❦ ═══════ •⊰❂⊱• ═══════ ❦

The continuous rain poured from the dark skies with no hope of stopping. No light dared to pierce through the thick gray clouds looming over the small town like a persistent shadow of the night taking over. Vibrant yet radiant strikes of white lightning spread through the sky as thunder rang alongside it. The wind harshly gusted against everything in its path. The witches and the spirits that dared to linger nearby knew well the divine ones were not pleased with the state of their realm and desired their suffering in the form of a disastrous storm. It kept them trapped and would not allow peace to come through.

As the likes of fortunate shined on their side, it was the middle of the night. And almost everyone in Mystic Falls was in the comfort of their warm homes. Families with little ones slept to prepare for another school and work. Meanwhile, the creatures of the night stayed awake, drinking themselves with blood and liquor alike. All appeared to be well on the surface. However, the town's witch, Bonnie Bennett, tossed and turned in her sleep. Restlessly unable to wake up from what has trapped her in a neverending dream.

Bonnie Bennett glistened in sweat while her body shook like leaves in a storm. The blanket had fallen to the floor in her constant movement and left forgotten. Her hands were tangled roughly in her hair. It was a fable attempt to ease the throbbing pain against the side of her skull. The painful discomfort was in the form of a horrible headache that made her feel her mind was scattered like a million stars in the sky. It felt worse than what an aneurysm could bring. As if her mind was being torn apart and squeezed with an unbearable pressure. Groans and grunts escaped her as she remained trapped in a nightmare. The young witch could not escape.

Bonnie found herself in complete and utter darkness. There was no light to be found, just nothingness and the feeling of something watching her from afar. She felt as if she was floating in an ocean of shadows. When she turned her gaze forward, Bonnie caught the sight of dark gray eyes piercing ruthlessly through the depths of the windows of her soul. The gaze made her stomach turn in dread of how cold they appeared as if there was no soul or heart to be found. The shadow-like being appeared to stand in the distance, their entire being covered in darkness, and only their radiant eyes could be seen. Bonnie could not know what they looked like. It was clear that whoever it was could not be human.

The being's aura gave this impression of icy coldness. Nothing could penetrate or get through those unflinching eyes that stared down at her like she was unworthy to even gaze upon them. The longer the staring continued on, the more Bonnie began to tremble in intense fear that echoed through her body like a bullet train. Despite her inability to see them through the darkness, Bonnie had a feeling they saw her as clear as sunlight. It terrified her to realize, her breath picking up without acknowledgment as she remained unable to turn away from those eyes. Bonnie wanted to escape this nightmare, this darkness that felt like moments away from consuming her. Yet she could not even dare to blink without the bitter feeling of fear crawling through her skin and tightening around her heart. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth.

"Bonnie, you must get a hold of yourself. Hear my voice." The sudden voice broke Bonnie out of the fear-induced trance. It seemed no time had passed at all. The setting drastically changed to a serene green forest with the illusion of the sun shining upon them. It was not the woods she was used to in Mystic Falls, which had fewer trees that were not nearly as tall or as breathtakingly gorgeous. This forest felt more ancient in a sense and unfamiliar to her. Almost like it had been alive for thousands of years before her time.

The young witch inhaled and exhaled shallow breaths. It was a relief to breathe without the suffocating feeling that was slowly fading away. "Emily," Bonnie uttered the woman's name once her mind registered who had intervened in her nightmare. She was grateful, but she had a long pile of questions on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be spilled. But it was not the right time for them."What-what happened? Where was I? I don't understand any of this..." Bonnie trailed off as her voice went silent. Uncertainty was apparent in her tone. She could not find the words to describe the unsettling madness she had been facing just moments ago.

"There is no time for me to explain Bonnie. soon enough, you will understand, child." Emily spoke in a soft, velvet-like tone to assure her this confusion wouldn't last forever. Her similar green eyes grazed around their surroundings, seeming to make sure they were alone with great caution in case they were not. "You need to pray. My dear Bonnie, terrible trouble is coming your way; you must prepare for what's to come." Emily asserted calmly in a firm tone; her eyes were hallowed in panic, and her brows ceased in worry.

Bonnie felt her heart drop to her stomach at the words, "What do you mean terrible trouble is coming? Why would I need to pray, pray for what?" The young witch blurted in a haze. Her racing heart rang loudly in her ears, drowning her in further panic. She couldn't shake the fright she regarded at the ocean of darkness that threatened to eat her alive. Nor the shadowy figure with cold gray eyes that would hold no remorse to spare her life. This was all too much.

