Chapter 3 - The Brothers' Destiny
Lights were twinkling above his head, as he squinted his eyes open. His hands immediately covered his eyes, he thought 'this hangover was going to be a doozy. Damon started to sit up, his eyes were focusing, he was surrounded by shadows and fog, lots and lots of fog, yet everything was brightly lit. There were bright sparkles of light that reminded him of lightning bugs but much brighter, everywhere. His vision was focusing on an outline of a figure, a man coming toward him. Damon stood, his senses were on alert, he shook his head in an attempt to clear out the cobwebs, and think more clearly, he flexed his fingers and readied them into a fist, preparing for that first punch to defend himself against an unknown enemy.
The figure walked closer, the outline became clearer, it was an older man, then a voice came from him "Hello, my son. My name is Demetrius. Please do not be distressed, Damon. I assure you, I'm no threat to you. You are safe. If you allow me a little leeway, things are about to become much more clear. I realize that trust is not one of your strong suits. I have watched you struggle with it for over a century. I hope that now as a human you can be a little more open-minded since you have seen more possibilities become real live facts. I would like to help you now, please. If I may, let's get you something to clear up some of this mystic fog." Demetrius waved his hand over his other hand, an ancient terracotta drinking bowl ornately decorated with images of lotus fans, flowering vines, and garden settings appeared, it was full of a sweet fermented smelling liquid, he takes a drink himself to prove it isn't poison than hands it to Damon. "Please drink, it is a wine tonic of herbs and petals, it tastes quite good. I enjoyed partaking quite often when I was of the breathers." Damon stared awkwardly, "Breathers? Does that mean I'm dead!" Demetrius answers without hesitation, "No, No my son, you are very much alive and awakening more and more each moment. However, at this very second, your body is in a deep slumber while your subconscious is connected to your ancient bloodline and your powers are emerging fully."
Damon responds with a confused tone, "Powers? I'm transitioning to human. Stefan syringed me with the cure before he died or didn't die. At the moment, I'm very confused. I saw him burn up in the hellfire, then I saw him in our living room then I passed out. Now I'm talking to an old guy in a nightgown. I have no idea what Stefan gave me now." Demetrius laughs, "Oh Damon, I am so thrilled you and Stefan are the ones that proven your worthiness. Your wit has been so entertaining over the years. I have a story and information that you will need for your new destiny. I think we should be a little more comfortable before we start. Would you mind if I borrow some of your powers as you haven't quite grasped their usefulness as of yet." Damon still not comprehending anything that is coming from this old man's mouth, is surprised when Demetrius puts his hand on Damon's arm. He feels a tingling, almost a tickle from where the two different skins are touching when out of nowhere a beautiful garden appears with flowers, stone lounges with down pillows, and ostrich feather fans, the entire scene was out of an ancient Greece movie, one that you expected Angela Jolie to star in. Damon watches this man, dressed in an ancient costume that fits perfectly in the scene, an off-white long linen gown with a long purple vest outlined in gold-embroidered leaf detail sit down on the lounge, he crossed his legs with leather sandals on his feet. Damon couldn't help but think this is a movie set.
