Ruin My Life ↡ Caius Volturi

Chapter Twelve

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.
—Neil deGrasse Tyson (via quotemadness)

CHAPTER TWELVE©

Caius | Mania

As I stepped out of the flowing river, the warm brown silk of my dress clung to my skin, water dripping down my arms and legs.

I found myself in the realm - the ancestral realm, where the spirits of my people reside.

The air was thick with an ancient, appreciable energy, and the Ancestral Tree before me glowed with a mystical radiance.

I took a moment to take it all in, my senses heightened, and my connection to my heritage.

And then I saw them - Leah wandering the lush, fertile grounds alongside a young man I recognized as Eddie. My eyebrows raised in surprise. What was going on here?

"Leah. Eddie. Aren't you two a sight to see?" I called out, a smile spreading across my face as I approached them.

As I stared at Leah and Eddie - I could sense the powerful connection that had formed between them.

There was an unmistakable aura of tranquility and purpose that radiated from them, a sense that they had both found something profound and transformative in this sacred space.

But I also detected an underlying current of melancholy, a reluctance to leave the comfort and clarity of the ancestral realm and rejoin the chaotic, often overwhelming world of the living.

Leah's eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, I saw a flash of guilt cross her features. "Oh Mania, you shouldn't have come to get me," she said, her voice tinged with dismay.

I gave her a stern look. "I told you I was coming, Leah. You have everyone worried, fearing for your life because you're choosing to stay in the ancestral realm," I chided gently. "It's time to leave, Leah," I told her.

Leah sighed heavily, and I could see the internal struggle playing out on her face. "But I don't want to leave," Leah said.

Eddie placed a reassuring hand on Leah's shoulder. "There comes a time in a person's life...you either stand or you run," he said, his gaze steady and wise.

Leah sighed and nodded. "I saw Dad," she told me, her voice soft and heavy with emotion.

Of course. I should have known. "I know you did, and that's why you want to stay. But Leah, you can't," I said, my heart aching for my sister.

"I know," she replied, her eyes downcast.

Time seemed to lose all meaning in this realm, and Leah had clearly become lost in the sacred rituals, the powerful meditations, and the profound insights that unfolded before her. I could see it in the way her spirit had been transformed, her connection to our ancestral roots deepened in ways I could scarcely comprehend.

And then she uttered the words that truly shocked me. "Eddie is my imprint," Leah told me, her gaze searching my face for my reaction.

Imprint? In the ancestral realm? How was that even possible? What did it mean for Leah, for her future? My mind raced with questions, uncertainty, and worry flooding through me.

"Oh Leah," I breathed, my heart sinking. I was even more concerned for my sister's well-being now.

Eddie smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about me, Leah. You know what you have to do," he said, his voice gentle but firm.

Leah looked like she wanted to cry. I knew she didn't want to leave Eddie or our father behind in this realm, but she also knew that she didn't belong here, not yet.