Felix picked up the two leaves and inspected them with painstaking care, turning them over again and again. He examined every vein and every edge before finally confirming that Sophie hadn't tampered with them in any visible way.
"I lost..." He laughed good-naturedly, accepting defeat without the slightest resentment. "I used to be the luckiest member of the Guard." Shrugging, he tossed the leaves aside and smiled. "A bet is a bet. What do you want to ask?"
Sophie smiled back innocently. "Maybe those two leaves simply like me better." In truth, she had cheated. Not by breaking the rules, but by exploiting a loophole Felix could never have noticed. The game had never been fair from the beginning. As long as the rules remained exactly as she'd explained them, victory had been almost guaranteed.
"You even went through the trouble of winning a game first." Felix folded his arms, watching her curiously. "Whatever you're about to ask... it must be difficult to answer."
Sophie silently admitted he was right. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, "Felix... do you know what Chelsea's gift is?"
It was the very same question Alec had deliberately avoided answering before.
Which meant...
There had to be a reason.
And yet, no matter how difficult the answer might be, Sophie desperately wanted to know.
"I know." Felix answered honestly. "But I can't tell you."
Seeing the disappointment immediately appear on Sophie's face, he continued before she could speak.
"Chelsea is one of the Volturi's most important members. Officially, she's classified as a guard, but she's never actually performed the duties of one. She answers only to the leaders."
Sophie lowered her eyes.
Even Felix...
The person she trusted most for his straightforward personality...
Was willing to break the terms of their wager just to protect that secret.
If even he refused to speak...
There was probably no one else she could ask.
"Choose something else." Felix's tone left no room for negotiation. "Or ask me for something you need instead."
Sophie thought for a moment before answering, "I'd like the tablet I left with Gianna. But Aro doesn't allow electronic devices inside the underground palace."
Felix visibly relaxed. "That?" He laughed. "That's easy. The mountain behind the palace isn't part of the underground complex."
He stood up immediately. "Wait here. I'll go get it for you."
Without another word, he turned and strode away, fully intending to carry out the forfeit he had promised. Sophie watched his broad figure disappear into the distance, and the frustration inside her only deepened.
Even Felix, the person she understood best, refused to reveal Chelsea's secret. There was no one else left to ask.
Is there really nothing... nothing at all... that could change Felix's mind?
A thought quietly surfaced within her. It wasn't entirely new. In fact, she had been entertaining the suspicion for quite some time.
Only because life after arriving at the Volturi had been so busy and fulfilling had she never truly stopped to examine it.
What is my real dark gift?
The ability to alter memories had been Aro's conclusion. And since she had successfully used that ability several times, calling herself a "Memory Locksmith" certainly seemed reasonable.
But afterward, she had discussed the matter with Dimitri and the others. They had all reached the same conclusion.
Although she and Fabio supposedly possessed identical gifts, they behaved nothing alike. That was exceedingly unusual.
No one understood Sophie better than Sophie herself. She had already realized that memory compression most likely belonged to Fabio's gift alone. She merely happened to be capable of reproducing it over and over again.
As for why...
She wasn't entirely certain.
Perhaps...
It had something to do with the instant she transformed into a vampire. The moment her existence had been frozen forever.
Today, she decided to test her theory herself. Perhaps Charles, the man who had nearly killed her, could still make one final contribution after his death.
"Felix!"
She deliberately mimicked Charles's tone of voice as closely as she could. Calling him by name, she spoke clearly, "Felix. You can tell me the dark gifts possessed by every member of the Volturi."
It wasn't phrased as a command. It was a statement. A simple declaration of what she wanted him to accept as reality.
Charles's gift had required two conditions. First, he had to call the target by name. Second, each lie could affect only one individual at a time.
Felix stopped walking. He turned around and looked at her, his eyes appearing perfectly clear and completely awake.
"Really?" He smiled casually. "Who do you want to know about?"
Sophie immediately understood that this opportunity might exist only once. She had to uncover everything while she still could.
It was dangerous. Reckless. If the truth ever reached the Volturi's rulers, it would almost certainly provoke their wrath.
Perhaps...
It could even cost her life.
But Sophie would rather risk death than remain trapped in ignorance. She had always chased secrets this way, never caring how dangerous the pursuit became.
The dark gifts of the Volturi...
What a beautiful secret they were.
"Everyone." She met Felix's eyes. "Start with Chelsea."
Felix calmly returned and sat down beside her once more. It felt almost as though they had simply resumed an ordinary conversation.
This time, he offered no refusal. Instead, he casually revealed the very secret he had protected only moments earlier.
"Chelsea's gift?" He nodded with admiration. "It's incredible. She can strengthen emotional bonds... or sever them completely."
A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Almost no one can escape her influence. The only exception... is two people who genuinely love each other. One-sided feelings aren't enough."
As one of the Volturi's permanent guards, Felix naturally knew every member of the organization well. With his help, Sophie learned every dark gift possessed within the Volturi in one uninterrupted conversation.
Alec's numbing mist.
Jane's pain illusion.
Dimitri's supernatural tracking.
Heidi's irresistible allure.
Aro's telepathic gift through touch.
Marcus's ability to perceive emotional bonds.
Protective barriers.
Emotional manipulation.
And countless other extraordinary abilities possessed by guards throughout the coven.
Listening to them one after another, Sophie couldn't help sighing inwardly. Aro truly deserved to be called a collector.
He didn't merely collect priceless works of art. To him, even the guards themselves were treasures within his personal collection.
"Thank you, Felix." Sophie smiled gratefully. "Now... please forget this conversation. And don't tell anyone."
"I'll do my best," Felix answered exactly as before. "Unless Aro reads my memories."
Sophie knew perfectly well that nothing could truly remain hidden from Aro. Even if she compressed Felix's memories afterward, Aro would eventually notice the inconsistencies and unravel the deception.
All she could do now was pray that he discovered it as late as possible.
"Oh, right." She suddenly remembered something else. "Could you still bring me the tablet from the front desk?"
She smiled sheepishly. "The wager only required you to answer one question. Asking you to fetch something is just asking for a favor."
The tablet was important. She needed it to contact her friends and let her family know she was safe after disappearing for so long.
And...
To finally give an explanation to the countless followers who had been waiting on an account that hadn't been updated in far too long.
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