"So, they can die, and here I thought vampires rule the world," said Holly.
Florence snorted, "Don't let them fool you, the real reason vampires hide their true nature from the world is because of us, and as for Originals, if they can be made, they can be unmade. I still remember the stories my parents used to tell about the last upstart vampire who named himself a count, called himself Dracula, or some such nonsense. Some big coven took offense and wiped him and his brood out, including his pet werewolves. That was the last time any vampire went out of their way to reveal themselves."
"Then why don't the big covens wipe out the rest if they can, save us all the hassle?" asked Lucia indignantly.
Betty sighed, "They're not going to go out of their way to do things out of the goodness of their hearts. No, there will have to be some benefit to them."
"Don't count on the big covens for anything. They're perfectly fine staying on top of their ivory towers, squabbling amongst themselves for whatever resources they feel they deserve while the rest of the world burns. The rest of us might as well not even exist to them," said Mary, her words laced with contempt.
"Well, I want to know how he killed one. Everything we looked up suggests they're invincible. Even covens have fallen to them, indicating a lot of magic is needed in a short amount of time to stand a chance," said Ava thoughtfully.
"Not necessarily," said Tina, "You're forgetting their numbers."
"Good point, Tina. While they're nigh unkillable, what makes them truly dangerous is when they're running around as a family. Alone, I doubt even one of them could wipe out a coven without the element of surprise and careful planning," said Mary.
"Then why don't we just take him down now?" asked Ava impatiently.
"You mean besides the fact he's doing us a favor and the world over?" Holly snarked, receiving a glare in return from Ava.
"Because we're still lacking information, we don't know what it would take or how much to put him down, that's why I sent him to Linda, she'll be a good benchmark for what to expect, and in time we'll force a confrontation between him and the Night Garden to see what he's really made of before we make a move," said Mary.
...
At the Strix headquarters in Europe, Tristan was stuck in his office dealing with the fallout of Rebekah's death, given no time to grieve.
"Yes, yes, I understand, just get it done!" said Tristan, slamming the phone down and leaning over the table with both hands.
Aya entered and waited patiently until he was ready to speak with her.
"This is an unmitigated disaster. We've lost many individuals in critical roles—politicians, governments, and the wealthy—who have now escaped our control, with some fleeing or taking measures to ensure it doesn't happen again. Markets have crashed across the board, and centuries of effort have been wasted in a single day. INCLUDING MY SISTER!" shouted Tristan, angrily sweeping everything off his desk.
"What did The Sisters say? Is Rebekah dead?" asked Tristan, readjusting his suit and hair.
"As far as they can tell, that seems to be the case," Aya answered unfazed by his tantrum.
"And can they do anything about this link?" asked Tristan.
"They believe they can, but they won't know until they can get their hands on one of the Originals," said Aya.
"That's unfortunate. Do they know where they are now?" asked Tristan.
"Still in America, a place called Mystic Falls, Virginia," said Aya.
"Have them work on a way to trap them, oh, and how are they on testing sire lines?" asked Tristan.
"They are ready to start at a moment's notice," said Aya.
"Good. We'll use this as an opportunity to clean house and get rid of those causing problems, but be sure to add a few of our more loyal members into the mix if you have to, in case anyone suspects foul play," said Tristan.
"And do you wish for me to get rid of all those, not of our line?" asked Aya.
"No, only those who can trace back their origins and become potential spies. Otherwise, let them stay. We'll need them. There's no reason to throw away any more good men. We've lost enough. It's only a matter of time before everyone figures out what happened and lines are drawn," said Tristan.
Giving a slight nod, she spun to leave when a member entered uninvited.
"Sorry for the disturbance my lord, but Lucian is here, and he's already killed a few of us trying to get in here to see you. What would you have us do with him?"
Tristan sighed, "Send him in."
Aya's left brow arched, "You think that wise?"
"We can use him," answered Tristan.
Entering with a brisk power walk, Lucien pauses briefly upon noticing the clutter on the floor and the empty desk. A sense of unease washes over him as he glances at Tristan, who typically would never permit or engage in such an unrefined display of disorder, indicative of a loss of control.
