The newborn army was a chaotic mess.
Sakura quickly learned that life as a vampire wasn't about order or peace—it was about survival. The hunger never ceased. It was constant, gnawing at her insides like a wild beast clawing to be freed. The thirst. It overwhelmed everything else in the early days of her transformation, making time seem irrelevant. It was an insatiable need, and nothing could quench it—not animal blood, not the wild hunts. Nothing.
But amid the chaos of the army, something else was starting to surface—something that wasn't born of the frenzy of her transformation.
Her power.
Victoria didn't concern herself with the newborns. She was too focused on her grief over James' death and her hunger for vengeance against the Cullens. The newborns were simply tools, weapons in her hands, but not her concern. She had Riley for that.
Riley was the one who led the newborn army, with cold efficiency and ruthless discipline. He drilled them mercilessly, teaching them to fight, hunt, and kill without hesitation. There was no room for weakness in Victoria's army, no time for sympathy. The newborns were weapons. And if you didn't become one, you would be discarded.
But Sakura wasn't like the others.
At first, she had been as wild as the rest of them. She had been consumed by the thirst, driven by that overwhelming urge to feed. But even in the midst of her frenzy, something had shifted. Something had clicked. And it wasn't just a coincidence. She wasn't just learning to survive. She was changing.
It had started with a flicker.
Sakura had been hunting—a human this time. The city was full of them, unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. The newborns were expected to feed on humans. Nothing else would satisfy the hunger. And the city was a perfect playground for them—dark alleys, bustling streets, and the ever-present scent of human blood.
But when Sakura reached for her next victim, something else happened. She reached out with her senses, and it was like the world shifted. She hadn't moved the human, no, that wasn't it. She had changed the air around her, the way it moved through the night, the pressure of the world against the human's skin. It was like she had pulled the world in a different direction.
The man, stumbling in the alley, suddenly froze. His body jerked unnaturally as if he had lost his balance in mid-step. He fell hard to the ground, disoriented, wide-eyed with terror. Sakura barely registered what had happened before she pounced, her fangs sinking into his neck. The blood was hot and rich, filling her mouth, and for a fleeting moment, the hunger subsided.
But as she stood over the body, something gnawed at her. That wasn't normal. It wasn't just her speed or her strength—it had been something else.
A gift.
She had heard rumors among the newborns of powers—rare abilities, gifts bestowed upon some vampires—but never had she imagined she would be one of those chosen. And yet, she could feel it now, deep inside her. Her control, the way she could move objects, alter the flow of things around her... it was no accident. It was deliberate.
The R.O.B.
It had to be.
She remembered the encounter, the flash of light, the mocking tone of the R.O.B. in the void. He had spoken of her power as though it were a trinket, something to amuse him, to see how she would wield it.
You were always meant to be different, he had said, that cruel smile dancing across his unseen face. This power is yours to control. Or lose control of.
Sakura's hands trembled as she stood over the lifeless body of the man. She had not asked for this power. She had not chosen it. But she was stuck with it, as much a part of her now as her thirst for blood.
The sensation of power still hummed beneath her skin, the air around her almost alive with it. It wasn't just the ability to move things—it was something more. Something deeper. A force she could bend to her will, something that had the potential to tear the world apart if she wasn't careful.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement in the shadows. Riley.
"Not bad," he called from the darkness, his voice deep and casual as if he had been watching for some time. "You handled that well."
Sakura stiffened, her senses alert. "I didn't... mean to do that," she muttered, glancing down at the body. Her fangs ached, and the hunger flared again. But now, it wasn't just the thirst that scared her. It was the power she had just tapped into.
Riley stepped into the alley, his expression unreadable. He didn't seem surprised, only interested. "You're stronger than the others. I can see it." His eyes gleamed in the dim light, sharp and calculating. "You have control over vectors, don't you?"
Sakura's heart stilled. "Vectors?" she echoed, unsure of what he meant.
"The forces that act on things. The way objects move, the way energy is transferred. You can push them, pull them, redirect them. You're not just a strong newborn. You have a gift." He paused, watching her closely. "Not everyone gets powers like that. But if you're smart, you'll use it."
Her mind reeled. This was it. This was the power the R.O.B. had given me. He wasn't just playing games. He'd meant for me to use it.
The thought was both intoxicating and terrifying. She could feel the strength of her ability—she could manipulate the very air around her, control the flow of forces in ways that made her feel invincible. But that power came at a price. She didn't know how far it would take her, or if she could even handle it. She could feel the danger of it, the weight of its potential to destroy everything.
"Remember," Riley's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "You don't have time to waste. Victoria won't wait forever. If you're going to survive, you need to harness that power. But don't forget, you're still one of us—a weapon for the army. You might have a gift, but you still need to prove yourself."
Sakura nodded stiffly, the weight of his words sinking in. The power was hers to command—but at what cost?
As she moved to leave the alley, the taste of blood on her lips, the power buzzing beneath her skin, a thought lingered in the back of her mind.
She wasn't just a monster now. She was a weapon. And the R.O.B. had given her the means to destroy everything around her if she wasn't careful.