eighteen
eater of the dark.

DURING THE NEXT couple of days, a lot happens at the Salvatore School. The school hosts this year's Miss Mystic Falls, which Isabelle was supposed to compete in. However, she skipped, because she thought Rafael wasn't in the right mindset to be her date.

Penelope left, but not before telling Josie about something called The Merge, which is a huge secret Alaric and Caroline have been keeping from the twins their entire life. Josie then finally went off on Lizzie, and now the two are avoiding each other. Hope's ex, Roman came back to town, and has done nothing but try to help. And finally, Landon found out Hope and Isabelle have been lying to him about their encounter with his mother, and he fled.

Isabelle hasn't talked to Hope since she drugged her, and she's still pissed at the tribrid. Hope knew the elixir could hurt Rafael, and it did. He's had lapses in time, and is having trouble controlling his werewolf side. So tensions are very high at the school right now.

Now, Isabelle sits in the gym, watching the werewolves playing a game as her phone goes off with a voicemail from Landon. The girl curiously presses the phone to her ear, and listens to it. Landon's voice sounds normal, but something he says is off. "Hey, Izzy. Sorry to take off like that, but I just needed a little time after everything you and Hope did. So I'm going camping for a little while. Tell Raf and Jed hi for me."

Isabelle's eyes shoot up in confusion the second Landon says Jed's name, and she immediately knows something is wrong. Landon hates Jed.

She's pulled out of her thoughts as she hears a werewolf named Cody yell at Rafael. "Heads up!"

Rafael seems like he's in a daze as a ball flies right towards his head. Jed catches it, and like Isabelle, notices that something is off with Rafael. "That almost took your head off."

Rafael looks around, as if registering his surroundings for the first time. "Yo, how long have I been here?"

"For an hour," Jed answers as Isabelle's stomach sinks. It just keeps getting worse. "But you've been going through the motions like a zombie. You sure you're okay?"

He then takes a careful step towards his alpha, and Rafael scoffs. "Yeah, I'm fine. And look, you don't need to pretend like you give a crap about me just 'cause I'm your alpha."

He then grabs the ball from Jed's hands defensively and starts the game back up. Jed glances at Isabelle, who deflects his gaze awkwardly. Thinking back to the voicemail, Isabelle quickly gathers her things and walks to Landon and Rafael's shared room. When she first tries the door, it doesn't budge. But then she uses her telekinetic powers to unlock it, and the door opens with a soft click.

She walks into the room, unsure about what she's looking for. But there must be something that could lead her to where Landon is.

She takes a whiff of the room, not surprised when she finds that Landon's scent is strongest on his bed. She then lays down on the bed, feeling the soft material of the navy blue comforter and inhaling his scent. He smells of a laundry sheet, clean and neutral. She lets her powers do the rest, closing her eyes and getting sucked into a vision of what Landon is seeing right now.

He's sitting in a warehouse, bound to a chair. The pit to Malivore is next to him, and a familiar man is sitting in front of him. The man is a guy named Ryan Clarke that works for Triad. He has a head of black hair and dark brown eyes.

He then begins to tell Landon a story. "Around a millennia ago, in certain parts of the world, there were monsters. And in one region, there was no monster more terrifying than dragons. On their own, no faction was any match for dragons. So an unholy alliance was formed. A witch, a werewolf, and a vampire-"

"Walked into a bar," Landon remarks, but neither Isabelle or Ryan are pleased by this joke. "I think I've heard this one before."

Ryan frowns before continuing his story. "The Triad combined their blood, using black magic to create a golem capable of consuming the dragons. They spelled the creature to have an insatiable hunger. But their spell also made it unable to harm witches, werewolves, or vampires. They named it Eater of the Dark. When the dragons, in human form, returned to collect the treasure from all the villages they had attacked, it was waiting for them. It took them, consumed them. To their surprise, the creature was more effective than they could've dreamed. After the dragons were gone, it kept eating every monster it could, swallowing them into an endless space inside itself. Landon, your father is the golem."

Ryan takes a deep breath before continuing. "You see, it didn't stay a golem. With each monster's DNA it absorbed, it evolved. Eventually, it became sentient, aware. He was truly alive. And when the region was cleared of all the monsters, the Triad wanted to return him back to mud. Since they were the ones who created him, only they could destroy him. All they needed to do was wipe away the symbol on his forehead. But he betrayed his creators. He made a deal with all the humans he'd saved. They could not let their new god be taken from them. The humans set him free to wander the earth and continue consuming, erasing all memory that the monsters ever existed."

Ryan's story then takes a different turn. "But over time, like Adam in the garden of Eden, he realized he was alone. So he did what all creations eventually do. Create. He fashioned beings like him. His children. But all the children he fashioned were imperfect. Flawed. None of them had his powers. All of them had weaknesses and all were sterile, unable to reproduce and continue his legacy. He was created to be the only one of his kind. He was never intended to be a species or have a bloodline of his own. But he found a way to reproduce biologically. To have a son who was part human. A son who was perfect. A son who could live forever and continue the species. You, Landon, are what he's been trying to create his entire life."

"Why should I believe you?" Landon questions, skeptical about what he's saying.

"Because I was there," Ryan replies, making Isabelle grow shocked. "Over the years, his attempt at children became more refined, indistinguishable from humans. Our father is a very gifted artist."

"Our father?"

"Yes, little brother."

The blonde then abruptly gets pulled out of the vision by the ground shaking forcefully under her. Earthquakes don't just happen here, they happen when a witch loses control.

