Twilight Reign: The Violet Lightning

The classroom buzzed with hushed conversations as students trickled in, clutching their lab manuals and notebooks. The air smelled faintly of acetone and ethanol, a sure sign that someone had already begun mixing ahead of time.

Raiko sat near the back, her violet gaze scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. She hadn't been at Forks College long, but her otherworldly aura already set her apart. Students noticed her — the strange grace, the faint static that clung to her footsteps, the way even fluorescent lights flickered subtly when she walked under them.

"Today," the professor called out, "you'll be working in pairs for the electrolysis experiment. Your names are on the screen."

As the list displayed, Raiko blinked.

Partner: Alice Cullen.

From across the room, Alice's golden eyes met hers instantly — a small, knowing smile curling on her lips as she approached with smooth elegance.

"Looks like fate," Alice said cheerfully, setting her bag beside Raiko.

Raiko tilted her head. "Or a clever instructor."

Alice chuckled. "I'll take either."

They worked seamlessly. Alice was precise, intuitive, and faster than any human should be. Raiko noted it — and didn't mind. She allowed her fingers to spark slightly when attaching the electrodes to the beaker. Alice noticed.

"You're not quite normal, are you?"

Raiko glanced at her, amused. "Neither are you."

Their eyes lingered longer than necessary before Alice laughed lightly and focused on adjusting the current. But under the surface, both of them were playing a delicate game of observation — supernatural meets divine.

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After class, Raiko exited the building under a gray sky. Mist clung to the grass. She wasn't two steps into the courtyard when she felt it — a presence.

"You're drawing attention," a voice snapped.

She turned.

Rosalie Hale stood beside a tree, arms folded, eyes narrowed. She was breathtaking, dangerous, and suspicious.

Raiko didn't flinch. "You followed me."

"You're not human. That makes you a threat."

Raiko walked forward slowly. "And yet here we are, talking instead of fighting. Curious."

Rosalie's jaw tensed. "What are you?"

"I was human. Once. A man."

Rosalie's eyes flickered with surprise.

Raiko continued, voice soft. "Then I died. Now, I am… something else."

Lightning crackled faintly around her wrist before vanishing into her sleeve.

Rosalie's mouth parted slightly. The tension shifted. Interest replaced suspicion.

"You didn't come here to hurt us."

"No," Raiko said. "I came here to live."

"And yet you're already surrounded by danger."

Raiko smiled faintly. "Danger tends to follow beauty."

Rosalie blinked. For a moment, nothing passed between them but charged silence.

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That night, in her apartment, Raiko stood before the mirror, electricity dancing softly in her palm. The image staring back wasn't Xiu Zhen — not anymore. It was Raiko: radiant, untouchable, divine. And yet… painfully human in her longing.

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

It was Alice.

"I saw you walking alone earlier. Thought you might want company," she said, stepping in without waiting for a yes. Raiko offered tea. They sat by the small table.

"You're not like anyone I've ever seen," Alice said softly.

Raiko looked at her. "Do you see me?"

Alice nodded slowly. "In flashes. You blind my visions sometimes. Like lightning."

Raiko looked down. "I didn't ask for this power."

Alice reached across the table, her hand covering Raiko's.

"Maybe you didn't. But you're here now. And we're drawn to you — Rosalie, too."

Raiko didn't move. But her eyes shimmered.

"I don't want to be alone again."

"You're not."

Alice leaned closer, Raiko felt her breath.

And then the moment was shattered — not by fear, but by a voice in her mind.

> "The Volturi see you."

Raiko jerked back, eyes wide. A pulse of energy surged from her body, crackling the lightbulbs overhead.

Alice stood calmly. "What did you see?"

Raiko's voice dropped. "A warning. A whisper from far away."

Alice nodded. "The Volturi won't sit idle. But neither will we."

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Miles away, a robed figure stood under a tree, eyes glowing crimson.

"She is here," he whispered. "And she is not what we expected."

He vanished.

The storm was coming, and Raiko was its heart.