Nearly a year had passed since Edward had left Volterra to join Carlisle and his coven in Forks. The days had blurred together in quiet monotony, but the relative peace had been a welcome change after centuries of the Volturi's calculated chaos. However, when Alice approached Edward one evening, her expression unusually grave, the stillness of his new life was interrupted.

"I've seen something," she said, her voice cutting through the quiet hum of the Cullen household.

Everyone gathered in the spacious living room, their golden eyes fixed on Alice. Edward remained silent, already piecing together what she was about to say from her thoughts.

"Aro has begun his plan," Alice continued. "The child has been born. I couldn't see it though."

The air grew heavy with unspoken curiosity. Carlisle was the first to speak, his tone both cautious and intrigued. "A vampire child born to a human mother… it's unprecedented."

Edward leaned back in his chair, his expression impassive but his mind churning. "Not entirely," he said, his voice cool. "Joham, the nomad, first experimented the same idea. Aro gleaned everything from his mind when they crossed paths. I saw those memories too, through Aro."

Carlisle leaned forward, fascinated. "Tell us more. What did you learn about the process?"

Edward's jaw tightened. "The pregnancy is monstrous," he said bluntly. "Joham's experiments were brutal—every mother died, their bodies unable to withstand the rapid growth of the hybrid. The child feeds on the mother's strength, consuming her from the inside out."

Rosalie, who had been quiet until now, looked stricken. Her mind flickered to a vision of herself holding a child, the one thing she could never have. Edward's gift picked up her thoughts, but before he could respond, she spoke.

"How could Sulpicia agree to this?" Rosalie asked, her voice laced with both anger and disbelief. "To let Aro be with another woman?"

Edward regarded her with cold detachment. "When you've lived thousands of years, certain… attachments lose their potency. Sulpicia understands duty. To Aro, this is about legacy, not love."

Alice snickered, her light tone breaking the tension. "I couldn't share Jasper for a million years, let alone a thousand." She shot Edward a teasing glance. "But then, you wouldn't understand that, would you? No mate, no problem."

Edward arched an eyebrow at her but didn't rise to the bait. He wondered about his mate In the first century of my existence, Now, it didnt matter.

Alice rolled her eyes at him.

Carlisle cleared his throat, redirecting the conversation. "What fascinates me is the biology of it," he said. "A vampire male impregnating a human—it raises so many questions. Could the child have a heartbeat? How does the venom interact with human genetics? The implications are extraordinary."

Edward sighed. "The implications are gruesome," he said, but Carlisle's curiosity was undeterred.

"I'd like you to do something for me, Edward," Carlisle said, his tone cautious. "Joham's memories—can you write them down? Any details you can recall might help us understand this phenomenon."

Edward frowned. "I don't see the point. It's not as though we'll ever…" He trailed off, glancing at Rosalie, who was staring at the floor.

Carlisle placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Understanding this might help someone, someday."

Edward nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I'll do it."

The following days were consumed by the task. Edward sat at a desk in his room, scribbling out the fragmented memories he had inherited from Aro. He didn't know why he was indulging Carlisle's scientific curiosity—it was a grim subject that dredged up unpleasant recollections. Yet, as he wrote, he found himself strangely absorbed.

The Volturi had always been meticulous in their pursuit of power, and Aro's experiment was no different. Edward could almost see the human mother, pale and withering, her body stretched beyond its limits as the hybrid grew within her. He thought of the child, born into a world where they would be revered as an experiment rather than a being.

Rosalie's presence lingered at the edge of his awareness as he worked. Her mind kept drifting to fantasies of what could have been. A child with Emmett's dimples and her golden curls. Edward didn't intrude on her thoughts; the longing was too personal, too raw.

When he finally joined the family in the living room one evening, his notes in hand, Carlisle took them with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Edward," he said.

Rosalie glanced at him, her voice quiet. "Do you think Aro's child will survive?"

Edward met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "If the child is anything like Joham's hybrids, they'll survive. They'll thrive."

Alice, ever the optimist, leaned back in her chair. "Well, at least we know one thing," she said with a small smile. "Aro's not going to be bored anytime soon."

Edward chuckled dryly, the sound almost bitter. "No, he won't. But for the mother's sake, I hope she finds peace. One way or another."