The warehouse door crashed open, hinges screaming in protest as rain poured from a sky split by lightning.
Klaus Mikaelson stepped through the threshold, water dripping from his hair and jacket, each movement casual yet predatory.
His eyes - ancient and calculating - swept across the empty space, cataloging every detail before settling on Lucien.
Behind him, five figures entered: two vampires, a male and female witch, and a female werewolf.
One of the vampires carried a folding chair, setting it before Lucien with theatrical flourish.
"About time you showed up," Lucien said, his voice carrying a blend of confidence and weariness that would be remarkable in someone five times his age.
Klaus's lips curved into an amused smile as he approached. "Punctuality has never been my strong suit," he replied, his British accent crisp and refined. "A thousand years tends to give one a... flexible relationship with time."
His gaze shifted to Katherine, who stood behind Lucien. Black veins crept up her neck from the werewolf bite, her normally perfect appearance diminished by pain she refused to acknowledge.
"Katerina," Klaus greeted, eyes gleaming with malicious pleasure. "You don't look so well, love."
Katherine stiffened but remained silent, instinctively stepping closer to Lucien.
Klaus settled into the chair with casual elegance, crossing one leg over the other. "I must admit, I find myself intrigued. A child who knows about white oak stakes and soul contracts." His head tilted slightly. "How... unexpected."
The warehouse fell silent save for the steady drumming of rain against the metal roof. Klaus studied Lucien with the detached curiosity of a scientist examining a particularly fascinating specimen.
"I wonder," Klaus continued, "how you came by such knowledge."
Lucien's mind flashed back to the previous day, when his boot had pressed against the female vampire's neck, her body a temporary vessel for Klaus's consciousness.
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Flashback:
The female vampire struggled beneath Lucien's foot, eyes wide with terror that shifted to something else entirely when Klaus took possession.
Her body went rigid, then relaxed into a different posture altogether - more confident, almost regal.
"Well, well," the vampire said, voice carrying a British accent that hadn't been there moments before. "It seems we meet again. I would say it is quite a pleasure, but I still can't see your face, child. I suppose you are finally ready to name your terms."
Lucien reached into his pocket, producing a parchment that seemed to glow with subtle power. "A soul contract. I break the curse your mother placed on you, sealing your werewolf side. In exchange, you give us the cure for werewolf venom and sign this contract."
The soul contract being possible because this vessel still contained Klaus's blood as it is from his sireline.
"The cure to werewolf venom, now why would you need that... Hmm. It is a wonder you even have the knowledge of it being in my possession. Simply an educated guess, or something... more?"
At Lucien's silence, Klaus continued, "What does this contract entail?"
"You will not pursue Katherine Pierce with intent to harm or kill her. Nor will you pursue to harm or kill me or any of our loved ones, so long as we and they don't plot against you. And you will need to be 100% sure we are plotting against you to act, so no... educated guesses." Lucien stated.
Klaus's borrowed lips curved into a smile. "Katherine Pierce? So that's what this is about. Katerina's found herself a champion."
"Those are my terms," Lucien stated firmly.
"I have terms of my own," Klaus countered. "I want freedom from not only the binding of the Hybrid, but all curses my mother placed on me. Who knows what other surprises dear Esther left for me? Or are you incapable of that?" his last question mocking.
Lucien hesitated, internally grimacing.
'Well, there goes, that bargaining chip.'
Klaus would normally because of a secondary curse, the requirement of not feeding werwolves only his blood but as well that of a Petrova doppelgänger blood as well for the transition to a Hybrid to complete.
Klaus will no longer need that now.
"Fine," he agreed. "All curses placed by your mother that are to your detriment."
"One more condition," Klaus added. "I want to know who you are and how you know so much about me."
"You'll learn that when we meet. Take it or leave it."
A moment passed before Klaus chuckled. "Very well. I accept your terms."
Lucien nodded, then after a moment of silence added, after a bit of contemplation, a thought rose in his mind that caused a bit of... possessiveness, rising in his chest.
"There's one more clause." he added.
He pulled out a small vial containing a single drop of blood. "There is a... certain someone I want you to in no way try to take from me. Physically, or emotionally. They are mine." He poured the drop onto the parchment. "For convenience's sake, we'll call this person 'K'."
Klaus's borrowed eyes narrowed with curiosity. "How intriguing. You have my word."
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In the present, Klaus leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving Lucien's face. "Our contract was quite specific, wasn't it? Let me see if I recall correctly..." He recited the terms word for word, his perfect memory spanning centuries.
When he finished, his gaze shifted to Katherine. "It seems you've been busy, Katerina. Charming little boys now? How unbecoming." His tone carried more amusement than disgust.
