3rd person POV

It was the next day now. In the last 24 hours, a lot had happened in Mystic Falls. Dark Josie had set fire to some tents hung up on the Town Square, just out of spite. Luckily, no one was severely harmed. Kaitlyn had asked Matt to inform the new Sheriff to initiate a lockdown on the town while we drain the vervain out of the water system and compel anyone who had seen Josie to forget about it. It was announced by the council that a discarded cigarette bud caught onto one of the tent fabrics and the fire got out of control. Whoever had seen Josie were now being held at the station for the next day, until the vervain was out of their system and they could be compelled to forget. Since Ryan had already suffered enough at the hands of Dark Josie, they decided to put him on compulsion duty instead. Hope and Lizzie were sent away to the Mikaelson mansion and Freya, Kol and Davina together caught onto Dark Josie and out her in the werewolf containment area in the school basement.

Right now, Kaitlyn was calling with her fiancé, asking for an update on the situation. After a few rings, someone answered the call.

"Nik, any updates?" she asks right away.

"Rose, it's me. Niklaus is a little preoccupied as of now," she hears Elijah's voice from the other side of the call.

"Oh Eli, hi. Is he with the witches now?" she asks in return.

"He is, has been for hours now. They won't let me inside their ancestral plot so I have been waiting outside," Elijah explains.

"They won't let you in but they let Nik? That's new. I hope they have a solution. The situation here is...is getting out of hand. Freya's potions aren't working on Josie anymore and the darkness is consuming her. It's bad, Eli. We need a solution ASAP," Kaitlyn tells him.

"I am sure we will find one. Stay strong, Rose. I will let you know if we make any progres here."

"Alright, thanks. And Eli, it was good to hear from you again. Take care, okay?" she smiles into the call and hangs up.

Just then, her phone starts to ring again to a call from Marcel.

"Yes Marcie?" she asks as she answers the call. Initially when the Mikaelsons moved back in town, Kaitlyn had gotten close to Davina, Freya and Marcel over the course of the months when she would hang out with Kol at the Grill. And when one day, Marcel offered to help her with some combat concerns she had for her school teams, they had bonded over a lot of other common interests and how similar their lives were in certain ways. Ultimately, they became good friends.

"Lyn, you might wanna stop by here today. Something happened to your daughter, she was out with Hope and ever since they've returned, she's been crying. Rebekah and your friends, Elena are with her but I think having her mother would be more comforting right now, if you're not busy with something else," he informs her.

"Oh no, what now. I'll be there soon, Marcie. Thanks," she says before hanging up the call and walking out of her school office, where she had lounged, now that a part of the Lockwood mansion was burned and needed renovation.

Outside, she bumps into a sad Penelope, sitting by the hallway window with her head in her hands.

"Hey sweety, you alright?" Kaitlyn asks as she approaches her.

Penelope looks up and frowns, "oh Miss K, yeah I'll be fine."

"I didn't ask if you 'will be' fine, I'm asking if you 'are' fine right now or not."

"I...it's just everything with Josie. I'm so scared for her. She's going to hate herself for harming you, Ryan and the townspeople when she comes back and hears about her dark side," Penelope clarifies and Kaitlyn nods.

"I know, I know. And that's why she's going to need you kids to be there for her and stay strong for her and for yourself. It's not...her dark side. It's the darkness that's manipulating her mind. We're working on fixing this, don't worry. Just stay away for now, we don't know what the darkness might make her do again," Kaitlyn warns her and when she nods, Kaitlyn smiles before walking out of the school and towards the Mikaelson mansion.

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Upon reaching the Mikaelson mansion, she is greeted to a hug by Rebekah, followed by Elena, Marcel, Hope and lastly, Lizzie.

"What happened?" she asks as her, Hope and Lizzie settle down in Hope's room upstairs.

"Please don't be mad," Hope pleads before answering and Kaitlyn raises her brow at them.

"What did you two do?" she asks them skeptically.