Demetrius took a deep contented breath, "Thank you, now, let's sit. And I will start to explain. From the look on your face, you have many many questions. I have been watching over you and Stefan all of your lives, I understand how impatient you can be. So I do ask that you indulge an old man. I do promise that it will be well worth your patience and your time. Stefan and Elena will benefit greatly from the information you will learn from our time together." Damon's attention immediately turned to his new companion, his eyes no longer roamed around the garden, they focused directly on Demetrius the instant Elena's name came out of his mouth. Demetrius continued "First of all, let me properly introduce myself, I am Demetrius, son of Galenus, a direct descendant of the Goddess Gaia. This is also very important for the story." Demetrius took a moment to prepare for Damon's reaction to the next bit of information, "I'm also the older brother of the ex-immortal witch Silas." Damon stands up "YOUR WHO!" Demetrius knew the reaction would be swift and dramatic "Son, please, sit down, Silas is very gone. I am not revengeful. You and Stefan did what had to be done to protect your family and the world. Silas started down the wrong path millenniums before either of you were born. He disrupted his destiny by his own choice and continued to do so at every opportunity. You, Stefan, Elena, and Amara offered him the ability to reclaim his destiny and he still chose his destructive path. You and your brother had no choice, Silas dying was the right thing, the only thing." Demetrius had never said those words out loud, even though his heart had said them many times, he still loved his brother and would miss him greatly. He knew that his story has to continue with honesty, "Silas was never deserving of his magic, or the power his magic brought him. I was blinded by the brother bond and my love for Qetsiyah to see what doom his deceitful, ambitious lies were heading for. I made many mistakes. My mistakes are part of the blame that leads to many of the reasons that caused the consequences that have led to Elena's, Stefan's, and your destiny." Damon stopped and sat back down "Elena destiny?" Demetrius relaxed a bit, knowing he had Damon's attention again, "Yes, she is as involved in this as Stefan and Bonnie." Demetrius again paused, he needed Damon to focus. "For now, Damon, please, let me continue. I assure you, knowing the history of this story, and understanding the why and hows, will guide your next moves that impact your destiny. This is for Stefan and Elena's future as well as your own." Damon sat down, folded his arms across his chest, and listened. Demetrius told the story of Damon's father Giuseppe was born of the ancient magical Greek bloodline. He also speaks about how his bloodline's magic has been dormant for over 5 generations, there has not been a practicing witch in his bloodline since 1680, in Italy. He explains the ancient history of their magic from Gaia the Goddess of all the Earth and Elements. Their pure magic is not based on blood, it is powered by love and nature's elements. How Gaia passed her magic on to her children through the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. The elements are the energy sources of modern witches, how modern witches do not understand how pure magic works, where real power comes from, how human love is the energy to their magic, the essence of its power.
Demetrius continued the story into his lifetime. His story began with the magic of him and Silas. They share the element magic and as brothers, they had a special magical bond. The brotherly love they had for each created a special magical bond that became actual magic. Demetrius toned saddened, his eyes had a longing look in them as he spoke, "When we united our magics, our brother bond created a power that was stronger than even Gaia could imagine. It was our love for one another that gave our magic that power, our brother bond magic. Every evil we encountered, we destroyed. We were unstoppable. We brought peace to our people like they had never known before. It was a time of great joy. Other covens approached us in peace. Even covens that were long thought to be as powerful as ours, that is when Qetsiyah entered our lives. As to who met her first, Silas had thought he did, in actuality I did. She was the daughter of the high priest Matai, from the most powerful blood magic coven. Matai sent Qetsiyah and a few priests to create an alliance with us. He hoped to join the two most powerful types of magic together. He wanted a ritual, what his secret mission was; a marriage that combines both magics in blood with a child. To create the most powerful bloodline ever. Qetsiyah had no idea of her father's secret agenda, none of us did at the time. He sent her to perform a protection ritual between the two covens." Demetrius stopped, it seemed his memories were overwhelming for the moment, "She was such a beautiful sight, leaning over the water stream, cooling herself, the beads of water running down her arm, neck. I still remember the way the rays of the sun made them sparkle off her skin. It is terrible how memories plague even a man as old as I am." Demetrius continued, "I was out with soldiers along our borders when we came across her convoy. They introduced themselves and we escorted them into the city. The commander in charge took them to meet my brother, Silas. He took one look at Qetsiyah and fell madly in love. Or at least thought he did." Demetrius again paused in reflection.
As Damon listened to the story of his magical ancestry, he couldn't help but look at this man's features, this ancient ancestor. Damon stared at Demetrius with a 'so I'm related to you' glare, looking for some physical similarities, since Stefan is Silas's doppelganger, shouldn't he have similar features to Demetrius. Demetrius's hair is completely silver, it could have been raven black in his younger years, his eyes, are blue, they definitely had a sparkle, not quite the Damon 'eye thing' but he could tell Demetrius had an 'eye thing' of his own going on, he wasn't a bad looking guy for an ancient one. Damon also noticed the chin, they had the same chin, Damon has always wondered about his chin, where it came from, Stefan had Giuseppe's chin, Damon's wasn't Lily's chin, Damon was looking directly at his chin, he finally knew he had his great great great times 200 grandfathers chin, Damon laughed out loud, catching Demetrius attention, "Damon, did I miss something?" Damon says with a sparkle in his voice "I'm your doppelganger of sorts, aren't I?" Demetrius smirks, "Not an exact copy, but yes, there are quite a few similarities, both physically and personality characteristics. Why do you ask?" Damon chuckles, "No big reason, just trying to put the karma puzzle pieces into play." Damon smiled knowing Demetrius had no idea what he was thinking about, "So you were saying about Silas and Qetsiyah…" getting Demetrius back on track.
