Chapter 3: Shadows and Proposals
The compound's library smelled of aged leather and secrets—thousands of volumes that had probably witnessed more supernatural drama than a small town's worth of soap operas. Candlelight flickered across mahogany shelves, casting dancing shadows that made the oil paintings of long-dead Mikaelsons look like they were whispering among themselves.
I sat across from Klaus at a table that could have hosted a UN summit, the polished wood reflecting the flame between us. Elijah flanked his brother's right side, impeccable as always, while Davina had claimed a chair near the door—close enough to intervene, far enough to avoid the blast radius if Klaus decided diplomacy wasn't working.
"Your proposal," Klaus said, his voice carrying the kind of calm that preceded either handshakes or homicide, "is madness."
"My proposal," I corrected, "is practical. You need someone who can help with the Hollow situation. I need not to be murdered by paranoid vampires. It's a win-win scenario."
The silence stretched between us like a wire under tension. Klaus's fingers drummed against the table—once, twice, a rhythm that matched my accelerating heartbeat.
"Twenty dates," he said finally. "With my daughter."
"Supervised dates," I clarified quickly. "Public places. Absolutely nothing inappropriate. Just... getting to know each other. Building trust."
[SYSTEM: Dating to save the world? Smooth move, Romeo.]
Elijah cleared his throat diplomatically. "The arrangement has merit, Niklaus. Our guest has demonstrated abilities that could prove useful, and supervised interaction would allow us to assess his intentions."
"His intentions concern me less than his nature," Klaus replied, his honey-colored eyes never leaving mine. "Powers that manifest without training, knowledge he shouldn't possess, and a tendency to glow like a bloody nightlight. No, brother. There are too many unknowns."
Before I could craft a response that wouldn't get me staked, footsteps echoed in the hallway—lighter than an adult's, approaching with the kind of determined pace that suggested someone had made a decision.
Hope Mikaelson stepped into the library, and the temperature in the room shifted. Not literally—though with magic, who could tell—but the way Klaus's entire posture changed, the protective tension that suddenly radiated from every line of his body.
She was younger than I'd expected, maybe sixteen, with dark hair that caught the candlelight and eyes that held far too much knowledge for someone her age. The kind of eyes that belonged to people who'd seen things that would give normal teenagers nightmares for decades.
"Dad," she said, and her voice carried a warmth that transformed Klaus from apex predator to concerned parent in the space of a heartbeat. "I heard we had a guest."
"Hope, you should be resting—"
"I'm fine," she interrupted, but even as she spoke, I caught the slight tremor in her left hand, the way she favored her right side. Not fine, then. Whatever was wrong with her—the Hollow, according to the system's earlier information dump—it was getting worse.
She looked at me directly, and I felt something probe the edges of my mind. Not invasive, more like someone knocking politely on a door. The sensation was followed immediately by a sharp spike of pain behind my right eye, and Hope stumbled slightly.
Klaus was on his feet before she'd finished moving, crossing the room in a blur of supernatural speed. "What happened?"
"I'm okay," Hope said, but her face had gone pale. "Just... tired."
That's when the system decided to get involved.
Information flooded my consciousness—not the usual sarcastic commentary, but actual data. The Hollow. Ancient spirit of destruction. Currently fragmented and contained within Hope Mikaelson. Causing magical instability, pain, potential possession.
And underneath that, something else. A way to help.
I stood slowly, keeping my movements deliberate and non-threatening. "I might be able to do something about the pain."
Every eye in the room turned to me. Klaus's expression promised swift and creative violence if I made things worse.
"You know nothing about the Hollow," he said.
"No," I agreed. "But I know about pain. And I might be able to... share the load. Temporarily."
Hope straightened, curiosity replacing exhaustion in her expression. "What do you mean?"
"I mean—" I started, then stopped as another surge of information hit me. This time, it wasn't just data—it was capability. The ability to mimic, to copy, to take on the suffering of others. "I might be able to take some of it onto myself. Just for a little while."
"Absolutely not," Klaus said immediately.
"Dad—"
"No, Hope. We know nothing about his abilities or their consequences. I will not risk your safety on—"
Hope's hand tightened into a fist, and every candle in the room flared simultaneously. The sudden brightness cast harsh shadows across her face, highlighting the pain she was trying so hard to hide.
"It's getting worse," she whispered. "Every day, it's a little worse."
