At the Mikaelson family mansion.
Rebekah ran upstairs and shouted, "Elijah! Nick! We've got a problem!" Elijah looked at Rebekah and said, "Hela didn't listen to you and ran off to confront our father, didn't she?"
Rebekah was silent, then slowly nodded.
Elijah sighed wearily and said, "I knew this would happen! If only people would listen to me!" Klaus glared at Rebecca and said, "You let Hela go face-to-face with our father alone?!".
" What could I do?! That girl is crazy and doesn't listen to anyone!" Rebekah said angrily to Klaus.
"You let my only chance to get rid of the white oak splinters go to waste!" Klaus shouted back angrily as he winced at the wound on his back. Rebekah opened her mouth to reply, but Elijah stood up and interrupted them. "Enough! I'm sick of your childish behavior! I told you not to wake Hela in the first place, but you wouldn't listen!, And now look what's happened! Our situation has become even more complicated and dangerous!!".
Klaus and Rebekah fell silent, unsure of what to say. Elijah sighed and said, "From now on, you will listen to me and obey my orders."
He paused briefly, hearing the voices of some Stryx soldiers, Tristan, Aya, and Shin-Min. A smile of relief spread across his face as he continued, "Because I have a plan to escape."
Meanwhile, with Hela Mikaelson.
Hela was running frantically through the darkness of the forest toward Batley's flaming town. Hela didn't know where she was or what year it was. But she was certain of one thing: wherever there was destruction, fire, and death, her father followed.
That's why she raced toward the burning town. Michael stood in the middle of the scorching town, the bodies of Angelito and Alvida lying at his feet. He looked at the large mansion outside the town, its gate marked with the letter M, then smiled wryly and thought.
His children were foolish spendthrifts, loving to live like royalty even though they were fugitives. If they had hidden among the common people instead of that mansion, which was even more luxurious than the Copley family castle, Michael would never have been able to find them.
Michael walked slowly toward the mansion, but stopped when he saw something moving with incredible speed, invisible to the naked eye. Michael's eyes widened slightly, and he raised his hands, grabbing his attacker's wrist tightly.
Michael recoiled slightly from the force of his attacker's blow, then looked at him closely. His eyes widened in shock.
His attacker was his own daughter, Hela.
"Hello, Daddy? Did you miss me?!" Hela shouted angrily, then backed away and kicked Michael hard in the face. Michael flew through the air and tumbled several times before landing firmly on the ground.
Michael raised his hand and wiped the blood from his mouth, then looked at Hela.
"It seems you've become quite ill-mannered all these years, Hela. You've started hitting your own father. I thought I taught you better". Michael said with sarcastic voice.
" You're not my father!" Hela screamed angrily, then extended her hand, revealing two black swords in each.
She charged at Michael, slashing at him with ferocious fury. Michael dodged the blows, then grabbed her hands tightly.
"Hela, stop fighting and listen to me. I didn't..."
Hela cut him off, then slammed her head into his face. Hela's head slammed into Michael's nose, snapping it violently. Michael stumbled back a few steps, stunned, then clutched his bleeding nose and snapped it back into place.
"You killed my mother! Your wife! The mother of your children! Even though Sol and I begged you not to kill her because of her cheating!, you did it anyway! Then you killed Romand! And everyone in our village! including all my friends! And when we fled from your madness, you chased us to the ends of the earth! and never let us rest!".
Hela screamed at Michael in a broken voice, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Her gaze filled with pure hatred.
"I used to fear you, to dread you!" Hela laughed sarcastically when she finished speaking.
Then she raised her sword, pointing it at Michael.
"But not anymore! I will avenge Romand!, my mother!, and all my friends you killed in the village!. I will make you pay dearly!"
"Aaaahhh!"
Hela screamed furiously as she finished speaking and lunged at Michael.
Michael looked at Hela with a mixture of sadness and anger. His daughter's words were untrue. It was true that he had wanted to kill his wife, Esther, when he discovered that she had cheated on him with a werewolf and given birth to an illegitimate child.
