Chapter 82: Judgment From HeavenThe night passed without incident
Life in the small town was peaceful, even a little dull. On the first day back, Angela had excitedly dragged Bella around to meet some of their old high school classmates. There was laughter, a few awkward hugs, and lots of nostalgia.
But for Bella, the excitement wore off quickly. She found herself restless, out of place. Small-town chatter and forced reunions weren't her thing anymore. Since that first outing, she mostly stayed indoors, curled up with books or scrolling aimlessly through her phone.
Then Christmas Eve arrived.
The entire town lit up with festivity. It was the kind of celebration that could only happen in a place where people still believed in snowmen, caroling, and gathering under fairy lights. Angie's house was no different—warm and inviting, filled with chatter and laughter as the entire extended family gathered around the fireplace. The living room glowed from the soft twinkle of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Stockings were hung with care, and the aroma of cinnamon, baked ham, and roasted potatoes filled the air.
Angela looked completely at peace, her smile radiant as she watched her family enjoy the feast she helped prepare.
Bella sat beside her, sipping cocoa, a small smile on her lips. For the first time in a long while, she felt a sliver of peace.
But miles away, deep within the snowy mountains, peace was the last thing anyone felt.
In the dense, frost-covered forest, tension thickened the air like smoke.
Carlisle stood tall at the entrance of the Cullen family's remote residence, his gaze fixed on the three figures before him. Edward was beside him, tense and alert, while the rest of the family stood behind them in quiet formation.
Across from them stood three strangers. Despite the heavy snow falling around them, none wore more than thin, black suits. Their skin was pale, unnaturally so, and the slicked-back blond man in the center exuded a calm menace that felt ancient and cruel.
Snowflakes settled on their shoulders, but they didn't flinch. They didn't shiver. They didn't blink.
They just stared back.
Carlisle broke the silence. His voice was cold and resolute.
"I said, you are not welcome here."
The man in the center smiled thinly, lips barely parting. "This is no longer up to you. You, who have never tasted human blood, are no match for us. You live like cattle, feeding off scraps. We... are evolution."
He gestured with mock grandeur to the quiet town nestled far below the mountains. "This place is ideal for us. Perfect, in fact. A sustainable blood bank. Now, you have two choices—kneel, and serve the James family… or die."
"And maybe," he added, voice dripping with arrogance, "I'll spare that woman."
His companions laughed quietly at the last remark.
The effect was instant.
Carlisle's eyes narrowed. Edward's fangs extended, a growl vibrating from deep in his chest. Even the typically serene Esme looked ready to strike. The entire Cullen clan went still like coiled springs.
"You'll pay for that," Edward snarled.
"Oh?" one of the strangers chuckled. "By you? A clan of exiles, hiding in forests like scared rabbits? You live under the mercy of the Victor family, and now you dare threaten us?"
With a low hiss, the three vampires stepped forward.
The air turned thick with a suffocating pressure—Bloodline suppression.
In the vampire world, those with purer, stronger bloodlines naturally dominated those below them. It was instinctual, a force older than language.
The Cullen family, despite their moral strength, were at a disadvantage. They were "vegetarians," feeding only on animals, not humans. Their powers, while unique, lacked the raw, violent intensity of those who indulged in human blood.
The blond man stepped forward, raising his chin. His voice turned cruel.
"I'll ask one last time. Kneel."
Carlisle remained unmoving.
"Not a chance."
"Then die."
But before the enemy could move, a thunderous sonic boom tore through the sky.
Everyone—Cullen and intruder alike—froze.
Heads snapped upward.
From the stormy sky above, a golden streak cut through the blizzard like a divine blade. It surged downward, growing larger, brighter, until it looked like a meteor descending from the heavens.
A cold, instinctive terror settled over the vampires.
"RUN!" the blond man barked, eyes wide with fear.
But it was too late.
The moment they tried to move, their bodies locked up. Paralyzed. It was as though some divine force had severed the connection between mind and flesh.
"No... no—!"
Their last screams were lost in the roar of wind.
BOOM!
The impact hit like a god's hammer. Snow blasted outward. Trees bowed. The ground trembled.
It felt like the very mountain cracked open.
The blast lasted for a full minute before fading into silence. Snow drifted back down gently, as if nothing had happened.
When the Cullen family opened their eyes again, the clearing ahead had changed.
A massive crater had formed just ten meters in front of them. The three intruders? Gone. Vaporized. Not a single trace remained.
And in the center of the impact zone...
A black sword stood, embedded upside down in the earth.
Holy golden lines pulsed across its obsidian blade, and tiny golden particles floated around it like stars.
The sight filled the Cullen family with dread—not because the sword was threatening, but because it radiated something... divine.
A power that didn't belong in this world.
Even Carlisle felt it in his bones—a whisper of judgment, a sense of being watched by something greater than themselves. The snow around the crater refused to fall near the blade, as if even the elements feared it.
Alice blinked.
"What... what the hell is that?"
Her voice cracked with awe. It was the first time in centuries she had cursed aloud.
Edward stared, speechless.
Carlisle's eyes narrowed, his mind racing.
The pressure from the sword was staggering. The Cullen family, born of unusual bloodlines and rare mutations, had faced many things before—but nothing like this.
"Hey," Alice said, nudging Edward, trying to break the eerie silence. "What if someone needs to, you know… pee? Why don't you go yank it out?"
Edward shot her a glare. "Are you insane? You want me to touch that thing?"
"Just saying," Alice shrugged. "We're all frozen here anyway."
"Enough," Carlisle snapped.
Alice pouted, but fell silent. Then her eyes narrowed again.
"Wait… does this remind anyone else of something?"
"What do you mean?" Esme asked.
Alice's eyes lit up. "The sword… the gold light… That woman. The one who saved us before. The one people online call the Goddess of Judgment."
The others fell silent.
Carlisle and Edward exchanged glances. Esme gasped softly.
"The Goddess of Judgment," she repeated. "She's... returned?"
It was possible.
Before anyone could respond, a strange vibration filled the air.
Oooong~
Golden ripples spread outward from the blade as it shimmered. Then, as though obeying some unseen command, the black sword vanished, disintegrating into golden light.
The snow resumed its fall, gently covering the crater as if erasing the moment from existence.
Only silence remained.
Even Alice—usually quick with a sarcastic remark—didn't speak.
The pressure had lifted, but the memory remained.
Even though it was just a sword, it carried the overwhelming presence of judgment. The kind of divine retribution reserved for monsters and tyrants.
Carlisle slowly exhaled.
Edward clenched his fists.
Alice finally spoke, softly this time.
"She's back."
No one disagreed.
Somewhere far away...
In the quiet warmth of Angie's living room, Bella sat beside the fireplace, still sipping her cocoa.
She felt something—brief, fleeting.
An instinct.
A whisper of something powerful awakening in the mountains.
She didn't react outwardly, but a strange smile tugged at her lips.
The goddess had returned.
And her judgment had already begun.
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