Demetrius answers, "Yes, when Silas told me that he loved Qetsiyah. I stepped aside. Then Silas told me of their plan to unite the magics, Blood, and Earth magic by a magical marriage. To do so, I had to relinquish my magic to him, he had to control all elements. My love for my brother, my love for Qetsiyah, I did it. I gave him control over my elements. And you know the story after that. They made the immortality potion, and Silas gave it to Amara. The part that Silas didn't know, when he took the immortality potion, he lost his magic. Neither of them, Qetsiyah nor Silas realized that becoming immortal meant they could not be witches. Nature's balance! All of his power transferred to Qetsiyah. She became quite a problem, as you realized when she crossed over. In my time, our entire coven came together, we decided to create a spell that destroyed our coven and our magic. We fractured our magic into little pieces with types of magnets that repelled themself. The outcome is what you have in modern-day witchcraft, little covens that can practice different types of magic, some witches can do illusions, others can teleport, others can heal, and others have control over fire. By destroying our coven, we took Qetsiyah's power away from her. She lived the rest of her life with her powers bound, she had children who practiced, her bloodline was cursed, and only those who proved worthy had their powers awaken, like your friend Bonnie's bloodline, the Bennett's. Qetsiyah's bloodline is always faded to find our bloodline, our powers are drawn to each other. It is believed that Qetsiyah, myself, and Silas were destined to be the high priests of all magic. That Gaia has foretold of The Brother Love bond to join the sister of blood to bring peace to all magic on earth. In my time, it was thought, we were those three, you see Silas and I were, at one time, the best of friends, just like you and Stefan in 1864." Damon adds, "Then Qetsiyah changed all that, just like Katherine changed it with us in 1864." Demetrius smirks, "Our stories played out quite differently, I stepped completely aside for Silas, Qetsiyah took things into her own hands. I was the one that orchestrated her demise, my blood was key to binding her powers as well. Our story continues because I continued, I lived on, had a family, and continued our family bloodline, all the way to the Salvatore's." Demetrius paused for a moment before he continued, "I have watched many generations. I have seen the Blood magic and the Element magic near miss so many times. Then seeing Emily land on your doorstep and you so fiercely protective, I knew you and Stefan were the chosen Brothers." Demetrius took a deep breath and sighed, "You and Stefan's story was sidelined because of Katherine, Emily Bennett was the real part of your destiny, not Katherine. Her ancestors were sending Emily Bennett, a witch from Qetsiyah's bloodline to you and Stefan in hopes that she would be able to sense the connection to your magical bloodline. We knew the doppelganger blood connection was also there between Katherine and Stefan, I knew that, I just didn't realize that Katherine was, well Katherine. That she would use it as a weapon and play you and Stefan against each other the way she did. I had never seen the Doppelganger connection used in such an evil selfish way before."
Demetrius paused, he didn't know whether or not this was the time to start the explanation about how important the doppelganger's blood is and will be to their power. "The doppelganger blood connection has always been for the benefit of each other, for good, a pure connection that lasts throughout their lifetime. When Katherine's motives were nothing but self-serving, that surprised everyone, no one had seen that ever. 100's of doppel couples spanning over 2,000 years, not one self-serving person until Katharina Petrova or Katherine Pierce. "
Damon's forehead wrinkled, his face crinkled from deep thought, "I'm trying to follow this doppelganger thing, you are telling me these two doppelgangers, find each other, then spend their entire lives loving each other with 'purest love', they spend their lives doing nothing but living for one another. Your words - benefiting each other." Damon pauses for a moment, "Why didn't it work with Stefan and Elena, why didn't she stay in love with Stefan?" Demetrius smiles, "Why do you think it didn't work?" Damon's tone changed, he was getting heated and confused, "Elena picked me, she is completely in love with me, with no doubts. She picked me as a vampire and again as a human. When she wakes up, we are getting married, we are going to be together until 'death do us part', we are going to be together forever. And Stefan is completely in love with Caroline. She is his everything, they are meant for each other. Stefan is at peace with himself with Caroline, I've never seen him happier, more Stefan. Stefan has earned true love, true happiness, no Doppel crap is going to take that away from him."
