The hallways of the Salvatore School were eerily quiet except for the sharp echo of boots against the polished floor of the Triad members roaming and watching the students search for an artifact that was not in the school. Rafael had found Jed and started working with him to formulate a plan with the pack for the moment the magic was back active. He also had a weapon of his own from the stash he found hidden in Dr Saltzman's office after he snuck in. He wasn't particularly a fan of Jed in normal circumstances, especially after Jed beat him up and made him talk about Cassie if he wanted to be a part of the pack (something Rafael had not wanted to be involved in), but he found that in a life threatening situation, Jed was no longer acting like the jerk he had been since Rafael had arrived. Instead, he seemed like an actual leader. The alpha the pack needed to not fall apart in a time like this, someone to give the directions.
Jed and MG formulated a plan on what everyone would do once the magic got working again, and they began spreading out, sharing the directions to the different factions, MG focused on the vampires and witches and Jed focused on his pack. Rafael was now in the mess hall, looking through a box of artifacts. To the Triad workers, it looked like he was helping, but in reality, he was testing the weight of the objects inside, figuring out the strongest one to use. As long as he used it wisely, no one would get killed, even if technically that would eliminate the threat. He didn't ever want to cause the death of someone again, even by accident.
Josie was beside Finch and Lizzie, terrified at the idea of losing either of them. The ruckus Finch had caused in the kitchen to serve as a distraction backfired and resulted in her being shot by Burr, the man that didn't hesitate before shooting supernaturals, minors and adults alike. Lizzie had her head rested on Josie's shoulder, her eyes closed, but Josie could feel the rising and falling of her chest and the sound of her breathing, letting her know that her sister was still alive. Beside her, a weak Finch held Josie's hand as she sat beside her, wishing their plan had worked out better than it did, but these guys were professional agents. The Salvatore school hadn't even dealt with many monsters, since most of them were dealt with away from the school's campus.
Josie sat between her sister and her girlfriend, hating that she was close to losing the twin and the girl she had been starting to fall for on the same day. What if siphoning didn't help them? What was Josie supposed to do? Just let them die? But at the same time, she didn't exactly have a lot of time to find a way to help them both. She tried siphoning from the ground and felt a rush of relief at the sight of her red glowing bottom of her shoes and the new magic she felt coursing through her.
"It's time" she said, knowing MG was listening for her. Her hands gripped both Lizzie's and Finch's, and she tried to siphon the magic from the bullets. But just as Hope predicted, they didn't work. Tears burned in Josie's eyes. "It's not working."
"You have to go help" Lizzie said tiredly. "They need you."
"I can't just leave you" Josie said, her expression full of concern. What if her sister died while she was gone?
"Yes you can" Lizzie said, looking at her.
She was still reluctant, but when their father came over to them, she gave a small nod. "I'll be back" Josie whispered to her dying sister before doing a cloaking spell on herself and going to her position. When she uncloaked herself, she was crouched behind an overturned bench. Beside her, MG peered around the corner, his vampire senses on high alert. "They're sweeping the hall," MG whispered, his voice barely audible. "Three ahead, two to the left."
Josie nodded. "We can take them."
He glanced at her, his usually warm eyes now serious, unsure of if she could t "You sure? If you're not ready-"
"I'm ready," Josie cut him off, her voice firm.
Down the hall, Rafael and Jed looked over at each other, both ready for their parts to take down the people invading their school.
"This isn't how I thought tonight would go," Jed muttered under his breath, his tone equal parts frustration and excitement. It was just supposed to be a party, and now they had to fight for their school. And part of him would rather be at the party, but being here and guiding the pack in a situation like this, it felt different. It felt good, being in charge of them in a way that felt like it mattered. Being able to help them. But he was also terrified they would get hurt.
MG gave Josie a nod. With a deep breath, she stepped out into the hall, her hands raised. "Hey!" she called, her voice echoing.
The Triad agents spun toward her, alert, their hands shifting to their gun automatically but not drawing it out. After all, most of them didn't want to hurt children even if they didn't want supernaturals around the world. But they still needed to be cautious and were willing to strike if this girl thought she could do anything.
"Get back to searching" one of them barked, his gaze on her.
