Timeless Ties || Volturi Kings

Prologue - Time

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

— Pink Floyd

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Alessia, ever since she was a young girl, had a peculiar relationship with time. She often found herself pondering its mysteries, questioning its flow, and marveling at how it shaped the world around her.

As Alessia grew older, her contemplation of time deepened. She realized that it held a power over her, influencing her emotions and perceptions in subtle yet profound ways. Moments of joy seemed to slip away too quickly, while periods of sadness lingered, stretching out in agonizing slowness. It was as if time had a whimsical nature, choosing its own rhythm and pace, indifferent to Alessia's desires.

Alessia's life was a tapestry woven with threads of longing and solitude. As an introverted soul, she often found solace in the depths of her own thoughts. A dedicated student of International Relations, she delved into the complexities of global affairs, grappled with fundamental questions surrounding the distribution of power, the pursuit of national interests, and the ethical dimensions of foreign policy decisions, yearning to make a difference in the world.

Her journey through life had been marked by personal losses and emotional barriers. Alessia's mother had passed away during childbirth, leaving an indelible void within her heart. Her father, a dedicated doctor, found solace in his profession, often leaving little time for her. In fleeting moments of vulnerability, always when he was drunk, he confessed his struggles, revealing the weight of his own emotional burdens. It was during one such drunk confession that he had uttered those haunting words, "I hate you sometimes," casting a shadow over their relationship — a shadow that only grew larger as things worsened.

The absence of close companionship further exacerbated Alessia's introverted nature. She had never been one to easily form connections, leading a solitary existence that was punctuated by fleeting acquaintances. The scarcity of friendships in her life only intensified her attachment to the few people and possessions she considered her own. This possessiveness arose from a fear of losing the precious connections she had managed to forge, a fear rooted in the scars of abandonment she carried deep within her.

In her solitude, Alessia sought solace in the passing of time. She found comfort in its constancy, in the reliable cadence of seconds ticking away, marking the passage of days and years. She learned to savor the present, to cherish the fleeting moments of happiness and resilience, knowing that time would eventually carry them away, leaving behind only memories.

But there were also moments when time seemed to stand still for Alessia. In the depths of her dreams, where reality merged with imagination, she often experienced a suspension of time, as if the boundaries of past, present, and future blurred into a seamless continuum. It was during these ethereal encounters that Alessia encountered three enigmatic figures who would forever alter her existence.

In the realm of dreams, time became a malleable entity, subject to Alessia's will. She could traverse through the annals of history, witnessing the rise and fall of civilizations, and observing figures long gone.

As Alessia delved deeper into the dreamscape, she discovered that time held secrets beyond her comprehension. It was not a linear path, but a labyrinth of possibilities, where cause and effect danced in intricate patterns. She realized that her own existence was a tapestry woven with threads of time, each moment interconnected, each decision shaping the course of her life.

It was during this pivotal time in her life, when her fear of failure — of losing time — and her own sense of isolation converged, that the dreams began. Fresh after turning 17 years old, diligently studying for the entrance exam to her chosen university, immersing herself in the history of ancient civilizations, a particular focus on the Egyptian Empire and Ancient Greece captured her imagination.

That fateful night, after delving into the secrets discovered by humanity thanks to ruins of what once was a rich Empire in its apogee and reading about what now is the greeks' fascinating legacy, Alessia's slumber became a gateway to a world tinged with magic and mystery. In the depths of her dreams, she encountered a captivating infinity which would forever alter the course of her existence. From that moment onward, the dreams became an intrinsic part of her being, a parallel universe where her political knowledge and desires intertwined with ancient beings and unforeseen destinies.

(It took an embarrassingly long time for her to recognize that not all of her dreams really were dreams, nor were they mere figments of her imagination.)

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Notes:

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