Aro opened his arms and embraced the twins with unmistakable affection. At once, the warmth of returning home settled over them. Jane and Alec instinctively leaned in from either side, resting their heads lightly against Aro's chest.
After a brief moment of familial comfort, the siblings stepped out of his embrace in unison and took their places at his left and right.
The three of them then turned their gaze upon Fabio.
The imposing pressure was enough to make even a seasoned vampire tremble.
Suppressing the fear threatening to overwhelm him, Fabio walked toward Aro and bowed respectfully. "Master Aro, it is an honor to be summoned by you."
The kindness on Aro's face faded, replaced by a smile that was courteous, intimate... and unsettling. "It has been quite some time, Fabio. Recently, it seems you've forgotten to report something. Perhaps it simply slipped your mind... or perhaps you accidentally used your own memory compression on yourself. Come now. Allow me to take a look."
He extended an open hand.
The gesture carried the unmistakable weight of a command.
Fabio dared not refuse. He obediently offered his right hand, only to have it seized by Aro the instant it reached him, like an unsuspecting mouse stepping into a trap. Aro enclosed Fabio's hand between both of his own, one against the palm and the other against the back. His touch was so unnaturally cold that even Fabio's vampire body nearly shuddered.
Closing his eyes, Aro let his consciousness invade Fabio's memories, searching every corner with meticulous care.
A long while later, he opened his eyes and spoke with complete sincerity.
"Truthfully, I should have rewarded you long ago for your outstanding contributions to the Volturi, Fabio." His smile lingered for only a heartbeat before changing. "However... today, Alec has brought someone back."
Understanding immediately, Alec lowered the unconscious girl he had carried all the way into the chamber. He pulled back the hood of Jane's cloak, revealing the girl's tightly shut eyes and pale face.
In the blink of an eye, Aro appeared beside Alec.
He grabbed the girl by the collar and dragged her forward.
"Take a good look at this face, Fabio."
With his free hand, Aro pinched the girl's chin and lifted her unconscious face until it was directly before Fabio's eyes.
His voice dropped into a chilling calm.
"One week ago... you transformed her without authorization."
Whenever Aro declared that a person or an entire coven was guilty...
There was only one possible ending.
Destruction.
If Fabio had still possessed functioning sweat glands, his clothes would already have been soaked through with cold sweat. His knees buckled beneath him, and the only reason he remained standing instead of collapsing was because two guards silently emerged from the darkness, each gripping one of his arms to keep him upright.
"Master! Master! I beg your forgiveness!"
The plea escaped his lips before his memories had even finished returning.
The unconscious girl's pale face merged with the image of the dying human woman preserved within Fabio's memories. The missing pieces exploded back into place all at once, seamlessly filling the voids he had never even realized existed. Until that very instant, he had been completely unaware that part of his memory had vanished.
It was as though someone had convinced him to accept the gaps as perfectly natural.
Aro ignored Fabio's desperate pleading. Instead, he gestured for the guards to release him.
Staggering forward, Fabio barely managed to steady himself before voluntarily extending his hand once more.
Aro accepted it again.
Closing his eyes, he searched through Fabio's memories for a second time.
When he finally withdrew, satisfaction shone plainly across his face.
"I see it now."
"The missing memories have returned to where they belong."
Without the slightest hesitation, he released Fabio's hand.
Its usefulness had come to an end.
"What a pity our old friend who could identify supernatural gifts is no longer with us. If he were still here, I could simply ask him what abilities these children possess instead of going through such elaborate testing."
Long ago, the Volturi had possessed a guard gifted with the ability to identify supernatural talents. Unfortunately, he had eventually left the family altogether, departing Italy to settle in Ireland.
Caius abruptly cut in.
"Do you need me to drag him back? Ireland isn't exactly far from Italy. Though his mate and his sister seem rather useless. May I kill them?"
Having failed to exterminate the Children of the Moon in South Africa, the violent impulses buried deep within Caius were still clamoring for blood.
"That won't be necessary, brother."
Rejected without ceremony, Caius immediately lost interest. He leaned back upon his throne and resumed his customary silence.
"So," Aro murmured thoughtfully, "the child created by Fabio truly inherited a gift similar to his own. Fascinating... This is the first time I've witnessed a transformer's ability being passed on in this manner."
His gaze shifted to the unconscious girl lying at his feet.
"Alec, wake her."
Without hesitation, Alec obeyed.
He appeared beside Sophie in an instant and knelt on one knee. Supporting her upper body with one arm, he raised his free hand above her face. As he slowly manipulated his gift, the invisible mist enveloping her body withdrew in silent streams before dispersing into the air.
His task complete, Alec quietly returned to Jane's side and watched as their master took control of the proceedings.
Light flooded back into Sophie's world.
The cold hardness of the stone floor pressed against her body once more, while the air entering her lungs carried the scent of ancient dust that had settled over centuries.
Like someone granted life for a second time, Sophie threw her eyes open and jerked upright.
Then, in the very next moment...
She realized she had awakened in hell.
Black-robed demons surrounded her on every side.
Every one of them stared at her with red eyes filled with unmistakable malice.
Sophie instinctively shrank back, her body retreating without conscious thought, desperate to escape the terrifying figures closing in around her. Yet behind her offered no safety either. Her back struck something solid, stopping her retreat completely.
She slowly turned her head.
At first, she saw nothing but black.
Then her gaze traveled upward...until it settled upon the exquisitely beautiful face of the blonde girl who had appeared in her dreams.
Every trace of resistance vanished.
Sophie stared blankly at her, suddenly wondering if everything that had happened over the past several days had merely been one impossibly long nightmare. Perhaps she had never fallen from that cliff at all. Perhaps she was only dreaming of death. Maybe, if she woke up in a little while, she would still be lying safely on the narrow bed of the youth hostel.
The blonde girl blocking her escape kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.
Proud.
Elegant.
She didn't spare Sophie so much as a single glance.
Someone approached from the front.
"Good morning, my lovely child. Did you sleep well?"
The newcomer crouched before her, speaking with the exaggerated cadence of an opera performer. Every syllable rose and fell melodically, as though he wished to sing even the simplest greeting.
Fear came rushing back all at once.
Sophie was certain no such leader existed in her family.
Curling her knees tightly against her chest, she instinctively tried to retreat even farther from the strange man.
Only then did she notice...
She was wearing the same black robe as everyone else.
What is going on?
Have I become one of these demons too?
The devil smiled warmly and whispered,
"Welcome to the Volturi."
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