Chapter Text
Smoke. Dark and thick, tinged with the scent of burning venom filled the air.
Aro stood at the center of it all, his dark cloak brushing against the forest floor as he walked, surveying the destruction his coven had wrought.
A few feet away, Felix and Demetri efficiently handled the remaining members. The execution was completely justified. The vampires had been sloppy, flaunting their supernatural abilities in front of mortals. Feeding indiscriminately, risking the security of the supernatural world to satisfy their vanity.
Caius followed a half step behind. He spat at one of the vampires, cowering on their knees. “Arrogant fools.”
The guard strategically tore each member apart, adding them one by one to the bonfire in the clearing.
The fire grew larger. The blaze, a brilliant, violent orange, cast eerie shadows among the trees. The crackle of burning limbs and the heavy thud of bodies hitting the dirt were the only sounds disrupting the night. Felix moved efficiently, his heavy hands snapping limbs as easily as dry twigs, while Alec and Jane ensured no vampire escaped.
Aro took a quiet breath, inhaling the destruction like a fine vintage.
“You call us arrogant,” the sole remaining vampire, a woman, with dark, hateful eyes glared at the two kings. “It is you who should look in the mirror.”
Caius moved forward, lips pulled back in a snarl. Aro held out a hand, pressing it against Caius’ chest to hold him back.
Aro smiled. His voice was soft as he spoke, “I'm afraid your opinion matters little, just now.”
Aro stepped closer to her, his movements slow. Unhurried.
The vampire looked small kneeling at his feet. Yet, she didn't flinch as the king approached. Her stillness should have been a warning. A more cautious immortal might have paused, might have sensed the dangerous shift in the air, but Aro knew no fear.
He extended his hand. "Let us see what gave you such misplaced confidence," Aro murmured, his fingers brushing against her cheek.
The moment contact was made, the woman’s expression shifted from defiance to triumph. She didn't try to pull away from his touch. Instead, she snapped her hand up and gripped his wrist.
“Aro!” Caius shouted, but the sound was distant. As if Caius were now miles away instead of a few feet.
Aro’s skin burned beneath her touch. His eyes widened.
“You always want to know everything, King of the Volturi,” she whispered, her voice distorted, deeper than before. A sick smile twisted on her lips. “I can help you with that.”
Heat and energy surged up his arm. Burning, eating away at him. Converging in his mind.
Aro gasped. A choked sound escaped his throat as he staggered backward, away from the vampire. His hands flew to his ears. Squeezing.
His knees buckled.
The forest seemed to fracture around him. The crackle of the bonfire, the shouts of his guard… it all blurred into a crushing weight that pressed against the inside of his skull. He fell to the forest floor, rolling over. His back arched, his heels dug into the mud as he groaned in agony. His fingers clawed at his ears. He was desperate for the torture to end, but there was no escaping it. The world spun, collapsing inward, suffocating him. Pressing harder still, until he was certain he was dying.
"Aro! What did she do?" Caius' voice pierced through the onslaught, tight with panic, but Aro couldn't answer.
For nearly two thousand years, Aro had ruled the Volturi. For nearly two thousand years, he had gathered knowledge and abilities to strengthen his coven. But as the sky spun above him, he realized the terrifying truth .
There was such a thing as knowing too much.