Hello there!

We are finally one chapter away from the ending and I want to thank a minute to thank all of you who have supported me and my story through it all, I know the updates didn't come as soon as with other stories so it meant the world to me to know you were loyal to it to the end.

Before we continue with this chapter I want to tell you a bit about my inspiration for the villain in this story. A couple of years ago I was a foreign language teacher for high school kids since I was the teacher closer to them in age they felt confident enough tell me about their lives and things that happened to them daily, it was in one of those classes when they told me about a video online where brutal things are done to a little girl, they hadn't watched the video but read thousands of descriptions about the monstrous behavior depicted on the footage. They were asking themselves how something like that could happen to a child in this modern age. Once I got home I started investigating a bit about this and I discovered that in fact, the video they spoke about was real (though many believed to be only an urban legend) the video had been made by one of the most notorious pedophiles "Peter Scully" I remember reading about everything that lead to it and what was discovered afterward. To this day I still get nauseous whenever I think about this man and everything I read about what he did, about the business he created and the millions of people who paid him to do despicable things to children, my mind is still unable to comprehend how can such evil exist in the world, how someone can be so soulless as to harm children in any way. Child trafficking is one of the most lucrative businesses and to this day it operates all over the world, every time one Peter Scully falls another is ready to rise, it sickens me to know that daily thousands of children fall into hands of predators who are willing to sell their suffering in exchange for money. I think it's important that we keep eyes wide open to this sort of situations, that we protect our children and to also be aware of what our teenagers are watching online, these sort of content shouldn't be available to their eyes, sadly there's nothing we can do about it so I think it's important to supervise in what they are watching in their free time.

It isn't my intention to overwhelm you with this author's note, just share a bit of what was in my mind during the writing of this story. In real life true monsters aren't easily vanquished if they ever are at all which is why in my stories I always try to paint things as I would like them to be if the world was the fair place it should be.

Enough with my rambling please enjoy and let me know what you think in a review.

"Say it like you mean it, bones become dust.
Gold turns to rust, say it like you mean it.

Underneath a spotlight and all the splintered wood
Nothing here is shining, shining like it should"

-Kingdom Fall-

.

.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said "Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster…for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss also gazes into you" Damon first heard the words in a philosophy class back in school, to this day he still wasn't sure he fully grasped the intention behind Nietzsche's words but that didn't stop them from haunting him through the years.

He remembers how they swirled inside his head when he found one of John's tapes when he was seventeen, nausea had built up his throat and he had retched into the nearest trashcan, the bones in his body feeling dirty after witnessing such a display of true human abomination.

Damon had grabbed a gun that day, the loaded steel heavy on his hand as he walked towards John's bedroom, Katerina's face and Nietzsche's words plaguing his mind as he sauntered through the cold dark corridors of the mansion.

Long were his nights trying to forget that fateful day when he discovered John's favorite side of the business, the day he saved a little girl barely older than Elena and promised himself his princess would never suffer the same fate. That day as he had watched images so horrendous as the ones he tried to forget play across the screen he had felt the rage he always tried to contain simmer inside, making him stop in front of the heavy oak door that hid the greatest monster he had ever met. One hand hovered above the doorknob while the other gripped the gun tightly, he wanted nothing more than to finally put a stop to everything but something stopped him from doing so, the sound of the wind carrying her carefree laughter up to his ears.

A salvation angel playing in the garden, happy and ignorant to the monster that had sired her, an untainted heart he had vowed to protect. With a clenched jaw and a disgruntled noise Damon walked away from the monster's door, how foolish it had been to walk there with nothing but a simple gun, no plan, no backup.

No.

His impulsive nature was not going to be the end of him, he made that promise to himself at that moment, revenge was a dish best served cold and he would surely get his, one day John Gilbert was going to pay for every single tear he had caused over the years, for every sleepless night he spent outside Elena's door guarding her against the animals that lived in his world, one day the monster that was John Gilbert was going to fall and his princess would have to fear no more.

"The abyss also gazes into you" The words swirled in Damon's head as clear as they had done years before, they rumbled inside him as he climbed the ratty old steps of what was once a Bratva safehouse, they burned on his skin as the sound of gunshots reached him from outside.