And had lied to him, telling him that Niklaus was his son, but he didn't kill her. She was the mother of his children, and Michael would never deprive his children of a mother's blessing.
He knew the pain of losing a mother all too well, sense he having lost his own when he was only twelve. And he certainly wouldn't kill his children's loved ones either. It's true that he hated Hela's lover, Romand. In Michael's opinion, Romand was a cowardly, weak boy who didn't deserve his daughter, but he certainly wouldn't have killed him because he knew Romand's importance to Hela.
All the actions that caused Hela to hate Michael were Klaus's own doing. Then Klaus lied to her and told her that Michael was the one who did them.
And now Michael stood before his beloved daughter, whom he would never have harmed, and who reminded him so much of his deceased eldest daughter, Freya.
In a terrible situation, this same daughter was trying to kill him and inflict suffering upon him.
"I swear I will make you suffer and die a miserable death, Niklaus!" Michael thought angrily, his eyes filled with rage and intense hatred.
Then he prepared for battle, as his daughter refused to listen to him.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Hela roared angrily and tried to tear Michael apart. Michael dodged the blows, then punched Hela in the face, knocking her to the ground. He tried to restrain her, but Hela quickly got up and stabbed Michael hard in the stomach. Michael shuddered at the force of the blow but didn't care. He tried to break Hela's neck, but she backed away and threw several black swords that appeared out of thin air around her to him.
Michael quickly dodged the swords and then tried to strike Hela, but she leaped into the air and kicked him in the face. Michael grabbed her leg and then slammed Hela to the ground.
Boom!!
The ground cracked from the force of the blow.
Hela shuddered from the force of the blow but looked at Michael coldly and said, "I've got you".
" Huh?" Michael was surprised by his daughter's words, and before he could react, several black swords appeared from the ground beneath him and pierced his body with great force.
"Aaaahhh!".
Michael cried out in pain as he felt almost a huge thousand swords pierce him from bottom to top. Hela slowly stood up, brushed the dust off her body, and a thin, long black sword appeared in her hand.
The sword gleamed with a metallic sheen in the darkness of the night.
Hela raised the sword and cried,
"This is for my mother!"
Then she stabbed the sword between Michael's legs, right in his most sensitive area.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
Michael's hellish screams echoed through the deserted town.
Hela raised her sword again and screamed,
"This is for Romand!!
Ahhhhh!!
This is for Bianca!!
Ahhhhh!!
This is for Alfredo!!
Ahhhhhh!!
This is for Romeo!!
Ahhhhhh!!!
This is for Angelita!!
Ahhhhhh!!!
This is for Nikita!!
Ahhhhhh!!
This is for Tacione!!
Ahhhhhhh!!
This is for Grandma Tama!!
Ahhhhhh!!!
Hela screamed the names of her friends and loved ones furiously, then stabbed Michael hard in his groin with each name.
Hela stepped back slightly, then glared at Michael. A huge black axe appeared in her hand.
"And this is for me!!"
Hela screamed, then raised the axe and aimed it at Michael's head. But suddenly, Michael's eyes flashed blood red. He raised his head and glared at Hela.
"Enough!!!"
Boom!!!
The air exploded with force, shattering the thousand swords that had surrounded Michael. The earth cracked and split, and the sky trembled violently. Michael grabbed Hela's hand tightly and, without hesitation, punched her hard in the face.
Boom!
A massive sonic and aerial explosion reverberated from the force of Michael's blow.
Hela was launched into the sky, her body flying towards the Michaelson family mansion, more than two miles away.
Michael looked at his daughter's flying body, then touched his little brother, who was beginning to regenerate.
"Damn it, that was the most painful thing I've ever experienced." Michael toughet with painful expression.
Michael's eyes widened with rage as he considered who was responsible for his suffering.
"NIKLAUSSS!!!"
