The other chapter was more of a prologue, so here's this one too lol

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The Dark had settled over the city.

A woman watched from her perch atop the clock tower in the middle of the town, the wind casting her brown curls over her shoulder.
The light of the moon shimmered off the feathers of her majestic, incandescent wings.
She knew it was dangerous to be up here at this time.
Knew that one of these days her sacred hiding spot would be discovered by one of them.
The Darklings.
Not that it mattered. She could take care of herself if it came to a fight.
And even though the Dark robbed her of her strength, she knew she had to be here.
She had to wait.

"Elena?"

She spun around at the voice, and relaxed when she saw who it was.
"Stefan, hey."

He walked over to her, his blond hair practically glowing under the streetlamp, "What are you doing back up here? I thought we talked about this..."

She shrugged, "The moon is high tonight. I could draw strength from it if I was attacked."

He shook his head, "Yet you were so lost in thought that you didn't even hear my approach. You shouldn't be putting yourself in danger, at all. Not to mention that you've revealed yourself."

His eyes lingered slightly on the brightened white wings that emerged from her back.
She sighed, forcing them into herself, until they disappeared, and then shot him a look.
Danger...Ha.

Stefan was the only one who knew the slightest hint of the truth, "Revealed or not, the Darklings won't come. We both know I'm not in any real danger."

His words came out a little harsher, "Don't mistake my brother's leniency for compassion, Elena. He won't hesitate to have you killed if you get in his way. He's...changed. He betrayed the Light, betrayed his family, and the girl he claimed to love. That was his decision."

She looked back out over the square, her hand automatically moving to the chain at her neck, and the diamond ring that hung from it.
"This isn't about Damon. I've been coming up here every night for as long as I can remember being in mortal form. I haven't been caught yet."

He gazed at her, "And every night I wonder how you remain so lucky."

"Pure talent," she smiled, and Stefan held his hand down to her.
She grabbed it and let him hoist her up.

"Still," he stated, putting on his serious face, "I'd rather not have you up here at all."

"No," she agreed, "You'd have me caged up, obeying your every whim, just as he would."

"This again?" Stefan sighed.

She shrugged, "Tell me it's not true."

Stefan shook his head, running a hand through his hair, "Is is too much to just want you safe? Being out in the Dark alone is not only an amatuer mistake, it's practically suicidal. Just come home, until our next scout."

Elena crossed her arms, "You can rant about keeping me safe, Stefan, but you and I both know that I can take care of myself. You should be worrying about the others instead of me. That's your job isn't it, oh fearless leader?"

"The others are home, safe, where they should be. And it would seem that you need more looking after than them, so do not lecture me on what my job is," he spoke this slowly, exhaling, trying not to get frustrated, "Elena, I have sworn an Oath to the Light, to protect all of it's children, and to lead this war against the Darklings, but I will not ignore my personal mandate."

"Which is?"

He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek, "Need you really ask?"

Elena took a step back, "No, because I was under the impression that I'd made my point quite clear. You may have given up on him, Stefan, but I can't."

She turned her back to him, blinking away a tear that threatened to spill over.

"Have you not waited long enough?" Stefan's voice took on a pleading tone, "Has it not been months? I have watched you try over and over to reach out to him, almost killing yourself in the process, just to think that by now you'd have gotten it through your head. He's never going to change, Elena! There's no use in looking for the good in him. He turned his back on it when he turned his back on the Light."

"I choose to believe differently," she stated, her voice clean of emotion.

"Then he will be your downfall," Stefan said gravely.

And he was gone.

Not running away, not flying off, just gone.

As though he were the wind itself.

There was nothing but silence in his place.

The teleporting was a neat little trick, she'd give it that.
But then again, they had developed a lot of neat tricks over the years.
One of the side effects of trapping a celestial being with immense power into a form as simple as a mortal. A human.
It was so limiting when compared to where they'd come from.
Elena wished she could remember it better.

