AN: This is a calm little chapter. trust me it's gonna get serious from here on out. I would also like to say that the MC is not in love with Diana, in this chapter he just feels very sorry for her. And also guys I'm on my spring break so chapters will be coming out a lot the next week or so. Thank you and I love you guys, God bless.
POV Qetsiyah
"That damned fool!"
My voice echoed through the empty veil of the Other Side as I stared down at the body that had once been Daniel. If it could even still be called a body. What remained of him was little more than a mangled shell.
Reaching out from the Other Side had cost me dearly.
The spell alone had drained an enormous portion of my magic. Communicating with the living world was difficult enough, but locating a white oak stake and guiding it to Daniel had required far more power than I cared to spend.
Now I could feel the consequences.
"I won't be able to interfere again for years," I muttered bitterly. "Perhaps even a century."
My hands clenched into fists.
"I knew the man was unstable… but a coward? Running away when he had the one weapon capable of killing Nero Tone?"
My teeth ground together.
"I should have chosen someone else."
I had wanted Nero dead the moment he stole something from me that I had waited centuries to reclaim — the chance to trap Silas beside me forever in the Other Side. Silas would have had no escape. No precious Amara. No freedom.
Only me.
Forever.
But Nero Tone… that strange creature had ruined everything.
And now he was planning something even worse.
Something dangerous.
Something unprecedented.
I began walking slowly toward the jungle clearing where the wolf clan had gathered. Smoke rose into the air as funeral fires burned.
"He wants to become something beyond this world has ever seen" I whispered to myself.
I had pieced together fragments of his plan from the memories of that witch, Monna.
"A being that cannot be killed… cannot be cured… cannot be undone."
I scoffed.
"And yet the ingredients he seeks…"
And the spell behind it.
I had never seen this before.
In all of my 2,000 years never have I heard of something like this.
"The venom of the seven original werewolf bloodlines…"
"The blood of a doppelgänger…"
"A piece of the white oak tree…"
"Two Gemini siphoner twins…"
"The Cure…"
"And finally…"
I stopped walking.
"The blood of Freya Mikaelson."
My eyes narrowed.
"The Mikaelsons' long-lost sister."
I had believed her dead centuries ago.
Yet Nero clearly believed otherwise.
Which meant one thing.
"She must still be alive."
If she had died, her spirit would exist somewhere within the Other Side. Yet I had searched endlessly and never once sensed her presence.
Curious.
Very curious.
I stepped closer to the village, remaining hidden at the edge of the jungle as the wolves burned their dead.
Families mourned.
Children cried.
Warriors stood in silence.
And there he was.
Nero.
He stood beside a freshly dug grave, lowering the body of the witch who had once lived among them.
"A shame," I murmured.
"She was one of the few witches I knew who carried the werewolf curse as well."
Only two others came to mind.
Her…
And Inadu.
The Hollow.
That child had been terrifyingly powerful — powerful enough to curse an entire species into existence.
Of course…
She had also been utterly insane.
But then again…
I smiled faintly.
"I was always the crazier one."
As I watched Nero finish covering the grave, something strange happened.
He stopped.
Slowly…
He turned around.
His gaze locked directly onto me.
My body froze.
"No…"
I whispered.
"He cannot see me."
The Other Side hid me from the living.
It always had.
Yet suddenly—
He vanished.
In a blur of speed he appeared right in front of me.
His eyes glowed gold.
Dark veins spread beneath them.
"Is that you…" he said slowly.
"Qetsiyah."
My eyes widened.
"How is that possible…?"
But then—
He stepped forward.
And walked directly through me.
He wasn't seeing my body.
He was sensing my presence.
He began looking around the clearing.
"I know you're here," Nero said calmly.
His voice carried an unsettling confidence.
"I can feel it."
He smirked.
"And I know it was you who gave him the stake."
His eyes scanned the trees.
"You're the only witch alive — or dead — capable of pulling something like that off."
He paused.
Then chuckled softly.
"You must think you know everything about my plan."
His head tilted slightly.
"To become a true immortal."
"Something that cannot be killed… by anything."
"Not even cured."
His smile widened.
"But you always did have a problem with arrogance, didn't you… Tessa?"
My breath caught.
"Tessa…"
Only one person had ever called me that.
Silas.
