AN: As always please read and review! Enjoy the new chapter everyone.
Bright violet shone through the darkness as Isabella tracked her opponent, Felix, in the training arena. From weeks of constant training, Isabella knew not to underestimate him even though he possessed no special gifts. His position on the guard, usually reserved for vampires with powerful gifts, was solidified by his ability to train soldiers and his unparalleled strength. He was a large man, reminding Isabella of Emmett though she hated to remember the life she left behind, but he was much more reserved. His fighting style was created from decades of practice and application, making him nearly impossible to defeat as a normal vampire.
As Isabella's eyes swept the room, taking note of the walls and trees that were placed to create a more interactive fighting ground, they landed on a figure crouched across the room. Blurring over to him with her newborn speed, Isabella managed to land a single blow before she was tossed across the room with ease. Snarling, she landed on her feet, taking out a few trees in her wake, before trying to find him in the pitch black room once again.
There was a slight vibration in the air to her right so she turned to deflect the blow that was headed her way. Ducking below the swinging fist, Isabella countered with three fast jabs to Felix's lower abdomen, reveling in the sound of cracking marble with each strike. As the last jab was delivered, she quickly leapt into the air directly over Felix's head, throwing him off as he lost sight of her in the darkness. Landing softly on a rock a few yards away, Isabella listened for her opponent's movements.
This training exercise was a common one for guard members, practicing the development of each individual sense by depriving the body of one or more of the others. With Alec's help, guard members learned to fight based off of every sense available to them, whether it be sight, hearing, smell, or touch. Within a few short weeks Isabella and all of her trainers were impressed to note how far she had come. Now able to sense the vibrations of her opponent's movements, distinguish between smells, and see the smallest of details about her opponent, she was a formidable opponent. Since none of the guard members could affect her with their gifts, the playing field was far more equal and she learned quickly how to fight.
After a few more minutes of training, Alec released the pair from their minor sight deprivation and called an end to the session. Watching as Isabella blew a teasing kiss to Felix as the cracks on their skin began to heal. He shook his head at her as she approached, unable to keep a smirk off his face.
"You know, you don't have to make fun of everyone that you train with. In fact, it's good practice to not piss off your instructors."
Looping her arm through Alec's, Isabella laughed. "But Alec, where's the fun in that? Besides an angry vampire is more likely to make mistakes, though it never seems to work on Felix."
"Well, it's time to begin training with your gift. You need to know whether or not it has limits. Aro has invited a special guest to help, but he won't be arriving for a few more weeks so we have plenty of time to see for ourselves."
As he finished, Alec gestured to the door they now stood before. Walking inside, Isabella was amazed at what she found. Instead of a typical combat training room like the ones she was used to so far, this room was filled with dichotomous beauty. On one hand, there was a serene side, with fountains and meditation platforms. On the other, there was a side filled with dangerous weapons and combat areas. Turning to Alec, Isabella raised an eyebrow at the scene before her.
"All gifts are based in energy," a voice sounded from the other side of the room. Emerging from the shadows was Jax, his shaggy hair pulled back to clear his face. "Whether or not that energy is benevolent or malignant depends on the gift itself. For instance, the ability to cause unimaginable pain to a victim, that is entirely malignant energy. Jane's gift arose out of self-preservation and a desire for revenge after a troubled past. Alec's was the same except his manifested in a more detached, benevolent energy type of way. The difference in energies is not a difference in an evil gift or a good gift, it is a difference in how the gift is unlocked. Some gifts do best under extreme pressure and fear, whereas others rely on a grasp of the energy inside of oneself which can be found through meditation."
"Which method do you think would be most beneficial for me?" Isabella asked.
Jax nodded and gestured for her to follow him toward the meditation platform on the left side of the room. Once they were sitting down he placed his hands on his knees, waiting for Isabella to mirror his actions before closing his eyes.
"Meditation forces the body and mind to relax, allowing oneself to feel more of their internal energies than they normally would. While you are new to your gift, this energy will be unfamiliar and perhaps hard to grasp and use. The first step is finding it. For the next few hours we will work on identifying the different feelings that you have while meditating and using those to distinguish your gift. Once we have identified the energy associated with your gift we will work on harnessing it."
Isabella closed her eyes, sitting as still as a perfectly composed marble statue. Her mind began to wander, embracing the different energies she could feel in her body. Letting Jax's soothing voice walk her through the process she identified the subtle burn in her throat, the vampire instincts in her chest, and eventually the unknown energy in her mind. Isabella spent time getting used to the energy as it lived within her before attempting to morph it.
In a mental dance of complexity, Isabella was able to push against her gift, reveling in the feeling of her shield being expanded. Isabella could feel the energy as it carefully made its way around the room, caressing each object and individual so that she had a mental image of the room without opening her eyes. Experimentally, Isabella retracted the energy, casting it over Jax as he sat in front of her.
"Alec," Isabella called out softly. "I would like you to try to take away Jax's senses."