"We...we went to see Josie," Hope answers and Kaitlyn's face overtakes a furious look, "we know you asked us not to but we just wanted to see if it was our Josie or not," Hope tries to explain.

"You kids will be the death of me. When I ask you to not do something, do not do it! Specially if it's endangering your life!" Kaitlyn reprimands them.

"We're sorry," Lizzie whispers in between tears.

"What did she do to you two?" Kaitlyn then asks.

"She...she snapped my neck," Hope says sheepishly and Kaitlyn gasps.

"She...what?"

"It's okay, I'm alright. She was mad at me and Lizzie because apparently ever since I came around, Lizzie and I have become closer and she felt alone. I tried to explain myself and she got mad so she snapped my neck," Hope explains.

"I told her this wasn't like her but she said- that it was now and that we should get used to it because 'this look is here to stay', she said and snapped her fingers and like...magically transformed her outlook completely," Lizzie elaborates.

"And then she and I had a conversation, if that's what you want to call it. She told me how ever since we were kids, she's always felt second best because you and dad always prioritized me and my emotions. She felt like she had to be the more controlled twin and started to hide away her emotions so they wouldn't take your attention off of me. Then you also had Ryan to care for after a while and she said she started to feel like a last priority. She hid all her sadness, anger, frustration and tried to never lose control because that was...my thing. And now the darkness is feeding on those heightened built-up emotions, making her stronger, angrier. Just worse, in general. And I mean, if all that is true, it was because of me that she has suffered these past 16 years and never got proper love or attention from you or dad. It's all my fault," Lizzie cries.

"You really think that? That we picked favorites and only paid attention to you?" Kaitlyn asks and Lizzie looks at her confused as to why she was asking that, "Liz, all these years, every time I had to stay up with you, Alaric spent every one of those hours with Josie. Whenever you asked for your dad, I was there with Josie. Besides the sudden breakdowns, we always had you and her together. Us five, a family together, always. This isn't Josie, this is the dark magic trying to get into your head and I think it's succeeding. All your lives are equally important to me. Ryan, you or her, all the same to me. Even Hope now. I don't have a favorite or a first priority among you kids because it's all of you kids that are my first priorities.

"Do you think I'm broken?" Lizzie asks in a whispering manner after a few seconds of silence.

Kaitlyn turns her head to face Lizzie, "You're not broken. You're just too hard on yourself. You're just in pain. And trust me, pain passes. All of your struggles make you stronger, more fearless, a realer version of yourself. One small crack doesn't mean that you are broken. It means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart. And you kids, you are so strong. So much stronger than we were at your age. Give yourselves credit for everything you have endured and survived through, even at such a young age. Stop trying to 'fix' yourselves. You are the only you, a perfectly imperfect person and you matter so much to a lot of people. You do so much for your friends and family, Lizzie. And you have such a big heart. I don't know why you try to hide it away when that's one of your best traits but no, I don't think you're broken," Kaitlyn tells her with a smile.

"I love you, mom," Lizzie says as she hugs Kaitlyn.

"I love you too, Miss Troublemaker," she says before breaking away and hugging Hope, "I love you too."

"Now you two better listen to me this time and stay here until me or some other adult asks you to leave, okay?" Kaitlyn warns them and as they nod, Kaitlyn smiles at them one last time and walks out of the room.

"How is she now?" Rebekah asks as Kaitlyn settles down next to her on the couch downstairs.

"She's...fine. The kids are taking a big hit with all of this. All these years, all I've ever wanted is for my kids to not have to suffer at the hands of the same supernatural fear that I did for all my life. I wanted them to have the normal teenage that I didn't get but it was stupid of me to expect that'd happen. We don't have a lack of family members or other enemies trying to kill us every now and then," Kaitlyn speaks in frustration.

"You're doing all you can, Lyn. Think of it this way, when it was your time, you didn't have anyone defending you, protecting you. I never had anyone besides my siblings to look out for me. My parents were hellbent of killing me and my siblings. And these kids...their parents are hellbent on even dying if that's what it takes to protect them. They're more lucky and safe than you realize they are. It's just another rough patch we'll overcome eventually, Lyn. We always do," Rebekah reasons with her and Kaitlyn looks down, thinking of how Rebekah was right.

