Josie's Subconscious,
She woke up in a place dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. Literally. Weird subconscious. She tried calling out to Josie but there was no answer. Then she found the literal trail of breadcrumbs leading out the door. Subtle. But she followed it anyways.
Soon she was on a narrow path going through a dark forest with occasional bioluminescent plants, still following the breadcrumbs. There looked to be a literal castle plucked right out of a fairy tale at a distance too. It was beautiful though.
Then she heard some movement in the bushes but couldn't see anyone there. So she created a ball of light using her magic and tried to tell them to not be scared of her. Then the person came out. It was a pig.
"Shut your pie hole, lady! And put out that light!" the pig exclaimed.
Wow rude.
_______
The Crypt,
While Necromancer wanted to raise and control Malivore, his minions were decorating the place on Josie's command. And when asked why, Josie had replied that she couldn't feel Lizzie so something had gone wrong with the Merge. So until she could figure that out, no raising Malivore.
So The Necromancer had tried to flaunt that he controlled Chad and Alyssa by making them stand in an attention stance, Josie had simply smirked and made him stand in the same stance and told him to pretty much shut up and let her work.
So begrudgingly, he had.
_______
The Salvatore School,
To make sure no one knew that Lizzie was still very much alive, they had decided to give her a funeral organized by Lizzie herself and glamored Hope's unconscious body to look like Lizzie's.
So right now, MG, Lizzie, and Izel were standing in front of the Casket Hope's glamored body was laid in helping Lizzie organize her own funeral when she spoke,
"I look so peaceful. Angelic, even. No wonder you had a thing for me" she said to MG who was holding the Casket open.
Izel stifled a laugh while MG spoke, "That's not why I had a thing for you.."
He then added closing the Casket, "And why are you speaking in the past tense? You're totally alive"
Totally ignoring his comment, "That reef can't go there. That's where the doves are being released after the video, remember" she said instructing pointing to the direction she was speaking about.
Both Izel and MG looked at each other then MG spoke, "No. Because this, does not matter. Because none of this is real. It's just a show!"
"A show to convince homicidal hot topic Josie that she actually killed me. So it better be a damn good one" Lizzie replied.
Then turning around fixing some things, "There's still so much left to do" she added.
MG tried again, "You are trying to play dead. Managing your own funeral kinda defeats the plummet"
"Way ahead of you there. Because that is what this freakishly large ring is for" Lizzie replied taking the illusion ring out from her pocket.
"Oh no please, not that again" Izel said annoyingly and irritated as Lizzie slipped on the ring and MG looked confused.
Then the ring glowed red and Lizzie's appearance was changed into..... Hope.
"I'm unique, and special. And for some reason, I'm really emo about it. Wait here while I go sacrifice myself unnecessarily. How did I do?" Lizzie said as the first thing imitating Hope. Badly. And asked.
MG looked amused and shocked with no words coming out of his mouth.
"I never thought I'd say this but, I'd rather have Ryan here than... This" Izel said after the shock wore off.
Then they heard footsteps heading towards them and saw Alaric, Jed and Kaleb walking towards them with Alaric asking,
"What's going on here??"
"Hey, daddy! I figured since we are disguising Hope's body as mine while she roots around in Josie's subconscious, that I could pretend to be her while she's gone" Lizzie replied.
Kaleb and Jed had their jaws dropped while Alaric was shocked to say the least.
"Wow, is she really this short??" Lizzie said next looking at everyone standing in front of her.
"Elizabeth-" Alaric started but Lizzie cut him off,
"You need me to oversee the funeral" Lizzie stated as a matter of fact.
Kaleb tried to tell Alaric that can't be taking a chance right now when Lizzie cut him off,
"Dad! The emotion has to be real. And who better to put together a touching memorial to me, than, me" Lizzie replied with a dreamy look in her eyes already thinking of everything.
Kaleb just awkwardly smiled and Jed was looking similarly.
"Sweetie, I think it's a great idea but I think people are gonna...... Figure it out" Alaric tried.
"Yeah. The pack's never gonna fall for this" Jed said then.
And as soon as he did, three wolves, two guys one girl, entered the room carrying chairs.
Lizzie, with a determined look, made way for herself and walked towards the wolves, "Hello! Fellow wolves!"
Everyone reluctantly hung back and watched her.
"So nice to see you again! Piper..... Trevor... Brock!" she continued tried to guess their names right.
"Yo. We're gonna build a human pyramid after the funeral. If you wanna join?" Brock asked.
"I would love to! And maybe after, we could run around outside and stare at the moon for a while" she replied.
"Nice! Yo! You rock, Hope!" Brock replied with a grin.