Before they could decide whether or not to do anything, Josie flung her arms outward, sending a wave of magical energy down the corridor. The lights shattered, plunging the hall into darkness. She felt guilty a little at the idea of them all needing to be replaced, but she knew it would help.
"Now!" MG yelled, leaping into action.
He moved like a blur, disarming the nearest agent with supernatural speed and slamming him into the wall. Rafael and Jed charged from their position, Jed knocked an agent down and kicked him hard to keep him down before attacking another agent, his eyes flashing gold briefly. Rafael swung something hard at another agent, knocking them down. Meanwhile some of the nearby witches did spells to turn the guns into petals.
Josie stood in the center of the chaos and deflected a bullet mid-air with one of the barrier spells she had learned. Wth a twist of her wrist, she sent another agent flying backward. They fought their way down the corridor, every movement coordinated and deliberate. MG darted ahead, his vampire strength clearing obstacles as Rafael and Jed held off the remaining agents. Triad scrambled, raising their weapons, but the group moved as one. MG was on them in an instant, moving too fast to track, while Rafael and Jed used their strength to overpower anyone in their path.
Josie disarmed the agents of any weapons they pulled out. "You've overstayed your welcome," she said, her voice cold.
The leader turned, aiming a backup gun at her. "Big words for a little witch."
Josie didn't flinch. Her feet glowed bright as she absorbed magic, the air around her crackling with power. Her heart pounded in her chest, and the only thing she could think about in this moment was how these people had shot Lizzie. She could and probably would die very soon. A fire rose inside her, and for a moment, she just wanted to tear things apart rather than fixing things for once in her life. She cast a pain inflicting spell she had found while researching all sorts of offensive magic that the school didn't teach them. And she watched with a twisted satisfaction as the man cried out in pain and fell to his knees, though the weapon remained firmly in his hand.
MG was saying something, but Josie couldn't hear what. It was only when he put a hand on her shoulder that she snapped out of it and broke the spell, realizing what she had done. With a muttered spell and a gesture with her hands, Josie sent a shockwave through the air, knocking the weapon from the agent's hands and knocking him to the ground.
"You think this is over?" he sneered, forcing himself up as he looked at her with seething hatred. "There are more of us."
"Then tell them to stay away," Josie said, a ball of fire now hovering over her palm. "Get out of here. All of you. You've lost."
The remaining agents finally came to their senses and left the school.
"Not bad for a bunch of 'troubled rich kids,'" MG said, thinking of how the town knew them as such even though it wasn't true.
Jed said "Let's just make sure they don't come back. Even if we can kick their asses."
"They won't," Josie said quietly. "Not if we stand together. And like you said, if they try, we'll handle it. Like we did today."
"Josie" A very familiar voice said from behind her, and Josie spun around to see her sister still covered in sweat that she had yet to clean off but looking healed.
A rush of relief washed over her, and she rushed over to Lizzie, pulling her into a hug. Despite her many issues with Lizzie (none of which she ever let get addressed) she didn't want her sister to die. And thinking she was going to lose her had nearly destroyed her. " I was so worried about you" she said as she continued to hold her close.
The blonde held her sister back and closed her eyes for a minute before slowly pulling away. "I'm here. Dad gave me some blood, vampire blood I'm assuming. I didn't ask any questions. I am not really sure how I feel about vampire blood being in my system, but it's better than dying all gross and disgusting. I wouldn't even have been pretty in my coffin."
"Don't be ridiculous. For one, I think it's a little soon to be joking about how you'd look in your coffin. Two, we would have had you cleaned up" Josie said softly. " I'm really glad you're okay."
"I'm glad you're okay too. I'm going to need to take a shower. Or ten. I'm drenched in sweat. But afterwards, maybe we could have a twin cuddle upstairs? I have something I want to show you."
"Of course. I'm going to check on everyone else and shower, and then then I'll be in our room." Josie couldn't shake the knowledge she had gained about the Merge as she watched Lizzie go. Her sister had survived the day, and she was endlessly grateful for that, but she also knew that it practically cemented her date of dying at the age of 22. She still wasn't sure how she was supposed to confront her dad about the newfound truth or how she was going to explain it to her sister.
