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  “Are you real?”

  Anak nodded.

  “Well, it’s certain that we’re twins, though I don’t know how this came to be so. Are you somehow son to my parents, Dahlia and Hur of Laresu’u Kal?”

  Anak struggled to find his voice after the shock. His voice cracked. “No, I’m son of Pers’ho and Kanaah of Na’anesh Kal. I’m the youngest child of five boys.” Anak ventured more boldly now, with a sure voice. “How is it that we look the same if we are not of the same blood?”

  The youths turned once again toward Kaanra. This time, he spoke.

  “Children, I don’t know the answer to that question. I was at Asara’s birth on that fated night thirteen years ago, and I’m certain that no other child was born of her mother’s womb.”

  Asara’s eyes widened. Kaanra had never told her that before, and it never occurred to her to ask. She knew, however, that her mother birthed her at the temple where she now lived, and that Kaanra had been at the temples since he was a boy.

  Although the temple masters didn’t understand how the prophecy would be fulfilled, they realized on that night of the spring equinox thirteen years before, that the wait had come to an end. That was the last time that women giving birth on that special night would labor within temple walls. Even the people recognized that something miraculous had come to pass, and they didn’t return to hold space outside of the temples on the following year.

  Kaanra continued. “It must be the Creator, who can make anything happen. There are no limitations to what Creator can do for it’s Creator who’s set the laws of the world and can bend them as needed.”

  Asara and Anak gazed at each other again, striking amber eyes looking into their reflection. At the same time, they turned back to Kaanra and asked, “But why?”

  An unexpected shudder of foreshadowing ran through Kaanra, causing his still-broad shoulders to shake. Was it time? Was it time to tell the children what Dann had forecasted over two hundred years before?

  Though Kaanra had suspected who Asara was since her birth, he hadn’t told her of the prophecy. He allowed her to develop her sense of self firmly before informing her that she’d come to earth to save the world or, at the very least, to change it.

  But now, Kaanra knew it was time to tell them. They should know their destinies.

  “Children, follow me. I have a tale to tell you.”

  Chapter 22

  Kaanra sat the children down at his favorite spot along the River Haakal. It was the place where he always came when he wanted to contemplate the glory of life. An ancient tree formed a chair with its gnarled roots that supported his body in all the right places as if Nature had made it just for him. Kaanra took his seat on the tree trunk, and the children sat across from him on the sprawl of roots that spanned out at the base of the tree. Asara and Anak looked up at the master with eager faces, but they didn’t hurry him. Trained at the temples since the age of seven, Asara and Anak had learned quietude and respect. Many lessons needed to unfold in their own way, with a divine sense of timing independent from human impatience.

  Without preamble, Kaanra began.

  “Two hundred years ago, there lived a great prophet. His name was Dann. He lived in a small oasis outside of the village of Rahn’ha. Dann was an extraordinary human being in our history for he heard his higher guidance extremely clearly. This was his purpose on earth. He was to aid humanity with his prophecies.”

  Kaanra took a deep breath before continuing. What he was about to reveal would forever transform the lives of the children who sat before him. Kaanra looked at them. Their innocent faces radiated Creator’s beauty. Kaanra wondered if they would feel the weight of the world on their shoulders once he shared what he was about to tell them. Regardless, he had to go on.

  “My children, the great Dann’s most important prophecy concerned the birth of twins that would change the world.”

  Kaanra looked at them to gauge their reaction to what he’d just said. Neither face revealed the understanding that Kaanra spoke of them. Asara and Anak were raised in teachings of humility and service to humanity. The temple masters taught that all human beings were special children of Creator, and that all persons could be extraordinary if they chose to follow the spiritual path destined for them on this earth.

  It didn’t occur to Asara and Anak that they were the twins of the prophecy, even in the face of the mystery of their physical likeness. Kaanra continued, “Dann foretold that these twins would be born on the spring equinox, on the very eve that gives birth to new life on our planet.”

  Kaanra noticed a flicker of movement behind the children’s eyes. “For two hundred years, people waited. Dann said the twins would be born on the night of the spring equinox under an unusually bright, starry sky. Every spring equinox for two hundred years, the people gathered in prayer outside of the temples. Everyone was there, from the very young to the very old. Every person who was physically able came to pray for the birth of these twins that would change the world. The people chanted and held space for the miraculous births all night.

  “For those two hundred years, all women giving birth on that eve were brought to the temples all across Arnaka. Their babies were birthed in sacred space, with the temple masters chanting and praying. We chanted and prayed inside, and the people chanted and prayed outside. The prayers were held until the sun rose or the last baby’s cry was heard throughout the temple.”

  Kaanra’s eyes glistened. It had been powerful to see the citizens of Arnaka come together with such faith in their hearts, to be part of such a communal outpouring of prayer and support, of hope for a better future.

  Kaanra cleared his throat. “Even though the skies were cloudy on that night every year for two hundred years, the people still gathered in hope that the sky might clear and reveal bright stars before the sun blotted them. But every year for two hundred years, the people were disappointed. Temple masters across Arnaka spoke to them to ensure that their faith in the divine message remained. If it hadn’t been that year, then it would be the next, or another. But the faith had to be held.”

