The blinding white light faded gradually.
Stefan's body stood unsteadily, one hand braced against the stone wall for support, eyes still closed.
His chest rose and fell as he breathed, slowly, as if testing the mechanics of breathing for the first time.
Isaac didn't waste a moment on questions.
His eyes widened with understanding that this was beyond him, his hand immediately reaching inside his tunic to withdraw a curved forgemaster's knife.
Instantly, he drove the blade into the ground at his feet.
"Come," he commanded.
The shadows in the corner of the cell writhed and condensed, forming a gray-skinned nightcreature with leathery wings folded against its back.
The summoning took mere seconds - meaning that the creature had already been summoned out of Hell before this, and was already present inside the Castle.
Elaine gasped, hand flying to her mouth to stifle a scream as the creature unfurled its wings with a sound like wet leather snapping taut.
Her naked body pressed harder against the cold stone wall, eyes wide with terror as the nightcreature seized Isaac by his clothing and, in a blur, carried him through the doorway and out of sight.
Only then did Stefan's eyes open.
For a moment, they glowed crimson - twin pools of hellfire in the dim dungeon.
The glow receded slowly, like embers cooling, until they settled into Stefan's natural green-blue hue, though something about them remained distinctly different - more alert, more focused than the hollow gaze that had occupied them for decades.
'This body feels... different I suppose is the word for it.'
Lucien straightened, looking down at Stefan's scarred hands.
He turned them over slowly, examining the lines and calluses of an adult's hands - something he hadn't possessed in thirteen years.
'So it actually worked...'
When he first realised what the energy he was feeling was after waking up here- somehow instinctively knowing it to be Grace, archangelic fucking grace, however the fuck he got it, just that he got it - a plan began to form at getting out of here.
The grace itself was slowly feeding and growing from his soul energy, but it only took the barest amounts, the extra, the natural amount released by a soul, like breathing.
It took time for the Grace to recover enough for another use.
But Lucien was patient.
He waited and endured the pain.
His greatest problem was that angels can not possess monsters - them being unclean.
But... eventually that didn't become a problem anymore, as he felt himself becoming... demonic.
A piece of his soul became demonic, and his grace became slightly corrupted - just like Lucifer's long ago did - making him capable of using Stefan as a vessel, and having his vampiric nature be strong enough to sustain him inside this body for a long enough time before combusting.
That plus, Stefan being a second soul now inside here, for the Grace to actually feed on without a true care - besides Lucien's own care of not draining Stefan into a spiritual coma - Lucien knew his odds were... better than ever.
As Lucien was thinking this, mentally going over what he did to orient himself, a wave of hunger crashed through him without warning - not the familiar gnawing of an empty stomach, but something primal and overwhelming.
It wasn't centered in his gut but seemed to radiate from every cell, a desperate thirst that clawed at his throat and sharpened his canines without conscious thought.
Lucien grabbed the wall harder, fingers digging into the stone, crushing it beneath his grip as he fought for control.
Small fragments of rock crumbled to the floor as he forced himself to breathe, to center himself against the vampire's hunger - and not just any hunger, that of the Ripper.
'Not now. Control it.'
Elaine watched him with terrified eyes, her naked back pressed against the wall, arms crossed over her chest in a futile attempt at modesty. Fresh tears streaked her face as she tried to hold back sobs.
Lucien glanced at her only briefly before his attention was drawn inexorably to his original body, still hanging crucified against the opposite wall.
Blood dripped steadily from the wounds in his palms and feet, forming a small pool on the floor beneath. His child-self looked small and broken, suspended by cruel nails and chains.
'In a way... dead. Empty.'
The sight centered him, pushing back the hunger temporarily.
Lucien reached into Stefan's memories, carefully avoiding the decades of torture and suffering, seeking only the knowledge of how Stefan's vampiric abilities functioned.
The information came readily, muscle memory and instinct rather than conscious thought, simply by willing to know it, the Grace making something so simple, reality with ease.
He approached his crucified body slowly, studying the wounds.
The nails were inscribed with tiny Enochian sigils - no wonder they had caused such agony when driven through his flesh.
The chains, too, bore similar markings, designed specifically to contain divine power.
'I should be able to do it, right? I may not be an Original, and not old enough in vampire age but this body is the doppelganger of Silas - the Son of Nature - in Katherine's own words. A mutant vampire.
...
Let's just try it.'
Lucien slowly, and a bit hesitantly, opened his dry mouth and with a bit of difficulty whispered, "Heal... and be... free."
Reality thankfully bent to his will.
The nails extracted themselves from flesh and stone with a wet, grinding sound. The chains snapped link by link, falling away like dead serpents. His original body slumped forward, no longer supported by its restraints.
