Sempiterno VI (AlanxJeff)

Vision

Jeff

8 years later.

I could hear the soft whisper of the knife cutting through the air, a clean, precise sound that signaled its inevitable destination as it struck the target. It was a violent melody, yet oddly comforting, a confirmation that, at least in something, I had control. I knew that if I ever faced a situation where I had to defend myself against an alpha, my physical strength would be at a disadvantage. Despite all the training, nature was unforgiving in its rules, which is why I had focused on knife handling and other weapons. It wasn't just a skill; it was my hope.

"Right on target, as always," said Charlie beside me, a proud smile on his face. "Are you trying to put me out of a job?" he asked, feigning sadness while casting a playful glance at me.

I couldn't help but smile. There was something about Charlie that always managed to draw that reaction out of me, no matter how small.

"I just want to learn how to defend myself, at least a little," I replied honestly. "After all, I'll be a soldier."

Charlie looked at me with a seriousness he rarely showed.

"You won't be an ordinary soldier. Your status will always be higher, and your duties are different." There was a protective tone in his voice.

I knew that. My fate was already sealed. Being a beta ensured that I would become a soldier, but being the son of one of the family's alphas gave me preferential treatment, and my special abilities placed me in an even higher position. The weight of my powers was always present, like a shadow I couldn't ignore.

"Yeah, I know," I sighed as I threw another knife, an automatic action that helped calm the storm of thoughts in my mind. "But if I ever lose my abilities, I'll have to be a soldier like everyone else. My status would only be by blood."

"I don't think that'll happen. Even if your abilities disappeared, there'd still be preferential treatment," Charlie said cautiously.

I knew what he meant. Even if my powers vanished, I'd still be the grandson of the former capo. But beyond my lineage, there was something about me that made others underestimate me, see me as an easy target. Maybe it was my reserved nature, my quiet personality. It was a world I didn't understand and didn't want to understand, but one I couldn't escape.

"My mother used to tell me that I had to be useful and necessary for them to protect me," I recalled softly, my words hanging in the air like a silent confession. "That the other famiglias wouldn't hesitate to harm me if I ever stepped out of their protection. She said I would wish for death if they ever caught me, if I ever fell into the hands of those my family had hurt."

A shadow crossed Charlie's eyes, but before he could say anything more, one of my uncle's men appeared.

"Jeff, you have a meeting with Mr. Tony in an hour. Get ready."

I nodded, and the man disappeared as quickly as he had come.

"They've been calling you a lot lately," Charlie commented as he helped me gather my knives, his tone distant, lost in thought.

"A lot's been happening lately," I replied with indifference, shrugging. It was true, but it was also my way of distancing myself from what was really going on.

The world grew darker when they realized I knew the truth, and when I understood what my family expected of me. They constantly sought me out to use my abilities. And what I saw... sometimes I wished I hadn't seen anything. The nightmares haunted me for days, and sometimes I was afraid to go to sleep. Maybe more than once. They had gotten even worse after my mother passed away.