Vaughn's cradle. His eyes opened for a moment—dark, steady, unblinking—before drifting closed again.
Liana watched from the table, her hands resting still over the folded cloths.
"Amara," she said quietly, "these peaceful days… remember them."
Amara looked over, puzzled by the tone. "Hm... Why?"
Liana offered a faint, tired smile.
"Because children grow faster than we expect. When the time comes, we'll look back and wonder where the days went."
Amara nodded slowly, holding Althea a little closer.
Outside, Kaito began closing the shutters one by one as the deep orange of the evening gave way to twilight. The village grew calmer, the distant voices fading. A lantern flickered to life within the home, casting soft gold across the wooden walls.
Nothing disturbed the quiet that night—no tremors, no strange wind, no whispers from the trees.
Only the steady rhythm of their household.
A night so still it seemed meant to be remembered.
And in the stillness, time was already beginning to move.
---
Morning sunlight filtered softly through the open windows of the family's home, illuminating the wooden floors and casting gentle patterns of light across the room. The village had been quiet these past months, the days steady and predictable, marked by the rhythm of daily routines and the comfort of familiarity.
Inside the house, Amara moved carefully through the main room, adjusting the curtains and gathering folded linens from the chair near the hearth. Vaughn and his twin sister Althea, can now crawl, lay sleeping on a small cushioned mat nearby. Their breathing was soft and matched in a natural rhythm only twins seemed to share. Amara paused for a moment to observe them, ensuring their blankets stayed in place before resuming her tasks.
Larz entered the room shortly afterward, his posture upright and composed. He was growing quickly, his once-small frame now showing signs of early youth.
"Mother," Larz said, "Grandma asked if you would like her to sort the herbs with her this morning."
Amara placed a linen cloth on the table and looked toward him.
"Tell your grandmother I will join her once the twins wake. For now, help her carry the baskets to the courtyard. She will not lift them alone."
"Yes, Mother," Larz replied, turning toward the hallway that led to the back of the house.
The soft creak of the front door signaled Kaito's arrival. He stepped inside carrying a small stack of papers bound with a thin cord. Dust clung lightly to his sleeves, suggesting he had come from the village council hall.
"Kaito?" Amara asked, noticing the documents. "You returned sooner than expected."
He closed the door behind him. "The meeting ended early," he said, placing the stack carefully on the table. "The village will be expanding the outer fields this coming season. They requested volunteers for inspections and structural planning. I accepted the position."
Amara paused, lifting her gaze fully to him. "Will it require more time away from home?"
"Some," Kaito answered, "but not for long intervals. Only periodic travel to the nearby districts. It is a steady role and will benefit the income of the household."
Amara nodded with quiet approval. "Then it is a good decision."
Before they could continue, Liana entered, her steps measured as she carried a woven basket filled with dried leaves and preserved roots.
"Kaito," she greeted, "I heard you return. Is the council settled on their decision?"
"Yes," he said, "the work begins within two months."
Liana set the basket down. "Then we should start preparing as well. Expansion means busier seasons, heavier trade, and increased travel from other regions. We must be ready for the changes to come."
Amara folded another cloth, placing it neatly atop the others.
"We will manage. The children will grow, the seasons will shift, and life will continue its course. Change is not something to fear."
Kaito glanced toward the twins, still resting peacefully. "They are growing fast. By the time the outer fields are completed, Vaughn and Althea will be walking on their own. Perhaps talking as well."
Liana smiled faintly, her hands arranging the herbs. "Time moves quickly when one is occupied. Years pass without warning."
Larz re-entered the room, brushing dust from his hands.
"Grandma, the baskets are in the courtyard as you asked."
"Good," Liana replied. "You may help me sort the herbs once you wash your hands."
Larz nodded and left once more, stepping outside toward the water basin.
Kaito loosened the cord holding the documents together. "Amara," he said, "there is more. The council mentioned that once the expansion begins, there will be opportunities for trade annexes, teaching apprenticeships, and new village assignments. It may open paths for Larz when he grows older."
Amara considered this thoughtfully. "Larz will have choices," she said. "More than we had when we were young. That alone is valuable."
Kaito sat down, his posture calm. "Yeah. And it means our family's future will stretch beyond what we see now. Years from today, our children will not remember these quieter days. They will grow into whatever this village becomes."
Amara moved toward the sleeping twins, gently adjusting the blanket covering the twin.
"I only hope they grow in peace," she said. "That is all I wish."
Of course not Amara's thought with a sigh
Liana resumed sorting herbs. "Peace is built over years. And years do not stay still. What matters is that we stand together through the changes."
