15

Days drifted by, and I found myself taking refuge in Esther's hut. She provided us with daylight rings after Kol suffered burns from the sun. The village had quickly turned against us as bodies were discovered and fear spread like wildfire. Now, everyone shuttered themselves indoors, well aware that we couldn't enter without an invitation.

Throughout this turbulent time, Mother and I hadn't exchanged a single word. She remained secluded in her hut, perhaps wrestling with her own demons or perhaps out of fear or disappointment. The once warm connection we shared seemed to have retreated into a cold silence,

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(Elias POV)

Finn chose to remain at home, tasked by Mikael to assist and look after Rebekah. Unperturbed by his duties and driven by the insatiable hunger within me, I ventured out to hunt. My target soon became apparent: a young man in his mid-30s, alone and unaware of the looming danger.

With a swift, predatory grace, I rushed towards him and sank my fangs into his neck. As his blood flooded my mouth, an unstoppable urge took over. I was acutely aware of his heartbeat, feeling it slow with each draw of blood, but the monstrous craving within me overshadowed any semblance of conscience or restraint. I was consumed by the need to feed.

Eventually, his heart ceased its rhythm, and I dropped his lifeless body. It fell to the ground with a finality.

As the body hit the ground, a sudden, excruciating pain overwhelmed me. My leg snapped, and my back cracked, sending me into a spiral of agony. I screamed as the transformation, more violent and forceful than anything I had previously experienced, took hold of me.

Too consumed by pain and the chaotic transformation, I failed to notice Esther and Mikael closing in around me. Esther began to chant in a powerful, resonating voice, "Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San." Her words were barely audible over my own screams of torment.

"Help me!" I managed to cry out, feeling my teeth painfully elongate into sharp fangs. I tried desperately to reach Esther, to stop her, but an invisible barrier halted my advance. It was then, in that moment of helpless distraction, that Mikael took his chance. He moved with a grim determination, plunging a wooden stake through my heart from behind.

My world erupted in pain, and then everything faded to black, my last conscious thought a mix of betrayal, shock and Finn.

( Third POV)

Mikael and Esther stood over Elias's desiccated body, confusion and frustration evident in their expressions. Mikael's voice broke the silence, loud and demanding, "He's supposed to be dead. Why isn't he dead?" He turned to Esther, seeking answers.

Esther, visibly shaken and uncertain, stuttered in response, "I... I don't know." She then hesitantly added, "You did use the white oak stake, didn't you?" Her voice was tinged with doubt.

Mikael's glare stopped her mid-sentence, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "I didn't make a mistake, woman. Now, what do we do?" he demanded, his patience wearing thin.

After a moment of contemplative silence, Esther responded, "Let's seal him away. I can't be certain if he's truly dead, but we can ensure he's kept hidden. We'll seal him somewhere no one will find his body or remove the stake. It's the safest course of action until we understand more."

And so, they acted on their grim resolution. A few miles from the village, they found an abandoned cave, remote and hidden from the eyes of the unsuspecting. There, in the enveloping darkness, they placed Elias's body, carefully concealing it from the world.

Esther worked meticulously, weaving her magic to cloak his presence, ensuring that even those who happened to stumble upon the cave would not detect him. She then cast a powerful boundary spell around the cave's perimeter, creating an invisible barrier no one could cross. The cave became a sealed tomb. a fortress of solitude meant to contain whatever remained of Elias, be it dead or dormant.

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(Finns POV)

Hours had passed with no sign of Elias, prompting me to search for him. I couldn't find him, but I caught his scent, a trail that led me to a lifeless body. Distraught and confused, I rushed back home, where I found Mother, Father, and my siblings, their eyes filled with tears.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice tinged with worry and confusion.

Through his tears, Niklaus's voice trembled, laden with sorrow and regret. "I'm sorry, brother," he managed to choke out, the words heavy with grief.

"Elias... Father killed him," he stuttered, his voice interrupted by hiccups and the steady flow of tears streaming down his face

The reality of Elias's fate hit me like a tidal wave of shock and despair. "No, it can't be," I gasped out, struggling for breath under his iron hold. "Please, Father, say it isn't true!"

His face remained unyielding, his eyes cold with judgment and anger. "A lie? You want comfort in lies?" Father's voice was a low growl. "The truth is harsh, boy. Your actions, your choices, have consequences. Elias's blood is on both your hands!"

The room spun as the weight of his words sank in. Elias, my other half, my partner, As tears streamed down my face.

The pain of loss was sharp and immediate, cutting through the fear and the physical pain of Father's grasp. Tears blurred my vision, and a mix of grief, disbelief, and desperation overwhelmed me.

"Father, please... he can't be gone. Elias, he... he's everything," I choked out between sobs, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mikael's face twisted into a sneer, his grip unyielding. "Everything to you? He was a blight, a mistake that needed to be eradicated!" His voice was venomous, each word designed to wound. "You're blinded by this... this infatuation. Weak! He was nothing, and now he's gone, as he should be."

His words were like daggers, each one slicing deeper into the already gaping wound in my heart.

Mikael's scornful words continued to echo in the room as I turned my tear-streaked face towards Mother, seeking some semblance of understanding or sympathy. Her expression was softer, tinged with sorrow, but her words carried the same underlying severity.

"What you and Elias shared... it goes against the laws of nature, against the balance we must all respect," she spoke, her voice gentle yet firm. "Such acts do not go unpunished. I'm sorry, my child, but you must understand the gravity of your choices."

Her words, though not as venomous as Father's, still stung with the bitter truth of condemnation. The room felt heavy with disapproval and the unspoken finality of Elias's fate. The comfort I sought in her eyes was overshadowed by the weight of what they believed to be an unforgivable transgression.

"How can love be so wrong? How can feeling something so deeply be against nature?" I whispered, more to myself than to them.

"You should consider yourself fortunate that the same fate has not befallen you," he said said, his tone cold.

Father's grip finally loosened in the heavy silence following his words, but the cold and distant look in his eyes remained. He stepped back, a look of finality etching his features.

I used my speed to escape to our secret cave, once filled with laughter, and shared secrets with Elias. Now, it was just a hollow echo of what used to be. As soon as I arrived, all the pent-up emotions crashed over me like a relentless wave. The love we shared, the profound sorrow of loss, and the piercing sting of betrayal from those I called family overwhelmed me.

I collapsed to the ground, the cold, hard earth beneath me providing no comfort. Tears streamed down my face unrestrained, each one a silent testament to the depth of my pain. The cave, once a haven of happiness and love, now felt like a tomb, enclosing me with the haunting memories of what had been.

"Why did it have to end this way?" I whispered into the darkness, the words absorbed by the silent, uncaring stone.

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What is The Brotherhood of the Five?