And as he tumbled down the door to the room Klaus had instructed him, Damon swore the abyss was darker than ever "I thought you knew better than to let this happen" He muttered through clenched teeth to the blonde member of the Mikaelson clan as he walked past him straight into where Elena rested chained to the bed, his gaze zeroing in the purple bruise already formed on her face.

Nikklaus Mikaelson grunted as his gaze moved towards the window in the hallway, frantic blue eyes fixed on what was happening outside "I think we have bigger issues than a few bruises on her pretty little face" He answered.

Damon didn't answer him and instead kneeled in front of Elena, his hand touching the bruise on her cheek briefly before placing a kiss on her forehead, the young girl felt her eyes welling with tears at the tender touch but knew there was no time for crying, their plan was on the move and she needed to be strong to achieve it.

"Are you all right?"

Her response was a shaky smile accompanied by the sound of her sweet voice "I am now" Her murmur was a balm to his soul, to the fire that burned within him and threatened to destroy every single one of his plans.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" He asked as his fingers skimmed over the purple marks on her face "Anywhere I can't see?"

Elena saw the way his jaw clenched and his eyes clouded with a vulnerability she rarely got to see in him, her head moved in a denial sign before she allowed her forehead to drop into his, some of the tears she had wanted to hold on escaping from her eyes. "No, I am fine. They didn't hurt me"

Damon breathed her in for a second before composing himself and moving away from her face "Where the fuck are the keys?" He snapped as he searched for the lock to release Elena from the chains that were bidding her.

"Not in here" Nikklaus answered as his hands busied themselves searching in Mikael clothes "Not want to hurry you up Damon, but you're on schedule"

Damon cursed under his breath seconds before Stefan and Kol Mikaelson stomped into the room, the first one going straight into the blonde tied to a chair and the second one helping his brother to carry their half-dead father's body.

"There's mayhem outside," Kol said and the traces of excitement were evident on his tone "They won't know what hit them" His snarky words were followed by the sound of gunfire exploding outside the window "I've been waiting a long time for this Nikk"

The blonde man nodded absently as his mind seemed to take him somewhere else, their plan to take down John Gilbert's pedophile ring had been their life for the last couple of years, a rope built by intricate threads sew bit by bit over the years, he wondered if once everything was done he would get the satisfaction that he always hoped their demise would bring.

In complete contrast to his almost calm demeanor, Stefan hurried moves managed to free Caroline from her binds, who without even thinking it threw herself into his arms and whispered loving words into his ear, her heart racing at the feel of her lover's arms around her and the safeness they made her feel regardless of who he was.

She was grateful for having him with her once again, providing the safeness that she knew would only be able to find with him from now on, whether she liked it or not Stefan had managed to achieve his goal and make himself a necessity her life.

On the other side of the room, Kol and Nikklaus effortlessly dragged Mikael towards the entrance of the room, the older brother stopping at the threshold to give Damon a warning glance "You're on your own now Salvatore" He said as his eyes scanned the predicament Damon was in "Tic Toc"

The elder Salvatore brother cursed mentally as he watched the Mikaelson brothers disappearing from his sight; somehow the chains around Elena were the one thing he did not foresee, the less important part of his plan was proving to be his downfall.

"It's impossible to stop it now," Stefan said as he approached him, Caroline clinging to his side "They won't allow this place to remain standing, they have too much to—"

"I know!" Damon's shout made Caroline flinch back, her face hiding in Stefan's shoulder as the cacophony of guns firing outside and police sirens blasting reached their ears "Take her, go"

"I won't leave you here!"

"It is an order Stefan!"

The younger Salvatore nodded curtly before releasing a crying Caroline and kneeling to hug his brother, simultaneously his hand found one of Elena's and squeezed softly "This will be the last time I see either of you—whatever the outcome of this is"

"Stefan…"

"I love you, both of you" In what was an uncommon display of emotion Stefan's eyes misted over with tears, his arms releasing his brother so he could place a soft kiss into Elena's cheek "You were always the light in this dark world" He murmured only to her before standing up, one last shared look passed between the brothers before he turned around, grabbing Caroline once again and running towards the door.