"Back at ya, Brock meister!" Lizzie replied with a wide smile.
Brock nodded with an amused grin and the three wolves left at that.
Lizzie turned around facing the people saying, "The defense rests" with a victorious smirk that screamed Lizzie.
Alaric sighed, "Fine. But no doves" and left.
Lizzie walked towards the remaining people, "You heard the man. We got work to do. Chop chop!" clapping her hands in the air.
Everyone heavily sighed but moved to help while Izel did the same after mumbling,
"Oh my god, kill me now"
_______
Rafael,
After he had stabbed Landon, he had gotten his control back after Landon had bled out and was dead. So he had picked up his body and brought him down to the school's basement hoping he'd come back.
So right now, when after a whole night he hadn't, Rafael had found Alaric and led him to the basement informing him of what he did.
And when Alaric saw what he had done, he tried to calm him down saying that Landon will come back anytime now. Just like always. But when Rafael had showed him the Golden Arrow, his world came crumbling down.
_______
Josie's Subconscious,
She was following the pig on the bread trail and the pig was neither slowing down nor dropping his rude and sexist demeanor. She would love to leave. Sexist talking pigs is not what she signed up for. But she wasn't going to leave until she found Josie. She came to rescue her and she would do it.
"Yeah, you're too late for that" Pig answered.
"What do you mean?" Hope asked confused.
"Pull up a stump" he replied and sat down on one. She did the same.
Then he started telling a story,
Once upon a time, this was a beautiful land. A peaceful kingdom. Ruled by Princess Josette. But then, the darkness came. Princess tried to fight it but using her magic only made the darkness stronger. It was tied to her somehow. And if she kept fighting it, the darkness would grow to cover the entire land. So, Princess Josie put a sleeping spell on herself so she could never do magic again and the darkness would never grow. So if they woke her up, the darkness would grow again. So as much as they all missed her, this is how it had to be. Destiny's a bitch.
"Maybe. But I still have to try. She would do the same for me" Hope said getting up. "And I think I know how to find her" she added going to follow the trail only to see it end.
"Eh, you don't wanna do that" Pig said from behind her.
"Where's the rest of the trail?" she asked turning around facing the pig.
The Pig stumbled onto his words as Hope watched amusingly, "Okay. So here's the thing. You're not gonna believe this. The uh- whenever the- uh elements- the uh... You know what? I ate it. Okay. I ATE IT! Why would I do that you ask?! Because I'm disgusting and have no self control! Do you see the package that I'm working with right now!?" he finished pointing to his body with both of his hoof hands.
"Okay. You know where this trail goes. You know where she is" Hope spoke and stated.
"If you don't tell me, I'm gonna start doing magic" Hope added as a matter-of-fact.
"The darkness will come" the pig said again.
"Facing darkness is kind of my thing" Hope replied.
"Fine. Fine! Ugh!! You are a bossy little thing, you know that?" the pig said then.
"Oh! That's a compliment in my world" Hope replied with a grin.
"Remind me not to visit that place" the pig said before walking towards their destination.
And soon enough, pig had led Hope to where Josie lay in a sleep spell. And if not for the sleep spell, she would've stopped to think about how beautiful she looked. But she was. So when asked if she got any ideas, her reply was trying a wake up spell.
The pig squeaked in a really high pitch and pulled her behind a single damaged wall trying to hide her from the darkness. And when Hope tried to make him understand that nothing can hurt them in Josie's subconscious, her answer had come in the form of the big bad wolf and pig saying,
"That's the darkness, sweetheart. And it can definitely hurt us!" quite literally shuddering in fear from the wolf.
"Little pig, little pig. Who's your new friend? I can smell that magic's being used here again" the wolf growled.
Seeing the pig shuddering in fear, Hope carefully picked a small stone from the wall, spelled it, and threw it at a distance telekinetically making the wolf run towards it leaving them alone.
Then the pig made another sexist and rude comment at her blaming her for almost getting them both eaten--which was a life long fear of his--and for alerting the darkness that her magic using ass was there.
"Yeah, well, my magic just saved our asses!" Hope said back.
"After I pulled to safety!" the pig replied.
"Oh yeah, thank you so much for pulling me behind a single piece of rubble!" Hope said back.
"What do you want from me? I got hoofs for hands!" the pig asked showing his hands.
"I want you to stop talking down to me! And be grateful that I just saved our bacon!" Hope replied.
The pig gasped in shock, "How dare you!" and turned around crossing his arms.
"I'm sorry. It's just a figure of speech, alright?" Hope backtracked.
When he didn't reply, she took a deep breath and tried again, "Look, truce, okay?" putting her hand on his shoulder. But he shoved it off.
