Clarity in Despair

One of the perks of having centuries behind one in age is the things that are learned throughout those years. Astra stood on the roof of one of the buildings in the town, hidden away in the shadows as she watched the people move about. The numbers began to decrease more and more as the night grew later, the humans heading off toward their homes. Damon had said there were vampire hunters within the town, and she wasn't sure whether or not to believe him at this point in time.

Both wet and dried blood clung to her skin, though she was completely unbothered as she left it there. Damon's scent rose from it every time she stayed still, left to inhale his unique blood scent. She didn't care about that, though, because there was a very strong and distinct scent that was hanging in the air all around the town. Not only was this one of the last things she wanted to smell, but it shocked her to find another that accompanied.

Her scent was mixed up with Elijah's throughout the town, like they had been regularly walking together.

Growling low, she had to refrain from going back to Damon and ripping out his throat. Had anything that came from his mouth been the truth? She honestly didn't want to think back on any of the things that he told her in case it was false. This must have been what Katherine was referencing so; he was using her memory loss as a way to control her in some way.

Dropping to the ground in the darkness, she took in a deep breath through her nose, taking in Elijah's strong, familiar scent. Taking off at a run, she followed closely after the scent, avoiding letting any of the humans in the town seeing her run by in any way. With the darkness on her side, she was able to make her way along the streets, following Elijah's strong smell, until she reached the locked doors of a multi-story building. Glaring down at the doorknob, she twisted it sharply and heard the metal lock bend and snap beneath her strong hand.

Stepping into the hallway, his aroma only grew stronger because of the enclosed space. With it, she could detect the strong spark of magic. It was electricity in the air, setting the hairs on the back of her neck on end. Stalking down the hallway, Astra resisted the urge to flee at the familiar tingling of magic. She hated it, and how she didn't have any control over the power that the warlocks and witches had on vampires. People were always so afraid of the stories of vampires, but witches could do so much more damage if they went against their beliefs. Vampires were considered to be created with a darkness in them, 'soulless' even, and that left people fearful and under the impression that they were the biggest threat.

In many cases, they are.

Stopping outside of one of the doors that lined the hall, Elijah and her own smell disappeared through that one door and into the room beyond. Once more twisting the knob, the lock gave way immediately and she stepped through fluidly, a young man jolting in his seat where he sat in the room. His eyes widened when she stepped into the room, blood around her lips and a dark look to her eyes.

"Astra?"

"Where is Elijah?"

The dark skinned male looked at her strangely as he rose to his feet carefully, looking at her for a moment.

"He's with the Salvatore's, Astra." The new voice drew the Roman woman's attention to the doorway that led into a darkened room, the older man that had spoken watching her carefully. "Where have you been?"

"With the Salvatore's. Elijah is not there," Astra growled, lunging at the older man. The boy that she assumed was his son cried out as she grabbed his father's neck, slamming him against the wall with a vice grip on his throat. "Tell me the truth!" Astra yelled, her fangs lengthening as red bled into her eyes. "Why is mine and Elijah's scent in your home?" she demanded, glaring into the man's eyes.

"Astra!" the young yelled, moving to try and stop her. The father held up a hand, however, and stopped him from moving any closer. "Dad, what's going on?"

"You are helping Elijah," he choked out in answer, looking into Astra's demonic eyes. "You have been for over a century. The Salvatore's were able to get their hands on one of the daggers and put Elijah into a temporary death—just before that, Elijah had me cast a spell that would have you forget both your past with him and with Damon Salvatore."

"He knew?" Astra asked in a snarl, her hand tightening on his throat in reaction to his words. Only for a moment did his breathing cease before she dropped him to the ground.

"He didn't tell me why he wanted the spell performed," he continued as he regained his breath, a hand on his throat as he watched Astra carefully. She didn't take her eyes off of his face, but she kept an acute ear on his son's movements. So far, he had remained still at the other end of the room, but she didn't want to take any chances when her back was turned on a warlock.

"Can you reverse it?"

"No," he answered carefully. "Only Elijah can reverse it; he was the binding in the spell. We have to free him before we can help you."

