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“It’s all her fault!She called my children inferior!She cursed them to miscarry,and that’s why one’s gone.Lila,make her pay!”
The tiger woman rolled her eyes,exasperated.“I was just minding my own business when you started mocking the quality of my baby.She boasted that her tiger cub would rule my clan. How could I not lose my temper?”
Emma shot back,“I’m not lying!My children are destined for greatness,meant to lead our mule clan to world domination!”
I froze,shocked by the mule clan’s ambition.
Then I realized something didn’t sit right with me.“Hold on,Emma.Weren’t you just longing for children to love?Why are you talking about world domination?”
A flicker of guilt crossed her face before she doubled down.“They’re my kids.I decide what they do.What’s it to you?”
Her words infuriated me.As a fertility guardian,I abhorred parents who saw their children as mere tools.
I bestowed the gift of children with great care,fearing they’d suffer tragic lives.
To think Emma,my best friend,would use me like this.
No wonder she had rejected the puppy embryo I’d chosen and dreamed of eight at once.
The tiger woman,enraged,resumed arguing.
I cut them off.“Enough!What exactly happened?Why did your child disappear?”
Emma stammered,but the tiger woman spoke up.“She thinks her kids are the best,so she forced hers to fight mine.It’s just an embryo,and she,the mother,pushed it to battle!”
“You’re despicable!”The tiger woman flipped her off.
Emma retorted,“I won’t let my kids fall behind from the start.If they can’t beat you,how will they lead our clan to conquer the world?”
I’d had enough of her delusions but I held my tongue and examined her womb.
Silently,I studied her womb and saw something horrifying.
The tiger embryo’s orb had been devoured by the other nine,which now showed signs of fighting and consuming each other.
A term flashed through my mind,chilling me.“Do you realize that your children might be chimeras?”
Emma’s eyes widened.“What’s a chimera?”
I explained,addressing the others as well.“A chimera is formed when one embryo absorbs the nutrients of another, sometimes even consuming its body.The child born might look normal but could carry its siblings’remains inside.”
The tiger woman screamed and backed away from Emma.
I swallowed hard.These embryos were hyper-masculine and chimeric.
Could it be?Was she carrying a king of chaos?
Emma alone was thrilled.“So, the one I give birth to will be the ultimate victor, having defeated embryos from nine other clans?”
“A true leader worthy of guiding the mule clan to the top! So powerful, even in the womb!”
I was stunned,doubting she’d understood me.
I explained chimeras again,highlighting their dangers.“They often have severe social risks,like innate antisocial traits.We usually recommend termination.”
Emma clutched her belly,glaring at me with suspicion.“You want to ruin my chance at a sweet,obedient son and sabotage our rise to power,don’t you?”
“Lila,I planned to make you their godmother,but you’re unworthy.No need to wait for other clans’kings—mine is here!”
