A faint murmur broke the stillness of the Mikaelson house.
Five anxious faces hovered around a small bed where Adrian lay, pale and motionless, the soft rise and fall of his chest the only sign of life.
Elijah sat closest, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the boy.
Finn stood by the window, arms crossed but clearly worried despite his calm exterior.
Kol fidgeted restlessly at the bedside, unable to stay still, while Klaus leaned against the post, chewing his lip, pretending not to care though his eyes betrayed him.
Rebekah, smallest of them all, sat clutching Adrian's hand tightly, unwilling to let go even for a second.
Then Adrian stirred.
A low sound escaped his throat — a weak, hoarse breath that made every head snap toward him. His fingers twitched, his eyelids fluttered. For a moment, he looked lost between dream and waking.
"Mother, he's—" Elijah started, then caught himself. There was no Esther here right now — only them.
"Water," Adrian croaked, voice barely above a whisper.
Klaus moved before anyone else. "I'll get it!" He darted across the room, grabbed a small wooden bowl, and filled it from the pitcher near the hearth.
"Hold him up," Finn instructed, kneeling beside the bed. He slid an arm behind Adrian's shoulders, lifting him into a careful angle.
Elijah took the bowl from Klaus, steady hands guiding it toward Adrian's lips.
"Easy," he murmured, "small sips."
The first drops touched Adrian's lips — cold, clean — and he swallowed greedily, his throat moving with thirst. Then, with surprising strength, he took the bowl in both hands and drank the rest in one long gulp.
When he lowered it, his breathing steadied, and his gaze slowly focused. Five faces loomed close to his — too close. Startled, he blinked rapidly and blurted, "Wh–what happened? Why are all of you staring at me like that?"
Kol snorted. "Because you scared us half to death, that's why."
Rebekah burst into fresh tears and threw her tiny arms around him. "Ian! Don't do that again! I thought—you were—"
Her words dissolved into sobs.
Adrian froze for a heartbeat, then awkwardly patted her hair. "Hey, hey… it's okay, Bekah."
Klaus rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his grin. "You really gave us a show, little hero."
But Adrian showed confusion on his face "But what happened why am I in your house?."
Elijah let out a long breath, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. "You fainted," he explained gently. "We brought you home. Mother said you're unharmed, only exhausted."
Adrian frowned, his mind foggy. "Fainted? But… why? and where is aunt esther go?"
The brothers exchanged glances, completely ignoring his questions.
Kol finally leaned forward, excitement bubbling in his tone.
"You don't remember? You shouted, and that raccoon—just—flew! Like it got hit by a blast of wind! It went flying into a tree!" He gestured wildly. "It was brilliant!"
Klaus nodded, his grin wide. "You actually did it, Ian. Magic. Real magic."
For a moment, Adrian lokked in confusion then picked his ear a little and asked again "I did what? I didn't hear correctly maybe water got into my ear."
Kol repeated "magic"
"I… did magic?" Adrian asked quietly."isn't that only done by witches in those scary stories grandma tells us."
"no magic is real our moth___" kol suddenly jumped a few feet shouting fin stepped on his feet.
Adrian stared at his small hands, confusion knitting his brow. "I don't… remember doing anything. I just saw something rushing at Bekah and—" He mimed pushing the air forward, then shrugged. "It just happened."
Elijah, ever cautious, tilted his head. "Can you try it again?"
Adrian hesitated. "I can try."
He took a slow breath, focusing on the small wooden spoon resting on the table nearby. He clenched his hand.
Nothing.
The spoon didn't even twitch.
Kol leaned in, disappointed. "Huh. Maybe you used it all up?"
"Enough," Elijah cut in, raising a hand before their bickering grew louder. "Whatever happened, Mother will understand it better than we do."
Finn nodded, though he said nothing. His eyes lingered on Adrian, thoughtfuly.
The tension finally eased, and soon their laughter returned in small bursts.
Rebekah had stopped crying, instead showing adrian her favorite smooth pebble. Klaus teased Kol about his panicked scream earlier, and even Elijah allowed a faint smile.
But as their chatter filled the room, Adrian sat quietly, pretending to listen.
Inside, his mind wasn't still.
'These troublesome siblings didn't even answer my question. Where could Esther have gone? I need to know how she reacted.'
Everything that happened by the waterfall — none of it was an accident. Every part of it was planned, from start to finish.
It took months to prepare.
The idea no 320, the only idea about which more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I needed to show them — and Esther — that I had magiic without being obvious.
So, I waited. Planned.
The raccoon — Doraemon, as I called him — wasn't wild anymore. It took me a month of feeding, influencing, and practicing that strange connection I have with animals. A push of will here, a whisper of magic there. Eventually, he started responding. Coming when I called. Moving where I nudged.
All that time, I shaped the plan. Wait for a day when we'd go to the waterfall. Rebekah would wander too close — she always did. Doraemon would rush out as I signaled him through that faint magical thread. Then, I would "react."
A perfect scene of danger. A perfect display of "accidental" power.
Of course, I hadn't expected it to hurt this much. The blast drained me to the bone. Guess even a four-year-old prodigy has limits.
Still… it worked.
Sorry, Doraemon. You won't come near me again after being hurled like a sack of potatoes. But for my future… it was worth it.
---
Adrian looked up at the laughing siblings and forced a small smile. Now, let's see what will happen