Chapter 26

I know the rating is M but I still feel like I should put a warning for this chapter. Some people might want to throw up. Although, if you've reached this chapter and like Kol, it should not be completely unexpected. I mean, it's Kol. And in this fic, it's Kol, without Nora.

Kol's fingers closed around Sage's wrist before the palm of her hand could strike his face a second time. His dark eyes opening and black veins spreading under them, he sprang to his feet and pushed away the young vampire roughly, not caring one bit about hurting her. His breath was short, his chest heaving and his heart clenching relentlessly as he remained rooted to the spot.

Nothing had changed much since the last time he woke up. The room still reeked of alcohol and blood and death. But there was no one else here but his sister-in-law and him and the emptiness eating away at his sanity.

Nora was gone. His family had betrayed him and abandoned him in that damn place. Finn's body wasn't there anymore and neither were the daggers and Alexander's bloody corpse.

A laugh unpleasant even to his own ears shook his shoulders. It seemed that in his siblings' hearts, he wasn't even Worth a dead body! How could he have been so foolish in the past?! To care for them? To love them? All they had ever given him was pain and disdain!

Sage was watching him cautiously with tense shoulders but didn't dare to say a word. When he finally turned his attention to her, her hand entered his line of sight. His lips twitched.

"Did you really have to slap me?"

A frown marred her forehead and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, chin tilted up defiantly. "Well, excuse me! I'm not in the habit of finding a dead Mikaelson every day! What did you expect? Should I have sung for you to wake up from your beauty sleep? Now, tell me, where is Finn? Nora thought you were in danger and obviously -"

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her, anger pouring out of him waves after waves.

"What happened?" he asked through clenched teeth.

However, Sage didn't answer his question and glared at him. "Where is Finn?"

Any other day, Kol would have admired her stubbornness and loyalty to his eldest brother. But right now, he only wanted to gouge her eyes out and destroy the entire city as his sanity was all but hanging by a thread. A very thin, fragile thread.

"Finn is gone!" he snarled, gripping her shoulder and pushing her into a wall. "He's into Niklaus' hands and there is nothing we could do right now. Now, tell me what happened!"

The little colors that had previously been on her face disappeared as she froze in horror. Kol's grip on her shoulder tightened, his fingers digging mercilessly into her clothes and flesh, crushing her bones. A loud crack suddenly echoed.

The pain woke Sage who said in a quavering voice, "A man came and he… he killed Sófi. Nora thought you were in danger and told me to leave and find Finn and you while she was taking care of him."

Kol shut his eyes, pain twisting his face. Nora died. Again. Alone. He had known she was gone but… Why did she have to die? Why go through that pain again?

Rebekah's happiness had been his one priority this last few days and all he received was a dagger into his heart because of Niklaus while Rebekah and Elijah did nothing at all to help him.

Why did he stay here? Why did he help them? His siblings had never done anything for him. And now Nora died again. He should have been by her side!

"Kol?"

He opened his eyes and met Sage's gaze. After a sharp breath, he released her and took three steps back, not caring about the corpse he stepped on. The emptiness inside of him kept growing and he needed to feed. Needed to hear the people yelling in pain all around him. Needed to know he wasn't the only one suffering in this world forsaken by the gods.

"Sage, listen to me carefully," he told the young vampire through his teeth, doing his best to not completely lose his mind. "Leave as far as you can. Right now, we can't help Finn but I swear I will do everything to save him. No matter how long it takes, I will save him. But you need you leave."

"And let you do all the work? No way!" she refused. "Finn might be your brother but he's my husband. I can't run away while he's in the hands of your crazy brother."

"Sage," he repeated harshly, "the best thing you can do for Finn is to run away and stay alive. I don't want to be the one announcing to Finn the news of your death. I can't guarantee your safety."

Especially not now that he knew how little his siblings cared for Finn.

Kol reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. He handed it to his sister-in-law who took it after a moment of hesitation.

"Go to the East," he ordered her. "Find a door with this symbol and say I sent you. Witches will help you to hide. Stay alive. I'll find you."

"What about Nora?"

"…Don't worry about her. I'll go."

Grabbing a torch, he threw it towards the wine. It burst into flames, the fire quickly engulfing the room, licking the wall and the roof and forcing Sage to escape. Seeing the vampire run away, Kol let out a sigh and left the house too.