"Where is Aurora?" he asks, wasting no time.
"Dead," answered Tristan coldly, disgusted that this mere servant from his past should dare to stand before him now and ask such a question.
Devastated, Lucien fell to his knees in shock and murmured, "I knew it had to be one of them, I hoped it was another."
Tristan sneered, "Perhaps me?"
Lucien glared, "Would that be so wrong?"
"No more wrong than you loving my sister," said Tristan disdainfully.
"Must you still taunt me so? How long has it been, and you're still stuck in the past?" asked Lucien tiredly, ignoring the hypocrisy of the question.
Tristan diverted his gaze to a painting. An artwork commissioned by his father during his later years portrays the family with the castle looming in the background. One of the limited number of surviving works that he managed to reclaim after being compelled to flee all those years ago.
"You're right, it is in the past," said Tristan.
Not believing his ears, Lucien looked up, his eyes following Tristan's to the painting, falling on the image of Aurora.
"We both know who's responsible for this, don't we Lucien?" said Tristan, returning his attention to the broken man.
"What makes you say that?" Lucien asked, facing him, "You don't honestly think Niklaus would willingly allow his sister to die any more than you would yours."
"A man who thrives on controlling others. What do you think he would do if she wiggled out from under him? However, that is not the point; the point is that the others have awakened, and we both know they've never been a happy family, always at each other's throats. It was only a matter of time before one of them took it too far, especially with Niklaus pushing them into a corner using the threat of being boxed against the others. And who better knows how to kill an Original than another Original, something we all thought impossible," Tristan reasoned.
"You do make a valid point," said Lucien, getting back to his feet. "Do you know which one killed her?"
"Not yet, and either way, we must bring them all to heel for our own sake. What say you, will you join me?" asked Tristan, playing on his vulnerability.
"Us in an alliance?" asked Lucien as if testing it with his tongue. "They won't see it coming," he grinned.
…
"KLAUS, where are you!" shouted Elijah.
"What is it now Elijah?" asked Klaus in his painting room, working on a new piece.
"Do you have any idea what's going on out there, what happened?" asked Elijah heatedly.
"Please enlighten me," said Klaus uncaringly.
"Vampires have died, have dropped dead all around the world seemingly without reason, there are talks that an Original died, and here I find you painting!" Elijah practically fumed.
"What's with all the noise?" asked Kol, wishing to see what all the fuss was about this time.
Klaus frowned, "What are you on about? Mother wouldn't dare."
Elijah glared, "So, help me Klaus, if I find Rebekah dead."
Klaus rounded on him, "What, what will you do Elijah?"
"Wait, what do you mean Rebekah's dead?" asked Kol worriedly.
"Elijah has just informed me about some vampires dropping dead around the world and suspects it could be due to an Original dying," Klaus humored.
Kol paled as he thought of the white oaks.
Catching this Kalus's eyes narrowed, questioning him, "What do you know?"
Elijah turns to face him with an intense gaze.
"I recently learned last night that the Doppelgangers group has had white oak on them. They attacked me, but I fended them off and destroyed what white oak was brought. I was, however, unable to confirm whether they had more at the time," Kol rapidly replied, feeling awful that he didn't put more effort into finding answers regardless of what Bonnie wanted.
Clenching his fist, Klaus's painting brush snapped, "And you didn't think to tell us sooner?"
"Like I said, it was last night, and I destroyed all they brought. There's no way Mother has anything to do with it," Kol defended.
"We'll see about that. I think it's time we visited the witch and get to the bottom of things," said Klaus, heading for the door, followed closely by Elijah.
Kol speeds in front, cutting them off.
"Get out of my way Kol," Klaus growled.
"You should let me handle it, you know how great I am with witches," said Kol hurriedly.
"We don't have time for this," said Klaus, pushing him out of the way.
"This is our sister Kol. We need answers now," said Elijah.
Kol sneakily began to message Bonnie from behind.
____________________________________
20+ Advanced Chapters can be found at - patreon.com/Nevvan