The mirror realm shattered like glass as Katherine burst through its boundaries, wings straining against the weight of her burdens.
Her body trembled with exhaustion, every beat of her leathery appendages sending fresh waves of agony through her wounded body.
With a final desperate surge, she crashed into reality – materializing six feet above a moonlit clearing in the Mystic Falls forest. Her landing was more controlled fall than graceful descent, her legs buckling as they hit solid ground.
Lucien tumbled from her grasp, rolling across dew-dampened leaves with a groan of pain. Blood still poured from the stump where his left hand had been, leaving a crimson trail across the forest floor.
Elena's body landed more gently, Katherine having used the last of her strength to ensure the girl's corpse remained intact.
Katherine's wings folded against her back with an audible crack before dissolving into mist. She collapsed to her knees, one arm hanging uselessly at her side – shattered where Tezcatlipoca's jaws had crushed it.
Blood trickled from countless wounds across her body, but her eyes remained fixed on Lucien.
"We... made it," she rasped, her voice barely audible over the night sounds of the forest.
Lucien's eyes fluttered open, consciousness returning in painful waves.
The first sensation was agony – his missing hand, dislocated shoulder, broken ribs – each competing for dominance in a symphony of pain.
The second was awareness of the blood-soaked weight that had landed beside him.
Elena.
Despite his injuries, Lucien forced himself to move. His right arm trembled as he pushed himself up, breath hissing through clenched teeth as broken ribs shifted beneath his skin. Every movement was torture, but he dragged himself toward Elena's motionless form.
"Elena," he gasped, the name emerging as little more than a whisper.
Katherine watched silently as Lucien crawled to the girl, leaving a trail of his own blood in his wake. She could have told him it was pointless – she'd felt the absence of life from Elena's body – but something in his desperate determination stopped her.
Lucien reached Elena's side, his remaining hand shaking as he pressed fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse.
Nothing.
He tried her wrist, then leaned his ear against her chest, straining to hear a heartbeat that wasn't there.
"No," he murmured, voice cracking. "No, no, no..."
He tried again, pressing harder against her carotid artery, as if his determination alone could force her heart to beat. The girl's skin was already cooling, her eyes fixed and glassy, staring sightlessly at the star-filled sky above.
"Come on, Elena," Lucien pleaded, his voice rising. "Don't do this. Don't be dead. Please."
The realization crashed over him in waves – each attempt to find signs of life confirming what he already knew but couldn't accept.
Elena was gone.
He'd failed to protect her. An innocent child was dead because he wasn't strong enough, fast enough, clever enough.
A sound escaped him then – not quite a sob, not quite a scream – something broken that seemed to tear itself from his very soul. His body curled forward, forehead pressing against Elena's still chest as tears began to flow.
The grief quickly transformed, crystallizing into rage – not at the gods who'd taken her life, but at himself. With a howl of anguish, Lucien slammed his fist into the ground beside Elena's body.
Again.
Again.
The impact split his knuckles, blood spattering across fallen leaves, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in his chest.
"Lucien, stop," Katherine called, her voice stronger now as she forced herself to move toward him. "You'll break your hand more than it already is."
He ignored her, continuing to punish the earth and himself with each blow. Katherine reached him just as his fist descended again, catching his wrist in her good hand.
"LET GO!" he snarled, yanking away from her with such violence that he nearly toppled backward.
Katherine released him instantly, recognizing the dangerous edge in his voice. Lucien stumbled away from both of them, collapsing against the trunk of an ancient oak.
He slid down until he sat with knees drawn to his chest, his bloodied hand and severed wrist covering his face as sobs wracked his body.
"I couldn't save her," he choked out between ragged breaths. "What kind of hunter am I? What kind of... anything? I'm pathetic. Useless. All this power and I couldn't protect one kid."
Katherine settled herself on the ground nearby, giving him space while catching her own labored breath.
The bite on her wrist throbbed painfully, black veins spreading slowly up her arm. She watched Lucien with an expression few had ever seen on her face – genuine concern, unmarred by calculation.
For several minutes, the only sounds were Lucien's diminishing sobs and the whisper of wind through the trees.
Eventually, his breathing steadied, though tears still tracked silently down his blood-smeared cheeks.
With visible effort, Lucien pushed himself away from the tree and crawled back to Elena's body. His movements were gentler now, tender, as he brushed strands of hair from her face.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice hoarse from crying. "I'm so sorry, Elena. You didn't deserve this. None of this should have happened to you."
Tears and blood from his injuries fell onto her pale face as he caressed her cheek with his remaining hand.
"I'll find your brother," he promised softly. "I'll make sure he's safe. I'll tell him... I'll tell him how brave you were."
Katherine watched the scene with uncharacteristic empathy. In five centuries, she'd seen countless deaths – caused many herself – but something about this moment struck deeper than she'd expected.
Lucien continued his quiet litany of promises to the dead girl, his tears falling more freely now, mingling with the blood already staining Elena's face.