Damon watched his brother go with a heavy heart, no matter how hard he had tried to stop their paths from parting he knew it was what needed to be done if he wanted to be happy, if he wanted Elena to be happy, that was of course if he managed to find a way to release her from his hellhole. He felt a deep sense of hopelessness seep into his bones as he tried to unlock the chains around Elena one more time to no avail, he shouted a curse before taking out his gun and aiming towards the lock that bind the chains together to the bed "I need you to close your eyes" He told Elena who nodded at his command, her body shaking with fear "Think we are Jack and Rose"

She laughed nervously "I think we might have a better chance if we were using an ax" Damon grabbed her by the back of her neck and planted a quick passionate kiss into her lips before pulling away and once again aiming the gun towards the lock.

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One…"

The soles of her feet were raw and burning but she didn't dare to stop, she followed her boyfriend's indications without ever letting go of his hand; her feelings towards him had been a source of conflict during the last couple of days but right now they shinned with the clarity of the sun on a summer morning.

She loved him, despite all his faults she was in love with him, and with his hand laced in hers she felt truly safe.

Perhaps the circumstances turned the scale in his favor, perhaps her feelings were a result of the situation she found herself in, she guessed only time would allow her to sort out the trueness of her feelings, but at the moment nothing in her life was truer than her love for the man holding her hand.

"Come on, there's a window in the back that will get us out of here" Stefan tugged on Caroline's hand with more force than he would have liked it, but the sound of the inferno being unleashed upfront was nearing closer and time was not their friend at the moment.

"What is happening out there Stefan?"

"John and his men were ambushed. The deliver we were supposed to oversee was a trap, he never guessed the mouse falling in the trap was himself"

"Are they going to kill him?"

"No, police got dibs on him and this time we'll let them have the victory. For now, at least"

The words made no sense in Caroline's head just like anything else that had happened since the moment the blindfold fell from her eyes and showed her what the world truly was. "Is my mom out there?" The frightened tone in her voice almost made Stefan stop but he knew if he wanted to have her safe he couldn't afford to lose more time.

"Your mother is a badass Caroline," He told her as he led her down the stairs of the seedy old basement "You have nothing to be afraid of"

The wood cracked as their feet touched the steps; a gush of stale air hit them as they moved further into the old room, coldness surrounded them once they reached the bottom, he didn't even dare to imagine all the horrors the house that once belonged to the Bratva men had witnessed once it fell into the hands of John and Mikael.

Horrors so great that could make a man like himself sick with disgust.

"What about Damon and Elena?"

Stefan closed his eyes briefly as he thought back to his brother and Elena upstairs, he never was a religious man despite their grandmother's desire to teach them the lord's words, foolishly thinking that could somehow save their souls, he imagined that if there was a God up there men like himself were not first on his list and yet he couldn't stop himself from saying a little prayer asking for Damon and Elena's safety, because even if his brother didn't deserve salvation, God knew Elena did.

He was aware of the fact that no matter the outcome of things he would never see Damon and Elena again but he wanted to believe they would somehow find a way to escape that inferno alive.

"Stefan…"

Choosing to ignore Caroline's question he focused on throwing open the window Elijah Mikaelson had instructed before grabbing his girlfriend by the waist and pulling her upwards so she could climb out.

With limbs shaking in fright Caroline managed to crawl out into the woods, branches and dirt marring her skin and tearing up the pink pajamas she had been wearing, she moved on her hands in knees until she was far enough to give Stefan some space to climb out.

"What shall we do now?" The blonde asked as she looked around the vast wood before then. She never got to see the house upfront but after the many rooms and hallways she and Stefan had to run through and how far the sound of gunshots was now she guessed mansion was a more proper term to refer to the property.

Stefan stood up, his hand briefly shaking off the dirt from his jeans before leaning down grabbing her by the elbows and forcing her to stand "Now, we run" He told her "We need to reach the Mikaelson"

"But Elena…"

"She and Damon will be all right, they—"

A gasp escaped her mouth as her ears registered the sound seconds before she saw the side of Stefan's shirt covered in blood, the young man's eyes stared at something behind her before he pulled out his gun in a swift move and fired to discretion, not before receiving another shot himself, the bullet grazing Caroline's arm and tearing up at the skin.

Stefan fell to the floor, his chest heaving with the effort to keep on breathing, the blonde girl looked behind and discovered the unmoving body of Markos, the man who had wanted to kidnap her, wide eyes stared at him in confusion before they filled with tears and moved towards Stefan who was clutching his hand to his chest were now his shirt lay damped in the red liquid.