"How does he know that name?" I whispered in disbelief.
Then Nero reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small glass vial filled with dark black liquid.
"Ever since you visited my favorite witch Monna all those years ago," he said casually, holding the vial up to the light, "I had this little insurance policy created."
He rolled the vial between his fingers.
"With this…"
His smile sharpened.
"You won't be able to spy on me anymore."
"Or on anyone connected to me."
He lifted the vial.
"No witch will."
Then he drank it.
The moment the liquid left the glass—
The world shattered.
The jungle vanished.
The wolves disappeared.
And suddenly—
I was standing in the middle of a scorching desert hundreds of miles away.
"What?!" I shouted in fury.
The sand whipped around my feet as hot wind blasted across the empty landscape.
"How?!"
My voice echoed uselessly.
"How the hell did he do that?!"
For the first time in centuries…
I felt completely blind.
POV DianaThe Day Before
When I first woke up, the first thing I saw was Nero.
The man I loved was leaning over me with a shocked expression on his face, like he had just seen something impossible. My mind felt fuzzy, like I had just been pulled out of a deep sleep. For a moment I couldn't remember anything.
Everything felt distant.
"What… happened?" I asked weakly.
Nero immediately leaned closer.
"Shhh," he said gently. " Everything is going to be okay Diana.. Everything is going to be okay."
His voice was calm, but I could hear something underneath it. Something strained.
Then suddenly the memories came back.
All of them.
My mother's death… at my brother's hand.
My own death at his hand as well.
And the truth… that Daniel had also been the one who killed our father.
My chest tightened.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to yell.
I wanted to tear the world apart.
But I couldn't.
I didn't know why, but I couldn't.
Instead I just stared up at the sky.
I should be dead.
That thought repeated over and over in my mind.
I should be with my mother and father.
I should be dead.
Slowly, I turned my head and looked into Nero's eyes.
And in them I saw something I had never seen before.
Relief.
Not the fake kind. Not the small kind.
Real relief.
The kind someone feels when they thought they had lost something forever.
"Diana," he said quietly. "Listen to me."
I stayed silent.
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"I'm sorry… about your mother."
His voice was softer now.
"She was… a good woman. A strong woman. I respected her a lot more than I think she realized."
He sighed.
"And I'm sorry you lost her."
I studied his face carefully.
I could tell he was telling the truth.
Even though he had been dragged into this mess because of my family… he was still sorry.
That's when I felt them.
Tears.
They started falling down my face before I even realized what was happening.
I couldn't stop them.
Nero immediately pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest.
"It's alright," he whispered. "Let it out."
I cried harder.
All the pain I had tried to bury came flooding out at once.
My mother.
My father.
My brother.
My family.
Nero didn't say anything else. He just held me while I sobbed.
It felt like we stayed like that for hours.
And honestly… we probably did.
Eventually he helped me back to my room.
I sat on the edge of the bed while he leaned against the wall.
"So," I said quietly after a while. "I'm a hybrid now too?"
He had already explained it earlier, but I still couldn't wrap my head around it.
I had already drunk blood from one of the clan members who offered it willingly, so the transformation had completed.
"Yes," Nero said.
He crossed his arms.
"You're both vampire and werewolf now."
"That still sounds strange," I admitted.
"It'll feel strange for a while," he replied.
I looked at him again.
"But you said I can still die."
"Yes," he said seriously. "You can."
He held up two fingers.
"If someone rips out your heart… you die."
He held up another finger.
"And if someone cuts off your head… you die."
I frowned slightly.
"And how exactly do you know all of this?"
He shrugged.
"I just do" he said simply.
"That's not a very reassuring answer," I muttered.
He smirked slightly.
"Well it's the only one I've got."
We sat in silence for a moment.
Then I asked the question that had been on my mind.
"So… what do you plan to do now?"
Nero let out a long sigh.
"It's time for me to go home."
"Home?" I asked.
"Yes."
"And where exactly is home for an Original hybrid?"
He chuckled softly.
"Salem."
I tilted my head.
"The one in America?"
"Yes."
"But eventually," he added, "I'm going to rename it."
"Oh?"
"Castlevina."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Where did you get that name?"
He laughed.
"You wouldn't know."
"Try me."
He shook his head.
"Trust me. You wouldn't know."
I rolled my eyes.