"Look. We both miss Josie. We can work together to wake her up" she said then.
The pig turned around, "If we do that, the darkness will grow again. Princess Josie did what she did for a reason" he replied afraid.
"She made her sacrifice because she didn't know that help was coming. And if we can't wake her up then we'll have to defeat the darkness ourselves" Hope replied.
_______
The Salvatore School,
The preparations for Lizzie's funeral was going on in full force. Lizzie, disguised as Hope, was helping two other witches decorate the stairs when one of them asked,
"What's Izel upto?"
"I don't know. Probably off somewhere making a dumb self sacrifice" Lizzie replied without thinking.
Then she realized what she said and tried to save it, "Which I'm totally into"
The witch nodded and asked her friend if she was bringing anyone to the funeral. And that is when Lizzie found out that they were bringing dates to the funeral. And when she stated that weren't they supposed to be in mourning, they simply replied with why should they. Nobody liked Lizzie. Sure, she was popular, but because everyone was scared of crossing her. It was actually kind of a relief that they wouldn't have to worry about what crazy thing she'll do next.
And when the other witch made a remark about her not really being gone because the Necromancer could bring Lizzie back too, the witch had laughed and said 'Unfortunately' and that's when Lizzie had left the conversation trying not to cry.
Meanwhile on the other side of the school, Izel, Kaleb, and Jed were trying to make the video that was going to be played at the funeral. The one which included people saying the good things she did. Which was kind of a problem since Lizzie had burned everyone in the school atleast once and the video was looking more like a roast than a memorial...
_______
The Crypt,
Josie had been watching the basin all day keeping an eye out on the school. As pointed out by the Necromancer. Along with how her sister was dead. Which they already knew. And how everyone was planning a memorial for her including Hope and Izel.
But Josie didn't believe that. Because she felt something new in her mind. Something she couldn't quite reach. That meant that they were acting. And that means that they found out about his little zombie eye. Which meant that Ted was fooled.
Trying not to get angry at the name, he had simply asked her what did she want him to do. So she told him she knew her father must've been behind it. When receiving a clueless look, she elaborated for him to have a chat with him with an annoyed eye roll.
So while he did her bidding, she would search her mind for the thing that was out of place.
_______
The Salvatore School,
While everyone else was busy doing everything else, MG had found himself in the kitchen making himself something to eat when Lizzie barged in ranting about what she saw. That no one was upset about her being dead. They all hated her!
Trying to calm her saying that no one hated her and that they only just got to know one side of her, MG reassured her. And that is exactly what his eulogy was about.
And that is what gave Lizzie the idea. What better than a perfect eulogy about how she was the most perfect person out there? And that she should do it. After all, she knew her the best. It's what Lizzie would've wanted.
_______
Rafael,
When his shock wore off, Alaric frantically started looking for loopholes in the prophecy but they both knew there were none because Landon usually resurrects by now. The prophecy said itself. The wolf with many faces. He killed Landon. And the Necromancer can make him kill again whenever he wants.
So Alaric tried to tell him that he'll get the Necromancer out of his head but Rafael refused and told him to put him down. That was the only way. But Alaric refused. But Rafael pleaded for him to do it. He couldn't control all this. He had to put him down or it will be too late.
But instead, Alaric tried to brain storm ideas to save him. A sleeping spell might work. He was not going to lose another student. So Rafael tried to get him to change his mind by slamming him against the wall and landing a few punches begging for him to kill him.
Alaric immediately knew what he was trying to do so he tried to reassure him that killing Landon was not his fault and he'll help him.
Rafael turned around and took the support of the wall crying for everything that was happening to him when suddenly, he heard that laughter again and his eyes went white.
He turned around chuckling, "Well, he did try to warn you, Alaric" the Necromancer said through him.
And before Alaric could even react, he punched him knocking him unconscious.
_______
The Funeral,
Everyone was gathered and the funeral was about to start. MG and Izel had opted to take a seat on either side of Lizzie while Kaleb took his place at the piano and the video was prepared.
And when the video played, it was a total disaster. For some reason Kaleb and Jed had decided to cut parts of the speech everyone gave to fit the criteria of mourning than roast. And then had given pathetic speeches themselves. So Lizzie had told MG--who was at the stage--to cut it out and move on before she was embarrassed even more.
The next part was a song dedicated to Lizzie sung by Kaleb and Jed. And it started out great. They had beautiful voices. But soon it turned into who could sing more lines which turned the song into a screaming match other than a, well, song. So Lizzie herself put an end to it and shoved them away and decided to give her--Hope's--speech about Lizzie.