"Where did he came from?" She asked frantically amid her tears "We didn't see him coming, we never saw—"

"Go" He managed to croak out as he pointed in direction of tall trees with white marks in them "Follow the marks until you reach Nikklaus" He took the gun that was now resting on the floor and placed it on her hand "Take this and just pull the trigger to anyone who isn't Elijah or Nikklaus"

The blonde shook her head while the tears fell freely from her now blotchy and swollen face "No, I won't leave you"

Raw vulnerability shone in the young Salvatore's eyes as he reached to squeeze the girl's hand "Caroline go!"

She denied with her head once more, instead took one of her hands towards his cheek and cupped it tenderly "You're going to be fine, I can help you stand up, you'll—"

"I'm not going anywhere, not anymore" His chest heaved up and down as the horrible sound of his gasp for air filled her ears, blood staining her pajamas from where she was touching his clothes "Run!"

"I can't"

With a bout of inhuman strength, Stefan raised one of his hands towards her face, blood staining her porcelain skin "Yes you can, you can do anything" He told her as his own eyes filled with tears, showing a pain that despite the darkness of his world he had never experienced before "I love you, I love you so much"

"Oh Stefan, I love you too" Her words got chocked out in a sob before she leaned over his body, her lips meeting his briefly before she murmured "I love you and I'm gonna love you, forever"

He smiled against her lips before pulling her away and pushing her to stand "Go!" The blonde did as he ordered this time, sparing one last minute to stare at his lying form on the woods floor; his chest heaving painfully as the blood extended over his shirt and eyes that once had been so bright died down.

She held back the wrenching sobs that wanted to break free from her throat and instead she ran as fast as she could, branches piercing her feet and cutting her arms, limbs aching and chest running out of air but she didn't stop, not until she reached the black SUV and gunfire was a distant sound.

Caroline had seen Nikklaus Mikaelson for the first time only minutes earlier and hours later lying on a hospital bed she would ask herself why she did what she did but at that moment her first instinct was to throw herself into his arms, body heaving with exhaustion and desolation.

He was taken aback by her outburst but didn't let go of her, he held her body tightly against his and caressed her hair in what he tried to be a soothing manner "Caroline? Caroline, where's Stefan, what—"

Whatever was about to leave the blonde man's lips were interrupted by the sound of an explosion. At the startling noise the blonde abandoned the safeness of the man's arms and turned around in time to watch flames climbing high and licking the trees.

"No, no, no!" Her body started trembling as the realization hit her, as she imagined Stefan's abandoned body in the forest, her mother at the front of the house, Elena chained to the bed in that ratty old bedroom, to the flames surely consuming them all, to the inferno she had managed to escape by sheer luck and the help of someone who had loved her.

Overwhelmed by the understanding of the mayhem around her she finally allowed the exhaustion to take her, succumbing to the darkness that wanted to claim her. Her body collapsed as she fainted, the blonde man catching her just in time as he barked orders to the people in the twin SUV around him.

He climbed inside, not without taking one last look to the growing flames behind them, tic toc he had told Damon and though he would never admit it he truly wished the Salvatore Boss had managed to heed his warning, after releasing one last sigh the vehicle drove and mayhem was left behind.

Behind them fire licked each wall of the house that guarded so many secrets, secrets that would never be fully revealed, a house that had seen so much pain and whose walls had forever been tainted with the stains of darkness. A house that became the protagonist of war and saw many lives perish, that witness the demise of a powerful man and had witnessed the fall of an empire as powerful as fire and dirty as the soiled ground.

In the days following the catastrophe papers would report the loss of many lives, the success of years of work strategizing an undercover operative which would grant a New York detective an award and rise in rank, an operative which managed to send behind bars to one of the most powerful men in the city among many others and which also allowed to free hundreds of children overseas.

The papers would also report the extinction of one of the most important families in the city after the explosion that had taken place in the old mansion outside the city had collected the lives of three young people whose only crime was being related to who was now being called "Manhattan Monster". They would be painted as victims, preys of the animals that corrode the world, and people would mourn them before they became nothing but distant memories, tokens of the tragedies people wanted to forget.

They were many who managed to see the light after that fateful day but darkness also made itself present among many of them, because light and darkness will forever go hand in hand, one can never escape the other.

I'd rather watch my kingdom fall. I want it all or not at all.