Lucien caught himself - the strange thought of catching himself - in Stefan's arms. The child-body was limp, empty of soul yet still warm.
As he cradled it, the wounds began to close, flesh knitting together under his command.
Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through Lucien's - Stefan's - head.
The vampire body's arms began to gray and desiccate, thin cracks appearing in the skin like dried mud.
'The fuck!?' Lucien thought, eyes wide at the sight, until he soon realised it - the Enochian magic in the nails was resisting his power, and Stefan's body had almost no life force to fuel the compulsion.
Lucien hastily released his hold on reality, allowing it to snap back to its natural state.
The healing stopped, but not before the worst of the damage had been repaired. The wounds closed, leaving behind pale scars on the palms and feet of his original body - reminders of the crucifixion.
The hunger returned tenfold, a ravenous emptiness that demanded satisfaction. Lucien clutched his original body closer, fighting the urge to sink his teeth into the nearest source of blood - Elaine, still cowering against the wall.
He threw her a brief glance, causing her to flinch.
Lucien shook his head slightly, a silent promise he wouldn't harm her.
She was already traumatized enough, and with the hunger raging through Stefan's body, he doubted he could stop if he started feeding from her...
As he adjusted his grip on his child-body, Lucien suddenly caught the scent of his own blood - still fresh from the recently healed wounds.
A thought struck him: Dracula wanted his blood for its power. What if...
'What if I drank my own blood?'
He contemplated the thought for a long moment, as he remembered that Dracula needed permission to drink from him.
'Just to be safe,' he thought as he began to speak:
"I, Lucien Winchester, give myself and Stefan Salvatore permission to drink my blood freely, without constraint or consequence."
The words hung in the air, weighted with intention.
He waited for something to happen.
Something happened- kind of, he felt a bit... different.
Hesitantly, he lowered his mouth toward his child-body's hand, where blood still smeared the palm despite the closed wound. He extended his tongue and tasted it tentatively.
The effect was instant.
Suddenly, the world sharpened to crystal clarity.
Colors intensified, sounds separated into distinct layers, scents became so vivid he could taste them on the air.
Power surged through Stefan's body like lightning through a conductor, a euphoric rush that made his nerves sing.
"Oh my God..." Lucien murmured to himself.
The soul that was Stefan also began to stir for a moment, but didn't wake up - more moved, like finding a more comfortable position in a bed, even more at peace now, like he was fed well before bed.
Every scar on Stefan's body - and there were many - also began to heal.
Decades of deliberate non-healing reversed in seconds as flesh became smooth and unmarred. Strength flooded his limbs, the desiccation reversing as cells plumped with vitality.
Without hesitation now, Lucien bit into his own child-body's shoulder, taking small, measured sips.
He forced himself to drink slowly, careful not to take too much and damage his original form. Each swallow brought a fresh wave of power, a heady rush unlike anything he'd experienced before.
Across the cell, Elaine gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
To her, the scene was terrifying. A vampire-thing - whatever the hell this monster was - was feeding on an unconscious- maybe even dead child.
After taking just enough to strengthen Stefan's body without weakening his original form, Lucien pulled back. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the hunger now a manageable background hum rather than an overwhelming roar.
With a word, he used reality compulsion again, this time careful for something basic - not healing enochian magic scars and waste power - to clothe Stefan's body in simple, dark garments - practical for movement and escape.
The power flowed more easily now, requiring minimal effort after the infusion of his own blood.
Lucien rose to his feet, his child-body cradled in his left arm. He turned toward Elaine, taking a step towards her, who immediately screamed.
"Stay away from me!" she shrieked, trying to press herself further into the corner. "Please, don't - don't come any closer!"
Lucien froze in place as he saw her terror. He remained perfectly still, making no sudden movements.
He remained silent for a moment.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he finally said softly, his voice gentle despite the urgency of their situation. "I promise."
Elaine wasn't convinced. She tried to crawl further back but was already against the wall. She huddled into the corner, hugging her legs to her chest, tears streaming down her face.
"Please," she begged, "please don't eat me."
Lucien slowly lowered himself to his knees, making himself as small and non-threatening as possible despite the distance between them.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated gently. "I want to help you. Get you out of here, back to your family. Back to your little sister."
At the mention of her sister, Elaine's sobbing paused.
She watched him warily, hiccuping breaths the only sound in the dungeon. Lucien could hear her heart racing, blood pumping frantically through her veins.
The sound was distracting, but manageable now that he'd fed.
"I saw you," she whispered finally. "Drinking from that boy. How do I know you won't do that to me?"