  Kaanra smiled through tears. It had finally happened. After such a long time of waiting and praying, the time had finally come. The twins of the prophecy were before him.

  “The last time we sat in prayer anticipating the birth of the twins of the prophecy was the brightest spring equinox night any of us had seen. Even the eldest among us couldn’t remember ever seeing the stars shine so resplendently. It was as if Creator had painted the sky with divine brilliance. Within the temples, we all knew this was the fated night. We chanted with fervor. The prayers were so intense that their vibration was palpable. You could feel the magic in the air. It crackled. That night was exactly thirteen years ago.”

  Kaanra had been looking down, following the winding roots of the old tree. When he looked up, it was Asara and Anak who had tears in their eyes. They knew.

  “That night thirteen years ago was the last time we held vigil for the birth of the twins because we realized that the prophecy had somehow been fulfilled. We didn’t understand how things would unfold as no twins had been born. Yet we were certain that the time of Dann’s prophecy had arrived.

  “My dear Asara, I was there when you took your first breath. I heard your cry. I felt your vibration. I recognized you were special. Although even now I’m surprised at how Creator has worked.”

  “When I saw you, I knew. I could feel it. I’ve watched you ever since, all of these years, waiting to see how your great destiny would blossom.”

  “I had no idea,” Asara said, her voice, no more than a whisper.

  “You were born of Dahlia and Hur in the Temple of the Flowing Waters, the Temple of Laresu’u Kal. You were born on the spring equinox exactly thirteen years ago under heavenly stars. You were born into magic.

  “And you, dear Anak,” Kaanra said as he turned to the boy, “I didn’t attend your birth. However, the temple master that was present identified you, as I did Asara. Do you know that
the temple master who prayed and held space in the room with your parents was Rasha?”

  Anak shook his head.

  “Rasha served the temples as you both have, since she was a small child. She died several years ago, though she wasn’t old. Creator must have had other uses for her. Perhaps her purpose on earth was complete once she identified you, Anak. Rasha believed you were a part of the prophecy. She knew there was something special about you. The rumors of both of you spread among the temple masters immediately after your birth. Nevertheless, in just a few months, the rumblings began to fade, and the normal quiet of the temple life resumed. I thought it strange that after waiting for this to happen for two hundred years, it would pass so quickly from awareness.

  “But I always remembered. And I waited. And so, Anak, you who are child to Pers’ho and Kanaah and who were born in the town of the green valleys, in Na’anesh Kal, you are a special being. You’ve been within the realm of divine magic since the moment of your prophesied birth. And now you meet your divine sister.”

  Asara and Anak said nothing.

  “Children though I don’t claim to understand more than what I just shared with you, I’m here to support you in whatever way Creator gives me the capability. I’ll help you on your path. And whatever that path may look like, you can change the world, I feel it.”

  Kaanra stood. His movements were awkward and strained at first as his body adjusted to standing. Asara winced as she was reminded of his age.

  Kaanra placed his hands in front of his heart in prayer. He stood strong now, resolute. He turned first to Asara.

  “Asara, you’ve truly been like a child born of my own heart and blood. I’ve loved you since you first drew breath. Today, I make a vow before Creator to serve you in whatever way I can. I acknowledge that you’ve been sent to do Creator’s will. I’ll do everything in my power to help you accomplish your goals. If I can assist you in any way, you may call on me for anything as long as my body walks this planet.”

  Kaanra then bowed to Asara. To him, age made no difference. Creator sent these children to earth for an important mission.

  Asara’s bottom lip quivered as Kaanra turned to her twin.

  “Anak, though you’ve only known me for days, I also love you, and I now make a vow before Creator to assist you in your earthly mission. I’ll help you with anything I have the strength to do. So long as I walk this earth, you may call on me.”

  Then Kaanra bowed to him with the same reverence he’d shown Asara. “I’m at your service.”

  Now the children had hot tears sliding down their cheeks, while the old man’s were dry.

  “Though you aren’t twins through human blood, Creator made you twins. You’re the twins of the prophecy, the golden children that Dann spoke of more than two centuries ago. You’re brother and sister with a divine mission. You’ll change the world.”

  Kaanra’s words rang with truth.

  Chapter 23

  From that time on, Asara and Anak accepted each other as twins. It was strange that they came to believe so fully a conclusion that baffled the mind. Yet, it was the only conclusion they could reach when they saw the reflection they were of each other. They were twins by virtue of divine hand, destined to fulfill a holy mission.

  As Asara and Anak began spending time together, they discovered a surprising fact. Like most twins born of the same womb, they shared a deep connection that enabled them to communicate without speech. Once they finally united on this earth, they bonded quickly. They knew each other’s thoughts as if they were their own.

  Asara and Anak embodied the golden children of Dann’s prophecy. They were both actually golden, a physical expression of the light they carried within, and had yellow, cat-like eyes. They were the eyes of lions.