Eventually, Hope arrived at Triad headquarters, her heart pounding with urgency. She cast a sleeping spell over anyone nearby, ensuring no one clould interfere as she made her way inside. Her steps quickened when she heard Landon nearby, leading her to the room where Malivore's pit was. Relief washed over her as she spotted Landon, alive and seemingly unharmed. However, that relief was fleeting as she realized he was locked in a desperate struggle against a headless horseman.
She tried several ways to kill the headless horseman, but nothing was working. "He won't die. You know sci-fi stuff. Help me. How do I kill him?" Hope questioned, wanting to get this over with and get Landon and the artifact far from the Malivore pit.
As the horseman swung his weapon, the artifact slipped from its grip. Landon scrambled to retrieve it, clutching it tightly as he stepped back to give Hope space. Landon blinked, momentarily startled by her question. "Uh, the Headless Horseman is more fantasy than sci-fi," he corrected hesitantly, still wracking his brain for useful information.
"Get to the helpful part" she told him as she did a spell that stalled the horseman from moving forward before creating a barrier spell, protecting Landon from it.
"In the Tim Burton movie, they defeated him by giving him a bride!" Landon said, enthusiastic that he remembered a way that the headless horseman was stopped. But when Hope shot Landon a look, he reconsidered that option and the possible future of his girlfriend being married to the headless horseman, even if only briefly. "That wouldn't be my first choice. In-in the O.G. cartoon, he had a pumpkin head. That... he might keep it with his horse?" Landon guessed before spotting the pumpkin head under the cape of the horseman. "Correction! He's got it under his cape. Kill the head, the body dies. That's science faction!"
Nodding, Hope launched herself at the horseman, expertly dodging its attacks. With a spell, she immobilized it just long enough to grab the hidden pumpkin head. As the horseman thrashed and tried to regain control, Hope drove a dagger- one she had picked up earlier- straight into the head, causing the horseman to fall to the ground.
Hope rushed over to Landon and pulled him into a hug, relieved he was okay. She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. "I was so worried when you just vanished. Especially given everything going on with Triad"
Landon wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and comforting her. "I'm alright. Whatever happens, we'll make it through. You're not going to lose me." Even knowing his destiny now, he had to remain firm in his belief that they could win against fate, win against destiny. Otherwise what was the point of it all? Still, even if he did end up possessed at some point or died young, it was worth it. Being here with her.
Hope pulled away from Landon, her mind was already racing. She looked at the artifact in his hand.
"We need to get that thing out of here," she said, urgency creeping into her voice. "Malivore's pit is too close."
Landon nodded, tightening his grip. "I'm not letting it go, Hope. Not now. Not after everything."
Before Hope could respond, Clarke headed up the staircase and over to the couple, a grin stretching across his face. Hope's stomach twisted, and her pulse quickened. She didn't know who he was, but she had a feeling she knew what he wanted-the artifact. Clarke stepped closer to them, his voice threatening. "Hand it over, Landon. You don't want me to make this difficult."
Hope stood her ground, her body rigid with tension. "You'll have to go through me first."
"Of course. The tribrid" Clarke said, recognizing her from his research.
He lunged forward, making a move for Landon and the artifact. Hope reacted quickly, summoning a burst of magical energy that threw him back. Clarke got up, but besides discomfort, there wasn't anything wrong. After all, he was no human that could get cut or bruised. He was a mud man. He rushed her again, but this time Hope was ready. She blocked his first strike and countered with a powerful spell, sending him flying into the wall. Clarke, clearly more than capable in a physical fight, gritted his teeth as he recovered almost instantly.
"Is that the best you've got?" he mocked.
"I'm just getting started" Hope countered
He attacked again, faster this time. Landon, meanwhile, was backing up, trying to keep the artifact safe. In a split second, Clarke ducked under one of Hope's counterattacks and grabbed her wrist, twisting it sharply. Hope gritted her teeth but didn't let go of her hold. They struggled, both of them trying to gain the upper hand, until Clarke finally delivered a swift kick to Hope's side, sending her crashing into the wall.
She quickly recovered, her eyes glowing gold, but now she had two focuses. Protecting Landon from Clarke and keeping the artifact safe. If he managed to separate the two and still had both in danger, what would she do? Save the man she loved or stop the artifact from falling? She had to make sure she didn't have to make that kind of a choice.