Astra snarled down at him, but didn't move to attack him once more. The red soon began to bleed from her eyes and she took a couple of steps away to show that she wasn't as threatened as before. Both warlocks didn't relax, but it was easier to breathe when she wasn't in striking distance of the older man. The son cautiously stepped around her until he got to his father, helping him to rise.

"Luka, can you get me some water?"

"Yea, dad, just a sec," Luka said immediately, glancing over to Astra hesitantly, before he rushed into the room that the father had appeared from within. Astra watched him move with a critical eye before she turned around and strode over to the doorway easily and closed it, the lock now broken and useless. Turning back to the father, she held him still with a frosty look.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jonas. My son and I are helping Elijah to kill Klaus; you were already with Elijah when we first met," he explained in a rough tone, his hand still messaging his abused throat. "I wish I could help you to regain your memories, but I can't. I don't know what Elijah was planning, but he knew what he was doing when he asked me to perform that spell. We're going to have to place our faith in him."

Astra wanted to snarl and growl, hating the thought of placing her trust in Elijah of all people. She wasn't able to remember what had happened since she left him, true, but going off of what she did remember she wasn't so ready to trust him just yet. Looking up to where Luka entered the room, he had a cautious eye on her while she returned the look with a hint of malice. There was something different about this boy, however. He wasn't acting the same as his father toward her. He seemed more forlorn about her memory loss. Also, she suspected that he knew nothing of the spell that his father had performed for the Original vampire.

"How long has Elijah not been helping Nickaus?" she asked finally, moving to lean against the thick wooden table that sat in the center of the room. Jonas took a long drink of water before returning his full attention to her once more.

"If what I know is correct, shortly after you left him a couple centuries ago," he answered. Astra couldn't see any sign of a lie in his voice and nodded her head, looking down toward the carpet on the floor. "Luka and I were going to try a spell tonight that could free Elijah."

"What spell?"

Luka was the one that answered this time, rising from his seat. "I'm going to project myself into the Salvatore home and find Elijah. The vampires inside won't know that I'm there and I should be able to remove the dagger before any of them find out." Astra frowned as she listened, looking over the boy. He was still very young and his magic was nowhere near up to par for such a spell.

"Are you sure you are prepared to perform such a complicated spell?" she asked, looking from him to his father.

"We will be fine," he answered for the both of him, holding her violet eyes in his serious gaze. Nodding her head, she watched as Jonas moved to begin collecting all of the things that he would need for the spell. Rushing forward, Astra startled Luka when she appeared directly in front of him. Blood still painted her face and she appeared far less humane than he had ever seen her before.

"You react differently toward me," she said softly. There was no question, no pondering. She was simply stating a curious fact that she was turning over in her mind.

"Who…who did you…" Luka tried to ask, his eyes darting from hers down to the red on her lips and chin. She didn't need him to elaborate and turned her face away, lifting a hand to touch Damon's blood. The taste was still so strong on her tongue and it was making her very hungry, but she knew that she couldn't attack the two men. Even if they weren't warlocks, she wasn't so foolish.

"Damon Salvatore. He lied to me," she growled out, turning her back to Luka. "I detest being lied to; lies are the reason that I left Elijah all those years back and the decades—or centuries, apparently—since have very much not changed my views." It seemed like a very flawed logic, but she didn't entirely care. The anger toward Damon had started building after the first little bit of withheld information came to light and it grew more with each one that she heard until everything inside of her told her to get even, told her to bite, and feed and prove that she was not to be toyed with.

Luka watched her apprehensively, as though a whole new side of her had just been revealed. "Is that usually what you do when someone lies to you?"

Looking over her shoulder at him with a dark sneer, Luka looked away at the message that was embedded in her eyes. He could only imagine what she had done to Elijah after he had spent majority of their lives together lying and sneaking. Luka quickly looked away and moved over to begin lighting the candles that his father had set out on the tables. Astra walked up to the bookshelf that sat against the wall on the far side of the room, running her fingers over the spines of the various grimoirs that littered the surfaces.

"Here," Luka voice said from behind her, drawing her attention away from the aged leather. He was holding a cloth out to her, clean and damp. His eyes lingered on the blood on her face before he looked up to meet her eyes once more and Astra let out a nearly silent sigh before accepting the material and turning away from him once more.