Kaito looked around the room — the baskets, the linens, the soft sounds of the sleeping children, the steady work of his family carrying on with quiet purpose.
"These small moments," he said quietly, "will be the ones that shape everything ahead."
Amara met his gaze. "Then let us continue shaping them."
The house grew warm with the midday sun. Larz returned to help Liana with the herbs. The twins stirred in their sleep. Amara continued her tasks. Kaito reviewed the council papers, already planning the future years.
It was an ordinary day — steady, calm, unremarkable in appearance — but it carried the weight of transition.
From this day onward, the seasons would begin to shift, and with them, the years.
Life would move forward, quietly at first, then faster.
And when time finally leapt ahead, it would be clear that everything had already begun here, in these simple hours.
A chapter closing softly.
A new era preparing to begin.
---
//Note: You can skip this part since it's just time skip for the return of Vaughnn. Not sure though.
---
The passing of years reshaped the rhythm of their household with a quiet, steady certainty. What had once been a home filled with the light chatter of early childhood gradually settled into a more structured, composed environment. Seasons moved in cycles, markets changed vendors, caravans came and went, and distant towns grew or faded — yet the family's life remained firmly rooted in their modest estate, expanding and maturing as each year left its imprint.
Larz, once a small boy tugging at his father's hand in the caravan market, had become a young man with a steady gaze and a thoughtful demeanor. His shoulders had broadened, his voice had deepened, and the restlessness of childhood had given way to discipline. Under Kaito's guidance and Amara's quiet patience, he trained in academics, basic combat forms, and household responsibilities. He no longer darted through rooms with a wooden toy in hand; instead, he moved with purpose, carrying books, weapon, or documents depending on the day's lessons.
Well, he have no other choice to begin with.
Meanwhile, Vaughn and Althea — twins who had once been inseparable in their mischief — entered their own period of growth. Though still young, their personalities had become more distinct as the years unfolded. Vaughn carried a sharper edge, analytical and observant, always questioning the purpose behind every instruction. Althea, on the other hand, possessed a calm confidence, preferring precision and patience over speed. Their differences never created distance between them; instead, they complemented one another, strengthening their bond through the natural contrast of their natures.
Grandmother Liana, though older, remained composed and alert, her wisdom deepening along with the faint lines at the edges of her eyes. She spent her mornings overseeing the garden, her afternoons in study, and her evenings offering guidance to the children, all of whom listened to her with a respect that had grown steadily over the years. Her presence remained a constant anchor, quietly shaping the discipline and values of the household.
The estate itself changed subtly. New shelves were installed in the study to accommodate Larz's expanding collection of historical texts. The twins' training yard, once a simple open patch, had been reinforced with wooden dummies, practice targets, and shaded resting areas. Kaito upgraded the storage rooms, Amara expanded the kitchen workspace, and Liana oversaw the planting of new herbs that now flourished along the pathways.
The routines of each day became reliable rhythms.
In the early hours at dawn, Larz would accompany his father outside for sparring practice. The steady clash of wooden staffs or the rhythmic footwork of hand-to-hand drills echoed through the courtyard. Kaito corrected Larz's form with concise instructions, while Larz absorbed each detail with determination.
Inside the house, Althea and Vaughn trained under Liana's supervision. Their lessons alternated — sometimes arithmetic and geography, other days discipline drills or meditation techniques. Vaughn's impatience led to frequent corrections, while Althea progressed with remarkable steadiness.
By late afternoon, the entire family gathered for shared tasks — inventorying supplies, tending to the livestock, maintaining the equipment, or organizing study materials.
Evenings brought peace. Soft lantern light illuminated the dining room while the family discussed the day's progress. Larz reported the challenges of training, Vaughn recounted minor disputes with unwavering precision, and Althea delivered her summaries with quiet thoroughness. Kaito listened carefully, Amara offered practical advice, and Liana added perspective drawn from her years of experience.
Nothing dramatic or tragic interrupted these years. Instead, the slow, steady shaping of character, skill, and routine revealed the results of time's gradual turning. The children matured, ambitions formed quietly within them, and their paths began to show the faint outlines of the adults they would one day become.
Though no single event defined these years, their accumulation created a calm yet powerful transformation — one that hinted at future responsibilities, new challenges, and the approaching point in life where childhood would transition into something far more significant.
And as the final embers of another year glowed within the hearth, it became clear that the turning of seasons had not only changed the children — it had prepared them for a new chapter that waited just beyond the horizon.