Jax opened his eyes with a frown as he saw the light haze begin to make its way toward him from where Alec was positioned near the doorway. Though he wasn't scared, it was an uncomfortable experience that he had the misfortune of having been through before, and he wasn't happy about having his senses taken away again.
As the mist circled up to Jax, violet eyes watched with unwavering focus. Instead of seeping into his skin or making its way to him, the mist stopped just above Jax's skin, rolling off of him with no effect. Jax's eyes widened in amazement as the mist gradually dissipated and left him, all senses very much intact. Alec looked equally as impressed, smiling as Isabella beamed in delight.
"I wonder how many people I can shield at once," she pondered.
Within minutes, they had moved their training to the large arena and filled it with people. Jane stood with a devilish grin by Isabella as they surveyed the group before them. Isabella nudged Jane slightly, leaning over to whisper, "this isn't meant for you to torture everyone. This is actually to see if my powers can divert yours over such a large group. I could always start out with a smaller group so you can have some fun as I develop."
Jane winked at her before telling the group the purpose of the exercise. She made sure to address how painful Isabella's failure will be for those she cannot save and how she does truly hope that Isabella's gift runs out after only a few. Her voice rang out across the silent arena as vampires shifted uneasily in place, silently hoping that Isabella's gift can immediately protect them from the witch twin whose blood red eyes were boring into the crowd.
As Isabella grabbed hold of the now familiar energy within her, she cast it across the room, wrapping each individual in its warm embrace. Being stretched to cover so many was already beginning to tax her mental strength and control so Isabella nodded to Jane to try her gift on the crowd. Every vampire flinched as they recognized the glare coming from the blonde that was usually followed by all-consuming pain. However, Jane quickly became agitated as her gift failed to elicit any effect. Isabella placed a hand on her shoulder as she dropped her shield, unable to hold it any longer.
With a low growl Jane caused everyone in the room except for her brother and Isabella to fall to the floor in agony. Once she released them from her power, gasping as they were, she smiled cruelly. The smile itself was a mockery of happiness, derived only from the pain evident before her, yet it was beautiful.
"Just so you all don't forget what I can do," she said, a deep undertone of threat evident in her voice.
As the group filed out of the room, Isabella rolled her eyes at the woman next to her. Throughout the past few weeks, Isabella had spent a lot of time training with the so called witch twins of the Volturi, learning about them beyond what their reputation described. She learned that Jane did indeed have a soft side to her, though it took days and the absence of any other being for her to show. It's true that Jane delighted in the power that her gift gave her since no one was willing to risk upsetting her. This reputation often preceded her on missions, allowing just revealing her identity to cause enough fear to fix the problem without a major fight. The only time that Jane had apparently used her gift for a prolonged period of time was with a Romanian vampire who was intent on tearing the Volturi apart. The man became a blubbering fool after a while, the pain causing his body to shut down and his mind to escape him. This torture was difficult for Jane, and she vowed to never use her gift that long again.
This side of Jane Volturi was a mystery to the world, even to most of the Volturi themselves. In private quarters she was interesting, willing to share stories of her missions with Isabella that Alec would often add to. Her sense of humor was twisted and she often found pain a reason for comfort, but she was a quickly attaching friend to Isabella as she continued her training. The rest of the Volturi began to regard Isabella as the third witch of the group as time wore on since she was the first and only person able to grow close to either.
As more time passed, Isabella began to develop her shield's strength and longevity, now able to hold it for hours on end over large groups of people. The guard trained with her to ensure that she could hold her shield in such circumstances as battle and even upon being removed from visual contact or placed a far distance away. They eventually found that her shield would hold strong for upwards of a hundred individuals and for hours on end, even if she was taken several hundred yards away.
It was during one of these training sessions that a new ability made itself known in Isabella.
Jane had, as usual, managed to piss off one of the new Volturi guards. However, this guard had the ability to move faster than any vampire that the Volturi had ever seen before. After one of their lessons where Jane had dropped the boy to the ground with her gift more than once, he leapt up growling loudly, his eyes pitch black. Before Jane knew he was coming at her, the vampire blurred over to her and took ahold of her head.
Reacting on instinct, Bella turned and yelled for Jane to be careful, feeling her energy explode outward toward the pair. This new energy felt stronger, more solid in substance, which became apparent as the new vampire was forcibly pushed off of Jane and into the wall at the opposite end of the room. Isabella snarled and crossed the room in the blink of an eye, throwing the boy against the wall and pinning him by his throat as he growled back at her in annoyance.
"No one hurts Jane while I'm around," she ground out. Isabella could feel the eyes upon her, tension filling the room so completely that it pressed against each individual with nearly tangible force.
Suddenly the boy was screaming, writhing in pain as Isabella continued to hold him tightly by the throat. Isabella felt a hand press gently on her shoulder and released the boy as Jane stepped up next to her, her red eyes narrow slits. The boy was shaking with rage, his eyes still that bottomless black that they were when he first attacked. A low, threatening growl escaped Isabella's lips as she watched the boy eye Jane once again.
