AX expanded before us, opening a living window onto Antéia. The image formed slowly: green fields undulating like a sigh, lakes reflecting a violet sky, white houses embraced by nature.

  “This is the home of the Sekvens,” AX explained. “The images have a delay of only three minutes.”

  “Even at that distance?” I asked, surprised.

  “Enchanting…” Tariel pressed a hand to her chest. “It’s too beautiful.”

  I wrapped them both in my arms. That place wasn’t just beautiful: it was a gift, given to Milena. The entire planet had been terraformed over a thousand years—and it was empty.

  “The emergence of the Sekvens…” I began, feeling Tariel’s breath brush my neck. “It was the work of evolution, technology, luck… and love. Milena was born a United—someone with a different nervous structure, created to bond.”

  “What is a United?” Anastácia leaned her hip against mine.

  “One in every billion births. Too intelligent to fit in and too sensitive to survive.” My hand traced slowly down Tariel’s bare spine. “They needed touch, kisses, love… or the body shut down.”

  Both of them fell silent, as if understanding reached them through the skin.

  “At puberty, parental affection was no longer enough,” I continued. “Milena fell ill and was taken to the hospital. There, tests revealed the impossible: her brain was unlike anything else. A group of scientists—and the Miliamedes, who were observing them—drew close. Her DNA was an invitation… and a riddle.”

  “Milena was always costly…” AX said. “She had too much love to fit in one body.”

  “I agree,” I laughed. “Beautiful, captivating, and commanding. Without realizing it, she got whatever she wanted—most of the time with just a smile. In fifteen days she married Eduardo. In less than a year, she was a famous model and married her sister and friends to the other four scientist friends of Eduardo.”

  “So fast…” Anastácia laughed, sliding her hand over my chest.

  “Milena knew what she wanted,” AX added. “People. Many people.”

  I chuckled softly, then went on:

  “Eduardo fell in love with her the moment he saw her. He tried to save her with everything he had. There was no time. So he risked the impossible: he applied an experimental genetic research protocol that made people stronger by altering DNA. There was only one chance—and they would lose it the moment she died. The Miliamedes were already preparing to place Milena’s body in suspension after her death.”

  “But she didn’t die,” Tariel whispered, tightening her hold around my waist.

  “No. She awakened.” I touched Anastácia’s chin, guiding her eyes to mine. “And her body only recovered because Eduardo—and everyone around her—scientists, doctors, nurses—were in love with Milena and gave her enough love.”

  “So… love healed Milena,” Anastácia said, shivering.

  “Yes. And more than that: the treatment wasn’t what saved her. On the contrary—it made her DNA unstable… always sequencing. Always adapting. With a single touch, she transferred the alterations to others—and they, believing the experiment had succeeded, replicated the procedure. Tariel bit her lip.”

  “Is that… dangerous?”

  “It was deadly.” My voice dropped. “They began to change too fast. When the Miliamedes predicted Milena’s death, they finally revealed themselves—and took them to Antéia. Fifteen years of struggle to stabilize the DNA. Fifteen years of uncertainty. The Miliamedes corrected some alterations and kept those that might be useful. In the end, evolution prevailed. Love saved Milena. And Milena… saved all of us with her love. When the DNA finally stabilized, they were no longer human—they were something new, shaped by love.”

  “Milena chose the name of the new species: Sekvens. It meant ‘sequenced.’”

  They looked at me—two beautiful women, vulnerable, bound to me by the history that had brought us there.

  I took a deep breath.

  Tariel swung a leg over mine, pulling Anastácia into our warm embrace, full of the life we had inherited from that woman who refused to love only a little.

  “I’ve got goosebumps all over,” she whispered, trembling against my chest.

  I smiled, feeling the same shiver run through my body.

  “And this,” I murmured, “is only the beginning.”

  “Melissa and Sacha were born on the same day. Kane, two days later,” I continued, feeling Anastácia’s hand explore my chest with growing boldness. “Daughters of Milena and Eduardo, Natasha and Johan… and Kane, son of Bianca and David. The first born on Antéia. The first Sekvens trio.”

  A strange urge passed through me. The idea of being a father had never visited me so strongly. I smiled, not quite knowing how to handle it.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “They grew up together, slept together… they were one. But everyone thought that, sooner or later, Kane would choose one of the two. When they turned sixteen, Melissa—always the most restless—wanted to climb Mount Kornoh. Three days camping at the summit. It would be their first night alone.”

  “Melissa looks mischievous,” Tariel chuckled softly.

  “And she is. She insisted, even though Sacha couldn’t go. A Miliamedes friend had given birth, and Sacha went to visit her. So it was just the two of them. They climbed all day. It was late afternoon when the rock beneath Melissa’s feet gave way.”

  I paused for a moment. They watched me, attentive.

  “At that time, the Sekvens didn’t yet know the Xerantos,” I went on. “That only happened a few months later. Until then, the Sekvens were just a distant curiosity. And there were no Observers. No protection, no guiding intelligence. Only research probes. Those two young people were completely alone on the mountain, with nothing but their communicators and their own courage.”

  "She fell?" Tariel held her breath.

  "She slipped into the abyss. She didn’t die only because they never let go of each other’s hands. Kane held on… but he was dragged into a crevice. He got stuck, and Melissa was left hanging, supported only by his hand."

  Anastácia squeezed my arm tightly.

  "When Melissa fell, his other arm broke, and Kane couldn’t move enough to reach the communicator. They were trapped, isolated… with no way to ask for help. The only way out would have been for Kane to let her go. And that meant a fast fall. And her end."

