Hey guys!
So this chapter is SUUUUUUPER intense.
It's kinda what everything has been building towards, and I hope you like it!
See you at the bottom!
Elena stared down at the wings in her hands.
They were turning black, the ripped cartilage and bone rotting into nothing as the detachment from their source of power wilted their core.
But she didn't mourn their loss, as she'd expected she would have.
"Elena, no," Damon's voice registered in her ear, "No...you didn't."
She turned her head to look at him.
When their eyes met, she registered the horror in his blue ones.
"This was my only choice," she told him, certain of the decision she'd made.
He sighed, "The Arcs march upon us now. They come to kill, Elena."
She frowned, "They come now?"
He nodded, "Yes, I was coming to tell you, but…"
He looked around the room, at the blood and the mess of feathers.
"You'll stay here," he decided, and his tone pulled Elena to her feet.
"If you're in danger-"
"I'll be fine," he said, standing as well, "But you won't be. You're mortal now, and I can't count on your life being spared."
Damn it.
"You would go out alone, then?" she asked, "With no one to protect you?"
"I don't need it," he assured her, "The Darklings will destroy the Arcs. We're stronger."
"Don't underestimate them, Damon," Elena shot worriedly, "Stefan's anger is strong enough, and sometimes that is all it takes."
Damon moved forward and fisted a hand in her hair, pressing their foreheads together, "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm coming back to you."
She relaxed a little, and he kissed her hard.
It was a desperate, heated thing that left her body tingling as he pulled away, "I'll be back soon. Lock the door behind me and don't open it for anyone else, understand?"
She nodded, "Be safe."
Stefan stared at the property before him.
The yard that stretched out in front of the mansion the Darklings had claimed would serve as their battlefield.
He trembled with the rush of knowing this would all be over soon.
The Light awaited them, with the end of this battle, and he was so ready to go home.
All that stood in his way was this enemy.
"Damon!" He bellowed across the space, knowing his brother would hear it, if he were anywhere nearby.
Sure enough, it only took seconds for the door to open, and the Darklings stepped out.
Their faces were hard, battle ready, and Stefan tensed.
This was going to be a hell of a fight.
But the Arcs had more of a reason to live than the enemy did.
He scanned the crowd until finally Damon appeared, walking through the middle like the general he was to them.
He looked aged, Stefan thought, weary.
Well, too bad.
Damon sought him out, and their gazes met as tensions boiled.
Elena was nowhere in sight, he noted, but perhaps that was for the best.
"Stefan," Damon called across the clearing, "Tell me you aren't this stupid?"
He didn't offer that a response, and his brother scowled, "Then you will all die, you realize that?"
"The only one dying tonight is you," Stefan growled, "You've run out of time to be saved, Damon. We want to go home."
He saw his brother's hand flick, and a beam of blue energy appeared in his palm, "So be it."
Elena could hear the battle.
She tried to drown the noise out, but the powers of the Arc and the abilities of the Darklings were clashing like thunder and rattling the very foundation she stood upon.
It was wrong, all of it.
Damon was out there without anything but his own powers to guard him.
And that didn't feel like nearly enough.
She took a breath and tried to remind herself of Enzo's words.
"With the Dark running through his veins, fueling his Arc abilities, he is our salvation. He is the most powerful creature in this realm, and he does not even realize it. If Damon were to tap into his true power, he could control the Darkness itself. He would be untouchable..."
She hoped it was true.
Because the idea of him not returning to her…
Damn it!
She couldn't just sit here while he was in danger!
She may not have her abilities any more, but she still had her training, and there were plenty of weapons around this mansion.
She wasn't going to just sit her.
Arc, Darkling, or Mortal, she was still a warrior, and her lover needed her.
Damon had to admit that he was impressed, just the slightest.
The Arcs were holding their own well, despite how weak they must surely be feeling, and he noted a lot of his moves in their techniques.
These were his students, once upon a time, and the total disconnect he felt from them now should be concerning.
As was the utter lack of motivation he felt to win for his Darklings.
