Italy.
Twenty-five years later, the baby boy had grown into a man. In one of the rooms of the grand house, Alessandro stood in front of the mirror, examining his appearance and face. Tonight, he looked very handsome, clad in a black suit.
Alessandro Romano, the firstborn who inherited his family's Mafia Dynasty, turned quickly toward the door upon hearing a creaking sound. He offered a slight smile when he saw his mother, Bianca, standing in the doorway.
"Mama," Alessandro greeted softly, though the cold tone characteristic of him still lingered in his voice.
Bianca returned the greeting with a faint smile that could not hide her beauty despite her age. "You look very handsome tonight, dear. Will Giulia be accompanying you to the party?"
"Yes, Ma," Alessandro replied briefly.
Bianca then looked at her son with a scrutinizing gaze. Changing the topic, she asked, "Do you still have frequent nightmares, dear?"
Alessandro let out a heavy sigh, recalling the dreams that always haunted his nights. The roar of a pair of white tigers, more like cries, their long wails stealing Alessandro's peace. Every time the dream came, a chilling anxiety gripped him, and he was always shadowed by a pair of wild beasts.
"Those dreams feel like a curse to me, Ma," he said, his voice slightly choked. "When I wake, there is something I cannot ignore. For some reason, those dreams give me profound sorrow while making my anger surge. The pair of white tiger eyes seem to be asking me for help."
Slowly, Bianca walked toward the large window in her son's room. Once there, she drew aside the curtains. For a moment, Bianca was lost in thought, her eyes fixed on the sky illuminated by the full moon.
"The full moon has come," she whispered.
Alessandro stepped toward his mother, a faint smile playing on his handsome face. He understood his mother's strange habits. Every time the full moon arrived, Bianca always seemed gloomy, her face showing a deep anxiety she never explained.
"Trust me, Ma. Nothing will happen to me," he said, trying to reassure the woman who had given birth to him.
Bianca did not answer. She remained silent, staring at her son's face as if wanting to verify the truth of every word Alessandro spoke.
For the second time, Alessandro let out a heavy sigh. He then said his goodbyes and hurried off to Giulia's house, his beloved.
The lavish party held at a villa by one of the mafia families looked so grand and excessive. The scent of rich red wine mingled with cigar smoke, creating a warm atmosphere heavy with hidden danger.
Among the crowd of guests, Alessandro and Giulia were lost in the dance on the ballroom floor. Giulia looked graceful in a red gown, standing out prominently among the other women.
As Alessandro pulled her closer into his embrace, Giulia whispered sharply into his ear.
"We shouldn't be here. I hate being among old men whose hands are soaked in blood."
Alessandro offered a faint smile on his handsome face. "I know, amore mio. But as the heir of the Romano family, I cannot refuse this invitation. They will always be waiting for me."
He took a brief breath. "I promise you, someday, I will leave the world of the mafia that you hate so much."
Giulia gazed into the depths of Alessandro's eyes, as if searching for the truth behind the promise spoken by the man she loved so dearly.
"I will wait for that day, Ale," Giulia replied, her voice filled with certainty.
Alessandro tightened his embrace. Slowly, he bent down, his lips gently brushing Giulia's forehead. "I will never break my promise," he whispered.
He looked at Giulia's face again; for a moment, their gazes met, lost in a sea of immense love. The clamor of the party did not disturb the couple in the slightest.
Suddenly…
Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire erupted into the air, drowning out the music and the laughter of the guests. Panicked screams mingled with the sounds of overturned chairs and rapid shots.
In an instant, the dance floor turned into a chaotic sea of fleeing bodies. The luxurious villa transformed into a terrifying battlefield.
With reflexes and swift movements, Alessandro grabbed Giulia's hand, forcibly pulling the woman behind the nearest marble pillar.
"Tiara mia! Take cover here," he said, his voice filled with anxiety.
His sharp eyes swept across the entire villa, searching for the source and direction of the gunfire.
Bang! Arrgghh!
The sounds of gunfire and Giulia's loud screams followed each other in succession, shocking Alessandro. His eyes widened in disbelief, as if he could not believe that his beloved had been shot.
"Giulia!" Alessandro screamed, holding tightly the weakening body of his beloved in his arms.
Slowly, Giulia raised her hand, touching Alessandro's cheek. In a trembling and barely audible voice, she said, "A-Ale, d-don't cry for me. Your life must go on. Remember your promise to leave this world full of blood."
"Don't speak! I will get you out of here," Alessandro said, his eyes never leaving Giulia's face.
"No!" Alessandro shouted. "Don't leave me! I can't live without you! Open your eyes!" He screamed hysterically, his body trembling, while bullets whizzed around them.
Slowly, Giulia's eyes closed. A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Arrivederci, amore," she whispered.
Giulia's head drooped. Her last breath vanished in the embrace of the man she loved so deeply.
"Giuliaaa!" Alessandro roared.
At the same time as his roar, the full moon rose from behind the villa's glass window. Its silver light fell directly on Alessandro's face, illuminating the tears mixed with his beloved's blood. Suddenly, his eyes were no longer blue, but shone silver, wild like a beast filled with vengeance.
Faintly, the sound of a tiger's roar echoed wildly, creeping through his bones.
The sound was accompanied by the melody of gamelan, as if proclaiming the drums of war from a hidden world.
Roarr! The roar from Alessandro reverberated, filling the room and overpowering the screams and gunfire. The guests, guards, even the attackers, froze in their places.
Time seemed to stop, frozen. Still holding Giulia, Alessandro looked up and shouted, "Arrghh!" Slowly, he laid his beloved's body on the cold villa floor.
Wushh!
His body shot forward like a tiger. He attacked and pounced, tearing through all the intruders without showing an ounce of mercy. The screams of pain now rang deafeningly. At this moment, Alessandro was no longer a mafia; he had become the White Tiger, unleashing his vengeance.
Meanwhile, in a different country, a young woman wept over the death of her beloved. She was the baby girl who had also grown into adulthood.
"Aarrgghh! I will avenge everything you've done!"
She held tightly the body of the man she loved. Her anger surged, and just like Alessandro, her eyes shone silver.
"Roarr!" Unconsciously, she roared.
Her roar shocked everyone at the charity party. Her eyes darted wildly, searching for the person who had shot her beloved.
Slowly, she laid down the body of the man she loved. "Wushh!"
She dashed forward, raging wildly, seeking and attacking the intruders who had destroyed the charity event and become the killers of her beloved.