Wiping the blood from her face, she began counting the numerous grimoirs. The family must have been practicing magic for generations to have so many of the ancient scripts.

"Astra?" Jonas called, standing beside the table with a candle in hand. She looked over her shoulder for a moment before stepping away from the shelves to stand a couple of paces away from the table and the center of magic. She didn't like having to be close to anyone performing a spell; she would avoid it as much as she could.

Her eyes landed on Jonas before turning her attention to a nervous Luka. "Are you sure you are ready?" she asked quietly, her concern for the young boy showing through. His eyes held hers for a moment, seeing something that she wasn't aware of, before he nodded his head and looked to the older man sitting across from him. Jonas didn't look much more confident than his son, but they didn't have a choice. Luka wasn't strong enough to send his father into the Salvatore home, and so it had to be Jonas that performed the spell.

"What about sending Astra?" Luka asked when he saw the concern in his father's eyes.

"No, it's too dangerous to send her there with magic," he said carefully, looking up at the ancient woman. Astra's dead heart seemed to cease movement for a moment as she met his gaze and in that moment knew that he knew more than he was letting on. Luka, clearly, did not know. Blinking at him for a moment, she inclined her head to show that she was grateful for his assistance in keeping her away from magic.

Watching as the two men clasp hands, Astra's hairs were already beginning to stand on end at the sparks of magic that were dancing invisibly over their skin. Both closed their eyes and bowed their heads, almost appearing to be praying. If she hadn't known that they were preparing to perform a spell, she would have assumed that that was exactly what they were doing. However, she did know better, and took a silent step back.

"Focus on Elijah," Jonas ordered, "Picture him in your mind."

When Luka said 'got it' Jonas began to chant in Latin, the magic swelling around them. Astra's eyes bled red slightly as her canines sharpened, but she pulled the demon back and simply watched them carefully. She hated being so close, but at the same time there was a pull deep inside of her at the familiar feel of the ancient ways.

"The Salvatore house," Luka mumbled after a minute, opening his eyes that were now unseeing in his physical body.

"What do you see?"

"Elena and Damon." The name darkened Astra's mood, but she didn't let it show as she watched the young warlock carefully. "They're reading."

Looking away from the men after a moment, Astra frowned as she thought. Where was Elena? It had been a while since she left, so there was a strong possibility that it was Elena, but it could also be Katherine. She knew that the younger vampire had been in the house when she left Damon lying in the driveway. Another thing that surprised her was Damon's reluctance to follow her, after he had gone through so much to hide things from her in order to keep her present.

"Elena's fighting me," Luka announced suddenly, looking startled. His eyes were wide and he was beginning to tremble.

"It's not Elena," Astra snapped, glaring at the table top. She should have known. "It's Katarina."

"Kill her," Jonas ordered. Luka looked started, before the eyes of his body began to look around, seeing something that they could not. "She's a vampire, Luka, find a stake and drive it through her heart."

Astra hissed, "No, the doppelgänger is mine."

Jonas turned his hard gaze away from his son to the vampire in the room. "If he doesn't kill her she'll stop him and we won't be able to free Elijah." Astra curled her lip back and glared at him with red eyes and fangs; no one would take the satisfaction of Katarina's death from her grasp. Jonas didn't back down, though, and soon she turned her gaze to where Luka was in perfect concentration. It didn't matter what she said, he would do what his father told him to.

Vampire and warlock watched together as Luka began to tremble and sweat, his breath growing ragged. Astra knew that he was in danger of getting hurt if he didn't get out of there, especially when going up against a vampire. Damon was also still in the house and Katarina could draw his attention and leave Luka to a fate of only death.

"Luka, what's going on?" Jonas asked desperately as he watched his son.

Astra jumped back in fright when flames erupted all over Luka's body, Jonas pulling his hands back when he felt the heat of the flames. Only hesitating for a moment, Astra picked up the blanket draped over the couch and immediately began patting down the flames encasing Luka's body. Jonas cried out as he rushed over to them, trying to wake his son. Astra could hear Luka's heart beginning to stutter and falter in his chest and frowned.