Demetrius smiles as Damon wages war for his brother's happiness, "My son, all that you have spoken is completely true. What you fail to comprehend is the true intent of the magic of doppelganger blood. The magic was never about romantic love or what you think of as soulmate love, the magic is a force that draws the doppel blood together, it is about the magnetic force that brings the two bloods close together. You already know how powerful the doppelganger blood is when the two bloods are brought together, the travelers' spell covered all of Mystic Falls, that power doesn't work unless the two doppelgangers are together. You can't bring two of anything together without a reason, a pull, in this instance, a magical magnet. That is what brings the doppelganger together and keeps them together throughout their lives, it was never been pre-defined as romantic love. Over the centuries, I have seen it as friends, siblings, and lovers. I would imagine that Qetsiyah left that part of the story out of her version, it would make it easier for her to be a true victim. Yes, throughout history the doppelgangers have always found their way into each other's lives. And yes, they have been romantic lovers, but not all, most successful doppel connections have been cousins, completely platonic, they have created the most powerful ruling allied nations." Damon stared out into the sky for a moment, he shook his head. Demetrius could tell this was overwhelming for Damon to comprehend, "Damon, Elena picked you, because you complete her in a way that Stefan never could. Just like Caroline completes Stefan in a way that Elena never can. You, my dear boy, were the ones that needed help, you and Stefan needed to find your way back to one another. Elena was the means to get you two there. She was drawn to Stefan because of being a doppelganger, they are always going to be in each other's life. It is the reason why he could never leave Mystic Falls, even after she chose you. It was also the reason why she had such a hard time choosing in the first place. She couldn't imagine living a life without Stefan in it. In her young mind, she didn't understand the difference between love and being in love. Until she turned, as a vampire, her love for you was so heightened that she was able to feel the difference between her love for Stefan and being in love with you." Damon paused for a long moment and tried to wrap his head around all that was being said, the concept of Stefan and Elena not being the universal faded doppel couple that he destroyed was almost too crazy to entertain, he knew everyone was completely past this now and happily coupled, but still, all the pain and betrayals that were felt on the way to the happy coupling could have been avoided with this bit of information. Damon was getting a steamed "Let's get back to the story, I need to wake up."
Demetrius continues, "You and Stefan have proven your worthiness, Gaia has chosen you to bring Nature's magic back together to bring peace back to Earth. When Stefan gave you the cure, he unknowingly gave you the immorality cure from my time that was purified. First by going through Elena's body as a doppleganger and an ancestor of Amara's bloodline and then by going through Stefan's doppelganger bloodline. Once it entered your bloodstream the trifecta was complete and your magic was awakened. It wasn't just the cure that you received, it was also an ancient blessing from our Goddess Gaia. This brings us to the part of the story where I told you about an unfulfilled destiny, mine."
Damon looked at his great whatever's face, "Gramps, I'm trying. I've got my girl in a magical coma, I watched my brother burn, holding our pure straight from hell, devil ex-girlfriend, which not be a praying man hope he got her back to hell. Now, I'm human or not human but a witch who is in a magical sleeping dream with a dead ancestor hearing an old tale about a few people I killed, who I may or may not have been related to. And now you want me to listen to how you didn't live up to your potential. Gramps, I'm telling you, I'm not sure how much more I can take."
Demetrius did laugh, "Son, you have been such a source of entertainment for all these years. I have to admit I do look forward to the day when my watch is over. I truly believe that you and Stefan are the chosen ones. That is why it is important for you to understand the destiny that I was unable to fulfill. If you are the Element High Priests and you have evoked the Brother's Magical bond as I believe you have. Then you have already started the journey and my time has its limits." Damon twists his head to the side, "You're dying?" Demetrius smirks again with how black and white Damon's concepts are, "Son, I've been dead for thousands of years. My spirit will finally be reunited with the ancestors, with your ancestors. I will be able to access the essence of my powers, to strengthen the coven. The longer I do not join the rest of the ancestors, the longer it will take for the coven to be at full power."
Damon remembers Bonnie accessing her ancestors for advice and power in the past, he wonders if that is what Demetrius is referring to.