"Not so fast," Clarke said with a grin, turning his attention to Landon. The artifact was still in his hand, but the struggle had distracted Hope long enough that Clarke was now moving to grab it.
Hope pushed herself up, but it was too late. Clarke had already seized the artifact, ripping it from Landon's grasp.
"Thanks for holding onto it for me and helping deliver yourself to our father. You made it so easy, " Clarke said as he straightened, the artifact now in his hands. He turned toward the balcony's edge, making his way toward the pit.
"No!" Hope shouted, her voice raw with anger and fear.
But Clarke didn't stop. He tossed the artifact into the Malivore pit, the final piece in his twisted puzzle, just as someone attacked Hope from the side, keeping her from being able to magically stop the artifact. She moved the dagger quickly and plunged it into the chest of whatever had attacked her to get it over with. Enough had gone wrong today. She couldn't deal with something else. But when she focused on her attacker, her blade and hand had blood on it, and a 20 year old werewolf laid collapsed on the ground, dead. She dropped the dagger, her breath shaking a little at the fact she had killed someone. Someone only a couple of years older than her by the looks of it.
For a moment, everything was still. The pit was quiet, nothing moved. But then, the walls trembled, and a low growl rumbled from the depths.
Landon grabbed the headless horseman's whip and attacked Clarke with it with one motion, his brother's neck snapping. He went over to Hope and took her hand, knowing how much the action must have hurt her but knowing he didn't really have time to properly comfort her about it, not when they had such a big crisis about to occur. "It was self defense" he said softly, seeing her expression before looking over at her pit.
"I know, but I still killed her. If I had just looked first instead of just-" She stopped. Hope's heart dropped as she realized the artifact had entered the pit, the girl temporarily forgotten about. "No... no... The artifact-"
Landon stepped closer to her, his voice hoarse. "He really did it."
Hope didn't have words for a moment before she realized some of what Clark said. " What did he mean when he said you delivered yourself to your father?"
"Oh I've got a lot to catch you up on" Landon realized before explaining what he had learned about the origins of Malivore and his destiny.
Josie headed out of the shower room downstairs since Lizzie was in the one closest to their bedroom. She let out a small sigh as she headed towards the staircase, wondering if Lizzie was done by now. She had given her long enough between cleaning up the school and checking on everyone, and that wasn't even including the time she had spent in the shower herself.
"Josie" Finch said, heading over to her. "Hey."
"Hey! I tried finding you earlier, but you weren't anywhere I checked." Josie said, turning and facing her girlfriend with a small smile.
"I was in the shower for some of it. Being covered in sweat isn't exactly idea. Then I was with the pack."
"Right. I must've checked the pack while you were in the shower" She said, stepping closer to her. "I'm really glad my dad had a solution to help save your life. That it was able to."
"I'm glad too. I- I'm finally starting to find my place in this world, and I don't want to lose that. But mostly I'm glad you weren't shot. My distraction plan didn't go as intended."
"Why did you do that?" She asked softly, taking her hand, a small frown on her face.
"I was trying to give you a better chance to do what you needed to do" Finch replied, her voice steady "I couldn't just stand by and increase the chances of you being found and getting hurt. My plan brought a lot of them my way, so you didn't have to deal with as many. At least, that had been the goal, but things didn't go as planned. You're... you're important to me, Josie. I'd do it again if it meant keeping you safe."
"But you nearlydied" Josie pointed out. "it took a lot for me to not rush in there and help, but I knew I had to focus. If it wasn't for seeing Lizzie nearly dead, I would have been able to do more to help."
"From what I heard, you did plenty." Finch wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "in my defense, I didn't exactly know they had bullets that could do that to supernaturals, and werewolves heal from most injuries."
"I'm really glad you're okay" Josie said softly before kissing Finch. She had no idea how to drop the news about the Merge to her, but for now she just wanted to enjoy this moment as her arms wrapped around Finch's neck and drew her closer.
The kiss was slow at first, filled with all the unsaid words and emotions they both carried. Finch's hands rested on Josie's waist, then slid up to her back, holding her like she never wanted to let go. Josie's arms wrapped around Finch's neck, pulling her closer until there was no space between them.
