Beside her, a girl with a gem embedded in her arm knelt—hands glowing.
The stone in her skin shimmered emerald, its light ebbing in time with Kaelithar's breathing. Lines of spirit energy flowed from the gem into the woman's abdomen, carefully measured pulses designed to dull the pain without disturbing the spiritual pathways forming in the child.
"Madam Kaelithar," the girl said softly, her voice even despite the chaos in the room, "you're doing fine. Please breathe… deep, now—yes, like that." the green gem on her arm humming softly, its spirit energy flowing into the woman, easing the pain with each pulse.
The woman, Lady Seraphine Kaelithar, matriarch of House Kaelithar—one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Kenosha Shibuya—gritted her teeth, her auburn hair slicked to her brow, strands clinging to her temples as sweat poured freely down her face.