  "He didn’t let go, right?" Tariel was already sitting up, anxious.

  "Melissa asked him to let her go so he could survive," I continued, my voice lower. "But Kane refused. She tried to convince him that she could come back to life later, that it was theoretically simple… but it had never been done among the Sekvens. They stayed there, hanging over nothing, for more than an hour. Searching for a way out that didn’t exist."

  I took a deep breath before continuing.

  "Then Melissa begged. She said she loved him. That she wanted him to keep living. That he should take Sacha as a partner. And that she believed she would return, no matter the cost."

  "That’s agony," Tariel complained.

  "Kane said he loved her, but loved her in such a way that he did not exist without her, that he would rather die than even entertain the thought of living without her presence. Their mutual declaration caused Melissa to enter Syn-farr, making everything even more complicated."

  "What is Syn-farr?" Tariel asked.

  "Syn-farr triggers an explosion of desire inside a Sekvens female," AX explained. "Sex, affection, love, friendship, complicity, trust… everything comes at once, intense and disordered. The heart races, the whole body begs. It feels like they’re about to burst from the inside and need someone to satisfy all of it quickly. Only another Sekvens can control and fulfill each impulse, calming the reaction. In the end, both receive a flood of hormones that brings immense pleasure… and peace. But if Syn-farr isn’t appeased, everything turns into pain. And death comes quickly."

  "So on top of being trapped… they needed to date," I said ironically, with a bitter smile.

  "But how did they escape?" Anastácia brought her hand to her mouth.

  "Birds."

  "Birds?" she frowned.

  "The birds of Muluon live at the base of the mountains, but in winter they migrate north," I continued. "They love spending days near the Sekvens Village, where they’re treated with kindness. They’re curious… very curious. A group landed on the rocks beside Melissa. So she tried to speak to them through her eyes."

  "Sekvens communicate and connect through skin and eyes," AX explained. "Have you noticed how their eyes glow? They emit light. They can change iris color at will… either to spend the day with a different tone or to alternate thousands of times per second while conversing."

  "They don’t exactly talk to animals," I continued. "But they can transmit feelings and even images. That’s what Melissa did: she showed them Paradise Corner and the urgency of the moment. It worked. The bird flew toward the village at full speed. The problem was the distance. Night fell. The cold began to steal everything. When morning came, Melissa was only breathing thanks to her suit."

  "And Kane?" Tariel couldn’t stay still.

  "Melissa called for him. Screamed. Cried. And nothing," I answered. "She couldn’t feel him anymore. It was as if he had already gone. Desperate, she tried to let go… but Kane’s hand was frozen, holding her. Time passed slowly. A full hour of cold, fear, and pain. When she began to fade, Melissa still smiled at the birds of Muluon that had kept her company all night… and let her body give in."

  "That’s… so sad," Tariel whispered, a tear falling freely.

  "Kane died. And even then, he didn’t let go," Anastácia murmured, touching my arm. "That’s true love…"

  "The Miliamedes ship arrived at the very last moment. Kane was still breathing. Barely. Melissa could only think of him. She screamed, ‘Wake Kane up! He needs to solve my problem! I’m in Syn-farr’" AX imitated her voice, and we ended up laughing. It was nervous laughter.

  "They survived," I exhaled. "And that very night, even weak, Kane appeased Melissa’s Syn-farr. But Sacha… fell ill."

  "Sacha?" Anastácia looked confused.

  "Exactly," I confirmed, taking a deep breath. "Why would Sacha fall ill? The exams showed severe depression. A real risk of death. When Milena heard that word… she remembered her own hospital bed. Sacha was losing her loves because of the limitations of society."

  "The rushed decision Milena made ended up shaping the entire Sekvens culture," AX added.

  "Yes," I continued. "She summoned Kane, Melissa, and Sacha. Apologized for no one having seen the obvious: they had been partners since their mothers’ wombs. Nothing would separate them. Then the Miliamedes confirmed it biologically. That was when one of the Sekvens directives was born, from Milena’s words: ‘Give the body and the mind what they desire.’"

  "To finish: Sacha recovered and also went through Syn-farr" I continued. "And Kane was no longer alone to appease it. After meeting Milena, the Xerantos panicked when they realized they had nearly lost all three. They created observers capable of protecting each Sekvens. One for each."

  "But Milena didn’t accept it immediately," AX recalled.

  "Why?" Anastácia asked, lying back beside me.

  "She said she would only accept that kind of protection if everyone in the Known Universe was also protected," AX replied. "We’re talking about more than a hundred billion lives."

  "And she also demanded that the observers feel," I added. "How can you protect a species guided by feeling… without having those same feelings?"

  "Jazzia and I exist thanks to the Sekvens," AX said, with quiet pride in her voice. "Milena ended up creating two new intelligent species: the Fairies and the Observers. We have our own cities. Our own continuity. We also reproduce."

  "Yeah… you can tell it’s something huge," Anastácia said, still absorbing the weight of it all.

  "Isn’t Jazzia the ship?" Tariel frowned.

  "She is," I explained, "but she’s also an Observer."

  Silence turned into warmth.

  Tariel found my lips. Anastácia pulled me in right after. Hands roaming over skin, breath quickening, desire taking the body like a hungry flame.

  It was a hot night. Intense. No one held back.

  And while we were still resting, another Observer brought the news.

  Action was needed sooner than expected.