A lie more real than a truth. #5

[ Mystic Falls ]

[ 14h59 ]

Lizzie is fuming, her favorite pair of boots sinks into the mud and gets ruined more at each steps. Hope and Rafael in front her seems to not care at all, they walks at a fast pace while Raf leads them to the last place he thinks Landon could be.

" This better be it wolfy', it's the fourth place we go and still, no trace of your serial killer buddy. " Lizzie says, Raf answers with a raised middle finger and a scathing look.

" Play nice Lizzie. " Hope adds her grain of salt.

" We're here. " Rafael exclaims as he sees a door that lead to an underground bunker they explored one or two years ago. " It's the right place. " He continues confidently while the girls sends him a perplexedly looks he's staring to get familiar with.

" Nobody comes here, the door should be covered with earth, dead leaves but it's not. " He explains his reasoning with a satisfied smile.

" Then there's no need to wait, we're goin' in. " Hope says impatiently and starts to walk towards the discolored door. " You heard her. " Lizzie says to him just after, then she gets behind Hope as she force the lock with a kick and opens the door.

Inside, it smell musty, the air is dry and dusty, metal shelves are filled with canned foods and dehydrated ration stacked on on top of the other.

" Is it me or is this place kinda creepy ? " Lizzie tries to drive away the apprehension they feels with a poorly made joke.

" I knew it ! He was here. " Rafael says while ignoring Lizzie's remark. His sentence is based on the sleeping bag, the flashlight and the rations eaten lying around on the floor.

" Shh... Someone's coming. " Hope exclaims before grabbing Lizzie hand and pulling her behind a shelf. " Raf what are you doing ? " She adds in a low voice that convenes all the annoyance she feels for him as he still haven't hide.

He finally ends up stashed in a dark corner, he does it at the perfect time because a little after the creaking of the bunker door announces the arrival of their guest. They hears the footsteps getting closer, a young man with curly black hair and eyes as dark enters the room where they are.

Rafael eyes widen and he step out from his hiding place, a smile is present on his face as he sees that Landon is healthy, in one piece.

" Motus ! " Hope's voice echoes with fury, the spell telekineticaly propulsed violently Landon against the hard wall. With enough force that he's breath is cut off.

" Stop ! What ar- " Rafael shouts as he approach Hope who's holding Landon plastered against the wall with her magic.

His threatening growls and posture don't achieve the desired effect, she is not intimidated or afraid. A motion with her other send him flying on the shelves, they falls on him and bury him under canned food and heavy metalic shelves.

" Where is the knife ? " Hope asks the powerless Landon who's staying silent and keep looking at her with guilt but also affection.

" I didn't stole it... you've got to believe me Hope, what would I even want to ! " Landon answers with difficulties to speak from a lack of air.

" Why should I trust anything that comes from you ? You lied, you stole, if it wasn't enough you killed peoples ! " Hope adds with anger and hurt, her holds on him tightening until he almost choke.

" I- " Landon begins to say but he have to stop to coughs. " I'm innocent ! It.. It was a woman, she entered the bus and.. Well you know the rest... " He finishes while Rafael gets up and Lizzie walks besides Hope to listen.

Hope looks at him, he doesn't seem to be a killer, however she hasn't thought he was a liar until proven otherwise.

" Let him go ! " Rafael says, he's still angry maybe even more, but now he knows that fighting frontaly with Hope isn't the most efficient approach.

" I..I agree with Raf. Seriously, this guy isn't some evil genius, just look at where he's gone as soon as something took a wrong turn. " Lizzie says, her words surprising Rafael as well as Hope.

" So what ? We suddenly believe his story about how it was a woman who burned the bus and miraculously he's the only one to survive ? It makes no sense. " Hope retorts, unconvinced she keeps staring at Landon who is making a face that scream he have something to reproach himself.

" It's the knife... " He whispers while his dark greenish eyes lower in shame. " I- I lied. I kept it but I swear I never intended to steal it. " Landon adds as he avoid the accusing looks of Raf and Hope.

The heavy silence that follows his revelation is interrupts by a strange noise. They can feel tremor in the bunker coming from the outside. The armored door starts to emits an unbearable heat as it turns red and starts to melt.

