Stefan furrowed his brow as he reached over the original doppleganger's portrait on the coffee table and handed Tyler/Klaus a scotch and soda, then sat down again in the chair across from the original.

"So you and Elijah fought over Liliya—"

"No." Tyler/Klaus answered immediately, lowering his glass from where he had just taken a sip, "You see, there are some aspects of my relationship with my brother that are different from what you have with yours. Elijah and I didn't fight over Liliya, she went to him willingly and…"

Tyler/Klaus swallowed, twirling the half-empty glass on the arm of the sofa in thought before he finished his sentence.

"I let her go." He finally said softly

"You loved her and you just let her go?" Stefan asked immediately, leaning forward in awe

"You don't understand," Tyler/Klaus sighed, closing his eyes as he clutched his glass tight in his grip

"I think I do," Stefan replied, his voice rising slightly in disgust, "You just let your brother win—"

"No," Tyler/Klaus said, opening his eyes and trying to keep his voice even as he explained, "I didn't let him win, Stefan, he was already destined to win—"

"What? What do you mean destined to win?"

Tyler/Klaus took another drink from his glass then continued, "You know Stefan, my people are very mystical with powerful beliefs in Gods and fate—long before the rest of man-kind. And one of the strongest of those beliefs were that our destinies—particularly our soul-mates on this earth—were written in the stars."

"You've got to be joking," Stefan smirked, raising an eyebrow

"If you lived back then," Tyler/Klaus countered, "You would have seen how true it was. Several couples in our village were written in the stars, as were my parents…and so were Elijah and Liliya. I could see that early on and if there is one thing I've learned Stefan, it's to never mess with fate."

"So, Elijah once had a soul-mate?" Stefan whispered, shaking his head

"Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Tyler/Klaus asked, sitting forward and studying the younger vampire intently

"Because, I don't believe in destiny or fate or things 'written in the stars'," Stefan replied, "I never put much stock in things like that."

Tyler/Klaus leaned back and smirked before downing the rest of his drink in one gulp and sitting the empty glass on the coffee table.

There was a long silence as Tyler/Klaus continued to digest Stefan's words, sitting back on the couch with a small smile.

"What's so funny?" Stefan asked curtly

Tyler/Klaus immediately met Stefan's gaze as he provided the answer.

"What's so funny," he remarked, "Is that you may not put 'much stock' in what I just said, but I bet Damon does."

"Damon's sensitive enough to still believe in the Easter Bunny..." Stefan scoffed

"Don't sell your brother short, Stefan," Tyler/Klaus countered, "Let me guess-in his human life your brother was intelligent, quiet, kind, moral, strong, family oriented, always eager to please your father and most of all, he always let his actions do the talking, not his words."

Stefan's mouth instantly fell open at Tyler/Klaus' words

"I'm not a mind reader, Stefan, I lived with my own older brother once. Elijah was all of those things, but most of all he was loyal and considerate."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as I mentioned before, Elijah saw and met Liliya long before I did, but me being the more social butterfly of the two us, ended up spending more time with her, becoming her best friend and confidant. For years we were inseparable, but, Elijah was never out of the game-he was always there for her when she needed to talk, always watching, casting her looks and making little trinkets or bundling flowers that he would leave as gifts at her window. But, he kept his distance."

"Why?" Stefan asked, suddenly realizing the similarities between the two triangle, especially the part where Damon hung in the wings much like Elijah had done.

"Honestly, I think he did it out of respect for me," Tyler/Klaus answered, "He knew how much I needed someone like her at that time in my live and how much she needed someone like me and he didn't want to be the one to come between us. He just waited until the time was right. And then, when we were fifteen, it happened. One day, in the woods, she told me that she had feelings for Elijah-that while she loved and cared for me, he was the one she was drawn to-the one who made her feel alive-the one she wanted to spend forever with."