His allegiance should have been laid out here, on this field, but in the throws of the fight, all he could think about was Elena.
Getting back to her, holding her, and not having to worry about any more threats.
Maybe they could leave, go somewhere far away from all of this, and just be together.
He would like that.
Screams filled the air, and he wasn't sure if it was the death of an Arc or one of the Darklings, but it didn't much matter.
Matt had just flown at him, and in a quick dodge, he maneuvered away from the attack that may have costed his life, just in time for Enzo to step forward and rip the man's head from his shoulders.
The Light exploded from his body, like many of his other fallen comrades.
This continued endlessly.
Beams of energy rattled the ground, blood and feathers falling from all directions, and no side seemed to be gaining the upper hand.
Damon lost count of the lives he took, and how many were taken from his side in return.
It didn't matter.
Until he heard her.
"Damon!"
Elena watched as he whirled around, and became aware for the first time that she'd entered the fight.
Not that he'd had the time to take note before.
She'd arrived to find a mess of a battle waging.
Bodies were dropping and flying left and right, the dead count climbing.
She wanted to scream, and cry, and pray, but all she'd done was take the daggers in her hands and go to work.
She beelined for her lover, dropping anything that got in her way.
She didn't let herself focus on their faces; didn't allow herself time to consider if they were good or evil, Arc or Darkling.
Damon was the only thing she saw now, and he saw her, as she ran to him.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one with focused attention.
From the corner of her eye, Elena saw a bright flash, and looked to see Stefan, stepping forward and making his move.
A ball of energy that would probably drain the remainder of his power had built in his hands.
And it was focused directly at Damon.
"No!" she screamed, and threw her body forward, just as Stefan lunged the bolt at her love.
Time slowed down as it happened.
The blast hit her directly in the chest, and pain seared all over her body, which was thrown back from the force, knocking into Damon.
It was very quiet suddenly, and she wasn't sure why.
Damon appeared above her, eyes wide, and his lips were moving, but nothing was getting to her ears.
All she could comprehend was the pain, until that too, faded away.
I love you, she tried to say, as her vision gave out.
For the first time, she welcomed the darkness.
Damon screamed.
That was the only way to describe the sound that ripped from his mouth, and the Earth seemed to shake from the force of it.
The battle halted, as all attention was turned towards him.
He was on his knees, pulling Elena into his arms, trying to convince himself that this hadn't just happened.
"No," he heard Stefan gasp, "Elena, no…"
Damon's gaze shot up, and everyone was frozen, unsure what to do.
Rage infected his every thought, building in his tight chest, trying to combat the pain he was experiencing.
This was all because of them.
Elena was...he refused to even think it, but it was their fault.
This fucking battle, this fucking war!
The Light the Dark...it was all their fault!
He didn't want this, god please no; he just wanted to disappear with Elena.
He just wanted this over!
"Damon-" Enzo's voice reached him, but he didn't want to hear anything else.
Nothing.
He was done. They were all done.
A surge of power unlike anything he'd ever felt boiled up under his skin.
He threw himself into it with everything he had, using the anger to single his focus.
He tossed his head back as the pain submerged him, and roared.
The glass windows of the Mansion shattered behind him, and hands shot to ears, everyone trying to escape the sound.
He felt the skin of his back rip apart, and tore the fabric out of the way, as for the first time in so long, his wings expanded.
Larger than life they unfolded, the feathers stretching and stretching until they towered the battlefield and everyone stepped away.
Then he coiled the things around himself, and Elena.
The feathers were ebony silk, blacker than the night surrounding them, but as strong as they'd ever been.
Sheltered by them, he kissed Elena's head.
Her eyes were closed, and she didn't move.
"I'm sorry," he breathed across her skin, "I'm so sorry."
Then he stood.
His wings shot out, and he raised his hands.
The sky crackled above, and energy rose from his body, which began to glow with what he needed.
This was it.
This was how it ended.
Hope ya'll liked it!
Told you it was a crazy chapter!
Will try to post the next one soon, but it may be the final chapter!
Let me know what ya'll thought about this one!
xoxoxo