Page 105 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

Shakespeare returned her smile, though it was tinged with sorrow.

“Let’s go, boys!” Sonya called out.

Tristan’s brow arched in amusement, but Shakespeare refused to meet his gaze, too consumed by the weight of what they were about to do to his beloved. Love-sick and determined, he hurried ahead of Sonya and opened the door for her with an obedience that spoke of his commitment.

As she stepped through, their hands brushed, a silent promise passing between them—no matter what came next, they would either live in this realm or exit it together.

Dolly’s bodydissolved into pure light. Each particle sparkled like a constellation forming. Her hair slicked against her faceand shoulders; her skin radiated with an otherworldly glow as the power of her rebirth surged through the glass tube. She could feel the transformation, not just within her, but around her, as if the very essence of the universe was being rewritten.

As the transformation began, the Professor stepped forward, his voice rich with authority, addressed the captivated onlookers. “Melanin—the pigment that colors human skin—is not just a simple biological trait. Its origin is from the realm, gifted to us by the First Mother, connecting us to the cosmos in a profound way. Created through a process as ancient as the birth of stars, melanin absorbs sunlight, shielding and energizing us. She foresaw that, as the First People, we would be enslaved by supernatural’s drawn to the power in our blood, the strength of our energy.

“Like dark matter shaping the universe, our unique molecular structure lets melanin absorb a vast spectrum of light. That’s why these creatures are so deeply seduced by the potency within the Chosen—and the guardians of the realm. Science claims melanin simply protects us from UV rays and helps produce vitamin D. But that’s man’s feeble attempt to explain, to diminish, what they don’t understand. Melanin is our healing source, the key to balance, even to immortality itself.

“What you are witnessing now is the gift. The transformation of the Chosen flows through each of you. We carry the same energy that fuels the stars, a living connection to our cosmic ancestry. Remember, we are made of stardust—and it is our birthright to stand as the true Supreme’s.”

“That melanin poppin,” Darlene said as her voice faded. The last words of love Lucio spoke to her as she began to drift and fade away.

When Dolly opened her eyes, the cryochamber opposite her was dark smoke and at first appeared empty—the shapeshifter was gone, her life force sacrificed to bring Darlene intoexistence. The dark matter as smoke reformed itself into a trillion dark purple and blue stars. Darlene emerged, her being a stark melanated contrast to Dolly’s radiant light. She was darkness incarnate, the vastness of the void itself, swirled with a shadowy energy that pulsed with power. Yet, the darkness was not malevolent, just as Dolly’s light was not purely benevolent. They were two halves of a cosmic balance, the eternal scales of the universe.

Darlene’s lips curled into a smile, a familiar warmth that reassured Dolly. It was her—her twin, her other half, now fully realized. Dolly reached out, her hand glowed with the light of a thousand suns, and Darlene mirrored her, her hand a silhouette of the deepest night. Their fingers met at the barrier between them, and in that touch, they felt the truth of their existence.

For the first time in eons, they existed as separate beings, yet still connected by the ancient bond that had forged them at the dawn of time. The mysteries of their creation, once hidden in the depths of their shared consciousness, now unraveled before them. The memories flooded back—of their mother, Wanda, a fierce and loving woman who had hidden them away to protect them. And with those memories came the revelation, a secret buried deep in the professor’s mind.

They saw it clearly: the day Greenlee, and the professor found their mother after she had given birth, the rage that consumed them when they realized she had hidden her daughter away, and the horrifying moment when they lashed out, killing her in their fury. Dolly also learned her adoptive parents’ death was no accident. The First People had run them off the road and created the fiery crash with them trapped and burning alive in their car. Orchestrated to push her into despair and weaken her mentally to surface Darlene. The truth hung heavy between them, a shared burden of grief and betrayal.

Darlene’s gaze shifted from Dolly to the world outside the chamber. Her dark eyes reflected the weight of what they had just learned. Dolly met her sister’s eyes once more. Understanding passed silently between them. They knew now, knew everything that had been taken from them, and the terrible price they had paid to survive.

But in this moment, as they stood on the brink of a new existence, there was also a resolve. They broke free from being vulnerable beings who had been hidden away, and they were no longer bound by the secrets of their past. They were light and dark, two sides of the same coin, and together, they would face whatever came next.

As the chambers powered down, releasing them into the world, Dolly and Darlene remained united mentally. Their hearts belonged to each other permanently. Lucio was right. They were best as one.

“Doyou think they will do what we want? Kill Vittorio? Give us the power?” Greenlee whispered.

“Of course, we have the scarab. They can’t hurt us. We have the promise from that vampire that this would work. They won’t have a choice but to believe us. And I know by now the guardian is dead. Nzinga has fulfilled her purpose. We are so close. So close…” the professor voice trailed off.

“They are too in love with Lucio to waste time on rebellion,” Greenlee said in agreement.

When Darlene looked out at Greenlee, she felt as if someone had walked over her grave. She shivered. “This has to work, Eric. I can’t go through what… we went through out at the swamp.”

“Stop, don’t even think it,” said their uncle.

The lights in the tent blinked. The cryochamber began to blink as well.

“What is it?” Greenlee asked.

“They’re done. Finnish it!” the professor ordered the scientists. “Now!”

The cryo chambers powered down.

The bunker shookas the scarab’s energy flared; the light intensified before it was suddenly extinguished. The barrier surrounding the camp flickered and then collapsed entirely. Charmaine slowly sat up. The gem had the tip of the dagger from the baton pierced in its core. Nzinga was gone.

However, she felt herself return—fully, including Liora. Whatever Nzinga had done had saved her life. Exhausted but determined, and knowing that time was short, she forced herself to stand and reach the gem before others arrived.

With a single, decisive motion, she yanked out the dagger and placed her hand over the scarab. She whispered an incantation she had learned long ago—a spell of reversal, one that would turn the artifact’s power against itself.

The chamber doorshissed open just as the power failed, plunging the room into an eerie silence of darkness. The emergency lights flickered on. It cast an otherworldly glow over the scene. Greenlee’s eyes widened in horror as realization dawned, while the professor stood transfixed, his gaze locked onto the twins with a twisted sense of awe.

“Welcome, Darlene,” he began, his voice changed with pride. “To the life you were denied. I did this for—” But he never finished the sentence. Darlene, her form now a swirling mass of darkness and power, raised her hand. With a flick of her wrist, a bolt of dark energy shot out, striking her uncle with such force that his head exploded in a violent burst. Blood and bone splattered the women of the cult, and his body crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

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