The plan was simple. First go back to Sófi's home and kill the bastard who kill Nora and Sófi should he still be alive. If he was right, it should be the last of the hunters, the so-called Ernesto. Second, burn down the entire city, leaving no other choice for Niklaus but to show up. He would kill everyone and paint the country with blood.

When he reached the house, the smell of fire hit him hard. He didn't waste any time and ran into the house, his eyes fixed on the source of the fire.

It wasn't a beautiful sight. The body didn't even look like Nora anymore. The flames were licking away the flesh, the skin already gone and the bones as dark as the night outside. It was painful to watch and his heart squeezed, making it hard to breathe.

Without a glance at the dying man lying on the floor, he stumbled forward, falling to his knees into the fire and gathering the body of Nora in his arms. The fire began to spread to his hands and knees then his arms and legs. It entered his nostrils and burned him from the inside. And yet, he couldn't find the will to let go of his little darling. "I'm so sorry love. I should have been there."

Soon, there were only ashes left in the palms of his hands and even that slid through his fingers. The fire slowly disappeared and his flesh began to heal.

For a moment, gazing at what had once been Nora, Kol felt lost. Then he heard a groan behind him and he sprang to his feet, the thread that had been holding his sanity snapping. He bent over and took hold of Nora's sword before he made his way towards the man, looking at what was left of him scornfully.

The so-called hunter that had never been hurt during his fights again vampires had been reduced to this state. A smirk stretched Kol's lips and he squatted down, chuckling mirthlessly when Ernesto tried to crawl away. Fear and hatred colored his scent, making his blood particularly appetizing to Kol.

"Ernesto, isn't it?" Kol asked through his chuckle. "My condolences. Your brothers are all dead."

The hunter froze and tried to move away one more but Kol stabbed the knee Nora didn't hurt, nailing him down literally. The scream that came from Ernesto's throat was music to his ears.

"You monster!" Ernesto yelled hoarsely.

Upon hearing this, Kol burst out into laughter and dug one finger into the knee Nora stabbed. "No need to yell, I was just trying to make you all pretty. You know, symmetric and all."

He moved his fingers, Breaking his bones into several parts in the process. The more Ernesto screamed, the more Kol laughed madly.

When he pulled out his finger, he brought it up to his mouth and licked the blood. "Not bad," he commented. "Certainly better than wine."

He ran his hand slowly down the hunter's legs until he reached his tibia. Then he snapped the leg, taking a minute to admire his result. What a pretty right angle.

"This is certainly fun!"

"You!" Ernesto panted. "What do you want?!"

Fascinating. The man was already half-dead yet he still found the strength to argue with him.

Not bothering to answer the question, Kol made the broken bone back into place. Then, with a grin and a glance at the hunter's one eye, he pushed it into the opposite side. Unfortunately, Kol miscalculated his strength and suddenly found himself with the limb in his hand while the man was bleeding out.

"Whoops. My bad," Kol deadpanned, throwing the foot and tibia behind him carelessly. "It's a pity but I can't let you die so easily."

Biting hard into his wrist, he forced his blood into Ernesto's throat. Quickly, the wounds began to heal. Or, well, most of them. The wound on his knee did try to close around the blade, ultimately failing. As for the crushed eye and the missing legs, they didn't grow back.

"Incredible. It seemed like vampire blood has its limits when used on a human and can't grow back something that isn't there anymore."

With that said, Kol pulled out the sword and cut deeply into the arm of the hunter. He ran his finger across the blood almost tenderly before pulling it into his mouth. Sweet blood.

Before the hunter could fight back, Kol crushed his bones with a childish smile and gouged out his second eye.

"Kill me," Ernesto ended up begging, "please, just kill me."

Kol raised his brow, astounded. "Kill you? Of course I'm going to kill. Don't tell me you didn't know?" He clicked his tongue. "Not very bright, are you? Don't worry, your death will come sooner than later. Just… not yet."

He pinched the man's skin and tugged at it until it tore. "I've never skinned someone so my apologies if I'm not doing it well. Don't worry though, I'm sure it's only a matter of practice."

"Why do this to me?" Ernesto sobbed, his spirits completely broken.

His sobs covered the sounds of his skin being ripped off. With a frown, Kol decided to shut him up and push a piece of the bloody skin into the hunter's mouth, forcing him to swallow. "Don't forget to chew," Kol advised in a condescending voice, patting the hunter's cheek. "Now, why am I doing this? Could it be that Nora hit you too hard for your brain? Of course I'm avenging the woman I love. You know, the one you killed."

