The first vampire, Amun, was created over 4500 years ago, and he was created. In search of an elixir of immortality, ancient Egyptian alchemists experimented with the flow of nature and sought out the mysteries and secrets of the universe. Then one day, one alchemist discovered what all had been searching for, the divine power of life. A sacrificial lamb was chosen, and with the child's blood, the alchemist drew out the soul, entombing it in a pyramid-shaped stone.

The soul was then infused into a strange liquid, a liquid secured from the Nile. With this liquid, the alchemist turned to his slave and poured it down the man's throat. Within the day, a change had occurred. The slave began his work down by the river, and when the sun stood high in the sky, his skin glimmered in its light. He ran to his master to share with him the news.

Unable to explain what had been seen, the slave was upheld as a God. The people worshipped and deified him. Over time, he rose to the position of the "King of the Gods," with the name Amun-Ra. The alchemist, prolonging his life through the blood of Amun, decided to try his experiment anew.

Now in Thebes, he found a young man, no older than nineteen, whom he convinced to drink of the magical elixir, and some decades later, came across a man in his mid-twenties, fresh from war and thirsty for more. The alchemist administered the potion, and the third vampire was made. Amun, angry at his master's greed and the gifts of the younger two, swiftly ended his master's life and destroyed the elixir along with him. Though the three were brothers, Amun's jealousy never dissipated.

The younger two, of the names Marcus and Aro, decided to go their separate way from Amun, who continued to amass his empire as he returned to Egypt. Aro's desire grew, his hatred for his brother growing every passing year as Amun discovered how to create immortal beings of his own, one of the men being changed migrating to Dacia and appointed as a king. Using this knowledge, Aro turned his sister, Didyme, less than a decade later, as a test to see if Amun's discovery would work for him as well. It had.

Marcus and Aro continued to wander the countryside, meeting an older man along the way with a determination Aro found intriguing. The man, known as Caius, was soon changed, along with his wife, Athenodora, and the five of them called themselves the Volturi. For some time, they settled in a city-state, and it was there that Aro met his chosen wife Sulpicia and had bought her as well as her young son, Eugenios. The Volturi had heard of the vampire in Dacia and his newfound coven, and when it was discovered that the Dacian had been murdered by coven mates, they turned a blind eye, not realizing what would then come.

The Volturi settled finally in a place they would come to call Volterra. Those who lived there looked to them as gods just as had been done with Amun back in Thebes. Over time, the leaders of Dacia, now calling themselves Romanians, grew too bold. They invaded the Volturi territory, and a war began.

Amun had stayed where he was, his mate, a former slave, by his side. Though he despised his brothers, he had no intent to ever war with them. However, Aro and Marcus surprised him one day almost a century after their defeat of the Romanians. They had sent a few ambassadors to speak with him and the rest of the Egyptian coven to join their cause. Most refused, but Amun knew his brother well and decided to play along. He and his mate switched sides as the Volturi, over the next few years, destroyed all the rest. It was only then that Amun began to seek out talented vampires of his own, and in Demetri, he found one.

Amun had known of Caius, the older blonde, from his Dacian friend, a replacement for him perhaps, but he was blindsided later on by a female Aro had sent once he realized Amun's true desires. Her name had initially been Charmion, and she had an incredible and rare gift. Demetri suddenly switched loyalties, finding Aro's promises more than what Amun could give to him, and though Aro wanted to end his brother's life for his deception, he would not. Playing with him was more fun.

It was that experience that left a paranoia in the eldest brother, a fear that he couldn't shake. Yet with that fear came anger at what he knew Aro and Marcus were doing, and the three brothers agreed to never meet again. However, that was not to be the case. A millennia later, the Volturi, now secure in their place as the vampire race's ruling coven, met with Amun on another battlefield. Amun stayed only long enough to give testimony to the young hybrid's growth, and then left, Aro reminding him that they would meet again soon. He had found something he wanted in Amun's new prodigy, Benjamin.

Now here the three of them stood, only some years later, in the Volturi's home. Amun stared at his youngest brother in disgust. Marcus stayed seated, too desolate to say much, but Amun knew that even he had often grown tired of Aro's plans. The request, which had been less of a request and more of a command, had asked for his appearance in Volterra for an urgent matter which needed to be discussed. Though Amun would have liked to refuse, he feared Aro's response. Benjamin had so far been left alone, and besides, he was curious as to what Aro would send for him about.