Being in the Light's presence was to be bliss. An overwhelmed feeling of joy, of happiness. Of good, and perfection.
There was nothing better.
But the longer she was in mortal form, the more dreamlike it became.
To the mortals, the Light was heaven, or maybe a different realm, a dimension, just outside of their understanding, but to her it was home, and it really had been perfect.
She closed her eyes, willing her mind to remember the things she never wanted to forget.

The light surrounded her.
A constant warmth on her skin as she ran through the fresh grass, sprinkled with flowers of endless color, so livid and beautiful, that she almost stopped to touch them.
But a voice called out.
"Elena, you don't always have to run from me."
She giggled, looking back over her shoulder as Damon finally caught up to her.
"Yes I do, you're meant to catch me."
His arms came around her then, as he dropped a kiss to the side of her neck.
"But I already have, my love," He kissed her forehead, "You are to be mine. Forever."
She smiled, returning his glimmering look, and leaned up to kiss his lips gently.
"Forever, my liege. I promise."
He smirked, "Liege? So you've heard?"
"That you are to lead the Arcs against the Darklings?" she confirmed, "It may have come up when I spoke with Stefan earlier."
"Ah, my brother. He doesn't keep much quiet, does he?" Damon teased, rubbing his nose against hers.
She shrugged, "I don't mind...I'm proud of you, Damon. Really. You deserve this."
He took her hands in his own, "It's an honor, to serve the Light at such a title. But the biggest honor is to have you fight at my side."
She smiled again, "Oh, Damon. There are many other Arcs you will be commanding. Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt, Tyler, Alaric, Lexi...they are only a fraction of your subjects."
"It's a big responsibility," he reasoned, "But all I need is you. The thought of keeping you safe, protecting you against the evil's of the mortal realm...it gives me more strength than the Light ever could."
She nodded, leaning her head against his chest, "You make me strong as well, Damon. I have no doubt that we will be victorious...but I do have concerns on one matter."
His brows furrowed, "Name it, and I will do what I can to put you at ease."
She pulled away, looking up at him, "We must go to the mortal world, to fight this battle...we will be in a mortal form."
He nodded, "Yes. That's the point of our training."
"Will our power's still be accessible?"
"Mostly," Damon told her, "But not always. The Light is gone from the Mortal world. Of course, we can still draw on the moon, the stars...but we will be vulnerable in the darkness.
She didn't like having a weakness, in any form, but she was glad Damon was honest with her. It was one of the reasons that she loved him. He would tell her the truth, even when it was ugly.
"The Dark is only an absence of the Light," she quoted, "We will be the Light, when the mortals are too succumbed in darkness for the Light to reach."
Damon nodded, but seemed deep in thought.
"What?" she cupped his cheek.
He glanced up at her, "The Light isn't only separate from the humans, Elena. But us as well. While we are in our mortal form, the Light can't protect us as it does now."
She considered this, "Then we'll protect each other."
At this he smiled, "Of course."
They shared another kiss, and he drew her close, "I won't let anything happen to you, Elena. I promise."

Midnight.

The clock tower chimed, and Elena jumped from her memory.
She took a moment to get collect her wits, then scolded herself for being so far lost in thought.
When so much was now at stake.

God, how naive she had been while basked in the safety of the Light.
A child, compared to the ways she had changed as a mortal.
Because she was so much more than an immortal being stuck in a human body.
She was entirely cut off.
From everything that had once made her who she was.
Damon had been right; the Light was out of reach in this form.
And without it, there was nothing.
No purpose. No drive.
No love.
How do you fight for something that has abandoned you?
She swallowed, because she knew that these questions were really about Damon, not the Light.

Though neither were being helpful.
But the problem was, that without Damon, she wasn't sure how to move on.
She couldn't move on.
Maybe Stefan didn't understand that.
Or maybe the humanity that infected them all was getting to him. Letting the important things fade away to nothing.
But she couldn't let that happen.
She had to hold on.
Because if she didn't fight for Damon, she truly had nothing left.

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