Emily shook her head at the questions, helpless to not give the answers she knew all too well. There simply wasn't enough time. She lifted her hands to Bonnie's cheeks gently. Her magic pulsed through Bonnie's body to calm her nerves. "Pray to the gods that you do not cross Death's path, or you will never come to know peace, little one," Emily told her before the forest around them began to fade, and it was the last words Bonnie heard before she had awoken with a large grasp of air entering her lungs.

The witch had no time to dwell when the nausea viciously came bubbling to the surface, and she instantly ran out of her room to the bathroom. Her vision was blurry as she pushed the door open, flickered the light on, and kneeled in front of the toilet. Bonnie puked all the contents of her stomach, yet when she stopped, all that could be seen was a dark red substance that only made her want to vomit once more.

❦ ═══════ •⊰❂⊱• ═══════ ❦

"Are you guys sure we should be doing this?" Elena Gilbert wondered with an edge of nervousness seeping into her voice unintentionally. She sat on the couch, watching as her brother and friends assisted in setting up what was needed for the summoning ritual. It was her idea to temporarily use the dangerous book to deal with the ancient vampire Klaus, who was bound to appear at any moment. However, the book gave her night terrors the moment the tips of her fingers brushed against the dark green cover of the old worn-down book.

Her mind formed doubts that there may be more damage done by attempting the summoning. And it felt like a high risk if it did go through. What could they possibly offer the God of Death to make a bargain? To appease Thanatos? Anxiety had further developed after the storm that passed precisely four and a half months ago. The young woman could not shake off the unnerving feeling that made her feel as if spiders were crawling all over and underneath her skin.

There was this irritating discomfort that crawled up her throat. Something dark and twisted that gave her a bad feeling they were all in greater danger than just Klaus. "There has to be another way. This feels like a bad idea." Elena murmured, her doe-brown eyes shifting to the windows as her arms crossed her chest. The sun was closely setting by the time all the ingredients were found; it would be nighttime soon enough. This felt like the making of a bad omen to come to life.

Damon rolled his eyes and released a sharp breath. He turned toward her and continued putting herbs on the old wooden table that belonged to the late Emily Bennett. "Elena, we have already gone over this. We need information on Klaus. The same guy who's a myth in the supernatural world that no reliable information can be found. And no one knows his whereabouts. Unless you have a way of getting it. I don't want to hear it." The vampire maintained an even tone. This annoying girl, he thought to himself, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

Damon would do anything for a drink at the moment as the sensation of irritation grew to the surface. He was aggravated how she couldn't see the bigger picture of things. It wasn't just her life that would be affected by Klaus coming to town. "We found no other way. You heard what Laura said: if we want information about the original vampire, we would have to summon an audience with the God of Death who would have what we need." He conveyed his words, turning back to grab the black candles from the duffle bag on the ground to place carefully at the corners of the table and two in the center. Just as he was instructed to do.

A middle-aged woman known as Laura Joymiller was a professor who studied age-old artifacts and was highly knowledgeable of a large variety of mythology worldwide. Last month, she arrived in the small town as a temporary lecturer at the local college and guide at the Museum of Natural History. The news spread quickly of the woman and her vast her knowledge that it had not taken long to reach the supernaturals.

The young Gilbert, Jeremey, silently entered the living room with a large wooden bowl and placed it near the edge of the table. His eyes gazed at his sister and Damon. He didn't need super hearing to know what they were talking about. They were loud enough on their own.

"Laura warned us not to get involved with the God of Death. That it would bring more danger. You and I both saw the look in her eyes. She fears Thanatos, Damon. Do we want to find out why?" Elena attested sharply. She recalled the fright within Laura's tense body at the mere mention of the God of Death. She carefully spoke about the little information she had on the book and Thanatos with deep respect. It was apparent she was afraid something terrible would happen if she misspoke. Her body seemed to have seeped in a subtle but noticeable tremble of fear.

The last warning Laura gave her along with Damon made her shiver with dread she could not yet put aside. 'Remember, just because Thanatos embodies peaceful death does not mean they are peaceful beings. Heed my warning if you want to live long without suffering in your every moment. You will not be spared.'

"Elena, there is always the chance this doesn't work, but we can put it aside. We aren't putting all our eggs in one basket, remember." Damon reminded her. Stefan, Caroline, and Tyler were researching what they could gather on Klaus while the summoning was being set up. Even if there isn't much to be found, anything would be better than nothing. It was also important to consider that not many beings responded well or at all to summonings. It was essential to consider the chance they are taking without knowing how the God may react.