Kol took his time but the hunter's chest eventually reached such a state that not a piece of skin remained. In front of such a sight, Kol couldn't resist and pat the flesh. To his disappointment, Ernesto didn't even have enough strength to scream.

"Now you die," Kol said lightly.

He took hold of the two fingers lying on the floor and forced them down the man's throat, choking him. Not one to miss a feast, Kol bit into Ernesto's arm to feed while the hunter's face was turning blue. Of course, he did it slowly, drinking small mouthfuls of blood and making sure the man would die an agonizing death.

The hunter opened his mouth, gasping, but no air came to fill his lunges. Then he died like the vermin he was and Kol let go of the arm, laughing madly. It was a mirthless sound, completely void of joy and only reflecting the madness that was eating him up inside.

But he couldn't stop laughing. Even when he burned down Sófi's house and ripped apart the villagers' throat, burning their house too to make them go outside. He could only laugh, stepping on the bodies lying on the ground as if they were mere twigs.

The town where the house of his siblings was located didn't escape his madness. The world around him was quickly turning into a sea of fire and blood. But his siblings were already gone and no one came to him. So he kept laughing. Even when torturous hallucinations began to appear, trying to persuade him to kill himself.

A few days later and three towns all but destroyed, Kol's madness eventually receded. He was a poor sight, clothes burned and blood and pieces of flesh decorating his body and hair. He reeked of death and was walking in a daze, a hollow laugh escaping his mouth every now and then.

He entered a new town. On his left, Henrik was telling him how much a monster Kol was. In front of him, Tatia was screaming, blood pouring out of her eyes, nose and ears. He walked through the hallucination with a blank face. He didn't have enough energy to care about it.

Ever since he became a vampire, he had never felt such an extreme exhaustion. His body felt heavy, especially his legs and feet. Each step required tremendous efforts from him.

As he slowly made his way towards an inn, people were watching him. Horror and fear were all but plastered on their faces.

The man at the counter of the inn started when Kol entered his sight, colors draining from his face. His hands shook as he wrote in his register the fake name Kol gave him, drops of ink splashing the yellow parchment.

"Send someone for a bath," Kol said in a flat voice. "I will also require new clothes."

"Y-yes s-sir!"

Perhaps because fear made the man act quickly, Kol didn't have to wait for a long time before the tub in his room was filled by two burly women whose bodies were shaking in fear. Once the door closed, he entered the tub and began the difficult task of washing away the grime of the last few days.

His movements were meticulous but automatic. Every once in a while, his gaze would drift towards the hallucinations and his lips would curve into a self-mocking smile. Somehow, someone had managed to curse him. It was just a pity that he was the worst victim for such a curse. After all, why would he kill himself? He was already dead inside.

Besides, how could he destroy himself and leave Nora alone in the future?

He dressed himself and fell onto the mattress, eyes boring into the ceiling. Minutes and hours passed slowly. Sometimes, the hallucinations of Henrik left him in tears. His sweet little brother… Somehow, over the years, he had almost forgotten his face.

He was tracing the smaller face with his eyes when Rebekah's voice suddenly called for him from behind the door of his room. Before he could even make a sound, his sister came in. She closed the door behind her, pausing for a moment before turning around. Purple circles colored her skin underneath her eyes and her skin was dry, a deep tiredness emanating from her. For some reasons, his little sister was thirsty but had yet to take a moment to feed herself.

She dragged herself to the bed and sat at the end of it, watching him carefully like he was some wounded animal ready to attack at the first movement.

In spite of himself, Kol felt a tinge of concern appearing at the bottom of his heart.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice when she remained silent, a tinge of concern revealing its presence in his heart in spite of himself.

Rebekah lowered her head, tears filling her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse. "Do you think he loved me?"

Kol didn't ask who she was talking about. Instead, he thought about Alexander's gaze towards the smile of his dear sister. "Yes, I think so," he replied, his voice void of any feelings. So what if Alexander loved Rebekah? Obviously, it wasn't enough.

Did Rebekah even notice his own despair?

Tears fell from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and chin before crashing on her dress. Because of his heightened hearing, the sound was as strong as the beat of a drum and the broken sobs that were leaving her mouth made his heart throb. Even now, he couldn't stand the sight of his sister crying.