"What do my brothers ask of me?" Amun had asked the moment he entered the hall. Demetri had been the one to escort him; once again, Aro's doing, he assumed. He was a looming threat, and it only served to put Amun into an internal rage.

"Marcus, look. Our eldest brother has returned to us at last. Alone, I see," Aro commented, pointing out that Benjamin had not accompanied him.

Marcus has glanced up at Amun only for a moment before turning away once more. "What is it you asked me here for, Aro? What urgent matter needed to be discussed?"

"Straight to the point as always, Amun. You remind me so much of our father."

"He was no father of mine, only a master who became a friend until he craved more power. If any of us is like him, it would be you."

Aro grinned, pleased at the comparison. "How is young Benjamin?"

Amun refused to take the bait, and instead remarked, "Aro, either speak of why you sent for me or send me away, but do not waste our time playing games."

"Yevgeni has returned," Aro finally answered him.

"How does your wife's son concern me?"

"I am unable to read his thoughts as I once was previous. Marcus has also discovered something very interesting with his gift. It appears that Yevgeni has a ribbon of black shooting out from him, but where it leads is unseen. As you know, Marcus is only able to see bonds when the individuals are nearby, and they connect to each other. This makes the tie he sees to Yevgeni quite odd. We were hoping that perhaps you had heard of such a thing throughout your travels."

Amun furrowed his brow. It was an odd thing, indeed. "I cannot say that I have. It is a mystery that your gift should cease working when you seem to need it most, isn't it?"

"Be careful with your words, older brother," Aro warned.

Amun understood what Aro was implying. It was a low blow to his pride to know that the youngest of his master's creations held the entire vampire world within his reach. The power Aro had been gifted was so exponentially powerful that it had only been a matter of time before Aro realized just what he could do with it. When he had, he had used it to his advantage, manipulating over those with talents, and after the Romanians, covens began to fall one by one.

"It was not said in disrespect. It is a fact that it is a mystery that it should cease working when it may be the one thing that could help you solve your dilemma," Amun informed him.

Aro turned and made his way back to his usual seat, the middle chair, which could be easily considered a throne. "Did you know that a newborn army was recently created in Russia?"

"I had heard, yes. I had also heard that they had been dealt with by your guard."

"Unfortunately, the leader was never found, and another army was in the process of being formed. I managed to arrive in time with a few of the guard to put a stop to the new creations before it continued too far in. One of the newborns was brought to me, and in their memories, as their transformation began, I caught a glimpse of Yevgeni. However, Yevgeni has pleaded innocence, and as I am no longer able to make sense of his thoughts and memories, I am left somewhat lost on the situation."

"Then, you still have no idea who the leader is, the one who created the newborns to begin with?" Amun asked, now even more intrigued by what Aro was telling him.

"None at all, however, I wonder if this black ribbon which Marcus sees has something to do with all of it. It must. And why was Yevgeni in the newborn's memory? Why are his memories a collection of puzzle pieces that I cannot put back together? There are many questions that I have," Aro mused out loud.

"I apologize that I could not be of more use to you."

Another smirk. "That is certainly not your fault."

Amun seethed but remained calm. Aro wanted a rise out of him, and Amun refused to give him any more of what he wanted than what he had already taken and received. "If you'll excuse me then, I will take my leave."

"Perchance, you could stay one night," Aro interjected. "It has been so long since we three have met like this. Our last encounter was not what one might call a reunion."

"I should be returning to Kebi."

Aro frowned, looking almost as if he was genuinely saddened by Amun's abrupt departure. "Of course. Do give my regards to your mate as well as Benjamin and his." Aro stood and met Amun, holding out his hand as if to shake his, then said, "Let us speak again."

Amun ignored the hand in front of him, and once he left the room, Aro turned to Marcus, who had his eyes on the door which Amun had just departed from. "It would seem that was almost pointless," Aro told his brother.

"He knew nothing about which you spoke," Marcus replied.

"No, dear Marcus, he refused my hand. He would only do so if he were to be hiding something from me. I wonder what it might be. Alas, we will check in on him soon. We will have our reunion yet."

A/N: Just a heads up to always check my profile for updates. I keep it current with what's going on. As of now, I will be updating this once a week on Mondays. Again, I will make a note on my profile if something changes. Thank you for your patience and understanding as I try to continually make this a quality story for you all to read. Much love!