The room was alive with the hum of quiet conversations and the occasional burst of laughter, but beneath it all lay a current of unspoken anticipation. Finally, Tanya broke the tension, her voice clear and direct.
"Severus, Esme has told us that you may have found the means to enable us to have offspring," she said, her eyes fixed intently on mine. The room fell silent as every gaze turned towards me.
I smirked, letting the moment hang in the air. "Has she now?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, and I threw a look towards Esme; I could see her ducking out of the way, seemingly not having done it with ill will at least.
"Well, I have found a way for you all to have children," I began after my rhetorical question, my tone deliberately casual. "But the question is, why should I openly share it with you all?"
Immediately, all eyes shifted to Maggie. Her expression was a mix of shock and awe, but she quickly composed herself. "He is telling the truth!" she declared, her voice carrying a note of disbelief.
I turned my attention to Gayward, who stood off to the side, his face a mask of seriousness. "So you weren't joking?" I asked, my eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"No, I was not. She indeed has the power to tell if someone is lying or not," he replied, his tone flat and emotionless.
"Interesting," I said, the wheels in my mind turning. The room remained silent, the weight of my revelation sinking in.
The room erupted into chaos. Vampires from the Denali, Irish, and Olympic covens all began shouting, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of demands, pleas, and arguments. Some insisted I hand over my knowledge immediately, others begged for mercy, and a few tried to make logical appeals. I stood my ground, ignoring the individual voices. My initial offer had been meant for the Cullens alone, but Esme had shared my secret, and now I was faced with three covens all clamoring for the same prize.
Carlisle, ever the voice of reason, well, his life must be hard being surrounded by idiots, finally managed to cut through the noise. "Okay, Severus, what do you want?" His calm, measured tone brought a hush over the room as everyone turned to listen.
I allowed myself a small, triumphant smirk. "Originally, I just wanted to strengthen our relationship. Seeing how you guys are 'vegetarians' and how it might be possible to integrate into the society I envision. But you doubted me and had to bring in a human—sorry, a vampiric lie detector!" I said, my voice dripping with mock hurt as I pointed towards Maggie.
"Yeah, we get it. Stop playing the victim card, you ass!" Rosalie snapped, her eyes flashing with anger.
I turned my smirk towards her. "Okay, lady, why do you hate me so much?" I asked, my tone teasing.
"I don't actually hate..." she began, her voice trailing off into an embarrassed whisper as a blush spread across her cheeks.
"Tell us your conditions, Severus!" Tanya demanded, her eyes narrowing.
I took a deep breath, letting the anticipation build for a moment before I spoke. "Okay, here's the deal. I want an alliance and your help," I said, meeting Tanya's gaze squarely.
There was a beat of silence as my words sunk in.
"And what kind of help are you asking for?" Eleazar inquired, his tone cautious.
I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms. "I need support for the future I envision—a future where vampires, Wixen, Wolves, and humans coexist peacefully. This means training, resources, and protection when needed. In return, I'll share my knowledge on how you can have children."
The room buzzed with renewed discussion, but this time it was more focused, more serious. I could see the wheels turning in their heads as they weighed the offer.
Carlisle stepped forward, his expression thoughtful. "This is a significant request, Severus."
Tanya nodded in agreement, her earlier skepticism replaced with determination. "We'll discuss this as a group and come to a decision."
I glanced around the room, noting the varying expressions—hope, curiosity, caution. This was a pivotal moment, and I knew I had to play my cards right.
"Take your time," I said, my voice steady. "But remember, this offer stands only if we all work together."
"What kind of alliance?" Siobhan finally asks, after giving me like twenty minutes to check out the booties on display, her piercing gaze fixed on me.
I took a deep breath. "I'm not innocent, and I think no one here truly is, for that matter. But anyway, I'm a courier of sorts, and there's a group coming after my operations. The people I can employ are all untrustworthy and weak idiots. I need help!" I began, explaining the nature of my work and the threats I faced from that asshole called the Godfather.
Siobhan listened intently, nodding occasionally. "I see. This might actually benefit us all and strengthen our little alliance, if we work together," she finally said.
"So you're the guy calling himself the Big Bad Wolf?" Liam, her partner, asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The one and only!" I replied with a smirk.
"And you've managed to get your stupid ass on the Godfather's bad side?" Liam continued, clearly unnerved, but amused.
"Is that a deal breaker?" Kate asked, her expression curious and somewhat naive about the world's darker factions.
"Not a deal breaker, but it makes things difficult," Eleazar said, his brows furrowed in thought.
"Why?" Kate pressed, clearly eager to understand.
"See, what Severus is offering is basically a better deal than what anybody has ever offered to us, to our kind. But the Godfather's group is an established entity in our world, and they won't tolerate someone coming in and taking over their market. Any deal, any job, any crime lord has to pay their due to their group. They won't bother you as long as you're small, but if you grow to a certain threshold, they'll come knocking on your door," Eleazar explained patiently.
"And it seems Severus has reached that level," Carlisle added, looking thoughtful.
"Well, what can I say? I'm good at everything I put my mind to, and now I want a new order because what we have now is bullshit!" I said, my annoyance clear.
The room was silent for a moment as everyone absorbed the gravity of the situation.
"We need to think this through," Tanya said, breaking the silence. "If we ally with Severus, we'll be challenging an established power. But if we succeed, we could reshape the whole board."