Finch held her as she kissed her passionately, her arms tightening around her. She was glad Josie was okay, that she hadn't been hurt or killed during the final confrontation against Triad. She never had really cared about anyone like this, and she didn't want to lose her.
When they finally broke apart, Finch rested her forehead against Josie's, her eyes closed as she soaked in the moment. "I thought l'd never get to do this again," she admitted quietly.
Josie swallowed hard, her fingers lightly tracing the back of Finch's neck. "I thought l'd lose you, Finch. You and Lizzie on the same day. And the idea of it.."
She trailed off, unable to put the depth of her fear into words. Instead, she kissed Finch again, this time more urgently, as if trying to chase away the memory of nearly losing her. She hadn't expected to care for Finch so strongly so quickly, especially considering it had still hurt when Penelope left, but she knew that she was falling hard for the werewolf.
Finally, Josie pulled away a bit and rested her forehead against Finch's. " I have to go" she said softly, reluctantly, wanting to enjoy this moment a bit longer.
"I know," Finch replied, her eyes still closed as she listened to Josie's steady heartbeat. She finally opened them, stepping back just enough to meet Josie's gaze. "You need to be there for her. It's okay. check in on the pack-some of them are still shaken up after everything."
Josie nodded, though she lingered, reluctant to let go. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Finch." Her voice was soft as she finally let go of her.
Finch watched her as she turned and began to ascend the stairs. "Goodnight, Josie"
The pit seemed to breathe, its shadows shifting as the very ground seemed to react to the artifact's presence as Landon finished explaining everything he had learned, talking quickly but understandably, knowing they were kind of in a time crunch with the final artifact being dropped in the Malivore pit.
"So Malivore's your dad?" Hope asked after a stunned moment of silence as she processed the new information, the knowledge slowly starting to make the pieces fit together in her mind.
"Weird, huh?" Landon tried to sound nonchalant, but there was a crack in his voice. For years, he had wondered who his parents were, fantasized about their identities, their stories. Never had he imagined one of them would be a creature forged from mud, magic, and the combined blood of a vampire, werewolf, and witch.
"And he can't be killed, which is why Triad turned him to goo?" She looked at him, thinking about the goo itself and about the bullets that had been constructed by Triad using Malivore's mud. "But nothing's ever immortal. I mean, not really. Nature won't allow it. There's always a loophole."
"Any brilliant ideas? Because I think we're running out of time.
The bullet. The origin of Malivore being created by a vampire, werewolf, and witch. How Hope could remember meeting Seylah, even after she was erased from the collective consciousness. How Hope had been shot, and she didn't feel it at all. If she hadn't seen the gun aimed at her, she never would have known she had been shot except for the hole in her shirt. And she would bet her family's money and property that her blood had been able to heal Lizzie. The fact that she even existed in the first place, despite everything that had to happen exactly as it did for a thousand years to lead to her conception. How they had managed to keep her alive despite the fact everyone that believed she was an abomination or wanting revenge on her father wanted her dead. All of it suddenly made sense now.
She was born to die.
Right here and right now, not by the hands of anyone else.
The ground quaked violently, black ooze bubbling and twisting like a living thing. Hope Mikaelson walked over to the railing, her eyes locked on the writhing darkness below.
Behind her, Landon Kirby followed her over to the railing, noticing the expression on her face. The clear mix of pain and resolve. He didn't understand it, he hadn't put it together. Maybe because he didn't have additional information she had. Or maybe it was because there was no part of him that would allow himself to fathom the idea that this could be their fate. That they were destined to destroy each other and that he could lose Hope. That thought was worse than the thought of being possessed by Malivore. "Hope, what are you doing? What are you thinking?"
She turned, her heart aching at the sight of him. His face was etched with concern and confusion, fear over what might happen if Malivore rose, what might happen to him, but he was here-alive, breathing, and hers. Even if she knew it wouldn't last. She knew what she had to do to keep him that way, to keep him safe from Malivore's plans to possess him, to keep everyone safe from Malivore's desires to consume.
"Landon," she said softly, her voice steady despite the storm inside her.
"You've got a plan," he said, his voice trembling. "What is it? Tell me."