"Alright then."
Then another thought came to me.
"Do you plan on taking the clan with you?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
"They're yours now by right," I continued. "They'll follow you."
"I know," he said. "And I plan to protect them."
Then he raised an eyebrow at me.
"What about you?"
I avoided his gaze and looked down at my hands.
"I feel… different."
He raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"Everything about me feels enhanced," I said slowly. "Not just physically."
I looked back up at him.
"But emotionally too."
Nero nodded.
"Yeah. Becoming a vampire amplifies who you already are."
He stepped closer.
"Every trait. Every emotion. Every instinct."
He pointed gently toward me.
"The things that made you who you are… they're all pushed to the maximum."
I stared down at my hands again.
"I don't know who I am anymore, Nero."
My voice felt heavy.
"I lost everything."
"My mother."
"My father."
"And even my brother."
I paused.
"Though… I think I lost him a long time ago."
Nero studied me carefully.
"So," he said slowly. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," I admitted.
"I think… I just need time."
"Time for what?"
"To find myself."
I looked toward the window.
"To see what's outside this rainforest."
Nero watched me for a long moment.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Well… if that's what you want, I won't stop you."
He stood up and started walking toward the door.
"Are you gonna help bury the dead tomorrow?" he asked while still facing the door.
And you're not up to it.
He turned to me.
"I'll put her to rest."
Mother, I thought.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I said
He nodded and turned back toward
Then he suddenly stopped.
"Wait." He said
I looked up.
He turned back with a raised eyebrow.
"One important question."
"What?" I asked
"So…"
"Does this still make us husband and wife?"
"YES!"
The word came out much faster and louder than I intended.
I immediately covered my mouth in embarrassment.
Nero burst out laughing.
"Well," he said, still chuckling, "I guess you can sleep on it."
He opened the door.
"And we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."
"Okay," I said quietly.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Diana."
But that night… I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes I imagined my mother with a sword through her chest.
Another sword through mine.
And my brother smiling.
So I stayed awake.
I refused to sleep.
POV NeroPresent day – In the Woods
"Finally," I muttered.
I could feel it.
She wasn't there anymore.
Qetsiyah.
I had known eventually she would try to kill me. After all, I was dangerously close to doing the one thing she had wanted for centuries.
Kill Silas.
But the day I decided I wasn't going to accept her deal was the same day I had a witch begin working on a certain potion.
I knew she was a crazy one.
So I prepared.
I hired some no-name witch to make the potion.
Nothing special.
No famous bloodline.
Just someone with enough skill to do the job.
And I had kept that potion on me ever since.
Still… I had to admit something.
I was surprised.
Qetsiyah had somehow managed to locate a white oak stake.
And she had communicated with someone who wasn't part of her bloodline from the Other Side.
That must have cost her an enormous amount of magic.
Which meant one thing.
She wouldn't be able to interfere again for years.
Not that she could anyway.
She thought she knew everything about what I needed.
But that was only because it was what I had told Monna all those years ago.
And I wasn't stupid.
Monna was a descendant of Qetsiyah.
Which meant Qetsiyah might be able to read her thoughts or influence her somehow.
So I never told Monna everything.
Just enough to keep things moving.
In the end though… Qetsiyah still helped me.
She gave me a white oak stake.
Too bad she had a coward do her dirty work.
The man had been terrified when he saw me covered in blood.
I could literally smell the fear on him.
I walked out of the trees.
Greeting the members of my clan with smiles and waves.
I had already had over 100 vampires under my control.
So these guys weren't nothing Infact/
It was easier.
The people of my pack were simple folk.
And that made things much easier.
Eventually I would turn some of the loyal ones into hybrids.
But for now, as they were,
It was fine.
I walked into the clan head house.
I looked around and I eventually found who I was looking for.
Diana.
She was sitting by the fire.
"So," I said. "Have you decided?"
She turned and nodded.
"Yes."
She paused for a minute.
"I'm leaving."
"I'm going to travel for a while and figure things out."
I sat beside her.
"I understand," I said.
"Like I said."
"Becoming part vampire changes you."
I stared into the fire.
"And trust me… I understand the pain you're going through."
A memory flashed through my mind.
My past life.
My father lying in a hospital bed… taking his final breath.
"I know what it's like to lose people."
I looked at her again.