"I'm in," Emmett says, stepping forward with a determined look. "I've never been one to shy away from a fight, especially from a good one."
"Why?" Alice asked, and suddenly, all eyes were on me, their curiosity picked once more.
'Damn it, Alice!' I thought because I had them solidly on the hook, but she goes asking more and more questions.
*Sigh*
"How to best explain?" I mused aloud, pondering for a moment.
"Alright, let's look at the facts about each faction's situation," I began. "The wixen, also known as the ICW, isolate themselves, hoarding their knowledge and power just like every other faction does. The humans, are so numerous, but they're divided and are starting wars left and right for resources, making the world a shittier place for all of us. With their science, they might close the gap pretty soon. But that is going to take a while, I assume. Meanwhile, the church, in their misguided idiocracy, is protecting humans from us, labeling us all as evil, and hunting us down. And the Volturi? Well, they're on a whole other level of idiotic."
"Why?" Eleazar asked, genuinely curious, given his past affiliation with them.
"You guys have the key to eternal life at barely any cost, and you use it to laze around and play at being royalty. You could have collected the brightest minds throughout history, offered them life and the opportunity to research and help humanity. But you did not! Partly because the church paints you as devil's minions, and partly because you couldn't be bothered," I explained, frustration creeping into my voice.
"So, what is it you want to do, actually?" Tanya inquired, her eyes narrowing with interest.
"A new society!" I declared.
"Elaborate!" Eleazar demanded, his curiosity piqued.
"Each group has its shortcomings and advantages. If we pool them together, we can reach for new and distant shores!" I explained passionately.
A pindrop silence followed as they absorbed my words.
"We can explore what lies beyond the stars. Vampires can actually survive the journey! We can colonize other planets and open portals through magic. We can see if there are other dimensions to conquer. But we're wasting our potential by plotting against one another. And here's where my plan for an alliance comes in," I continued, my vision clear.
"Explain," Eleazar prompted, giving me a moment to let them absorb everything.
"I started with crime to first reduce the population to a manageable number. Next, we will slowly take over and expand. But there's the problem of the Godfather and other people standing in my way!" I laid out my strategy.
"Who are we up against?" Tanya asked, and when she used 'we,' I knew I had won her over.
"First are the Goblins and Wixen, but I'm already working on that front, and I can manage alone. Next will be the Godfather, followed by the Church and the Volturi, and finally, the humans. Once we break them all, we can redraw society! Take what is left and repurpose it into something truly great," I explained, watching as they contemplated the enormity of the plan.
A heavy silence settled over the room, thick with thought and anticipation. They were on the cusp of a monumental decision, and I could see the wheels turning in their minds.
Siobhan was the first to speak. "If we succeed, we could reshape our world for the better."
"I'm in," Emmett declared once more, stepping forward with determination. "I've never been one to shy away from a fight, especially for a good cause."
'Is this dude a broken disc?!' I contemplated, and I could see Rosalie thinking something along the same line of thought.
"When I first saw you, Severus, I already knew you were a little troublemaker," Carlisle began, his tone filled with a mix of apprehension and admiration. "But this is far beyond merely making trouble. You want to remake the world!"
"I know," I replied with a confident smile. "And this is why the world has to burn down first. I'm offering you tangible benefits, not empty promises. Am I right, Carlisle?"
Carlisle's eyes met mine, a myriad of emotions flickering within them—doubt, hope, and a glimmer of excitement. The room seemed to hold its breath, awaiting his response.
He sighed, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "You're right, Severus. The vision you have... it's bold, unprecedented. But it's not without merit. The current world is flawed, and your plan offers a chance at something better."
A murmur of agreement spread through the room. The initial shock was giving way to contemplation, and I could see the idea taking root in their minds. They were beginning to see the potential, the promise of a new world order.
Tanya stepped forward, her eyes reflecting a steely determination. "If we're going to do this, we need to be all in. No half measures."
"Agreed," Eleazar added, his voice firm. "This isn't just about survival. It's about creating a future worth living in."
One by one, the others voiced their support, their initial reservations melting away. The room buzzed with a newfound energy, a sense of purpose and unity.
Carlisle finally spoke again, his voice steady and resolute. "Severus, we're with you."
('Well, step one is done! Now I just need to actually pull trough, and I will have enough reputation, and feats to my name to ascend!') I thought amused.
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Hey everyone,
I finally finished posting the last chapter of the first Ark for my Patrons, if you want to read the whole ark, you know where to go!!! I will now be writing/posting the second Ark!!
Here's the deal: we have a few milestones to hit, and if we can reach them, I'll release an extra chapter as a thank you. Here's where we stand:
- **2500 cumulative PowerStones**: We're just around **60** currently short of this goal, standing at ~2440.
- **50 cumulative reviews**: We still need **21** more to reach this milestone, standing at 29.
- **450 cumulative comments**: We're just **29** comments away from hitting this target, standing at 421.
- **4000 cumulative collections**: We're short around **30** collections to make this happen, standing at ~3,97k.
-**50 cumulative Patrons**: We're short **36** Patrons to achieve this goal. I suppose my irregular release rate is the cause, but cut me some slack I have ADHD, and get bored easily....
Most achievable goal is simply giving me all them Power Stones!
So, if you're enjoying the story and want that extra chapter, let's work together to hit these goals. Every bit of support counts, and I'm excited to see what we can accomplish as a community!
Link: pat**on.com/ikaru5
As always a big "Thank you!" for all your continued support!