“Ow! Niklaus, that hurt—” My words cut off as I feel him lift his head, the mood abruptly shifting. I look down, and my breath catches in my throat. His eyes, usually a blue so light it borders on stormy gray, are now an abyssal black, void of the warmth I know. My heart hammers in my chest, fear
“Precisely,” Peter laughs when I take too long to answer. “And now you no longer have a choice, Verena. Watch as I destroy everything you love, starting with Niklaus.” The threat hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating. Niklaus, still standing silently, his eyes void of the man I know, is a puppet
Niklaus“...please…. Niklaus… out of…”The words, fragmented, broken and spaced, floated through Niklaus’ mind as he looked at everything and nothing. That voice sounded so familiar, but how could that be when it feels like he’s been forever trapped in the darkness?“Fight him…”Fight him? Fight who
Nothing comes back, and the silence in my mind is as terrifying as the darkness around me.Desperation claws at me, and I wrack my brain for any detail, any word Peter had thrown at me with his taunting sneer. Then it hits me, one line echoing louder than the rest: “Calling to him won’t help, he has
VerenaIn the murky depths of unconsciousness, I’m drifting, floating through a haze of pain and despair. But suddenly, there’s a shift, a lightening, as if I’m surfacing from deep waters. I blink open my eyes, not to the grim basement, but to a realm that gleams with a soft, pearlescent light. Bef
No response. I push harder, the pendant around my neck growing warm against my skin. The warmth spreads, filling me with a strength I thought had been drained away. I let that warmth be my guide, focusing all my energy on reaching him, on piercing the veil the demon has drawn over his mind.“Niklaus
VerenaI watch as Niklaus tries to move his arm, his fingers twitching as he struggles to reach up to me. My heart leaps into my throat as I realize he might be mentally fighting against the grip the demon has on his mind, and that, in turn, bolsters my resolve.Niklaus has always fought for me. I n
His teeth graze my skin, and I stiffen, preparing for the pain, for the connection that might save us both. “Do it, Niklaus!”With a primal groan that seems to tear from his very soul, he bites down. The pain is sharp, a piercing agony that quickly gives way to a strange euphoria. I feel his power s