Twilight: blood & brimstone

The night air was cold.

Forks had always been wet, but this was different. The moment Bella stepped beyond the Cullen house, it was as if the world had shifted with her.

The trees felt darker, the sky deeper, the wind carrying whispers that had never been there before.

And she felt lighter.

Freer.

Like she had stepped out of a cage she hadn't even realized she was in.

The demon walked beside her, his presence stretching beyond his body, spilling into the space around them. The weight of him was constant—not heavy, not oppressive, but undeniable.

Bella didn't run.

Didn't hesitate.

Because she knew now.

This was the path she had always been walking.

And there was no turning back.

The Cullens' Last Plea

Footsteps.

Bella didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

Alice.

Of course, it was Alice.

"Bella," Alice's voice was soft. Strained. Desperate.

Bella stopped but didn't turn.

Alice took a step closer. "You don't have to do this."

The demon hummed, tilting his head. "Oh, but she does."

Alice glared at him. "Stay out of this."

Bella sighed. "Alice, it's too late."

Alice flinched.

"No, it's not," she whispered. "It never is. We can fix this. We can stop this."

Bella closed her eyes, inhaling slowly.

And then she finally turned.

Alice looked small under the weight of the moment. For the first time, she looked afraid of Bella.

Not the demon.

Bella.

And that hurt.

But it didn't change anything.

Bella reached for Alice's hand—slow, careful—her fingers barely grazing hers before Alice jerked back.

Bella's heart clenched.

She had expected that.

And yet, it still stung.

"I love you, Alice," Bella murmured. "But I don't belong here."

Alice shook her head, her breathing uneven. "That's not true."

Bella smiled—soft, sad, but certain.

"Yes, it is."

Alice's eyes shined.

And then, she let her hand drop.

And Bella walked away.

What Lies Beyond Forks

The demon didn't speak as they walked.

Not at first.

He let the moment settle, let Bella feel the weight of what she had just done.

It was permanent now.

Her place with the Cullens, her place as Edward's, her place in that life—

Gone.

And yet, there was no pain.

No regret.

Only certainty.

When the Cullen house was nothing but a memory behind them, the demon finally spoke.

"Tell me, little lamb," he murmured, "how does it feel?"

Bella exhaled.

And for the first time, she smiled without hesitation.

"Right."

The demon's expression flickered—something sharp, something pleased, something that looked a lot like victory.

He reached for her then, fingers barely grazing her wrist, and the moment he did—

The world shifted.

The trees bent, the sky shook, the very air around them seemed to fold—

And then they weren't in Forks anymore.

A New Home, A New Beginning

The air was thicker here.

Darker.

Ancient.

Bella's feet touched the ground, and she knew.

This was where she belonged.

The world around her wasn't human.

It wasn't even earthly.

It was his.

And now—

It was hers too.

The demon watched her, eyes gleaming in the low, unnatural light of this place.

"Welcome home, Bella."

Bella inhaled, her entire body thrumming with something new, something she had always known was there but had never embraced.

She looked up at him—her guide, her tether, her undoing—

And smiled.

She was home.

And she was never leaving.