Katherine flinched visibly, but Lucien's expression remained unchanged.
"We should get this over with," Lucien said, rising from his chair.
Klaus raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the boy's composure. He stood as well, making a mocking bow and extending his hand. "By all means. Lead the way, man of the hour. I've only been waiting a thousand years for this day."
Lucien ignored the mockery, moving toward the warehouse door. Klaus followed, a smile playing at his lips. His entourage fell into step behind them, with Katherine trailing reluctantly.
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Outside, the rain had lessened to a steady drizzle. Puddles reflected the moonlight breaking through scattered clouds, creating silver mirrors across the abandoned lot.
"How exactly do you plan to break a curse created by one of history's most powerful witches?" Klaus asked, his tone casual despite the gravity of the question.
Lucien stepped several paces away from the group, turning to face Klaus. "Stand there," he instructed, pointing to a spot before him.
Klaus complied with amused indulgence. "I'm all yours, little warlock."
"I'm going to target the binding magic directly," Lucien explained, "It will be exceptionally painful. Anyone lesser would die from it, but you can take it, can't you big man?" the boy's final words, turned a touch mocking, a counter to Klaus's own mockery.
As Lucien spoke, the air around him had begun to change. The Force pulled inward, targeting the already established domain of concentrated power. Reality itself seemed to distort slightly, the raindrops slowing as they entered this field.
Klaus noticed the change immediately, his senses far more acute than any human's. Something destructive was forming - power that felt conceptual and raw.
For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his features.
Lucien extended his hand, palm upward.
Lightning crackled to life above his skin - Red Lightning.
It cast crimson shadows across his face. The energy built rapidly, thunder booming from it so loudly that everyone except Lucien and Klaus covered their ears.
Klaus at the sight was speechless - for he sensed it, this was the very essence of destruction. He sweatdropped for a moment, before he soon composed himself, spreading his arms with a smirk. "I've never been one to shy from pain."
A moment of heavy silence fell between them, staring each other in the eyes, broken only by the sizzle of energy in Lucien's palm.
"Begin," Klaus commanded.
Lucien unleashed the red lightning. It struck Klaus's chest with devastating force, lifting him slightly off the ground.
Klaus's back arched in agony, a roar tearing from his throat that echoed across the night sky.
"AaaaAAAHHH!"
The earth trembled beneath their feet. Windows in nearby abandoned buildings shattered, raining glass onto the pavement. The air pressure dropped suddenly, creating a vacuum that pulled at their clothing.
Klaus's eyes turned black - his vampire nature responding to the assault. The lightning continued to pour into him, relentless and merciless.
Stones began rising from the ground, floating in defiance of gravity.
Natural lightning responded in the sky above, striking in concert with Lucien's attack.
Trees bent against unnatural winds that whipped around them, reality itself seeming to warp.
Lucien maintained perfect concentration, simultaneously channeling the destructive energy and creating a protective Force barrier around the observers. Katherine watched with wide eyes, her fear for Lucien evident despite her own pain.
"AAAAAAAHHHH" Klaus's roar grew louder, distorting reality itself. The sound contained a thousand years of rage and pain, the fury of a monster who had never known true defeat.
Then, suddenly without warning, a shadow erupted from Klaus's chest - a serpentine darkness that lunged toward Lucien with immense speed.
Lucien's eyes widened as the shadow snake passed through the Force shield, as it sank its fangs into Lucien's arm before anyone could react.
"The Original Witch's protective curse!" the female witch shouted in realisation. "She created contingencies!"
Dark veins spread across Lucien's skin from the bite, crawling up his arm toward his neck. Lucien grit his teeth in pain, his left eye clenching shut from it, buckeling a bit, the red lightning weakening.
Klaus's roars subsided slightly as the shadow snake diverted some of the ritual's power. His eyes focused on Lucien, watching with interest and annoyance as the boy fought Esther's protection spell.
For a moment fearing that it was going to fail, that his chance at completeness and freedom would be taken away from him - again, once more at the hands of his own Mother's machinations.
The thought was infuriating, causing Klaus to roar louder once more, but rather than pain, in rage.
Lucien with wide eyes, a hint of fear in them, watched his arm, as he saw the dark veins rising till they reached his neck, but then suddenly... they stopped.
After a long moment of speechlessness, Lucien chuckled despite the pain.
"Sorry," he suddenly said, voice strained but confident. "This body is already cursed."
The jaguar mark on his palm blazed with fire. A bestial howl echoed across the landscape - not wolf, not human, but jaguar.
"RRHHHUUHHH-HHUUHHH-HHUUHHH!"