'Okay, how the hell do I explain this?' Lucien thought to himself for a long moment.
Finally, he gently placed his child-body on the ground and pointed to it, then to himself.
"That's me," he explained simply. "I'm possessing this guy. Remember the bright light and the 'Yes'? I know that was probably very... confusing. But that was me leaving my body and getting into this guy's." He gestured to Stefan's body.
Elaine froze, her expression shifting from terror to confusion. For a long moment, she said nothing, visibly processing what she'd witnessed.
Her breathing gradually steadied as survival instinct forced her toward composure.
"You're..." she began, then stopped, collecting her thoughts. "The boy. The one that madman crucified."
Lucien nodded.
"The madman called you the Son of God," she continued, her voice barely audible.
Another nod.
She began thinking about all the insane things she saw - the madman summoning a demon-thing and being flown away.
The crucifixion.
This guy ordering fucking reality.
Creating clothes from thin air.
Drinking blood...
Elaine swallowed hard. "If you're... if you're the Son of God, then prove it to me."
Lucien remained silent for a moment, feeling a flicker of frustration at this.
They needed to move quickly before Isaac returned with reinforcements- damn the fact, he hadn't completely settled in this body when the fucker ran off.
But he also understood her need for certainty amid the insanity she'd been thrust into.
As he considered how to respond, getting more frustrated, since he didn't know how to prove he was 'The Son of God' an idea, that she asked about because it would bring her comfort-
He suddenly felt a strange sensation on his back - a weight that wasn't there before. Glancing over his shoulder, Lucien saw them: wings of brilliant white light, cold and beautiful, stretching toward the ceiling.
'Angel wings. Of course.'
Focusing on his grace, Lucien decided to try something - see if it would work or not, if he could do what he saw countless times in the show.
He directed it more powerfully toward his back and eyes.
Stefan's body began to glow with white light, illuminating the dark cell. His eyes blazed crimson once more, and behind him, the shadow of enormous wings spread across the wall.
Elaine gasped, hand flying to her mouth, eyes wide with awe rather than fear.
Lucien allowed the display to continue for a few seconds before letting the light fade. No sense wasting energy they'd need for escape.
"Is that enough proof?" he asked quietly.
Elaine stared at him, momentarily frozen in shock before hastily nodding.
Lucien picked up his child-body in his left arm again and rose to his feet. He walked to where Elaine huddled in the corner and extended his right hand down to her.
"Come with me," he said. "We need to get out of here."
Elaine hesitated only briefly before placing her trembling hand in his. Lucien gently pulled her to her feet. As she stood, and Lucien looked at her, for a moment looking down, and then hastily away, she remembered that she was naked, hastily trying to cover herself with her free arm.
Lucien continued looking away respectfully and simply said, "Be clothed."
Reality obeyed. Simple, practical garments materialized on Elaine's body - pants, shirt, and shoes suitable for their escape.
"Thank you," she whispered, relief evident in her voice.
Lucien nodded and began walking toward the dungeon gate. "Follow me. Stay about an arm's length behind at all times."
Elaine complied immediately, still processing her embarrassment and gratitude at being clothed again.
As they approached the gate, Lucien threw a side glance behind him, before looking in front of him again, as he then murmured softly, "Be ready. I'll call you soon."
The words weren't directed at Elaine.
With his enhanced angelic perception, Lucien could now see what had previously been invisible - his Qareen, Vader, standing within the veil.
The towering black-armored figure nodded once, hands clenched into fists, ready to be summoned.
Lucien pushed open the heavy dungeon gate, bright light spilling in from the corridor beyond.
------------------------
Rain pounded against the limousine's windows as it pulled up to the entrance of Singer Salvage Yard.
The wipers swept frantically across the windshield, barely keeping pace with the downpour.
Inside, Katherine sat rigidly beside her daughter Nadia, opposite Klaus and Elijah. Rebekah occupied the third row of seats, her expression unreadable in the dim interior lighting.
"We're here," Klaus announced unnecessarily as the vehicle came to a stop.
The limousine doors opened, and they stepped out into the rain, water immediately soaking into their expensive clothing.
They stood for a moment, looking up at the ramshackle house where Bobby Singer lived - where Elena Gilbert was staying.
Katherine's face was a mask of determination as rain plastered her hair to her skin.
Whatever it took, they would find Lucien.
Even if it meant confronting the Winchesters and taking the girl by force.
"Let's get this over with," she said, starting toward the house.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Do tell me how you found it.
So, the next phase of this arc is beginning - escape from the Castle, and try and kill Dracula while at it.
Well, I hope you all are excited.
See you all later,
Bye!)