Damon Salvatore had been alive for a long time and heard many passing whispers of these higher beings who created the universes and realms. That embodied many things essential to living. When he was young, Damon never believed them to be anything but false myths.

Even the ones his mother would tell him of the Divinity Hesperia, the Mother of Light who granted them the gift of the sun and fire. And the ones he heard of the High Goddess Nyx who ruled over the night and protected them from the ones that linger on. However, Stefan had always believed they were watched over and kept safe since he was a naive child.

"He has a point, Elena. There is more of a chance of this not going through or Thanatos not responding." Jeremy spoke up in agreement. He understood the worries. This was out of reach of what they were all used to. But options were running thin. And eventually, Klaus would come for his sister.

"It's not the what if this doesn't work that worries me." Elena sighed, leaning back into the couch. "It's what if this does work, what would Thanatos possibly want with any of us to consider making a bargain?" The question rang heavily in the air, effectively reducing them all to make no sound. Surely no one would do anything for free so what would be the price to pay made Elena wonder over and over again.

The silence in the room shattered just as Bonnie strolled into the room with the Book of Death carefully hovering over her petite hands with her magic, willing to make as little physical contact as possible with the dark Green covered book. "Do we have all the ingredients I listed in the book earlier?" The brown-skinned witch peered in question. Her small, slim form placed herself in front of the table. She set the ancient book cautiously next to the bowl.

"We have the animals' hearts, the single human heart, and a jug of fresh human blood. We also got fresh soil from the forest," Jeremy remarked in answer. He nearly gagged as his expression scrunched up at the list, but he was getting used to it by this point more than he wanted to admit. Despite Elena's bitter reluctance about her brother being involved, Jeremy participated in gathering the needed components. And had been filled in by Damon of the book along with Laura when he had visited her. Even his boyfriend, who was out of town on a family trip, warned him not to get involved and of the dangers he could put himself in. But it was a risk he was willing to take.

The young witch nodded, her eyes gazing at everything Jeremy had said. "Great. Now all I need is to crush all the hearts in a large wooden bowl, then add the soil and the blood to make sure it's all mixed," Jeremy and Elena's expressions turned to one of disgust at her description but did not stop her as she resumed. "Then I have to light all the candles and chant out a calling while holding the bowl up," The actions were much easier said than done. She would need to generate and conserve a lot of magic that may drain her completely. After all, as the one directly summoning, she must sacrifice a piece of her magic as both a means of exchange and a show of respect toward the being.

"Bonnie, will you be alright with doing this spell? Are you sure it won't be too much on you?" Elena questioned, feeling uneasy and concerned for her friend's safety. She was highly skeptical of this whole ritual, and it didn't sit right with her. It felt like something bad was going to happen. And that worried her a lot.

Bonnie offered a weak smile to her friend, her hands hovering over the candles and lighting them with a flicker of her fingers. She purposely did not light the one next to the bowl as it was not time to do so yet. "I will be fine, Lena. I'd rather get this over this." She attempted to console her friend's worry. At the same time, Bonnie could feel immense anxiety in the pit of her stomach if this ritual happened to end in the worst circumstances. What would happen to them if Thanatos chose to be as cruel as the myths say?

Bonnie inhaled a sharp breath, her eyes peeking at the window, and she knew it was time. The half-moon glowed ominously in the dark sky. "The ritual is starting now," Bonnie announced, moving behind the table. She began crushing the hearts into a bowl with a mallet. She motioned for Jeremy to pour the soil into the crushed organs. Lastly, the witch grabbed the jug of blood from the ground and poured it into the mixture. It took everything in herself not to gag or puke at the muddy red sight in front of her and the strong metallic smell. Bonnie took a match and lit the candle next to the bowl.

Damon, Jeremy, and Elena observed Bonnie's actions around the table. Each of them was anxious to see what would happen next or if this was all just for nothing. The three were so focused on the witch that they did not notice they were being watched from afar.

The witch let out a small breath and held the bowl up before chanting in a low but clear voice. "Proséfchomai ston paníschyro Thanáto sou os thánato pou tha mas plíxei ólous. Eíthe na akoúsei tin prosefchí mou kai na me prostatéfsei apó ta skoteiná pnévmata tou chamoú. Se kaló, éla éxo. Se kaló, éla éxo." Bonnie spoke each ancient word with precision and repeated it with more force. Her attention and concentration were devoted to the spell as she closed her eyes, disregarding the blood that poured from her nose and the burning sensation that consumed her heart as if it were being set on fire while still in her chest. The young witch's eyes opened, and blood trickled down her cheeks by the third chant.