She stared at him, memorizing every detail of his face: the warmth in his eyes, the look of love plain on his face, shining bright even in a situation like this where he knew something was very wrong, especially when something was wrong. She wanted to take the worry away, though she knew it wouldn't last long. Once she was gone, it would all be over. He would be safe. Happy. Even if it wouldn't be with her.
"Landon, I love you," she said, her voice trembling but sure.
"I love you too, Hope" Landon said as he looked at her in concern.
"I love you," she repeated. "Far more than I ever expected to fall in love with anyone. And I always will." Her lips met his in a kiss that was raw, desperate, and final. It was filled with everything she couldn't put into words, a bittersweet farewell she knew he wouldn't accept. When she pulled away, tears streaked her face, but her expression was resolute. She snapped his neck in one swift motion, catching him as he collapsed into her arms. She lowered him gently to the ground, her fingers brushing through his hair. "You'll come back," she whispered, her voice breaking. She wiped away her tears and pulled out the phone she had on her. She took a deep breath before calling Dr Saltzman.
"Hope. Did you find Landon?" Alaric asked.
"Yeah" Hope said softly, sitting beside Landon, not wanting to leave his side until she had to, no matter how hard it was going to be to have to walk away from him.
"Okay, well, tell me where you are."
"Triad Headquarters in Fort Valley, Georgia. Landon's gonna need you when I'm done. You have to write it down. You have to."
" Wait. You're at Triad Headquarters?"
"We are. Uh, don't worry, though. Everyone here is dead from what I can tell. At least for now. I don't know when the ones that invaded the school will get back."
"Put Landon on the phone."
"I can't. Uh, he would have tried to stop me, so I had to kill him, too." Hope said, swallowing hard. She took Landon's hand, knowing this would be the last time she ever saw him. She knew she was making the right choice, no matter how much it was tearing her up inside. "He'll come back. Don't worry. Even if I don't."
"Hope, tell me what the hell you're about to do right now before you do it." Dr Saltzman said.
"Malivore won. Clarke, Landon's brother, found the final artifact, and he tossed it into the pit, which is Landon's father, by the way. And now Malivore's gonna rise unless I stop him."
"Don't do this, Hope."
"There isn't," she interrupted, her voice cracking as the weight of her decision bore down on her. "I have to do this. And I need your help. Burn anything you've written about me. Clear out my room. Make it look like I was never there."
"Hope, stop. Listen to me-"
"Stop. You don't have long. You'll need vampires to take care of it. I- I know you have your issues with what my father did to you in the past, but thank you for letting me become a student at your school. I wasn't there long, but it felt right being there and attending those classes and having Lizzie as my best friend. Goodbye, Dr Saltzman." She hung up, her hand shaking as she dropped the phone to her lap. The finality of her words hit her like a wave, but she couldn't afford to stop now. There was one more call she needed to make. She'd make more if she had time, but it wouldn't change anything. It was just letting her have one last goodbye before everyone forgot about her.
Her thumb hovered over the nameAunt Freya, and for a moment, she hesitated. But then she pressed it, holding her breath as the line rang.
It took a moment before the person answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Aunt Freya?" Hope said, her voice soft, gentle and careful not to let too much of the pain break in her voice.
"Hope?" Freya's voice came through, warm and familiar. "How are things going at school?"
Hope closed her eyes, fighting back a sob. "Good. Things are good," she lied, her voice steady but fragile. "I just... I wanted to hear your voice."
"Are you sure? You seem a bit... off..."
"I'm sure. Landon and I just... have differences of opinions on what should happen next" Hope said, knowing he would do everything to stop this if he could, if she hadn't killed him to save him.
Freya chuckled softly. "You'll work it out. You're made for each other. But even if you don't, it'll be okay. You're strong, Hope. Stronger than anyone I know."
Hope's heart twisted at her words. "Thanks," she murmured. "How's Nik? And Keelin?"
"They're good. We got Nik a new toy. He loves it. I'm sure he'd love to show you it the next time you are over here."
"I'd love to see it" Hope said, knowing she'd never be able to. "It might be a little while."
"That's okay. Keep enjoying your new school. We can wait" Freya assured her.
