Chapter 79: The First

"Jane..." Alec gently cradled Jane's injured wrist in both hands, his expression filled with anguish. Although the wound had already healed, a faint crescent-shaped bite mark remained, refusing to disappear. Guilt flooded his heart in an instant. "This is all my fault. I let my guard down."

Among humans, scars were badges of honor worn by warriors. The Volturi, tempered by countless battles, had no shortage of members bearing permanent marks, especially Caius, who spent centuries fighting across the world. 

Beneath his black cloak lay countless rows of bite scars, each one left by an enemy he had personally hunted down and destroyed. Yet Alec would have gladly accepted this mark upon his own body a thousand times over if it meant preserving Jane's flawless perfection.

The thought alone darkened Alec's usually gentle features. For one of the few times in centuries, unmistakable killing intent surfaced in his red eyes.

Jane immediately sensed the change in her brother's emotions. She reached up, cupped his face between her hands, and patiently soothed him. "Alec, it's only a scratch on my wrist. Compared to the broken arms and shattered legs you all suffer during training, this is nothing."

"She hurt you." Alec refused to dismiss the matter so easily. He wanted to know where Jane truly stood. "Our laws forbid harming members of the family."

The punishment is death.

Felix instantly understood what Alec was implying. He glanced regretfully toward the unconscious Sophie lying nearby. To be fair, she had been a good companion. But if Alec and Jane decided that she had violated Volturi law and deserved execution, then no one alive could stop the twins from carrying out their authority as the family's enforcers.

"What are you talking about?" Jane blinked, momentarily unable to understand the hostility that had suddenly appeared. For the briefest instant, the twins' legendary tacit understanding failed them. Then realization struck. Alec intended to kill Sophie on the spot.

Without hesitation, Jane grabbed both of Alec's arms and physically turned him to face her. She shook her head repeatedly as she hurriedly denied the idea. "No, it hasn't come to that, little brother! She... she..." Her eyes drifted toward Sophie's unconscious body, and her voice grew deliberately vague. "She's... valuable."

Afraid Alec might stubbornly insist on carrying out the execution, Jane immediately turned to Felix and ordered, "Take her back to her room. Quickly." After remembering those unfamiliar black eyes Sophie had displayed moments earlier, she added, "Go to Gianna afterward. Have someone draw fresh blood and send it to her."

Blood stored in the cold room lost much of its freshness, making it far less nourishing. Had Heidi already returned with fresh "food," Jane would have broken protocol and allowed Sophie to hunt ahead of schedule.

Felix scratched his head awkwardly. "Which room is hers?"

"Just take her somewhere farther away," Alec replied as he withdrew the black mist. "She'll wake up soon enough. Ask her then."

Hoisting the unconscious Sophie over his shoulder, Felix signaled to the subordinate standing nearby. The three of them wasted no time fleeing the scene together.

Soon...

The streamside training grounds belonged to the twins alone.

The moment Felix disappeared from sight, Alec stepped forward and tightly embraced his sister. His arms wrapped securely around Jane's shoulders and waist as though he were holding the most precious treasure capable of giving him peace. His voice was low and filled with confusion.

"Jane... why? Why did you forgive her so easily? That isn't like you at all."

"I was planning to punish her." Jane tilted her head slightly until her lips rested beside Alec's neck, whispering so softly that only he could hear. "But your gift suppresses my Pain Illusion. Besides..." She paused for a moment before continuing almost absentmindedly. "Whenever I look at her... all my pain disappears."

Alec fell silent.

After a long pause, he quietly asked, "Even... the fire?"

"Especially that fire."

The fire that had nearly burned them both alive.

To every vampire in existence, Jane's Pain Illusion was a terrifying supernatural gift. Yet Alec alone knew its true origin. It had been born from the agony of the flames that had tormented Jane for a thousand years. Alec had chosen to survive by sealing away his own senses, refusing to relive that nightmare. Jane had taken the opposite path. She clung desperately to the memory of every moment of agony, nurturing it for centuries while waiting for the day she could return that suffering to those who deserved it.

The world only saw how terrifying her gift was.

Only Alec understood how much it had hurt Jane.

For a thousand years...

That pain had slowly twisted her heart.

"If that's the reason..." Alec sighed softly, his tense expression finally easing. "Then... I suppose I can forgive her a little." It was, in its own way, good news. His mood visibly lightened. "But you still have to listen to Master. Sophie needs a different guardian. Felix clearly isn't suitable."

This time, Jane nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Sophie tricks him as easily as breathing. Leave the two of them together during the day, and by nightfall they'll probably turn the entire Palazzo dei Priori upside down."

"Demetri would be a better choice." Alec immediately proposed another candidate. "He's steadier. During Master Caius's forest training exercise, he and Sophie even managed to defeat both of us."

The twins slowly released each other and each took a step back.

"I'll go inform Demetri for you," Alec offered. "It's Aro's order. He won't refuse. You should go back to your territory and get some rest first."

Jane shook her head.

Instead, her gaze drifted toward the flowing river. A thoughtful expression settled across her face as she murmured almost to herself, "Why did Sophie bring that notebook all the way to the training grounds?"

On the very first day Jane had taken charge of Sophie, she had watched the newborn use that very notebook to copy down the Volturi's two fundamental laws. She had even awkwardly snapped the pen afterward.

I wonder...

Did she ever use the fountain pens I sent her?

"Maybe..." Alec hesitated briefly before deciding to betray Sophie's secret, considering it a small punishment for hurting Jane. "Maybe she was making you a gift."

Something flickered across Jane's face.

Yet she said nothing.

"I'll speak to Demetri myself." She turned and began walking away. "There are a few other things I need his help with."

"Teaching Sophie is an official assignment," Alec reminded her with a smile. "Don't be polite. Make him work as hard as you like." Believing Jane wanted to personally explain how to deal with the difficult newborn, he readily respected her decision. Then he smiled warmly. "When you're free again, remember to come visit my treehouse."

Jane finally nodded.

"Tonight."