Michael roared into the air with the name of Klau then continued with anger.
"I'm coming for your life!!, you bastard!"
Michael's furious roar echoed through the sky, and the houses shook.
The sound was deafening.
Meanwhile, at the Mikaelson mansion.
an interesting gathering was taking place. It turned out that some Strix had survived thanks to Tristan's last-minute warning.
Approximately 20 Strix survived, as these 20 were the only ones who could use the Khēmri.
These included Tristan, Aya, and Shin-min. The Strix had gathered at the Mikaelson mansion because Aya insisted on coming and seeing Elijah.
Tristan tried to stop her, telling her that going to the Mikaelsons at this time was a death sentence because they would sacrifice anyone to survive.
But she insisted, saying that Elijah would never abandon them. Some of the surviving Strix who still believed in Elijah supported her.
If Aya hadn't been useful to Tristan—literally the third strongest Strix after him and Elijah, and able to use the Khēmri for extended periods with mastery—Tristin would have ripped her heart out by now.
"Aya! You're alive!" Rebekah squealed with excitement, overjoyed to see Aya's face for the first time, as Elijah had been depressed after believing her to be dead.
Aya ignored Rebekah and ran to Elijah, embracing him tightly. Elijah returned the embrace just as fiercely. When they had finished hugging, Elijah looked at the remaining Strix members, specifically Tristan, and said, "It's good to see you again, Tristan."
Tristan smiled wryly and said, "I wish I could say the same."
Elijah ignored Tristan and looked at the rest of the Strix and Aya, saying, "Strix, you have been a unique organization, and I am proud to have created you. But now it is time to say goodbye."
Shock spread through the Strix as they heard Elijah's words, and whispers rippled among them.
Aya looked at Elijah in disbelief and asked, "Elijah, what do you mean by... goodbye?"
"What my brother means is that it is finally time to put you to good use".
A cold, pained sound echoed through the place, and everyone turned to find Klaus, dressed in black. Klaus looked pale and weak, unlike his usual self, yet his gaze still terrified Tristan and the Strix.
Suddenly, Rebekah raced invisibly to one of the Strix members, grabbed him, looked him in the eyes, and used Compulsion.
"You will forget you ever saw us here. You will try to stop Michael and buy us some time at any cost."
The vampire's eyes widened in terror, then went blank. He replied in a monotone, "I will forget I ever saw you here. I will try to stop Michael and buy you some time at any cost."
!!!!!!!!!
What?!
What's going on?!
The Strix vampires backed away in terror and looked at Elijah with disbelief and betrayal.
"It's a trap! Strix, we must..."
Boom!
Tristan shouted, but before he could finish, Klaus punched him hard in the face. Tristan slammed into the wall, and the force of the impact cracked it.
"Shut up, Tristan! I know about your betrayal of Elijah!, your manipulation of the Strix, and your hunting of wolves for the past century!".
Klaus roared, glaring at Tristan.
Tristan stumbled to his feet, looking at Klaus with a pained expression, then smiled sarcastically.
"And I know several interesting facts about you that some of your siblings might be interested to hear." Klaus's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
Tristan's smirk deepened when he saw Klaus's expression.
For Tristan knew Klaus's secret, the secret he had kept from most of his siblings: Klaus had murdered their mother and lied to them to escape with him.
Tristan discovered this from his sister Aurora over a century ago when Elijah's compulsion was removed from their minds.
He then decided to come to Batley after hearing about a mysterious organization of vampires established by the Original Family.
Seeing the Stryx's power and the full potential of this organization, he vowed to steal it from Elijah.
For a hundred years, he plotted and schemed, building his own faction within the organization and cultivating loyal followers.
Around seven of his followers are now among the surviving Stryx.
Tristan also plotted to increase the animosity between the werewolves and the Stryx.
He hunted, manipulated, and tortured the werewolves, instilling hatred and resentment in their hearts towards the Stryx and Elijah.