Demetrius gains Damon's attention, "When I relinquished my powers. I had no idea the consequences not just to myself, to the coven, but also to the entire magical world. The act itself created an imbalance in magic, Silas had control of all the elements in one place. The elements can exist like that, hot and cold, dark and light, survive they must be kept separate but together. Earth and water need each other to survive, but they don't produce if surrounded or it each other, a little of each makes the difference. A little water helps the earth grow… everything…. and a little earth helps contain water to allow for water to have an ecosystem. Fire and Air, a little bit of air will flare the flames, too much extinguishes them... A little fire warms the air and creates an amazing thermal property, while too much fire absorbs the molecules." Damon a bit frustrated, "Thanks for the science lesson that I learned 168 years ago. What does that have to do with Stef and me today?" Demetrius shakes his head, "Damon, by giving all my powers to Silas, I effectively signed his magical death warrant without knowing it. Silas as a witch human or immoral would never be strong enough to house all elemental magic in one being, not even the Gods were strong enough for that. Gaia had many children to split up the element between, even her sisters and brothers split their powers between more children and grandchildren."
Damon wasn't sure if his ears were working right, he shakes his head, "Are you trying to tell me all that Greek myths stuff was real." Demetrius shrugs his shoulders, "You came face to face with a siren, Sybil. How did she come about? Where did she come from? Did anyone think about that? Everyone was so busy trying to figure out how to end her, did anyone ever figure out how she and her sister started?" Damon stopped to think, "We asked Serena, she didn't remember anything from her childhood." Demetrius raised his eyebrows, "According to myth, sirens are the granddaughters of Gaia. They are demi-gods, daughters of the sea and earth. Sybil was a direct descendent of Gaia, and so are you. Wasn't there a question she always had, why you could break her mind control? Yes, your love for Elena was the focusing factor. The fact that she never had complete control because you shared a partial bloodline made it impossible for her to connect to the deepest parts of you. She couldn't get to your protected love for Elena."
Damon truly didn't agree with the words that were coming from Demetrius, he felt like he was fighting Sybil the entire time, if he shared a bloodline and he was protecting his love for Elena, why did Sybil control him so completely. Demetrius stopped Damon's thoughts, "She was a demi-god, you were not. You were a vampire without any magical powers that you knew about. You had no defenses. Your vampirism took your impulse control away from you, it heightened every destructive trait your human side had. The reason Sybil could control you wasn't about you, it was about being a vampire versus a demi-god, not Damon versus Sybil. Always remember that. It is a very important lesson to learn, you are a witch now. Being a witch can either enhance who Damon Salvatore is as a person or it can be a weapon against the true Damon Salvatore. The question is did the vampire Damon learn that lesson watching and loving the vampire Elena so much that he wanted to become human with her because of what he learned or because of what he would lose?"
Damon didn't answer the question, he knew the answer was complicated. Deep down he knew the answer was both. He stayed silent, hoping that Demetrius would go on to the next topic without requiring his answer. Damon took a breath as Demetrius started talking again, but his mind didn't stop thinking about the question, what had he truly learned about himself as a vampire, the differences between giving into the dark side of vampirism or staying true to yourself. His thoughts on how Caroline, Elena, and even Ric handled being vampires. They were clear examples of not losing oneself while being a vampire. Was it as simple as having Stefan and Elena in their lives, to have an unselfish sire around to 'show them the ropes' or a human to ground their humanity too? Would Stefan have been a ripper if Katherine would have stayed? Damon shook his head, Katherine wasn't capable of being a competent sire, she would never have shown either one of them how to protect their humanity or their individualities.
"Damon!" Demetrius said noticing he no longer had Damon's attention. He watched as Damon's eyes focused on him, "Thank you, now, as I was saying. Since the elemental magic wasn't able to be used as it was intended by Silas. The magic has been dormant all this time, and so has its potential. Silas and I were its chosen vessels, to bring all the magical community together under a peaceful unity. The unity of Blood and Nature's magic could create enough power to protect and defend humans from all sources of evil." Damon stares at Demetrius, "My brother will not become vampire hunters, witches are not. Not all vampires are evil regardless of their predatory instinct." Demetrius laughs, "Yes, we both agree. Not all sirens are as Sybil. Most supernatural beings are like humans, having both a light and dark inclination. I believe it's called freedom of choice."
Damon wonders if this conversation is going to go towards the direction of ethical debate nature versus nurture, good versus bad, instinct versus choice. Time was going by and he wanted to get back to Stefan, "Ok, Gramps, can we have the good versus evil debate another time? Especially the ones that are to finish the Goddess Gaia's mission of ridding humanity of the influences that are still plaguing humanity from the vengefulness of her offspring.
