Twilight: blood & brimstone

Alice wouldn't look at her.

That was the worst part.

Bella had seen Alice scared before—of Victoria, of the Volturi, of the endless horrors the future could bring. But never like this.

Never with this kind of fear.

Because this wasn't fear of the unknown.

This was fear of something Alice had already seen.

And she wasn't saying what it was.

Bella's stomach twisted.

Edward was still trembling, his body rigid with fury, but he hadn't attacked again. Jasper was watching the demon too closely, his instincts telling him something that logic never could.

Rosalie had gone still. Emmett looked ready to throw himself at the demon, even knowing it would be useless.

And Alice?

Alice had seen something—

And she couldn't take it back.

The demon stepped closer.

"Go ahead, Alice," he purred, voice rich with amusement. "Tell them."

Alice's breath hitched.

Edward stiffened.

Bella's chest tightened.

Tell them what?

Alice's fingers curled against Jasper's sleeve, clutching. When she spoke, her voice was thin.

"Bella," she whispered, "if you go with him, you won't come back."

Silence.

Heavy. Crushing.

Edward turned to her immediately, desperation in his eyes. "Bella, you hear that, don't you? You know what that means."

Bella's mouth was dry.

Of course, she knew.

Alice had seen the futures twist and change a thousand times before. But for her to say something so final—

'I won't come back.'

That meant Alice wasn't just seeing a change.

She was seeing a permanent choice.

One Bella wouldn't undo.

And Bella?

She didn't know what terrified her more—

That Alice had seen it.

Or that it didn't feel like a warning.

It felt like a promise.

A Decision No One Can Stop

The demon didn't look surprised. He only smiled, tilting his head as if pleased by Alice's realization.

"I told you," he murmured, only to Bella. "It was always meant to be this way."

Edward snarled.

Bella stepped back.

Not toward Edward.

Not toward Alice.

Toward him.

It was small. Barely even a shift of weight.

But it was enough.

Edward's expression shattered. "Bella, please—"

Jasper tensed. "Edward, don't."

But it was already too late.

Edward's control broke.

His entire body blurred forward, but this time he wasn't just attacking—

He was trying to take Bella with him.

And for the first time—

Bella fought back.

It was instinct.

Reflex.

A reaction so unnatural that she barely even knew she had done it.

Edward reached for her—

And she moved.

Not like a human.

Not like a vampire.

Something else entirely.

Shadows curled around her without her asking.

The air around her rippled.

And Edward's hand—

Never touched her.

It stopped, inches from her wrist, an invisible force holding him back.

And Bella knew.

It wasn't the demon stopping him.

It was her.

Edward's eyes widened in horror.

Bella sucked in a shaky breath—

And for the first time, she understood.

She hadn't changed because of the demon.

She had always been this way.

He had just unlocked it.

And now?

It was too late to turn back.

The End of What Was

Edward staggered back, as if the reality of it had physically hit him.

"No," he choked, shaking his head. "No, Bella, you can't—"

But she could.

She already had.

The demon chuckled, low and pleased. "Oh, Edward," he murmured, stepping forward to place a single hand on Bella's shoulder. "I believe you've lost."

Edward lunged again—

And Bella stopped him.

She didn't mean to.

Didn't think.

She just raised a hand—

And Edward flew back.

Not hard enough to break.

Not enough to kill.

But enough to prove the truth.

She wasn't Edward's anymore.

She wasn't human anymore.

And she wasn't coming back.

Edward hit the floor with a thud.

Silence.

Pure.

Absolute.

Final.

Bella swallowed, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

Edward looked at her like he didn't recognize her at all.

Alice was crying.

Rosalie was silent.

Jasper looked like he had already accepted it.

And the demon?

He only smiled.

"Come, little lamb," he murmured. "Let's go home."

Bella turned her back on them.

And she left.