" What's that ! What did you do ? " Hope asks coldly while she let her spell dissipate, making Landon falls back on the floor.

" Nothing ! It must be the woman I talked to you about, the one who breathe fire ! That's how she killed everyone in the bus. " He explains hastily while massaging his sore throat.

The heat keeps raising as the door is close to give up under the strain.

Lizzie grabs her bracelet and siphon a bit of magic in preparations, Rafael stands in a defensive posture with his unrelated brother behind him. Hope is more on the offensive, her hands up and ready to cast spells, she have one in mind, a death spell she has learned before the altercation with Landon.

" I guess a human-shaped dragon is a working theory. " Lizzie says as the door breaks.

" How do we beat it ? " Raf asks while he tries to hide his fear, a few days ago he never would have even entertain the idea of a dragon.

" Lizzie you distract it while I cast my spell. Both of you stay here, you'll only be a liability. " Hope says with authority, her words hurt their egos but it is the truth.

In the light from the exit, a woman clad in a white dress with caramel skin and long curly hair stands. Her posture is arrogant, prideful.

" Give it to me. Do it and I'll leave, I have no interests in you. However if you refuse you will be burn, immolated in draconic flames. Then I'll just have to collect my treasure from your blackened carcasses. " The woman speaks, her voice is loud, rumbling, showing only a tiny fraction of the power of her lungs.

" Phesmatos motus ! " Lizzie shouts and a piece of molten metal is throw at high speed towards the fire breathing woman. Unfortunately, the skin of the woman is a resisting as the legonds on dragon scales state.

" Uh.. I think I have an idea for the diversion, something that'll work better obviously. " Landon says from behind the muscular and towering Rafael.

" There's not a chance that we're going to give her the knife ! " Lizzie adds while looking fearfully at the woman who's getting ready to unleash her draconian breathe on them.

" Spiritus corporalis obediat tutela considera, quod mihi nocerre. " Hope chants the spell that doesn't seem to be an offensive one, a circular shadow barely visible appears in front of the three teenagers as the woman opens her mouth and let's out a stream of fire in their direction.

The circular shadow absorb the attack then reflect it toward the dragon in woman shape, the mirror effect is also accompanied by a gush of wind made by Lizzie, the flames roar as the woman is obligated to step back to not be caught by her own flames.

" Go ! Get out, hurry ! " Hope shouts as the four rushes outside of the bunker where they were easy targets, exposed and vulnerable.

Once outside, Rafael forsakes the others to physically attack their enemy, however a dragon not only has fire as its advantage, it's strength and resistance to damage are equally overdeveloped.

He underestimates her, the punch he initiated is deploying towards the head of the woman, but with a gesture as fast as that of a vampire she grabs his arm. She bends it painfully then pulls her leg back before smashing Rafael's knee, a sickening sound echoes as he falls on the ground.

His attack haven't caused any damage but it have the merit of creating a diversion and offering Hope a little bit of time.

" Fragile cor, cor pulsare desierit, sentinam, desinunt, quiesce vivere ! " Hope recites the spell as Lizzie stands beside her in case she needs to be protected.

The woman suddenly feels her limbs stiffen, her organs slow down as the spell acts on her, her heart is targeted. The time between each beat becomes longer, her head spins, her lungs burn, then the deliverance comes. Her heart stops and she falls on the ground.

" Whoa..." Lizzie exlaims, not having anything else in store after witnessing a dragon in action.

" Uh- guys ? " Landon who's hidden himself as soon as they exit the bunker gets out of hiding spot and says. " You think it's supposed to do that when it's dead ? " he adds when he have their attention, referring to the corpse that starts to twitch, to mutate.

The woman's caramel skin starts to being covered by coppery scales, her legs streches and grows as her feet change into paws with sharp claws. Her upper body also undergoes the transformation, her arms now also have scales and claws. Her neck lengthens and her head as nothing human anymore, large black eyes covered with a thin membrane, a mouth filled with rows of teeth made to to tear, slice and grind. Three large horns rises from her draconian skull to form a natural crown which seems to indicate the place occupied by the dragons in the food chain, the top.