"I should have been stronger," he murmured, his voice breaking. "I should have found another way. I'm sorry, Elena. I'm so sorry."
As his tears landed on her face, something shifted in the air around them – a subtle disturbance in the Force that made Lucien freeze. He held his breath, unsure if what he'd felt was real or not.
Then it happened again – stronger this time. A faint glow began to emanate from within Elena's body, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Katherine," Lucien said sharply, not taking his eyes off Elena. "Do you see that?"
Katherine leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "The light? Yes."
The glow intensified, growing brighter with each pulse. Lucien felt a familiar sensation wash over him – the same presence he'd experienced in that hospital dream when something had driven Katherine from his mind.
"Shield your eyes!" he shouted suddenly, recognition dawning. "NOW!"
Katherine threw her good arm across her face just as the light exploded outward. A blinding column of pure white energy erupted from Elena's body, shooting skyward with such intensity that the trees around them bent away from its force.
The light washed over Lucien like a physical wave, warm and electric. Where it touched his injuries, pain vanished – his ribs knitting together, shoulder sliding back into place, and most incredibly, his left hand reforming from nothing, flesh and bone materializing as if they'd never been severed.
When the light finally faded, Lucien lowered his arm from his eyes, blinking away spots from his vision.
The first thing he noticed was his restored hand, flexing his fingers in disbelief.
The second was the sound of breathing – Elena's breathing.
Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, color returning to her previously ashen cheeks. As Lucien watched in stunned silence, her eyes fluttered open, confusion evident in their depths.
Elena gasped suddenly, sitting bolt upright as she sucked in a desperate breath. Her eyes darted wildly around the clearing, disoriented and panicked.
"Elena!" Lucien exclaimed, joy overwhelming his confusion. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You're alive! You're okay!"
For a moment, Elena remained stiff in his arms, her mind struggling to process what was happening.
Then memory returned in a violent rush – the ritual, her father's betrayal, the knife in her stomach.
She screamed, the sound piercing the night air as her hands clutched at her abdomen where the wound should have been.
Lucien immediately pulled back, holding her by the shoulders. "Elena, it's okay! You're safe now. We escaped. We're back in Mystic Falls."
"He stabbed me!" she cried, her voice high with panic. "My dad – he stabbed me! I felt it! I was dying!"
"I know," Lucien said, keeping his voice calm despite the turmoil in his own mind. "But you're okay now. Look." He gently moved her hands from her stomach. "No wound. You're healed. You're alive."
Elena stared down at her unmarked stomach, touching the spot where the knife had entered. Her breathing gradually slowed as the reality of her situation sank in.
"How?" she whispered. "I... I was dead. I know I was."
"I don't know," Lucien admitted. "But you're back now. That's all that matters."
Elena's eyes filled with fresh tears as the full emotional weight crashed down on her. Without warning, she threw her arms around Lucien, burying her face against his shoulder.
"I thought I was gonna die," she sobbed, her words muffled against his shirt. "It hurt so bad. And my dad... why did he do that? Why would he hurt me?"
Lucien returned the embrace, one hand gently stroking her hair. "That wasn't your dad, not really. It was the thing controlling him."
"You saved me," Elena said, her voice thick with tears. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Lucien didn't correct her, though he knew he hadn't been the one to bring her back. Relief flooded through him – he hadn't failed after all. Somehow, miraculously, Elena was alive.
A heavy thud interrupted the moment. Lucien turned to see Katherine collapsed on the forest floor, her body convulsing slightly.
For a moment, he could only but watch, confused, before he sprung into action.
"Katherine!" He gently disengaged from Elena and rushed to the vampire's side, kneeling beside her. "What's wrong?"
Katherine's normally perfect features were contorted with pain, blood seeping from wounds that should have already begun healing. Unlike Lucien and Elena, the mysterious light had left her injuries untouched.
"Why aren't you healing?" Lucien asked, confusion evident in his voice.
Katherine managed a weak smile. "The girl's miracle... wasn't for me," she gasped. "Not that I... expected it to be."
Lucien immediately extended his wrist toward her mouth. "Drink. You need blood to heal."
Katherine weakly turned her head away, refusing. "Won't... help."
"What are you talking about? Of course it will help. Vampire, remember? Blood heals you."
Instead of answering, Katherine raised her arm with visible effort. The bite mark from Tezcatlipoca stood out against her pale skin – angry and inflamed, with black veins spreading outward like poisonous roots.
Lucien stared at the wound, for a moment he didn't understand what she meant, but then he realised. "The jaguar god... Tezcatlipoca... his vessel is Richard Lockwood."
"Werewolf," Katherine confirmed with a grimace. "Seems this... is the end of the road for me."
"No," Lucien said firmly. "No way. Not happening."
Katherine's laugh turned into a pained cough. "Always... so stubborn. It's actually... one of the things I like about you."
She shifted slightly, trying to find a position that hurt less. "I did what I said... I opened my heart. And it seems... it cost me everything." A strange smile played across her lips. "But I don't regret it. For once... I chose something besides survival."