  Asara and Anak sought perfection and divine harmony in everything. When there was suffering, they were able to intuit the reason for it. The twins didn’t see tragedy in life; instead, they saw divine planning that yielded ultimate spiritual growth and experience.

  They believed that life was what they chose it to be. How they interpreted things and reacted to them ultimately played a great part in creating their reality. They’d learned this early on in their temple studies and incorporated it into their way of being. Life was what they felt in their hearts. They chose joy. That was the only true option for them if they were to step into the role they now knew they’d come to earth to complete.

  As Asara and Anak began to assimilate this new understanding of their lives and their mission, they became vigilant of their thoughts and the vibration they allowed to flow through them. Humanity was counting on them.

  For the first time, Asara accepted that her parents had given her to the temple at the age of seven, when she still yearned for the comfort of their care. She needed the training if she was to fulfill her destiny.

  In deference to the function that Asara and Anak were to play, Kaanra exempted them from normal duties. The twins no longer assisted in the regular maintenance of the temple and its grounds. They were to connect to each other and to follow the guidance that was surely reserved for the prophesied golden children.

  Raised to be independent, it surprised them both that they would ease into a life of togetherness so readily. The more they worked together and explored the potential of their human bodies, the more they realized that the only limitations they had were those they accepted.

  Once they understood that they were capable of even more than they’d dreamt, the twins concentrated on reprogramming these notions of reality and possibility. That became one of their most important tasks, for magic was truly within their reach. Creator had given them the ability to tap into unlimited potential. As they gradually opened their minds, magic graced their lives in greater and more significant ways.

  Chapter 24

  Kings and queens didn’t build the pyramids of Arnaka. Rather, it was its people, who understood that they were needed for their collective advancement. Under Dann’s guidance, the citizens of Arnaka built them in anticipation of the twins’ birth. The prophet supervised the pyramids’ construction, but revealed no reason for their existence. The people only knew they had to be built to certain specifications, and since they trusted faithfully in the messages of their prophets, they obeyed without question.

  Dann knew the pyramids were tools to amplify the energy emissions of the prophesied golden twins, his spirit guides told him as much, but more than that, even Dann didn’t understand. Though he lived only thirty-three years, he shared great wisdom in the time he walked the earth. The construction of the pyramids was crucial to the fruition of the twins’ destiny, and it was essential that they be completed before their birth, as it took lifetimes to build such monumental structures.

  Energetically, the pyramids were built in the best way with clear intention, love, and humility of heart. They were the result of a collaborative effort supported by prayer and hope for a brighter future.

  The community used its own resources. Families came together. Children helped their parents set the stones. This cooperation was an important part of the process, but it also slowed down the construction as the people had to attend to their own needs as well.

  But by the time the twins came into the world, the pyramids had become a symbol of Arnaka.

  Anyone could enter the pyramids. Though they were considered sacred, the people of Arnaka were an integral part of that sacredness. Still, no one understood how the pyramids worked, and neither Asara nor Anak knew much about them either. Kaanra didn’t tell them that they were built in anticipation of their destined role on earth, although he was one of the few people who possessed this knowledge.

  Throughout their childhood, Asara and Anak had played in the pyramids. Nothing remarkable happened to either of them. But they hadn’t yet entered the pyramids as twins.

  It happened for the first time a few months after Anak joined Asara at the Temple of Laresu’u Kal. The twins were out for the day and went to one of the smaller pyrami
ds close to the temple. They were playing and chased each other inside. Their laughter echoed off the walls and filled the pyramid with a tingling sense of electricity.

  Before they realized what was happening, the pyramid began reacting to them. Its walls vibrated. Asara and Anak continued with their play. They sang a sing-songy melody with the enthusiasm of ones much younger than thirteen. As they sang, they ran, circling the interior of the pyramid.

  Asara skimmed the stone with her fingertips and she felt transported to another place and time, as if the stone could pull her out of her body, as if the stone itself was somehow connected to her essence. She noted the novel feeling with detachment, merely an observer of her bodily sensations.

  The twins continued to follow each other around the pyramid, touching the walls as they circled them, until a distinct energy built. They carried on, but now the excitement grew within them as well as within the pyramid. They moved a little faster and laughed a little harder. They were giddy. The build-up of energy was dizzying. Their very giggling increased tension within the pyramid.

  Then, they stopped moving. They came to an abrupt halt at the same moment, without any verbal communication between them. Just as suddenly, they ran to the exact center of the pyramid. They did this together too, at precisely the same moment, as if it had been a well-rehearsed, choreographed event.

  As if they’d been doing this all of their lives, they came together. The fronts of their bodies were a mere inch away from each other. The twins stood like this, chest to chest, for a second, for one deep, accelerated breath. Then Anak pulled Asara to him and held their chests pressed together, as if they were fused to each other. Asara didn’t pull away.

  Instinctively, with that knowing that came from a deep, innate place, they threw their heads back. As if invisible chords were pulling them, they held their heads at identical angles. They stood like this for a few seconds before an intense golden light shot out from their conjoined chests. The light held only for a few moments in linear time, but for Asara and Anak it was a small eternity.