She repeated the phase three more times. Each time, the wind picked up severely against the windows of the Salvatore boarding house while the flames of the candles grew more rapidly, but did not dare touch the book. Bonnie exhaled a rough breath after the sixth chant she had uttered. Her hands wiped the blood off her face with a wince. Without their notice, the temperature in the room had dropped down to the extent where she could see each breath she exhaled. It was a still moment of silence until all hell broke loose.

"Shit!" Damon cursed loudly. Everyone took cover on the ground as shadow-like creatures penetrated through the windows, and glass scattered in every direction. "Bonnie!" That calling of her name was the last the young witch heard before one of the creatures forcibly knocked her to the side, causing her to collide her head against the carpeted floor harshly and knocking her out cold.

The young Bennet witch once more found herself standing in a familiar place of complete darkness. There was nothing in sight, and there was no bluster of noise anywhere. It was a dead, eerie stillness that she could not bring herself to break. She knew she was no longer awake, and she was certain the sense of consciousness wasn't there. But she had a gut feeling she was not in a normal dream state.

Something was significantly off, and everything felt more sinister, like something in the dark was waiting to prey on her weaknesses and crush her soul. Her stomach painfully churned into a knot. She tried to walk to see if there was any source of light, but she could not move even an inch; her feet seemed to be glued to the ground.

"Clever girl." The sudden voice alarmed her, an unbearable quiver running over her form, resembling the sticky discomfort of spider webs all over her. The air in her chest stilled and remained in her lungs, fear crawling into her body, making a home out of her as if it belonged in her state of mind. "Bonnie Sheila Bennett of the prestigious Bennett bloodline, why have you chosen to risk your life to invoke me." Though the statement would have sounded like a question if anyone else had said it in this case, it was not.

The tone of the being was demanding and firm; there was no asking. From the overwhelming darkness she was surrounded by, she could still see the menacing glow of two pairs of glowing dark gray eyes gazing at her unwaveringly. Bonnie had seen those same eyes in the dreams she had been having recently. They haunted her endlessly in her nightmares. Most likely, watching her every move without fault did not fail to drive the paranoia and fear to develop further in her mind.

This was the first time she heard the being speak Bonnie realized. She noticed the voice had a thick accent almost to the point where she couldn't quite understand what was being spoken but there was a poshness to the voice as well and a precise way of each word being spoken carefully that she did understand despite the accent.

It was most apparent the being was not a native English speaker. The accent sounded to be a mix of Greek, Russian, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, and something else she could not quite point out, but the voice sounded rich and firm. No doubts could be found, and nothing that was said was anything other than factual. But as the voice was intimidating, it sounded like it could also be soothing if spoken in a soft tone. What an odd combination it was.

"I-" Her voice got caught in her throat before she cleared her voice to speak once more. "It is for the sake of my friend Elena Gilbert. She is being hunted by the original vampire, Klaus, and no one knows his whereabouts or his next move. I was hoping to make a deal with you for information about him." She tried to sound assertive, but her voice became more subdued than she had planned. She couldn't force herself to look into those soulless eyes. It appeared there was nothing but coldness and callousness in the being of death. "Please, my friend is in danger, and I can't just let her be sacrificed." She pleaded helplessly.

An echoing silence filled the space. Bonnie anxiously waited while those unmoving eyes pinned her down with their deadly gaze. "Why not? Sacrifices are made in nearly every passing moment. Her death is meaningless compared to the many each day. She is but one person." Death spoke simply, their tone bland and uncaring. "This friend of yours, what purpose does she serve for you to risk your life for her? I am inquisitive about whether you prefer to call it that." Thanatos questioned, curiosity peaking in their tone.

"Her death is not meaningless to me. She has been through enough already, and she doesn't deserve this." Bonnie asserted, her hands beginning to tremble due to the coldness, but she stood by her words nonetheless. "I am prepared to pay any price I can to make this happen."

A humming noise rang from the being of death. "You could say that about any of your friends. Elena Gilbert is not exceptional to any degree to deserve risking your life for Bonnie Bennett. You have much to live for." Death stated forthrightly. Bonnie could see them rolling their eyes and glancing back at her with slight amusement in their dark gray eyes. "I accept making a deal with you for information. There is much that you need to understand before you sign, Bonnie."

The witch could swear she could picture Death smirking at her through the darkness that surrounded them with the mocking tone etched into their voice. There was no turning back now.

❦ ═══════ •⊰❂⊱• ═══════ ❦