So she rushes to the witch wing of the school, to find Lizzie having a meltdown. The lights in her room flicker, and tears run down her cheeks as Isabelle bursts into her room in concern. "Lizzie, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Stay back," Lizzie begs her, not wanting to hurt her friend. "It's fine. It'll pass. It's just- I need to find out what this Merge thing is, okay? I feel like it's a spell that she's gonna use to just leave or break us up or something!"

The school's power then goes out, and Isabelle takes a step closer to her friend, putting her hands on her arms comfortingly. She then guides Lizzie onto her bed, taking deep breathes. "Okay, Lizzie, calm down. Deep breathes. I'm gonna go call Freya. She'll know what the Merge is. Okay?"

"Okay," Lizzie nods as Isabelle rushes to Alaric's office to call Freya. Landon is at the back of her mind the entire time, and she's trying her best to help Lizzie as quickly as possible so she can get to him. But she hadn't expected Freya to tell her something so awful. That when Gemini twins turn twenty-two, they must perform a merging ritual where the victorious twin will be the only one left alive. That the weaker twin will be apart of the victor, but dead.

Alaric comes into the office as she hangs up the phone, looking pale as a ghost. "I need to talk to you about Raf."

"This is more important," Isabelle decides, unsure how to feel about the fact that Alaric and Caroline have kept the Merge from Josie and Lizzie their whole lives. "I know what the Merge is. Josie's working on figuring it out, and Lizzie had a meltdown today. So you need to tell them."

Afterwards, she goes to the gym to tell Rafael that she's going after Landon, only to see Jed and Rafael talking. And Jed actually seems concerned for Rafael. So Isabelle stays hidden, listening to what he has to say. "You need to get some help, Rafael."

"Don't pretend that you care about me," Rafael remarks, ignoring making eye contact with him.

"I don't. I care about the pack and Izzy," Jed informs, catching Rafael's attention. "The pack follow their alpha, and for whatever reason, Izzy cares about you. And you not being able to control yourself means both of them getting hurt. Look, I was a dick as a leader and the entire time I was with Isabelle. So take it from someone who lost what you have. The pack... and Isabelle are everything. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Isabelle slips out of the room, changing her mind about telling Rafael where she's going. Instead, she chooses to talk to the wolf that now has full control over his supernatural side. Jed.

As he leaves the room, she taps him on the shoulder. He doesn't seem surprised to see her, since he sensed her presence before she even touched him. "Hey, Isabelle. What's up?"

"I need your help with something," she declares before leading him to her room. She closes the door firmly behind her, before noticing him looking around.

"It looks the same."

"Well, I haven't changed that much since freshman year," she states, before explaining to him what she needs him to do. "I know you don't like Landon, but I need you to help me. Listen to this voicemail and tell me what you hear in the background. Anything can help me."

She then plays the voicemail. "Hey, Izzy. Sorry to take off like that, but I just needed a little time after everything you and Hope did. So I'm going camping for a little while. Tell Raf and Jed hi for me."

Jed listens intently the entire time, tapping into his supernatural senses. "I hear shoes on a tile floor. An air conditioner. Keycards being swiped."

"I knew it," she huffs, quickly pocketing her phone. "Triad has to have him."

"Why do I get the feeling you're about to do something stupid?" Jed questions, able to read her like a book.

"Because I'm about to go save Landon."

"I'm coming with you."

"No," Isabelle bites her lip nervously. "I want you to stay here."

"I'm coming with you," he repeats, the tone of his voice making it clear that he's made up his mind.

"Okay, then. I'm leaving in two hours."

"I'll be ready."

He leaves the room, and Isabelle begins to throw everything she might need into a bag. Clothes, a toothbrush, a hair brush, and a first aid kit. She, however, stops when Rafael stalks into her room. "I'm coming."

"Like hell you are."

"Last time you did this without me, it was a disaster," Rafael points out, only for her to point out the obvious.

"I'm not going alone. I'm gonna get Hope, MG, the twins, Jed, and Kaleb to come. I want you to stay here, where you'll be safe."

"I need to make sure you and Landon are safe," he counters, only for her to cross her arms.

"Raf, you can't do that with how you're feeling," she sighs, making him take a seat guiltily on the edge of her bed. She joins him, resting her forehead against his gently. "How do you feel right now?"

"Like my brain's split down the middle," he admits, making her heart hurt for him. And she wishes she could do something, anything to help him. But she doesn't know how to help him this time. "I keep having these flashes like I can't control myself."

"Raf, you're such a good person. A good brother for Landon and a good boyfriend to me. That's why this time, you can help me and Landon by helping yourself," she whispers, cupping his face with her small hands. "You need to do whatever you need to do to get better."

A Mikaelson heirloom then pops into her mind, and she pulls away from him, grabbing a necklace from her jewelry box. She holds the silver in her hands carefully before handing it to Rafael. "This was given to the Mikaelson family a long time ago. But it's basically a reverse kyanite ring. When you use it, you can turn into a wolf whenever you want. When you're a wolf, things are simpler. So this might help you heal a little faster. But there is a catch. You can't turn back at will, so if you use it and decide you're ready to be human again, you just need to find Hope."

She then leans forward and kisses his cheek gingerly, inhaling his scent. He smiles at her, the first real smile she's seen from him in weeks. "Now, go, Izzy. Go save Landon, and don't let anything stop you."

UNEDITED