Your power elements are Earth and Wind, you have been the protector, your entire life. You have protected Stefan from everyone, Giuseppe, WWII, Egypt, and then Elena, once you set your eyes on her, which I have another theory about, you have been her protector, and now your list just keeps growing. Stefan's elements are Water and Fire, which makes complete sense given that he has lived his life in one extreme or the other. Damon, you and Stefan are the Gaia Element Brother High Priest Witches."
Outside of his dream world, Damon has no idea what is going on.
Caroline with both palms on Damon's temples opens her eyes "I can't get in, I know he is human, I can smell his fresh blood flowing. I can hear his heartbeat. Why can't I get in his mind?" She had moved him from the floor to the couch. Stefan says weakly, "Maybe it is the effects of the cure, maybe he is still in transition." It has been 3 hours since Damon lost consciousness, Stefan's wounds are inflamed, and the infection was starting to set in. Stefan thought that it also might have something to do with not having the cure in his system, his body could not fight a wound like this, and he wasn't sure he could survive this. Bonnie walks in the door with her arms full of Grimoires, "I brought everything I could find from Jonah's collection and what Ric could find from the Armory. Jeremy and Matt are on their way with more ingredients for all sorts of spells." Bonnie looks at Stefan, "Stefan, hold on, this might get bumpy." Stefan understands, "Bonnie, it's ok. I'm ready. I'm sorry, I don't deserve your help." Bonnie shakes her head, "Stefan, shut up. We are going to get through this. I will get to hate you later, and you will get to make it up to me for the rest of your human life. You have already promised that to me. Don't you dare give up. I am not living with a human Damon with no Elena and no Stefan." Bonnie drops the Grimoires on the floors, stands over them, and starts to chant, "Omus Tentum Libatal signas" four Grimoires open. Bonnie straightens her back, "Ok, Let's start with these. Care, come help me." Caroline looks down at Damon, she caresses the side of his face and covers him with a blanket. Caroline by Bonnie's side, "Ok, what do I do?" Bonnie points to the opened Grimoire, "Take a Grimoire, read the spell, start getting the ingredients together, put them in front of the Grimoire." Caroline uses vamp speed to start gathering ingredients from the kitchen and outside. Jeremy and Matt walk in the door, Matt has his arms full of bags, "Bon, we stopped by your place and got everything from your text." Bonnie smiles, "Thank you, can you bring them over here and put them out on the table by Caroline.." Jeremy stares at Damon on the floor, "What's up with Damon?" Caroline shrugs her shoulders, "We aren't sure, yet. He is breathing and very much alive. Right now we are trying to keep Stefan alive. One crisis at a time." Jeremy becomes aware of a missing person as he looks around the room and sees Stefan and the empty coffin, "Where's Elena? Is she safe?" Bonnie nods, "She is very safe, she is in Damon's room, I have spelled it, you can go in, her blood can enter safely." Jeremy turns to go upstairs. Bonnie goes back to the Grimoires, she starts mixing the first list of ingredients, "I'm ready…. Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas, Omus Quisa, Tentum Exalis, Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas, Omus Quisa, Tentum Exalis." Bonnie reaches for Stefan but hits the barrier, "Damn it" She kicks that Grimoire out of the way, and picks up the next one.