Hope swallowed hard, tears streaming down her face. "I'll miss you. All of you," she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of her goodbye.
Freya hesitated, her tone turning serious. "Hope, are you sure you're okay? You're scaring me."
"I have to go," Hope said quickly, ignoring the question. "I love you, Freya. Tell Keelin and Nik that I love them too." Maybe she'd have a chance to at least tell Keelin. Though in the end it didn't matter. It was just empty words that would soon be forgotten.
"Hope-"
But Hope hung up before Freya could say more. She clutched the phone tightly in her hand, her chest heaving with suppressed sobs. There was no turning back now. . She wiped the tears from her face as she stood. She looked at Landon one last time, her heart aching at the thought of leaving him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the chaos. The sound of clapping caused her to spin around. Clarke was there, When had he even woken up?
"Really tugs at the heartstrings. Done with your round of goodbyes?" He asked, adjusting his neck to fix the area that had broken. "Sorry. I was eavesdropping. What are you waiting for?"
"I assumed you were gonna try to stop me." Hope said, stepping closer to him.
"Hell no. I was only trying to raise my father because I'm terrified of him, and I knew he'd find a way out someday. But if you're right about this loophole and you can actually kill the bastard once and for all, be my guest. And if you're wrong, well, no harm done because you'll be dead." Clarke said, not really caring either way. "So go on. I'll be rooting for you."
Hope stared at him, her mind racing. She couldn't let Clarke walk away. If she was going to end this, she needed to make sure he didn't cause more chaos in her absence. You're not going anywhere," she said firmly.
Clarke rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do? Kill me? We both know that doesn't stick."
"No," Hope said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Imitator Populus."
"Whatever you think you just did didn't work." Clarke said, amused and a bit smug as he looked at her. Hope raised an eyebrow and put her hand over her mouth, causing Clarke to do the same. 'How'd you do that? Why did I do that?"
Hope lowered her hand, watching as Clarke mimicked her perfectly. "It's a basic mimic spell," she explained calmly. "You'll do everything I do. And right now, you're coming with me."
"What?" Clarke's voice rose in alarm as Hope stepped onto the railing. "No! No, no, no, no! You're insane! Stop this!"
Hope didn't respond. She turned back toward Landon, her gaze lingering on him for a moment longer. "Goodbye," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. She grabbed onto him, and he onto her, and then she stepped off the railing, pulling him with her, their bodies falling down into the bubbling pit.
The ground stilled, the black ooze retreating into nothingness. The pit vanished, almost as if it had never existed, if it hadn't been for the small crater it had left behind.
Freya Mikaelson sat at the kitchen table, staring at a painting on the wall in thought. Keelin entered the room, her footsteps light, and placed a hand on Freya's shoulder.
"Couldn't sleep?" Keelin asked, concern lacing her voice.
Freya shook her head. "It feels like I'm missing something. Like I've forgotten something but can't quite put my finger on it."
Keelin frowned. "Do you think it's magic?"
Freya shook her head. "It's probably nothing. And if it's important, I'll figure out what it is" She stood up, drawing her wife close to her.
"I feel a bit off too. Maybe we should head to bed. I finally got Nik asleep. So let's just go upstairs and get our mind off of it. We can figure out what we've forgotten in the morning." She suggested softly,
The witch nodded at that. "Alright. Maybe we just need some rest." She agreed and kissed Keelin lovingly for a minute before pulling away from her entirely. She took her hand, and the two headed upstairs to their bedroom.
Josie pushed the door open quietly, stepping into the dimly lit bedroom she shared with her twin. Lizzie was perched on her bed, her legs tucked under her, brushing out her damp blonde hair. She glanced up as Josie entered, her expression softening.
"There you are. Took you long enough," Lizzie teased lightly, setting the brush aside.
"Sorry," Josie said, letting the door click shut behind her. "I got caught up talking to Finch."
Lizzie smirked, tilting her head. "Caught up, huh? Should I even ask, or should I assume it was gross and romantic?"
Josie rolled her eyes but smiled as she climbed onto Lizzie's bed. "Let's just say you're lucky you didn't walk in. But seriously, we should talk. About... everything."