"Luka!" Jonas yelled, shaking his son's shoulders. "Come on, open your eyes!" When he didn't respond, Jonas reached for the grimoir on the table and Astra lunged at him, already knowing what he was planning.

"Even you are not strong enough for such a spell!" she snapped, her hand clasping his in an iron hold and meeting his eyes. The fear and distress that swelled within them pulled at Astra's heart as she remembered her own pain from where she had lost her family. Growling low, she snatched the grimoir from the table and pressed it into Jonas's hands.

She was forced to hold her breath so as not to inhale the strong scent of burned flesh, the sickening aroma threatening to choke her. Once Jonas found the page, he laid it on his son's stomach and held his hands out over top of his son, looking desperately to Astra. She held his eyes, her own hands hesitating to meet up with his, before she glanced down at Luka's dying form and gave in, reaching out to lay her hands over top of the warlocks.

Together, they began to chant the spell to heal Luka's body. The magic buried deep inside of Astra's body flared up at the familiar Latin words that passed her lips, her eyes closing in concentration. Jonas's voice mingled with hers as they chanted, centering their power and forcing it into Luka's body. His heartbeat steadily began to strengthen as the burned healed over on his skin, leaving unmarred flesh in its wake. Astra began to falter, though, as her vampire blood reacted to the magic and tried to fight against it. It felt like someone was tearing at her with a dagger from the inside and blood soon started to drip down from her nose, steadily flowing over her lips and dripping off her chin.

Luka soon jerked up, crying out in pain as his hands flew up to his chest, face and arms, feeling for any signs of burns. Astra and Jonas cut off as he quickly moved to check over his son, tears of relief glossing over his eyes. "Luka, you're okay now. It's alright," Jonas assured as he took his son's face in his hands gently.

Astra gagged softly as her hand moved up to her cheek, feeling the warm blood there. When she pulled her hand back, there was far more red than she had ever seen before. Blinking tiredly, more blood leaked free from her eyes.

"Astra?" Luka asked in a choked voice, looking to the crumpled vampire on the floor. "What…dad, what happened?"

Astra coughed roughly in that moment, blood splattering on the burned floor. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, the sickeningly familiar feeling of blood filling her lungs and coating her throat, the metallic taste painting her tongue as she coughed it up.

"It's the magic, it's clashing with her vampire blood," Jonas said quickly. Luka pulled himself up with a groan and moved over to the woman that he had come to consider his sister, his best friend, and carefully rolled her onto her back. "We need to get Elijah, he'll know what to do."

Astra's face was streaked in bloody tears, more blood streaming from her nose and covering her lips. She had gone completely pale and a sweat had broken out over her skin, making it glisten in the candle light. Luka sluggishly got to his feet and rushed for the kitchen, wetting a fresh cloth before returning. "What can we do now?" he asked as he began to wipe at the blood painting the unresponsive vampire's face. Astra was still awake, but so far gone that she could barely hear the conversation going on above her.

"The Salvatore's want so badly to protect Elena, they'll have no choice but to give up Elijah to get her back," Jonas said as he moved to collect the things that he had used when helping Elijah with the shadowing spell.

"Wait, dad," Luka called, reaching for his father. "Maybe it's not about threatening them with Elena's safety; they'll always be against us if we do that. What if we can convince Elena like Elijah did, make a deal with her?" Astra began to gasp for air on the ground, her head rolling to the side as blood seeped past her lips. Jonas placed Elena's things on the ground and kneeled next to the ancient woman. She must have known the severe effects that using magic would cause her and yet she still helped him to save Luka's life. Had there not been the risk of his son turning vampire, he would have begged for her to use her blood to save him. Instead, she gave her own health for his.

"We'll do things your way," Jonas said as he reached over and grasped the charred material of Luka's shirt at the shoulder. "We'll get him back and he'll save her."

There! It's out in the open! She can do magic!

It's been eating at me to write this in for so long, but I wanted to wait for this exact moment to show that she could perform magic. If you all didn't get it in the story, the reason she's in such terrible condition is because vampires and witches are born enemies, with the blood of a witch and a vampire inside of Astra, her body fights over which is dominant when she uses magic. Hence nearly dying. It'll be better explained soon, I promise! As will many things, such as how she and Elijah met and her eye colour. ;)