Page 137 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

The sky above them churned as if the heavens themselves were on the march for a great return. Dolly squared her shoulders, power rippled through her frame. She prepared to face Phoenix. His calm, condescending smirk only added purpose to her rage. The others—battered, weakened—watched her, their hope hung precariously on her resolve.

And then, the cosmos shifted.

A single bolt of lightning tore through the swirling clouds, blinding the fallen in its zig-zagging intensity. The battlefield of the residential streets of the Vatican rocked and crumbled beneath its force. Time froze for them all; the charged air sent sparkles of light everywhere. As if the sky was now raining stars. The bolt didn’t simply strike—it ripped a glowing rift into the very fabric of reality.

From the searing light inside the seam, a figure emerged. Phoenix stood transfixed as did Dolly.

The first thing Phoenix saw was her silhouette—a warrior’s stance, proud and unyielding. As she stepped fully into their realm, the light dimmed, revealing her in all her celestial glory.

Aries had returned.

Her skin was the deep, luminous hue of obsidian, like polished Nubian stone kissed by the sun. The very truth of melanin personified. Her presence was both regal and untamed, a blend of light and shadow that made her beauty otherworldly. She wore the garb of a goddess and a warrior; her attire echoed the traditions of ancient Egypt.

A golden breastplate adorned with intricate carvings of ankhs, serpents, and lotus flowers clung to her torso, gleaming with divine energy. A flowing white kilt embroidered with shimmering golden threads draped around her hips, slit high on one side to reveal powerful, yet shapely muscled legs. Her arms bore thick golden cuffs, etched with hieroglyphs that glowed faintly, pulsating with her internal power. Around her neck rested a broad, golden collar, encrusted with jewels the colors of the cosmos—sapphire blues, fiery reds, and emerald greens.

Her hair was a cascade of midnight waves, styled in tight, precise braids that fell past her shoulders. Each braid was tipped with small golden beads, clicking softly as she moved, like the faint chiming of a sacred bell. A golden circlet rested upon her brow, its centerpiece a black diamond that seemed to drink in the light around it.

Her eyes—brilliant, molten gold—scanned the scene. They were sharp as daggers, assessing, commanding, piercing through every soul before her. Her gaze locked on Phoenix, and for the first time, the Magistrate fell to his knees.

“Aries,” he whispered, his voice thick with disbelief and something that almost sounded like fear.

She stepped forward, her movements fluid, each one echoing with an ancient authority that dwarfed everyone present. Theground beneath her feet glowed faintly, as though the earth itself recognized the power of her return.

“You’ve gone too far, Phoenix,” Aries said, her voice soft with disappoint and pain but resonating with power. It was deep, melodic, a song of creation and destruction. “For centuries, you’ve played your games, torn the fabric of reality, and sacrificed countless souls. But it ends now.”

Phoenix recovered his composure. He stood before his wife, his smirk returning, though it was weaker this time. “You’re late, my love,” he said mockingly. “I already won. The Supreme Draca has been unleashed. Lucio is his, and the balance is shattered.”

She raised an eyebrow, a small, dangerous smile graced her ruby red lips. “Is that what you think?”

Without warning, Aries struck.

Her movement was so swift it seemed instantaneous. One moment she was several paces away; the next, her golden blade—materialized from the very ether—was pressed to Phoenix’s throat. The weapon shimmered with divine energy, hummed with power that vibrated deep within the paralyzed bones of everyone present.

Phoenix’s confidence crumbled. He staggered back, trying to summon his own weapon, but Aries was relentless. She disarmed him with a single strike, her blade slicing cleanly through his ancient sword.

“Is this what you wanted?” she asked, her voice now cold. “You sought to break the cosmos apart to force my hand? To bring me back?”

Phoenix dropped to his knees, his face a mix of awe and desperation. “I did it for you,” he said, his voice cracking. “I did it because I love you. It was always for you. We can rule together my love. The greatest King and Queen the pharaohs ever dreamed.”

Her golden eyes narrowed, and her grip on her blade tightened. “You killed me with that same love. You betrayed everything I stood for, everything I fought to protect. You cursed me to an eternity in the void, Phoenix. And for what? Power you are not entitled too. Chaos to boost your ego?”

He looked at her, tears streaming down his face. “It was the only way to make you mine again.”

Aries tilted her head; a flash of pain went across her face. “You fool. I loved you once. Enough to betray my sisters, my mother, my purpose. And you repaid that love with a dagger to my heart.”

Her words cut deeper than any blade. Phoenix bowed his head, shrinking, trembling before her.

“I am not here for vengeance,” Aries continued. “I am here to restore what you had no right to destroy.”

In a single, fluid motion, she struck him. The blow sent him sprawling, his body crumpling to the ground. When he tried to rise, she lashed a golden chain around him, the links glowing with divine light. He struggled, but the chain tightened, binding him like an offering to the ancient gods. Heated by the sun he screamed in agony as his vampiric existence withered under the tight grappling.

“You will answer for your crimes,” she said, her voice heavy with finality. “Not to me, but to the ancient ones you betrayed. There will be no dark void to sulk in as I have, no penance, no merry.”

Phoenix’s face shriveled, his sobs wracking his body with pain and suffering. Despite his betrayal, his love for her was undeniable, and Aries could feel it. Her resolve wavered for a moment as she knelt beside him.

“I loved you, Phoenix,” she said softly. “But I cannot forgive you.”

She leaned down and kissed him despite his bondage—a lingering, mournful kiss that carried centuries of pain and longing. When she pulled away, tears streaked her cheeks.

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