He did all this behind Elijah's back, without anyone discovering his schemes.
Of course, there were clever people like Aya and Klaus who eventually uncovered them.
But this didn't matter to Tristan, as his plans had finally borne fruit.
Initially, Tristan wanted to reduce the number of Michaelsons and make them turns against each other, as there were more than seven original vampires in Batley.
First, he summoned Sage, Finn's lover, who had been searching for him ever since Klaus left him in a coffin to rot.
Tristan knew she would inevitably awaken Finn. Finn had been Tristan's friend before 200 years ago, and Tristan knew him well by then.
He noticed that Finn's relationship with his siblings was very poor, and all Finn needed was a small push to turn against them and become their enemy.
Leaving him to rot in a box for sixty years was indeed a powerful push.
Therefore, Tristan wanted to awaken Finn and remove the dagger from his chest, but he knew that if he attempted such an act, Klaus would surely kill him.
So, he summoned Sage, Finn's beloved wife, who had been searching for him for decades.
When Sage found her husband, she stole the box containing Finn and removed the dagger from his chest.
But what Tristan hadn't anticipated was Finn's reaction. Instead of seeking revenge on his siblings for abandoning him in a box for no reason, Finn tried to escape with Sage, leaving his family behind.
However, Klaus found them and killed Sage right in front of Finn.
Klaus then completely crushed Finn in a fight before stabbing him in the heart again.
Klaus then put Finn back in his box as if nothing had happened.
Tristan then tried to sow discord among the Mikaelsons in another way. He left hints about the truth of their mother's death and Klaus's lies.
The only one who discovered this was Sol, the youngest of the family.
Instead of revealing the truth to his other siblings and turning against Klaus, Sol, like a foolish, angry man, ran directly to Klaus, and, naturally, he had been crushed and stabbed, putted in a box as well.
But Tristan did not give up, for he saw the anger in Hela's eyes when Klaus daggered Finn and Sol and placed them in wooden coffins.
Tristan then fueled that anger by whispering to Hela, telling her how wonderful and intelligent Finn and Sol were, how he used to be close friends with them, and how he wished they had never been daggered.
Tristan hinted at the matter more than once in front of Hela, constantly reminding her of her poor brothers' condition.
And just as he expected, Hela grew furious and went to Klaus, demanding the release of her brothers.
Klaus immediately refused, and the conflict between them intensified until Elijah arrived and tried to mediate.
Then Hela told Elijah that none of them deserved to be tortured or stabbed with a dagger in the heart, and that they should destroy those daggers and stop letting Klaus control them with them, Elijah — the loyal dog he was — stood by Klaus and told Hela that daggering Finn and Sol was for the greater good, and that they were better off this way.
Hela grew enraged immediately, and a battle broke out between her, Klaus, and Elijah. She killed many members of the Strix and even tried to kill Aya so Elijah could taste the pain Finn had suffered. She also tried to decapitate Klaus and free her brothers by force. But Klaus and Elijah joined forces, overpowered her, and stabbed her with a dagger as well.
With that, Tristan's plan succeeded in reducing the number of the Mikaelsons. He then began executing the next part of his plan — leaving clues for Mikaelsons's location so that Mikael would come to the Batley and drive his children away. Tristan knew that if Mikael came to the Batley, the Mikaelsons would flee and leave the Strix to him.
To ensure this, Tristan gifted a powerful spell he had found over a century ago in China — to the werewolves this spell can allowe werewolves to control their transformations and increase their power many times over. Tristan knew that this would shift the balance of power and that the werewolves would definitely seek revenge.
He then leaked information about the Mikaelsons' meeting with the Copley family so that the werewolves would attack and kidnap Elijah. But what Tristan did not expect was that Klaus and the others would discover the werewolves' plan and try to warn Elijah — nor did he expect that Mikael would choose that very night to appear, after Tristan had been leaving him clues and traces for decades, only to find them now.