"But she told you she loved you," Stefan replied, immediately thinking of Elena and their relationship, "She stood by you for all those years-you shared a bond-"

"Things change, Stefan. She discovered who her true destiny was and I couldn't stand in the way of that. I was hurt, yes, but I couldn't make her stay with me, that would have been cruel and wrong. And, heed my warning, my friend, that would have only driven her farther away and I would have never seen her again."

"But-"

"Written in the stars or not," Tyler/Klaus urged, "there is something going on between your girlfriend and your brother that's packing some serious electricity and you know it. Quite frankly, I think you're being a little to naive about it and if I were you, I would do what I did with my own girlfriend and my own brother... back away or you're going to get electrocuted."

# # # # # # #

"Sorry to break up the moment," Damon interjected, "But, Henrik, we really need your help—"

"It's a dark soul," Henrik answered immediately, then locked eyes with Elijah

"What?" Damon asked, seeing the concerned look on Elijah's face, "What did he say?"

"He said it was a dark soul," Jeremy translated as he too turned to Elijah, "Do you know what that means?"

"Yes," Elijah breathed, "I do. That would explain the strength, speed and maliciousness of the entity that is possessing Matt Donovan."

"What exactly is this 'dark soul' thingy?" Damon asked, "And more importantly, how can we kill it, stop your Mother and get Matt back?"

"Dark souls are used in the ritual of bringing back the dead," Elijah explained, " You see, necromancers can shift people's souls or essences from a living body to a dead body with a few checks and balances, but if you want to bring someone's soul back from the afterlife and essentially raise them from the dead, you can't—at least, not without calling on a stronger being to basically piggy-back ride the soul back."

"And that is this 'dark soul'?" Damon confirmed

"I told you that when Henrik died the first time, my mother found a way to bring him back. Well, she did it by calling on a necromancer, an old friend of the family, and that is how the dark soul was attached to Henrik—it must have been the one to bring his soul back from the afterlife and ground it here. And, then, when after I staked him, because we buried him, not burned him, his soul and the dark soul would have remained in his body. Esther would have known this the whole time. She didn't want to raise Henrik's soul when she performed the vengeance spell, she knew Henrik wouldn't have been angry or vengeful enough to kill us, she wanted the darker spirit." Elijah sighed, pausing for a few moments, then continued, "Dark souls are tricky—as I said before, they are strong, fast, malicious. Many consider them demons, but really they are twisted souls—vengeful and angry. The legend is that they were once humans and not just any humans—righteous humans—good people, sometimes saintly good people—who died horrific deaths, for example, on Holy ground or by the hand of a loved one—"

"So, how do you kill one?" Jeremy asked

"As far as I know," Elijah replied, "it's the same as killing a demon—fire, drowning or ripping out the heart out of their host—"

Damon took in a deep breath, "Okay, but all of those could kill, Matt."

"I don't know what else to tell you, Damon," Elijah continued, "That's what I know. Maybe Misha and Kaspar can find a loophole—"

"Hold on," Henrik interjected quickly with a hint of dread in his voice, "Misha and Kaspar are here? They are the ones who are going to fight the dark soul with you?"

"Yes," Elijah replied, suddenly noticing his younger brother's agitation, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Elijah…" Henrik said softly, stepping forward, "They can't fight the dark soul—they won't be an asset, they'll be a liability. When they find out who it is they might—"

"Wait," Elijah narrowed his eyes, "You mean it was someone from our village? Someone they knew?"

Henrik nodded, "Someone Kaspar brought back the night he raised me."

"Who?" Elijah demanded

"Octavian." Henrik answered and watched as all the blood drained out of Elijah's face, his heart suddenly aching for his best friend.

"Who's Octavian?" Jeremy asked confused

"He was my best friend's older brother—a Holy man in our village…" Elijah whispered, still dumfounded

"What happened to him?" Damon inquired

"He—He—" Elijah started, but stopped, overwhelmed by the memory of the man's death as it flooded his consciousness.

