Timeless Ties || Volturi Kings

30. Demons Pt. 2

"It's different, Aro," Caius asserted, his voice laced with rage. "We're managing somehow. But Marcus... he's wasting away. He won't communicate, won't eat unless we practically force him to. And he's even blocking us, so we can't discern his needs with certainty!"

"There's only so much we could do, even if he weren't," Aro claimed, his hand massaging his temples briefly, a grimace flickering across his face before he masked it. "We've had this conversation before. You know it's much harder for him than it is for us."

"I understand that," Caius intoned, frustration evident as he ran his hand through his hair. "But you're missing my point. Marcus may be more affected than us, but some of his symptoms are far from normal. If we don't find a solution, he'll succumb to madness far quicker than us."

"He won't," Aro denied, his voice weary, almost robotic, as if they had already traversed this conversation numerous times. "Everyone copes with loss differently. Marcus believes we've lost Alessia forever, so he's grieving."

Caius emitted an exasperated sound. "Because we did—"

But Alessia was already walking out of the house, tuning their conversation out. She refused to deal with this any longer. She simply had to leave.

As she stepped outside, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, a sensation that had to be entirely psychological, considering she didn't possess a physical body to feel anything.

She didn't want to entertain the notion that Marcus was supposedly grieving. The idea that he might be experiencing even a fraction of the emotional pain she had endured left her infuriated and oddly emotional. Angry because he had betrayed her the most, so in her mind, he had no right to grieve. Still, a foolish part of her still felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of his suffering.

Alessia almost wished to force herself awake, craving the comfort and safety of her own home where she could ignore the turmoil that had unfolded. Nevertheless, she resisted the urge. Firstly, because she refused to let them disrupt her life any more than they already had. Secondly, because sleep had become a precious luxury; each time she drifted off, it was a struggle to find rest, and she refused to relinquish it easily.

Thirdly, there was no necessity to do so. If Alessia sought distraction, all she had to do was venture out and explore the city, as she had planned. And that was precisely what she was going to do.

Outside, the mulberry tree stood laden with ripe mulberries, indicating that either it was nearly the same time as when she had last been here, or perhaps it was a year — or even more — later. Alongside the mulberry tree, the grapevines that Caius had tended to were still thriving. And on the other side of the mulberry tree, Alessia noticed a small sapling — a new tree taking root. It was still relatively petite, with oval gray-green leaves. Freshly watered soil surrounded it, darkening the ground. Alessia clenched her jaw, pressing on through the city.  ̶C̶a̶i̶u̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶d̶e̶e̶d̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶e̶e̶,̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶a̶f̶f̶i̶r̶m̶e̶d̶.̶

Alessia resolved to find a means of appearing in different locations within the past. She didn't want to cease her visits to the past altogether — it was the opportunity of a lifetime to witness firsthand how people lived, their routines, the cultural nuances, and the differences from her own time.

At the same time, she no longer wished to appear next to Caius, Aro, Marcus, or their residence. Thus, Alessia resolved to train herself to gain mastery over her gift. After all, she was the one traversing time; there was no reason she should feel obligated to appear in a single location or alongside specific individuals. It was time for her to take charge of her own temporal journey.