"It is a crime to make an attempt on the life of a royal guard member," Jane drawled out, her eyes never leaving the boy's. "I, Jane Volturi, hereby sentence you to death with this room as my witness. Let's go Isabella, I believe we are done here."
Alec followed the women out of the room as Felix and Demetri took hold of the now captive guard member and began to transport him to the dungeons to await execution.
"Isabella," he called out. "What you did back there… I've never seen anything like it. There was a subtle shine in the air around Jane and it seemed as if it pushed her attacker away. In fact, it's still around her now."
Jane reached out her hand to look at it while Isabella turned to look at her as well. Indeed, there was a subtle shimmer around Jane's skin that only a vampire would have picked up on. As Alec reached out to touch her, his fingers stopped just short of her skin, a perplexed look falling into place on his handsome face.
"I can't touch her. Whatever this is it's stopping me from touching her, it feels as if I'm touching a solid wall or perhaps a highly energetic barrier."
Isabella's eyes widened and she mentally cast out her mind, searching for her energy signature on Jane. She gasped as she realized that her shield was enveloping Jane, not only mentally but physically as well, creating a physical barrier around her. This new shield was highly energetic, with a much stronger signature than that of her mental shield and she recognized it as the feeling she got when she saw Jane being attacked.
"Oh come on," Jane laughed. "I get the ability to torture people while princess Isabella here gets a shield powerful enough to protect both from mental and physical attacks?"
Isabella ducked her head, knowing that if she were human she would be blushing. She playfully shouldered into Jane, dropping the shield around her.
"We should tell Aro about these newfound gifts of yours Isabella," Alec said.
Isabella nodded and the trio made their way into the throne room moments later only to be met by an exceedingly excited Aro on his throne. He gestured for the group to stand in front of him, his eyes lighting up in absolute glee.
"I hear you saved my precious Jane from the hands of our newest guard member," he exclaimed, looking at Isabella with wide eyes.
"Yes. The guard that attacked her used his superior speed to attack her as she turned away from him after a training session. I saw the attack and used my shield to stop it from happening. Alec saw the whole thing and Jane was there as well of course." Isabella watched as Aro reached out for Alec's hand, closing his eyes as he surfed through the events of the past hour in Alec's memory.
"It seems your shield has become physical as well my dear. How interesting." Aro smiled before taking Jane's hand and watching the events through another perspective.
"I have ordered for the guard's execution, he has already been transported to the dungeons," Jane announced.
Aro nodded his acceptance before excusing the trio, telling them to come back at nightfall for the execution. Before they left, Aro told Isabella that his guest would be arriving by tomorrow to help her use her gifts to their full extent.
That night, Isabella walked into the throne room with her head held high, tight jeans hugging her hips and a black leather jacket accentuating her top. She was the embodiment of alluring beauty and strength as she strode through the forming crowd toward Aro, Jane, and Alec near the thrones. She made eye contact with Jax from across the room and he nodded at her with a faint smile.
Soon the large door of the throne room was forced open and the guard from earlier was dragged in hissing and fighting. He was pushed to the ground on his knees before the center throne, Felix standing behind him to make sure he stays in position.
"Peter, you have been accused of committing the crime of attempted murder on a fellow guard member. This is your chance to say your last words." Aro settled into his throne, gesturing for the boy to speak.
"That bitch does nothing but hurt others. It pleases her. She deserves to die as painful of a death as she gives to others," Peter growled out.
Jane rolled her eyes and sent a minor burst of pain toward him causing him to jump and growl harder, attempting to get up before being restrained by Felix and Demetri. Jane smirked at him, cocking her head to the side in a challenge. From her side, Isabella glared at him with a low warning growl of her own.
Aro nodded and Felix stepped up, wrapping his fingers around Peter's neck as the boy began to scream and struggle against his captors. Felix began to pull and Isabella watched as cracks began to slowly and then rapidly form where his head was being ripped from his body. In mere seconds, the lifeless body of the former guard fell to the ground and Felix tossed his head into the fire that had been started across the room. As his body burned away in the fire, Isabella sent her shield toward Jane, letting her support wash over Jane without making it obvious to the rest of the Volturi in the room.
As the Volturi filed out of the room, Jax gestured for Isabella to join him as he left the castle. If she had to identify those she felt comfortable with in the Volturi, Jane, Alec, and Jax made up that list. She had spent the past few weeks practicing her shield with him and developing a strong friendship with him.
"Come on wolfie, teach me how to fight a shapeshifter," Isabella exclaimed once they were outside in the large courtyard in front of the castle.
"Whoever said I was a wolf?" Jax said, raising his eyebrow at the beautiful vampire before him.
Stepping back from her, Jax connected their eyes before leaping into the air. When he landed, Isabella gasped in surprise and froze in place. Where once a man had stood there now stood a black lion with a grand mane. The lion's eyes bored into Isabella's as it shook out its fur, and from its back, large pure black wings unfurled, stretching out around six feet on either side of its body. It was a magnificent and beautiful sight, a dark symbol of strength and noble action.
However, what stood out to Isabella the most was the vivid violet of the lion's eyes that mirrored perfectly her own.