"I swear Kol, I never wanted you all to be hurt! I didn't know he was planning this! If I knew…"

"I believe you."

Rebekah's head snapped towards his direction, her lips quivering and her eyes open wide. "Y-You do?" she gasped as if the idea that he was believing her was preposterous. "B-but… Why?"

He lifted a brow. "Do I need a reason to believe you? You're my sister. Why would you want to h-"

He stopped talking and clenched his fists, the unfinished sentence tasting like ashes on his tongue. Right. Why would his family want to hurt him? Why would they abandon him? Why would they leave Finn in such a state? Neither dead nor alive?

Understanding passed through the blue eyes of his sister before they darkened.

"I am sorry Kol. For Finn," she said sadly. "Nik refuses to tell me where he keeps Finn. I didn't know you two were so close."

There was a hint of jealousy in her voice when she said her last sentence and Kol couldn't help but raising the corners of his lips in a mocking smile. Close? Finn and he? Not really. But they could have been in the future. The few days he spent with him and Sage had shown him this.

"It's fine," he shrugged.

It wasn't though.

"Ernesto ran away," Rebekah announced after a moment "The witch Elijah knows can't find him so we decided to let it be for the time being."

"Nice to know."

Indeed, Ernesto ran away. Very far. So far, in fact, that he had even left this world all together. There wouldn't be any coming back for the hunter.

An awkward silence filled the room, the tension so thick it could probably be cut with a knife. Every now and then, Rebekah opened her mouth as if to speak before closing it. This time though, Kol didn't help her and said nothing. He was so tired of all of this.

"Nik is cursed", Rebekah finally admitted before beginning her explanation, unaware of the derision inside Kol's eyes.

The witch who created the five hunters was certainly a gifted one. Killing one of the hunter resulted in a curse. It explained the haunting visions. Even now, Henrik was dying all over again next to Rebekah. His siter didn't know, but her face was covered in blood and worms were crawling out of her eyes.

What could Nilaus see for him to try to kill himself in every possible and imaginable way?

"Elijah's witch has gotten a room ready to lock Nik inside but it's difficult," Rebekah continued, a grim look coming over her face, "he has already ripped out his heart three times now."

"A wonder he managed to find it," Kol mocked.

"Kol… We need your help."

It was hard to look at Rebekah and appear as if everything was alright. His sneer, however, was true. Even hearing Henrik and Nora begging him to join them in death wasn't enough to pacify him.

His help? They wanted his help? After Niklaus' betrayal?! He was barely hanging on his very own sanity and yet they dared to come and ask for his help?! Ah! What a good family!

Rebekah was looking at him with those hopeful eyes of hers. So trusting. Just like when they were humans. But she wasn't anymore. Those days were gone and would never come back.

"Are you real?" he blurted out and her blue eyes widened in panic.

"What? What do you mean Kol?"

Ah, his mistake then. She really was here. Asking for his help. The only thing he was good for in their eyes.

He smoothly hid his true meaning with a bitter smile. "Well, usually you don't ask for my help. You order me. Has someone drugged you, my dear Rebekah?"

For a moment, she looked uneasy as she stared at him. Then she rolled her eyes and the moment was gone. "You really are dramatic Kol. It's because of that attitude of yours that you have no friend. Anyway, will you hep Nik please?"

Words of refusal danced on his tongue, ready to get out. They almost went through his lips before he swallowed them back and nodded. Nora was gone. From the moment he woke up with a gaping hole inside of him after Nikaus daggered him, he swore Nora would always be his first priority. But she wasn't there and the end of the day, Niklaus was still family. No matter how bitter the word tasted.

"Yes, I will help you."

Hopefully, helping would distract him from Henrik's corpse crying black blood.

End of this chapter! Did anyone throw up or it was okay haha? This chapter is a turning point for Kol, one I've planned since the very first chapter along with a few others.

Whether Rebekah knows about Kol being cursed or not, I'll leave it to your own imagination. I really dislike TVD Rebekah who feels like a teenager girl stuck in a thousand years old body. Which is weird as by the time she was changed, she was an adult in her times. On the contrary, TO Rebekah is badass and does care about Kol and not just Niklaus. She's a woman. In this fic, at this point, I'd like to think she's more like the one in TO but it doesn't change her mistakes and loyalty to Klaus.

I'm glad you liked Nora's POV and found her badass! She won't be gone for long.

See you next time :)