The admission hit Klaus like a physical blow. For a moment, the mask of control slipped, and I saw the fear underneath—not for himself, but for his daughter. The kind of fear that made people do desperate things.
"Let me try," I said quietly. "If it doesn't work, no harm done. If it does..."
Klaus looked at Hope, then at Elijah, then back at me. The calculation was visible in his expression—risk versus reward, unknown dangers weighed against his daughter's suffering.
"One attempt," he said finally. "Under strict supervision. Any sign of danger, and I end this. Permanently."
I nodded and approached Hope slowly, keeping my hands visible. She watched me with the kind of wary curiosity that reminded me she was Klaus Mikaelson's daughter—powerful, intelligent, and absolutely not to be underestimated.
"May I?" I asked, extending my hand toward hers.
She hesitated for a moment, then placed her trembling fingers in mine. The contact was electric—not romantic, just pure magical energy crackling between us. Her hand was warm, soft, and shaking with barely controlled power.
I reached for that power, the same way I'd reached for the vampire speed in the alley. This time, instead of taking her abilities, I tried to take her burden. The pain that came with hosting an ancient spirit bent on destruction.
The effect was immediate and overwhelming.
Fire raced up my arm and exploded across my nervous system. Not burning heat, but something far worse—the sensation of having every nerve ending touched by ice and lightning simultaneously. My vision went white, and I might have screamed. Hard to tell over the sudden ringing in my ears.
When my sight cleared, Hope was staring at me with wonder. The tremor in her hand had stopped, and color was returning to her face.
"How do you feel?" Klaus asked her, his voice carefully controlled.
"Better," she said, genuine surprise in her voice. "Like... like I can breathe again."
Then she looked at my hands and started giggling.
I followed her gaze and discovered that my hands were glowing again. Not the harsh strobe-light effect from the alley, but a soft, warm radiance that made my fingers look like they'd been dipped in starlight.
[SYSTEM: Glowing for love now? You're a walking light show.]
"Does this happen often?" Hope asked, still fighting laughter.
"More often than I'd like," I admitted, trying to will the glow away. It didn't work. "I'm still figuring out the rules."
Davina, who'd been watching the entire exchange with professional interest, spoke for the first time since we'd entered the library. "What you just did shouldn't be possible. Pain transference requires specific training, protective circles, usually several witches working in concert."
"Yeah, well," I said, flexing my glowing fingers. "I'm having a really weird month."
Hope's laughter was infectious. Even Klaus's expression had softened slightly, though he still looked like he was mentally calculating the fastest way to kill me if I turned out to be a threat.
"Twenty dates," he said finally. "Supervised. Public. And if anything happens to her—anything at all—I will make you pray for death."
"Understood," I said. The Hollow's pain was already starting to fade, leaving behind only a dull ache in my temples. Hope still looked better than she had when she'd walked in, which meant the transfer had worked, at least temporarily.
As the meeting began to wind down and people started filing out of the library, I noticed something glinting on the floor near the doorway. A small metal object, easily missed in the dim candlelight.
I waited until I was alone to investigate. The thing was roughly the size of a silver dollar, made of some kind of dark metal that felt unnaturally cold against my fingertips. Symbols were etched around its circumference—not Latin or any language I recognized, but they seemed to shift and writhe when I wasn't looking directly at them.
The scent of old blood clung to the metal, faint but unmistakable.
[SYSTEM: Mysterious occult trinkets? This never ends well.]
I pocketed the insignia quickly, just as Klaus reappeared in the doorway.
"One more thing," he said, his voice carrying that deceptively casual tone that meant he was about to say something important. "If you're planning to help with the Hollow situation, you should know—we're not the only ones interested in its power."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning there are other forces at work in New Orleans. Forces that would see my family destroyed and the Hollow's power claimed for their own purposes." His smile was all predator. "Sleep well, Alex. Tomorrow, your real education begins."
The insignia in my pocket felt like a lead weight as Klaus disappeared back into the compound's shadowed hallways. Whatever I'd stumbled into was bigger than vampire politics or ancient spirits. Someone else was playing this game, and they'd been watching from the very beginning.
The candlelight flickered, casting new shadows across the library walls. For a moment, I could have sworn one of those shadows looked like a figure standing on a rooftop, but when I turned to look directly, there was nothing there but empty air and the lingering scent of rain.
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ The Mimic System: Rebirth of the Originals ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ The Mimic System: Rebirth of the Originals ] with exclusive access to 25+ chapters on my Patreon, plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!