These surprises led to the deaths of many of Tristan's followers, and the Strix were nearly wiped out. Tristan himself nearly died — but he didn't care. He believed these were merely necessary sacrifices on his path to becoming the leader of the Strix. He didn't mind if most of the organization had died; in his view, he could start over and build the Strix again. And in his personal opinion, his Strix would be stronger and better than Elijah's.
Tristan staggered to his feet, looked at Rebekah, and said, "Rebekah, are you interested in hearing a little secret about Klaus?"
"Huh? What secret?" Rebekah asked as she continued to compel more vampires.
Tristan opened his mouth to reply — but Klaus interrupted forcefully, shouting, "Don't listen to him, Rebekah! Execute the plan!"
Klaus lunged at Tristan right after he finished speaking, trying to kill him.
"My lord!!" shouted Shin Min angrily, pulling out his nunchaku and leaping at Klaus as well.
*Boom!* The ground cracked as Klaus, Tristan, and Shin Min crashed down, fighting each other fiercely. Tristan and Shin Min worked together to defeat Klaus, and Klaus struggled against them due to his injuries.
Meanwhile, the other Strix members tried to flee, but Elijah broke their limbs before any could escape, and he and Rebekah began compelling them all.
"Elijah! What are you doing? Stop!!" Aya screamed in a broken voice, tears streaming down her face.
Elijah turned to Aya with a sorrowful expression. He truly didn't want to do this — after all, he had worked hard for this organization, building it from the ground up over an entire century. But now, he had to sacrifice it for his family's survival.
**[Flashback]**
"What do you mean you have a plan?" Rebekah asked Elijah in confusion. Klaus looked at him silently, waiting for an answer.
Elijah looked at them and said, "Aya and the Strix are still alive. Listen carefully."
Klaus and Rebekah fell silent, listening. Then they heard Aya and Tristan arguing loudly — Aya wanted to go see Elijah, while Tristan was trying to stop her, saying they would have to sacrifice themselves so the Mikaelsons could escape from Mikael.
Rebekah looked at Elijah, smiling happily. "See, Elijah? I told you Aya would survive!!"
But what puzzled Rebekah were Elijah's dark expressions. She frowned and said, "What's wrong, Elijah? Aren't you happy?"
Elijah replied flatly, "I'm not just hearing the Strix and Aya. Listen carefully, Rebekah."
Rebekah furrowed her brow in confusion, closed her eyes, and focused her enhanced hearing. After a moment, she heard two very familiar voices — more than a mile away.
They were Mikael and Hela.
Rebekah's eyes flew open wide, and she said, "Hela is fighting our father in the town!"
Elijah nodded. "That means our father has already killed the remaining werewolves. He's closer than we thought, and Hela won't be able to hold him off for long. The distance between the manor and the town is only two miles, and at our speed as Original vampires, the time it would take us to cross that distance is…"
"Fifteen seconds," Klaus interrupted, his voice dark, his face trembling, and his eyes filled with fear.
"That means we wouldn't have been able to escape even if we headed for the harbor right away," Klaus continued in a trembling voice, his tone rough and tight.
Rebekah fell to the ground in terror, her voice shaking. "W–what are we going to do?"
"I must sacrifice the Strix to buy us time," Elijah answered, his tone heavy with sorrow.
Rebekah jumped up. "But Elijah, the Strix is what you've worked for over an entire century!"
Elijah closed his eyes and didn't answer. Klaus looked at him, then smirked bitterly. "Seems Tristan was right about us after all."
Elijah opened his eyes and looked at Klaus coldly. Klaus fell silent, then said softly, "I'm sorry, Elijah. I didn't mean to mock your sacrifice."
Elijah continued to stare at Klaus, his eyes as cold as ice, but didn't say anything.
Then Elijah turned to Rebekah and said, "Listen to me carefully, Rebekah. For this plan to work, we must first bring the barrels of gunpowder from the storage, then we must..."
**[End of Flashback]**
To be continued!!.