They always get through it all eventually.

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24 hours ago
Paroldo, Italy

On another end of the world, the Original brothers- Elijah and Klaus Mikaleson were waiting for a witch to invite them into their ancestral plot.

"How much longer, Elijah?" Klaus complains in a frustrated manner. He just wanted to get the solution and go back home to his fiancé and daughter.

"Patience, Niklaus," Elijah says and just then, a warlock steps out of the gate and walks towards them.

"The Noble Mikaelson and the Original Hybrid, an honor," the warlock greets them with a tightlipped smile, "I am Alatar, the second Supremes of this coven."

"Pleased to meet you," Elijah says politely and they shake hands.

"I will take you to meet Supreme Mathilda, the royal leader of our coven. However, I'm afraid only one of you can step in," he says and the brothers frown.

"Well my brother was already here and yet she asked for me to be here," Klaus informs him with a frustrated tone.

Alatar smiles at him, "indeed. Because she will only speak to you about this. Your brother can wait here while you converse with our Supreme. And please, leave your phone here. We do not like much disturbance," Alatar informs them and walks back inside as Klaus turns to Elijah.

"Go on, Niklaus. I will wait here," Elijah says as he holds out his hand and Klaus places his phone in his hand.

"If she calls, tell her I'll be back to her soon," he says before huffing and walking inside the plot.

Klaus comes across a large door at the end of the entryway. He knocks a few times and the door opens itself wide open for him to see a large cauldron and a fire pit in the center of the room, with Alatar and another witch on either side of an elderly lady.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, son to Ansel, the Alpha and Esther, the Original Witch. Please come in," the other witch announces.

"I am Bellatrix, the third Supreme to our Jupiter Coven. This," she says pointing at the elderly lady, "is Supreme Mathilda. We are one of the most renowned and powerful coven of witches to ever exist. Please, tell us why you seek an audience," Bellatrix asks in a formal tone.

"I was asked to be here. Someone informed my brother you had a solution to the merge system of the Gemini Coven. My daughters...I mean, my fiancé's daughters are Gemini siphoners and next in line to lead the coven but we don't want them to go through the merge, they're just sixteen," Klaus explains.

"Your fiancé, Kaitlyn Hart, correct?" Alatar speaks with a smile and Klaus wears a shocked look on his face.

"Please, do not be alarmed. Her and her vampire friend approached us for help around a year ago. We do not usually engage in the business of other covens but your Kaitlyn can be very persuading," Alatar elaborates and Klaus smirks at the mention of 'his' Kaitlyn.

"However, we weren't able to find a solution to avoid the inevitable outcome. 16 or 22, if they do not merge, neither shall survive and our answer remains the same as before- it is inevitable," Bellatrix chimes in.

"Then why was I called here if you are of no help?" Klaus raises his voice and Alatar holds his hand up, signing for him to quiet down.

"We called you here because our Supreme wanted to have a word with you," Bellatrix answers and Klaus groans in frustration.

"Please sit," the Supreme speaks for the first time and waves her hand as a chair moves across the room and settles next to Klaus. As soon as he sits down, the chair moves past the cauldron and closer to the trio of Supremes.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, you and your family have been renowned in the supernatural world for over a thousand years now. The abominations created by the Original Witch, the ones who have wrecked more havoc than done good for this world or the other," Supreme Mathilda starts but Klaus cuts her off.

"If you are here to tell me about my family history or to threaten me about mine and my family's abomination nature, I suggest you stop now. I have more important things to attend to," he says and Bellatrix goes to attack him with her knife for interrupting their Supreme but Mathilda motions for her to stop.

She wears a sinister smile on her face, "Mister Mikaelson, I suggest you stay quiet and listen to what I have to say. I assure you, this is in your best interests."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you. Witches have never had my best interest in mind," he retorts and Mathilda smiles again.