" Is it.. Is it dead or not ? " Rafael asks while he gets closer to the group with difficulties because of his broken knee that'll heal in a hour or two.

" Maybe it's normal, like when they die they transform back into their true form. You know a reflex or something like that... " Landon says enthusiastically, his curiosity for the creature surpassing the fear he feels toward it.

" I saw its eyes move !! " Lizzie shouts and they all immediately turns back to the moving dragon who's mouth is fully open as it gaze at them with utter hatred.

" Uicta fatis- " Hope is in the middle of casting a spell she only saw Alec do but unfortunately it is too late. A torrent of fire descends on them, for a short moment she thinks she's going to die. Die and return as another.

However it was without counting on the intervention of the weaker member who positioned himself in front of them, the knife in his hand brandished bravely in front of advancing wall of fire.

The flames seperate and deflected by the knife, protecting Hope, Lizzie et Raf. Landon him is struggling against the power of the flames which licks his hand holding the blade, he endures until the jet of flame is extinguished.

" Phesmatos motus ! " He don't which of Lizzie and Hope did it but the knife is torn from his hand. The blade flies and penetrate the body of the dragon through its gaping open mouth before piercing its heart already damaged from earlier.

" How are we going to hide this ? " Lizzie asks while pointing at the majestic corpse of the legendary beast.

" Are we even sure it's truly dead this time ? " Landon adds while he looks at his unharmed hand with a strange expression, it doesn't hurt and there's no mark. There should be, unless, unless he isn't as human as he thought he thinks.

But the question solve itself before their astonished eyes, the gigantic body decomposes into a black muddy puddle which is unnaturally quickly absorbed by the earth.

No traces of the dragon remains, except for charred pins and a bunker that will no longer protect anyone.

[ Seattle ]

[ Minutes later ]

Lying on his sofa, Alec recovers I'm front of a documentary on sea creatures. His skin have taken back some colors, his eyes brighter and he can think again without being under the constant assault of headaches.

Describing his state of mind is harder, one side of him feel an infantile joy at seeing his mother after so many years even if it was only a memory, another side shout, it cry and scream that it want to know. Anger, curiosity but also loneliness support this choice that refuses to stay ignorant of his own fate.

As his mind works to find a way to locate a vampire, he gently removes the flower of lys from his mouth. It no longer looks like symbol of purity but of death or corruption, it's white and pink petals have become as black as the night with dark purple highlights in the interior of the leaves. The black magic destroying his body from the inside was transferred to this flower, making it, a black, cursed, useful object.

After putting back the flower in its jar, Alec walks to the entrance of the apartment, he takes his brown coat and search in the pockets. He examine the card Hope gave him, on it the name of the school with an address below, a smile appears on his face as he remembers her words.

He decides that it's the easiest way to find informations about the vampire he saw in the Empu'sa memories. Furthermore, even if he won't admit it out loud, both of the girls has a little something that interests him.

An hour later, his life is packed. He has a bag with his clothes and two other that contains his books and tools. Alec throws one last look at the apartment he occupied for the last year then leave. His destination, Mystic Falls in Virginia.

This time the trip won't as easy as walking into a puddle. Travelling from a point A to a point B through reflective surface requires excellent control and is not within every witches or warlocks reach considering the quantity demanded by the spell.

Alec isn't capable of covering this much distance, a series of jumps over short distances would knock him out fairly quickly.

Calling a taxi with a few clicks on his phone, he waits on the sidewalk, watching the passer-by to pass the time. He doesn't have to wait too long, the advantage of the city.

He puts his bags in the trunk then opens the back seats door and install himself comfortably before looking at the man driving who's smiling politely at him.

" Hi, so ? Where to ? " The taxi driver asks while glancing at Alec in the side mirror.

Alec's hands shoot forward and he blow a greenish powder at the driver face who immediately starts to suffocate before stopping all movements, his eyes still staring at the side mirror as Alec gets out of the car and abandons him on the sidewalk.

He grabs the wheel with both hands and crush the accelerator pedal while the passer-by watch as if enthralled.

They never intervened.