Lizzie's smirk faltered, her expression growing more serious. She shifted to make space, and Josie settled beside her, resting her head on Lizzie's shoulder. For a moment, they sat in silence, the weight of the past few days pressing down on them.
"You scared me," Josie said softly, breaking the quiet.
Lizzie let out a shaky breath. "Everything was happening so fast, and when I got shot, I thought... well, I thought that was it. I mean, I literally kissed MG because I thought I was about to die."
Josie blinked, startled. "You kissed MG?"
Lizzie groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Ugh, don't remind me. It was the most dramatic, end-of-the-world thing I've ever done. And now I have to deal with that awkwardness on top of everything else."
Despite the heaviness of the conversation, Josie couldn't help but laugh softly. "He's been crazy about you since he got here. Are you finally going to give him a chance?"
"I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for that. We're in a good place, and I don't want to change that. I only kissed him because I was going to die."
"You're pining" Josie said, looking at her.
"I am not" Lizzie protested, though she couldn't help the tug in her chest at the thought of their kiss. "I kissed him for his benefit. In case I didn't make it"
"If you say so" her twin said and hesitated. She took a deep breath, her fingers twisting in the hem of her shirt. "Lizzie, there's something I need to tell you. Something I've been avoiding."
Lizzie's smile faded as she turned to face Josie fully. "What is it?"
Josie looked down, her voice trembling as she spoke. "It's about the Merge. I finally found out what it is" She took a deep breath. "Twins in the coven have to perform in a ritual when they turn 22. A tradition, kind of. It decides who becomes the next leader of the coven."
Lizzie blinked. "Okay, so we Merge. Big deal. What does that even mean? Do we, like, combine powers or something?"
"The Merge is... it's a battle. A test of strength, magic, and willpower. The stronger twin absorbs the weaker one. Completely. "The stronger twin survives," Josie said. "And we can't just not do it. It's a curse."
Lizzie stared at her sister. "You're joking. This... this isn't real. Dad would have told us. Mom would have told us. They'd stop it. They'd find a way-"
"They've tried!" Josie interrupted. "That's why they've kept us in the dark for so long. From what I can tell, it's why mom left. They didn't want this for us, but it's still coming. I read about some of it in Penelope's burn book and had to do some heavy research to figure out the rest."
"So what, Josie? We're just supposed to fight to the death? Kill each other because some stupid coven tradition says we have to?"
Josie's voice softened, tears brimming in her eyes. "I don't want to fight you, Lizzie. We will figure this out together. We need to find a way to break the cycle. To stop the Merge."
The blonde lifted her head, her eyes red and puffy. "And if we can't?"
"We will. We have to" Josie said.
Lizzie hesitated before pulling back slightly. "I might have something," she said, her voice tentative as she pulled out the ascendant. "I found this in Dad's office. Dad had it hidden, cloaked in a box. I was snooping when I found it. It felt familiar. Like I've seen it before, but I don't know what it is."
Josie nodded, her own memory fuzzy. "Me too. But if it has something to do with our family, maybe it's a clue or something. A puzzle dad was trying to solve"
Lizzie clutched the Ascendant tightly, her knuckles white. "Then we'll figure it out. We have to. Because I'm not losing you, Josie. I can't."
Josie nodded and wrapped her arms around Lizzie, their twin bond providing a small measure of comfort. "We'll figure it out," she whispered. "Together."
Landon stood inside Triad Headquarters, staring at the mini crater that had been left behind, his face blank, though his heart ached with an unexplainable loss. It felt as though he was there for several hours, moving between sitting and standing, trying to make sense of everything. He didn't understand how Malivore's put could have closed, how it had just disappeared, and yet it had. He had so many questions that kept cycling through his mind, though it kept going back to wondering how he had died and who had defeated Malivore? And how had this girl on the ground died? Landon didn't think he had the heart to do it. And no one else was here. Had someone come while he was dead? Or had whoever it was that killed her, killed him? But that didn't really make sense either. Nothing did.
Finally, he turned away, shaking off the thoughts, walking out of the facility and toward the front of Triad to wait there until Dr Saltzman came to pick him up. He didn't know what was missing, what had happened there, but he felt a pull, a need to fill the void inside him. And he knew that he wasn't going to truly rest until he figured it out.