"He died." Henrik finished

"Oh, that's terribly helpful," Damon rolled his eyes

"One full moon," Henrik continued, his voice shaking a little as if relaying a story he wished to forget, "He didn't heed the warning bell and night fell quickly upon him while he was out gathering herbs in the forest. He tried to make it back to the village—to the safety of the caves—but he was attacked by a pack of werewolves and torn to shreds. When we found his body, it looked like—well—"

"It looked like they had taken their time with him," Elijah interjected, finding his voice again, "He suffered a terrible fate."

"And let me guess," Damon sighed, meeting Elijah's gaze, "He died on Holy ground?"

Elijah nodded, "They found what was left of him in the Felgrahm star. The ritual ground where our village conducted religious ceremonies."

Damon shook his head, "Well, crap…"

# # # # # # # #

Matt Donovan weaved through the heavy consolidation of trees in the north end of Stefan's Woods with reverence, closing his eyes and letting the sunlight hit his face as he imagined standing in the village he once lived in a thousand years ago.

As he rounded the last tree, savoring the feel of the bark under his fingers, he came to stand near the edge of the quarry.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, a small smile crossing his face as he sensed a presence step forward from the tree line and make its way to his side.

"Hello, Kaspar. It's been a long time." Matt scoffed, not taking his eyes off the rhythmic beauty of the falls.

"Octavian," Kaspar acknowledged in a sad voice, keeping his eyes forward as well

"How did you find me?" Matt asked, rolling his shoulders anxiously

"I'm your brother, Octavian," Kaspar whispered, trying to keep his voice even, "I was there when you died and was there when you came back. You as bound to me as you are to Henrik—I will always know where you are—"

"You mean she told you where I was." Matt shot back, his voice rising slowly in anger as he turned to face the warlock beside him, "A thousand years in the grave and Mother is still helping you clean up your messes."

"Octavian, I'm sorry," Kaspar said softly, his face crumbling, "I should have never done what I did to you. It was wrong—"

"Yes, it was." Matt said, stepping toward Kaspar as the warlock took a step back, "You let your power overtake you—you let it rule you and you brought me back! I was already angry enough—vengeful enough over how I died, but I had made it to the afterlife where I thought I could find some peace. And then you ripped me out of there with your little ritual and you put me in that boy's body where I was trapped for centuries!"

"Please, brother, I want to make it right," Kaspar continued, walking backwards as his brother followed him, eying him like a lion eyes its prey, "Please, just let me make this right—"

"I don't want you to make things right!" Matt cried, his face flushed with anger, "I want you to suffer! I want you to suffer like I suffered!"

"I already have..." Kaspar lamented, looking down to his feet for a moment to check quickly where he was standing, then bringing his eyes back to focus on his brother as he continued to step toward him, "and I will for centuries more to come."

When Matt realized Kaspar was no longer moving, he too came to a stop, about five feet from his youngest brother and cocked his head.

Suddenly, Kaspar watched as Matt's face fell in immediate realization and he looked down to his feet.

"Illunimente!" Kaspar cried and immediately the two brothers found themselves encircled by flames that outlined as five point star.

"Felgrahm…" Matt whispered, his eyes widening in shock, his lip suddenly trembling, "You trapped me where I died...that can only mean..."

"Please brother," Kasper said sternly, meeting his brother's gaze head on, "Let me free you. "

"But, Esther has given me a mission," Matt countered

"By playing on your need to be the moral man you once were—the righteous Holy man who fought against vampires and werewolves—who kept us safe and well?"

Matt closed his eyes, relenting

"Octavian, let it go," Kaspar urged, "It's true you died a terrible death, long before your time, long before you were meant to, but be the better man you always taught your siblings to be. Let your anger and your vengeance go and allow me to help you find peace, brother, I beg you!"

Matt's face contorted with pain, "If I go, the boy dies."

"I know," Kaspar nodded, "But, I promise you, his death will not be in vain, it can have a greater purpose-"

"You mean his death will be the life you need to tip the scale so that you can bring Niklaus back," Matt retorted in disgust and Kaspar closed his eyes in defeat.

