𝐓𝐕𝐃: 𝐀𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐦 𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫

𝟙𝟜

(Finn's POV)

When Elias swiftly exited the hut, I instinctively tried to follow him, driven by concern. However, Niklaus caught my arm, halting my pursuit.

"Leave it," Niklaus advised calmly, his grip firm yet reassuring. "Give him his time. He'll be back."

"What if he doesn't come back? We still don't know what mother and father have done to us. I can't just let him wander off alone," I said, the anxiety clear in my voice.

Niklaus turned to me, his expression serious. "He's going to Ayana. If anybody understands what's happening, it's her. She'll help Elias. Right now, we need to focus on understanding our own condition," he urged, trying to instill a sense of patience and strategy despite the chaos.

Just as we were beginning to calm down, Father entered the room with a young girl, about Rebekah's age. He held her wrist and, without hesitation, sliced it open with his knife. As the blood began to flow, a primal, irresistible urge surged within me. The scent, the sight of it-it called to me in a terrifying and undeniable way.

"Drink," Father commanded Rebekah. She initially refused, recoiling from the sight. But Father was relentless, pushing the girl's bleeding wrist to Rebekah's mouth and forcing her to feed. After a few seconds of desperate drinking, he pulled her away and moved on to the others, repeating the gruesome process.

Then, it was my turn. Father approached me, and the same irresistible urge that had overwhelmed the others now seized me. Every conscious part of my mind screamed against the action, but the gnawing hunger in my veins was too intense. I felt it throbbing, pulsating with a life of its own. My canines elongated, sharpening into fangs, a physical manifestation of the monstrous change within.

As he brought the girl's wrist to my mouth, the scent of blood was overpowering. The moment it touched my lips, the beast within took over, and I drank deeply.

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Once I was somewhat acclimatized to my heightened senses, I decided to venture out in search of Elias. However, As I moved, a stream of anxious thoughts clouded my mind. What if he wasn't safe? What if the transformation had driven him to harm himself or others? The weight of countless what-ifs bore down on me with each step.

As I ventured deeper into the forest, it felt more vibrant and animated than ever before. Every rustle of leaves, every whisper of the wind seemed amplified,

I paused for a moment, closing my eyes to concentrate, letting the cacophony of the forest guide me to Elias.

After a few minutes of focused listening, a familiar sense cut through the noise. I followed it, my steps quick and sure, until I reached the clearing known for the beautiful flowers Elias loved. There, in the soft glow of the moonlight, I found him lying down, his gaze fixed on the moon.

I settled down beside him, the grass cool and slightly damp beneath us. After a few moments of shared silence, he finally spoke, his voice carrying a heavy mixture of sadness and disbelief. "She was scared of me. You should have seen the look on her face," he murmured, a bitter edge to his words. "My own mother looked at me in fear."

Then, unexpectedly, he laughed. It wasn't the laughter of joy or amusement but one tinged with sadness, a release of pent-up emotions too complex and painful to explain.

Lying there next to him, I listened as Elias broke the silence with a confession, "I'm hungry. I keep trying to suppress it, but there's this urge to tear into someone's throat, to drain them dry. I can hear the heartbeats of the villagers, and it's taking everything in me not to rip them out and feast."

After some time, Elias abruptly stood and vamped away, Curiosity and concern driving me, I followed discreetly, soon realizing his focus was on a man trailing a girl through the village. The man's intentions were clear and malicious, and without hesitation, Elias intervened, his enhanced speed a blur as he attacked the man, sinking his teeth into his neck.

The man's struggles were futile against Elias's newfound strength. Knowing the guilt that would consume Elias if he killed someone.

I intervened, pulling him away from the man. Blood smeared Elias's mouth, a stark contrast to his shocked expression as he realized what he had done.

Then, Elias turned to me in a moment of intense, shared hunger and heightened emotions. Our eyes locked, and he kissed me, a whirlwind of sensation overwhelming us both. It was like an explosion of fireworks, every sense heightened-the emotion, the touch of his lips, and the lingering taste of blood creating an addictive, frenzied moment.

(Third POV)

While Finn and Elias were lost in the tumultuous moment, Mikael observed them from afar; his expression etched with a mix of shock and disgust.

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What can Jeremy, but no one else, see that indicates he is a potential future vampire hunter?