"But here's the thing, Diana."
"You're immortal now."
"So you have a choice."
"What kind of choice?" she asked.
"You can carry those memories with you and let them make you stronger."
I leaned forward slightly.
"Or you can let them consume you… and become something worse."
"Like my brother?"
"Yes."
Her eyes hardened.
"I am nothing like my brother."
I stared back at the fire.
"I never said you were."
"But if you let this pain control you… you might become worse than him."
She didn't answer.
We sat in silence for a long moment.
Then I spoke again.
"I do need something from you though."
She raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"I meant to ask your mother," I said. "But… well…"
I hesitated.
"I need a sacred relic of your clan."
"What kind of relic?"
"A bone."
She immediately understood.
"The bone of Indau."
"The Hollow."
"Exactly."
She looked at me carefully.
"And what exactly do you need it for?"
"Do you plan to wake her again?"
I smiled slightly.
"No."
"Not exactly."
She studied me for another moment before standing.
"Come with me."
We walked to the outskirts of the village.
In the middle of the field stood a pale white tree.
Its leaves were blue.
I whistled.
"Well… this definitely looks like a place someone would bury ancient bones."
Diana rolled her eyes.
We started digging.
Eventually we uncovered two things.
The jawbone of the Hollow.
And a sword.
The sword was beautiful.
The blade was long and elegant, forged from polished silver steel that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Ancient runes were etched along the flat of the blade, glowing faintly blue like the leaves of the tree above us. The crossguard curved slightly outward like the wings of a bird, and the hilt was wrapped in deep black leather with a sapphire embedded in the pommel.
"It's beautiful," Diana whispered.
I picked it up and handed it to her.
"Here."
She stared at me.
"What? No, I can't take that."
"You should have it."
"You're the clan head."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not really a sword-carrying type of guy."
I smirked.
"Consider it our wedding gift."
"Since your brother's heart kind of rotted."
She laughed.
Then she took the sword.
"What are you going to call it?" I asked.
"You know they say the best swords have the best names."
She thought for a moment.
Then she spoke softly.
"Lalo."
I smiled.
"Fitting."
"It'll be a strong companion ."
"Just like its namesake", she said.
She sheathed the sword.
Then suddenly she frowned.
"I just realized something."
"What?", I asked
"I never got you a wedding present."
I laughed.
"Well actually…"
I pulled a huge parchment from my infinite storage.
"I was going to ask you to do something for me."
I handed it to her.
"This is the map of the world", I said.
Four locations were marked.
I pointed to the Amazon.
"This is us."
Then I pointed to the others.
"These are the locations of the remaining pieces of the Hollow."
Her eyes widened.
"Wait… really?"
"You trust me with this?"
I shook my head.
"Those locations will take you across the world."
"It would take me many years to gather them myself."
"So this will speed things up, since I still have to gather some more things."
She looked back at the map.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Then she hugged me tightly.
I hugged her back.
"There's also a witch friend of mine marked on the map," I said.
"She'll make it so your face appears like a regular vampire when you use your abilities."
I looked at her seriously.
"No one can know who you are."
"No one."
"As of now there are only three hybrids", I said
Me.
You.
And Klaus
Though his werewolf side is sealed away.
"So do you understand me."
"No must know."
She nodded.
"I understand."
"And I promise I won't fail you."
I smiled.
"I know you won't."
And I knew she wouldn't betray me.
Because she was sired to me.
And though I may have been forming a bond with her.
I still did not fully trust anyone .
We kissed
It was long, and hot.
Until it turned into more.
The Next Day
Everyone was ready to leave.
Thirty clan warriors stood ready.
Fifty children waited nearby, many of them orphans.
I grabbed Jamine's shoulder.
"Let's get home before your mother kills me."
He laughed.
"Yeah."
"She's going to hear all about how her youngest son almost got torn to pieces by werewolves."
"Wow," I said. "Thanks for that."
I looked to my far left
into the tree line.
Diana stood there in the distance.
She was leaving.
Her first stop would be a small village near Britain where that witch friend of mine lived.
I waved.
She waved back.
Then she disappeared into the forest.
One Month Later
"I see it!" Jamine shouted.
"I see the dock!"
We had been sailing for a month.
And finally…
Salem came into view.
I smiled.
"Home sweet home."