"Yes. But, I am not just doing it to bring Niklaus back, Octavian, I'm doing it because Misha asked me to-because defeating Esther could save countless lives, not just one. Please, let me speak with the boy."

Matt closed his eyes, "Very well."

Kaspar stepped forward, taking a deep breath and laid a hand on Matt Donovan's shoulder, staring deep into the young man's eyes past his brother's spirit to his vessel.

With his thoughts, Kaspar communicated with the sick, broken and frightened boy still fighting on the inside of his own body.

Kaspar quickly explained who he was and what was going on and surprisingly, the young man stopped fighting and listened, calmly taking in Kaspar's words thoughtfully.

Then, when it was over, he asked Matt Donovan-the real Matt Donovan a question-then waited for the answer.

After a few moments, he got it.

"Yes. After all of this, I'm going to die anyway," he said in a soft voice, "If it helps Elena and my friends...I'll do it."

Kaspar nodded as he released Matt Donovan's shoulder, allowing his brother's entity to come forward again.

"Ånder i etterlivet, hør meg..." Kaspar chanted in a low voice, his eyes darkening, meeting his brother's head on, "Helbrede denne sjelen og gjenopprette balansen til å gi ham evig fred."

Then, as he stepped closer to his brother, he saw a small smile and a look of peace grace his Matt Donovan's face.

Kaspar closed his eyes and shed a tear as he punched a hole through Matt Donovan's chest, tearing out his heart in one swift movement.

# # # # # #

"Stefan, when it comes to Elena and Damon, you need to understand-" Klaus started, but stopped immediately, his eyes widening, cocking his head in confusion and seeming to stare blankly out into space.

"Klaus?" Stefan asked anxiously, sitting forward in his chair, studying the original's face, "What's wrong?"

# # # # # #

"Ahh!" Henrik screamed stumbling forward, his spirit energy flickering violently

"Henrik—" Elijah moved quickly toward his younger brother, then immediately stopped, clutching his chest over his heart with a sharp groan of pain as he doubled over.

"Elijah!" Damon cried, rushing to Elijah's side as the original fell to his knees, his face flushing in silent agony

Henrik quickly turned to Jeremy with worried eyes.

"This isn't right..." he whispered before, with another violent flicker of energy, he disappeared as Jeremy and Damon watched in stunned awe.

"Where did he go?" Damon asked, his eyes shifting to Jeremy as he held Elijah steady

"I don't know. I've never seen them just flicker out like that," Jeremy replied, looking anxiously over at Elijah

"We have to—we have to get back to the mansion," Elijah whimpered between groans, still holding his chest in agony, "It's Niklaus…something is wrong."

# # # # # #

Caroline had just rounded the banister to head up the front staircase of the Salvatore Mansion to check on Elena when she stopped, her hearing picking up a distant thud from somewhere in the house.

"Caroline!" Stefan suddenly shouted from the direction of the parlor, immediately sending Caroline down the hall and through the parlor door with vampire speed.

"Oh, my God…" she whispered, her face falling as she hurried into the room to find Tyler/Klaus lifeless on the floor near the sofa with Stefan kneeling beside him.

# # # # #

"She came to you in your dream as well?" Misha whispered into his phone in the upstairs hallway, trying to keep his voice down so that Kol and Rebekah wouldn't overhear him.

"Yes. On the plane, she came to me and told me exactly where to find Octavian and his vessel-"

"I can't believe it was him," Misha sighed sadly, "That he was the dark soul."

"I know...I'm sorry, Misha..." Kaspar lamented

Misha took a deep breath, remembering his promise to his mother to forgive his brother.

"It's in the past now," Misha said softly, then after a moment's pause, continued, "You've taken care of it?"

"I freed Octavian and spoke with the real Matt Donovan...he agreed to sacrifice himself. It is done."

Misha closed his eyes and hung up the phone.