"What about your soulmate? Isn't she a witch? And your daughter, the tribrid?" she asks, "this isn't just about you but all supernaturals on this planet, including withes, werewolves, vampires, heretics, siphoners, banshee and whatnot. This regards everyone and I believe only you can help prevent this doom," she tells him and he raises his brow in a questioning manner.

"Let me elaborate. We are The Keepers of some of the most ultimate secrets existing in our supernatural world and we know something that concerns you. There is a curse...a curse of the firstborn of every new generation of a Mikaelson. I believe you are already aware of it since it was placed on your sister, Freya and still lingers over your daughter as well. When you defeated the Hollow and all the dark magic was sent back to the witches' realm, the ancient witches tried to get rid of it when they realized how much deadlier it was than thought. Some of the very beginning ancient witches' covens placed this curse on your family out of spite against the abominations your mother had created against nature's laws," she informs him.

"Why didn't any of us hear of this before now?" Klaus asks skeptically.

"Because until now, the curse wasn't triggered. The curse linked all supernaturals to exist, the primary being- werewolves, witches and vampires. It was triggered when your tribrid daughter was born. Born with all three significant supernatural sides, breaking the ultimate law of nature. There is a prophecy of this curse. The prophecy states that within two decades of the curse triggering, doom shall befall all supernatural entities, one after the other. As of now, it is fair to say there are barely any werewolves existing. Our records state there's only seven heretics to exist now, one being your soulmate, yet another powerful witch bloodline. Her daughters, the siphoners, are two of a dozen left. Ever since your sireline was broken off a few years ago, vampires from your sireline have been meeting their deaths quicker and more suddenly than ever, since their lives are no longer connected to yours. Your siblings' sirelines, however, have been stable, meaning they shall meet their end when their sire does. Witch covens have been falling apart, going exist, losing ancestral magic and whatnot. All because of your daughter, the tribrid who has links to all forms of supernatural known," Mathilda explains and Klaus feels anxiousness brew in his heart at the thought of danger towards his loved ones.

"How do we avoid this?" he asks as Alatar and Bellatrix chuckle at the sound of desperation in his voice.

"This is ultimate, with no way to avoiding it," Alatar answers.

"Unless," Mathilda chimes in, "unless you find out the last living descendants of these covens and bring them here. I shall prepare a spell by then to redo the curse but I must warn you, this will be a long and tedious process that you must embark on alone," she tells him.

"Alone? I'd rather have my family and other contacts help speed up the process," Klaus states but Mathilda shakes her head 'no'.

"You can try but not only will it speed up the searching process but it will also speed up the curse. Each person that you tell will bring your daughter closer to her death by a few months and I believe she only has about 30 months left until the end of the two decade notice. So, the choice is yours on whether you wish to tell someone or not...it is your daughter after all," Mathilda explains to Klaus.

"Not only your daughter, but all supernaturals alike. It all depends on her shoulders and now yours so I suggest you make the wiser choice, Niklaus," Bellatrix chimes in and Klaus feels as though the world was closing in on him. Not this, not again. Just when he had the love of his life back and he was getting his shot at happiness. Not his daughter's life again. Not again.

"I...how do I know you're not lying? And if you knew, why didn't you reach out years ago?" he growls at them.

"Because, Mister Mikaelson as I told you, we do not engage in others' business. Only when we say as Original approach us did we decide to use the link to bring you here and inform you of this dark cloud lingering over us all, especially your daughter," Mathilda reasons, "besides, we have no reason to lie to you. We just want to protect our kind, even if it means creating an alliance with your kind. This is the ultimate choice only you can make."

"Bloody hell, tell me what I need to do," Klaus whispers as Mathilda hands him a booklet full of lists of places, leads that need to be pursued.

Author's Note

Soooo, how are you guys liking the story so far? Feel free to leave any suggestions, opinions and whatnot. I'd appreciate hearing your opinions on this stuff. Also, the story has nearly 6k reads and honestly, that's CRAZY! You guys are amazing and I thank you for all the support you've shown to this story.

With Love and Appreciation,

Awwmoons.