The mark began to pulse, drawing the shadow snake from Lucien's body like poison from a wound.
The snake hissed in fear and rage as it was being pulled out and devoured.
"You're simply too weak to stick," Lucien told the writhing darkness as it was completely consumed by his curse.
The red lightning intensified once more, redoubling its assault on Klaus's curse. Klaus's agony increased, his body contorting unnaturally as a thousand years of magic began to unravel.
A final push of power surged through Lucien's hands. Klaus threw his head back, eyes flashing gold as a wolf's howl erupted from his throat - the first manifestation of his unsealed nature.
Lucien immediately stopped the lightning, sensing the curses were broken.
As he did, immediately the quaking stopped, the winds no longer howled, and the lightning in the heavens disappeared, the clouds slowly slightly beginning to part, letting the moonlight shine down once more.
The boy's arms dropped to his sides, body swaying with exhaustion.
Klaus himself who no longer floated, fell back onto his feet, and stumbled, nearly falling face-first to the ground. Pride though kept him upright as he caught himself on one knee, breathing heavily.
"Our deal... is done," Lucien whispered, strength fading rapidly. "The cure... for Katerina..."
He began to collapse. Katherine moved forward instinctively to catch him, but Klaus was faster. Despite his own exhaustion, he lunged forward, catching Lucien before he hit the ground.
As Klaus's arms closed around the boy, something unexpected happened.
His newly enhanced vampiric abilities from his werewolf side being free, surged, going haywire, causing Klaus's mental abilities to activate, and for a moment... see.
Lucien's memories - the ones not protected - flashed before him, thirteen years of life compressed into seconds.
A small boy watching his father leave, trying not to cry...
Standing between Adam and a schoolyard bully, despite being smaller...
Training with John, determined to prove himself ready...
Katherine.
Elena.
The Red Sun. Tezcatlipoca. The Godhand.
Always feeling second-best, the least favored, the family's protector yet never its heart...
Klaus's expression softened imperceptibly.
He saw himself in this child - the family outcast, the protector whose protection was never fully appreciated.
The boy who's family deep down resented him, same as his own resented him.
The boy who's own mother couldn't help but fear and blame, same as his own mother feared, blamed and resented him.
Rising to his feet, Klaus held Lucien's unconscious form against his chest. His shirt had been burned away by the lightning, leaving his torso bare. His eyes occasionally flashed gold as his newly freed werewolf nature settled within him.
He turned, standing there gazing at Katherine for a long moment, silently as she herself could only have eyes wide in terror - but surprisingly, her focus wasn't fully on him, but also on the boy in his arms.
He began walking toward her, who visibly tensed even further as he approached.
Klaus stopped before her, towering over her for a long moment, silent, before finally shifting to hold Lucien with one arm. Without a word, he bit his own wrist, blood welling immediately from the wound.
"Hold out your hands," he commanded.
Katherine complied without hesitation, cupping her palms together. Klaus held his bleeding wrist over her hands, allowing his blood to pool in her palms.
"Drink," he ordered.
She raised her hands to her lips, drinking the hybrid blood. The effect was instant - the black veins receded from her neck, and the bite wound on her arm closed, leaving unblemished skin.
Relief washed over her face, quickly replaced by confusion as Klaus turned away without acknowledgment. He shifted Lucien back into both arms, carrying him toward a distant black SUV.
"Come," he called to his entourage. "We're leaving."
Katherine stood frozen for a moment before finding her voice. "Where are you taking him?" she demanded, surprising herself with her courage.
Klaus paused, turning slightly. Rain continued falling around them, creating a silver curtain between them.
The silence stretched, heavy with tension.
"This boy is my son now," Klaus declared, his voice carrying easily through the rain. "I am taking Lucien Winchester henceforth as my son."
Shock rippled through the assembled group. Katherine's mouth opened but no sound emerged.
Klaus turned around and began walking once more, but as he heard no steps, he stopped once more, turning again toward her, with visible annoyance.
"Well?" He raised an eyebrow. "Start walking. Isn't this boy your god? Aren't you his?"
With that, he turned around again and continued toward his vehicle, Lucien still cradled in his arms.
Katherine remained motionless in the rain, torn between five centuries of terror and her devotion.
The distance between her and Lucien grew with each of Klaus's confident strides, water pooling at her feet as if the sky itself wept for her.
But finally, she found the courage to take the step, as she finally ran forward towards the one she loved.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter.
So... Yeah, uh, that happened.
What the Hell Klaus?!
But then I remember, Marcel, and I think... Makes sense.
So yeah, that's why I wrote it that way. What do you think?
How will things go on from now?
Are you guys excited?
I certainly am. I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)