Tears formed in Lucien's eyes as he listened, refusing to accept her words as final.
"I've lived five centuries," Katherine continued, her voice growing weaker. "Always running... always alone. But I'm not alone now... am I?"
"You're not," Lucien confirmed, taking her uninjured hand in his. "I'm right here."
Katherine's eyes softened in a way few had ever seen. "Thank you... for that. For letting me... be something more than... the monster everyone believes me to be."
Before Lucien could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps and voices broke through the clearing.
John, Sam, Dean, and Trevor burst through the trees, weapons drawn. In Trevor's arms was the unconscious form of Jeremy Gilbert.
John's eyes found Lucien immediately, widening with disbelief and relief at seeing his son whole and apparently uninjured. He rushed forward, dropping to his knees and pulling Lucien into a fierce embrace.
"You're okay," John breathed, his voice rough with emotion as he pulled back to examine Lucien. "You're actually okay."
Lucien allowed the brief embrace before gently extracting himself. "Dad, Katherine needs help." he said.
The group's attention shifted to the vampire, who lay pale and trembling on the forest floor.
"We followed the light," Trevor explained, adjusting his grip on Jeremy. "Thought it might be you using some new psychic ability."
"What the hell happened to her?" Dean asked, eyeing Katherine with suspicion even in her weakened state.
Katherine managed a wet chuckle. "Your wet dream coming true, Dean-o... watching me die."
Dean's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Werewolf bite," Katherine explained, holding up her wrist to display the blackened wound. "Fatal to vampires."
Understanding dawned on everyone's faces. Even Dean, who clearly had no love for Katherine, winced slightly at the sight of the wound.
Lucien suddenly fast, reaching for the knife in John's jacket. Before anyone could stop him, he drew the blade across his palm, opening a deep gash.
"Lucien!" Elena yelped in surprise.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sam demanded.
Ignoring them, Lucien pressed his bleeding palm to Katherine's mouth. "Drink," he commanded. "Now."
Katherine's eyes widened in surprise, but instinct took over. Her fangs extended as she latched onto his hand, drinking deeply. Almost immediately, color began returning to her face, the trembling in her limbs subsiding.
After several long moments, Lucien gently pulled his hand away. "Better?"
Katherine nodded, genuine surprise evident in her expression. "How...?"
"My blood is special I suppose," Lucien explained - though this in itself was a gamble anyway. That it actually helped was something he was deeply grateful for. "It should keep the venom at bay temporarily."
"There's no cure for a werewolf bite," Katherine said, though her voice was stronger now.
"I don't believe that," Lucien replied firmly. "And even if it's true now, we'll find one."
John placed a hand on Lucien's shoulder. "Son, if there's no cure-"
"There is," Lucien interrupted, his expression hardening with determination. "And I will get it."
Immediately he could think of one being guarenteed in the right circumstances to have it- Klaus Mikaelson, the Original hybrid whose blood was the cure to werewolf venom.
"We need to get back to Bobby's," John said after a moment, recognizing the look in his son's eyes. "Figure out our next move."
Trevor shifted Jeremy in his arms. "The boy needs medical attention too. Nothing serious, just knocked out when everything went crazy at Founder's Hall."
Elena's attention snapped to her brother. "Jeremy! Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine," Sam assured her. "Just a bump on the head."
As the group prepared to move, Lucien helped Katherine to her feet. She swayed slightly but remained standing, the immediate effects of the werewolf venom temporarily abated by Lucien's blood.
"This isn't over," Lucien told her quietly. "I'm not letting you die."
Katherine studied his face, searching for deception and finding none. "Why?" she asked, genuine confusion in her voice. "After everything I've done..."
"Because you came back for me," Lucien answered simply. "You could have run, saved yourself. But you didn't. Because I... believe you."
A complex emotion flickered across Katherine's face – something between gratitude and disbelief. Before she could respond, John called for them to move out.
As they made their way through the moonlit forest, Elena stayed close to Lucien's side, occasionally glancing back at her unconscious brother in Trevor's arms.
The events of the night had left her shaken to her core, but one question burned brighter than the others.
"Lucien," she whispered, making sure only he could hear. "What happened to me? How am I alive?"
Lucien looked down at her, noting the faint glow that still seemed to emanate from within her – visible only through his Force-enhanced perception.
"I think," he said carefully, "there's more to you than anyone knew, Elena. Even yourself."
----------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!
Do tell me how you found it.
So, Elena is alive.
Also, Lucien's hand being back - I hope you guys don't think of that as plot armour, I based it on how Elena's power made happen what she wanted, and Lucien being unscatched being part of it.
He still has got the mark though. He is cursed. Until he kills all five of the "gods." I think that's enough for this arc.
What do you guys think though? Am I wrong or am I right?
Also, final question, how did you find this arc? And are you excited for the next one, believe me I am, can't wait to have to deal with Dracula while also finding Klaus and trying to somehow get the cure from him.
Well, I'm going to sleep.
I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)