Demetrius grins as he shuts his eyes, "You have built yourself a strong family unit, my son. Right now, they are working on freeing Stefan from the spell you cast and trying to wake you. They will not accept defeat. That is true proof of your worthiness." Damon stands up, "So get me back there, I need to help, I need to fix this. Tell me how to do it." Demetrius raises his arms, "Patience Son, you and your brother's destiny will start as soon as you wake, as will your friend Bonnie. She doesn't realize that her destiny is intertwined with the brothers as much as Elena's is with Stefan's." Damon sits back down in a huff, "What does that mean? Get to the point old man." Demetrius continues, "When Qetsiyah created the other side, she did it out of spite and her jealousy of Silas's love for Amara. The magic she used created an unbalance in nature which is why she needed an anchor to absorb the pain of crossing over. The veil was pure jealousy, and pure negativity, these are the two qualities to attract evil at the purest level. This is what your destiny will be, fight for balance, you, Stefan, and Bonnie will have to battle evil to keep the balance. That requires bringing all the magics together. What you and Stefan did tonight, both of you willing to sacrifice everything you hold dear, your hearts, your soulmates for each other and for the greater good. You sacrificed your future with Elena for not just her safety, but for Stefan, everyone, and the entire town of Mystic Falls. You were willing to die for them, Damon, the ultimate proof of love for your brother. You sent him out of the tunnel, to live, to be with his wife, you gave up your future happiness with the love of your life, Elena. At that moment you were thinking of the town, of everyone, not just your brother, your heart was protecting Stefan and only Stefan. And likewise, when Stefan, chose to give you the cure and take your place, his heart was full of only you, his brother. Through those sacrifices you both made, the act of selflessness and the act of brotherly love, you both broke the final barrier of the spell that was created so many millenniums ago." Damon didn't quite understand, "Stefan is still dying. Without the cure in him, Stefan is going to die soon. How are we supposed to accomplish all this magical collection as brother witches with Stefan dying." Demetrius answered, "Stefan is a witch, once his powers are restored, he doesn't need the cure. His powers will solve that issue. Your lives as The Gaia Element Brother High Priests give you a longer than normal human life span. You will likely see the birth of your great-grandchildren. You must restore Stefan's powers." Damon still his skeptical self, "Ok, say, I believe you. How do I make witchy stuff happen? What do I do to save Stefan?" Demetrius is amused with his great-grandson, "You've already done it. You sent him to the safest place you could think of. A place that Bonnie had kept Elena safe for years, Elena's coffin. You used your magic already. You also created a protective barrier that not even the strongest Bennett witch in the last few generations can drop. Your friend Bonnie is trying to lower as we speak. You cast with your love of Stefan, using the earth you were laying on as the energy and the bond you have with Stefan as the fire, his energy element, touched him. The two-element powered the spell to raise it, the opposite two elements will be the power to lower the barrier. It was a simple cast, all you have to do is channel the same way with your wind and Stefan will need to channel with his water to the energy needed to power the spell, and the magic comes from the love you have for one another. Do you understand how your magic works? It isn't about words or chants, it's about love and a feeling, Gaia is the Mother of Earth, and she encompasses love, Damon, selfless, pure love. It is what you have for Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie, you have the ability to channel that love for each and every spell you will ever need to cast."
Damon was completely overwhelmed "From my heart, Demetrius, feelings aren't really my thing. Elena is the only one that has been able to get me to feel. I'm selfish, that is my thing, I'm impulsive, I do all the wrong things for the right reasons. Demetrius, I've killed my best friend, twice, just because, I didn't like that he was telling me the truth. I actually killed my brother's best friend because I tricked her in the '70s, I've taken life, human life, a true serial killer for my own personal gain, because I was bored, how can I be a protector of the balance for good." Damon bares his soul honestly for the first time to someone other than the 3 people that he has just been told have a destiny intertwined with his. Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie are the only people on this earth he has shared his most intimate thoughts, and insecurities. Now Demetrius tells him, that these 3 people have been pre-destined to be in his life, to battle with him, his thoughts raced through all the times they have already done that, all the battles and wars they have fought against each other, side by side and for one another. Damon could see it now, the 4 of them were linked, something always kept each of them from walking away completely, during every event, every hard time each one faced, a voice inside said 'turn around, go back, save them', how many times had Bonnie saved his life, Elena saved Stefan, he saved Bonnie, on and on. Yes, they were linked. Damon still doesn't think he is the right choice, "I'm not the right guy, Bonnie, Stefan, Elena, those are your heroes. My brother, he's even got the hero hair down. I'm the guy that did all those things, for all those selfish reasons, most of all, if you've watched me all these years, you've seen the incredible amount of pain I've caused. You know the death, the destruction, the evil I'm capable of." Demetrius nodded as though he was reading Damon's mind, "For all those reasons, Damon, because you have battled evil, the evil within you. You have battled and won the hardest battles you will ever face, your own demons. You know what the face of evil looks like, and you know what the face of good looks like. You are a perfect choice, you can find the ones that are redeemable, the ones that can be saved. There isn't just one way to heaven, my friend. If Cade, could feed hell, why can't we feed heaven? Balance exists, Peace exists, and redemption exists. You, my son, earned yours. Help others earn theirs. This is your destiny, it is your mission. It is why you have lived the life you have. I'm so proud of you. Now go, it is your turn to save Stefan. My son, do not stop at him, your power can also right the wrongs that should not have been. Save Elena. And you can also save Bonnie from a life she doesn't need to live."