But her speech ended up in a similar situation. The more she said, the more people laughed at the absurdity of it. No one had seen Lizzie be a nice or a kind person. So they had laughed when she mentioned that Lizzie was the best of them. So saying they didn't know her, she had stormed off. So while the whole crowd laughed, Izel and MG were the only ones not. They felt bad for her. No one deserved that.
_______
Josie's Subconscious,
After a long walk, pig had led her to the Huntsman's cabin but weirdly he wasn't home so they decided to wait since the stew was on meaning that he must be nearby.
Hope on the other hand, decided to roam around and found herself an axe. Knowing she was probably crazy for thinking she could defeat the darkness with that, she wasn't going down without a fight. And she tried to motivate pig too by trying to hand him a knife.
"Uh.. Um... I would be no use in battle. I know, I-I bluster a lot but I get so scared and-and then I say dumb stuff when I'm scared" the pig tried to explain.
"Yeah, I know" Hope replied with a light scoff and a small smile.
"I could finish the stew though! Maybe find some bread? Make you a nice meal before you go die" the pig said walking towards the stew.
"That'll do, pig" Hope replied with a straight face.
"Don't press your luck, kiddo" pig replied.
Hope gave a short chuckle.
Pig then lifted up the lid of the pot carefully only to find the head of the Huntsman in it. So as he shrieked the word 'trap', the door burst open revealing the wolf.
Hope closed the door with magic and latched it keeping the wolf and it's roars out for now and readying herself inside for when he comes in.
_______
The Crypt,
While Hope was trying to save herself from the big bad wolf, Josie finally was able to pinpoint what was different in her mind.
"Hope Mikaelson. Are you in my head?" she said with a smirk before she went in her head herself.
_______
A Bar,
When he woke up, he was in a bar and the first person he saw was the Necromancer. He immediately broke a bottle ready to fight him but standing behind him, Rafael warned him to not do anything or the Necromancer will make him, Alyssa, and Chad fight him. So he had reluctantly stayed put.
The Necromancer on the other hand, finally decided to let him know why was Alaric here in the first place. He wanted to make him a deal. And besides, they both wanted to same thing. Get that Black Magic out of Josie and send her home. Because it was only a matter of time before Josie figured out their pathetic plan of sending Hope into her subconscious and puts an end to it. And he wanted all the Black Magic in her for himself and wanted to get that wretched girl out of his life. Because he knew good Josie was still in there. He had seen it.
Thinking over it, Alaric only opted to agree if the Necromancer would set Rafael, Alyssa, and Chad free too. No strings attached. And on top, Rafael had asked him to raise Landon too. Now Alaric had no choice. If he wanted to save both Rafael and Landon, he had to agree to this deal.
But there was still no way Alaric could trust him. So the Necromancer had suggested an unbreakable covenant spell. If both of them didn't hold their end of the bargain, neither of them get what they want. He loses his puppets and the Necromancer loses his magic. No exceptions. So telling him to find him here once he had made up his mind, he had let Alaric leave.
_______
Josie's Subconscious,
Soon enough, the door was broken down by the wolf and as soon as he stepped foot inside, he levitated Hope in the air, spun her a few times for good measure, and flung her into a wall.
She fell down and the wolf moved towards the pig and ate him. But hearing the pig's shrieks, Hope immediately flung to action and killed the wolf with the axe. Then seeing the tail of the pig which was hanging out from the mouth still moving, she cut open the stomach of the wolf waiting for the pig to emerge. But from there emerged..... Josie.
"What's going on.... Where's pig??" Hope asked confused.
"Uh.... I- I was the pig....." Josie replied nervously.
When Hope looked confused Josie continued, "I thought if I disguised myself the darkness would leave me alone"
"You were the pig??" Hope asked then just to make sure she heard her right.
Josie nodded hesitantly.
"You do realize you said some really patronizing an-and sexist things to me??" Hope said then.
"No- I know! I just didn't want you to suspect it was me. Because I need you to leave. I don't want you to get hurt" Josie hurriedly replied.
"Josie. I'm not going to leave you behind" Hope stated more than replied.
"No, you don't understand! I don't want anybody else getting hurt because of me" Josie said next, desperate.
"No one will" Hope tried to make her understand.
But before Josie could reply, a cloud of smoke appeared behind her and Dark Josie stood there wearing a smirk.
"I love that you thought it would be that simple" Dark Josie said then.
And instead of replying, they ran.
_______
The Funeral,
When the whole crowd just wouldn't stop laughing and before Lizzie could reveal herself to do some real talk who was watching it from the stairs, Izel got up abruptly pretty much stomping towards the stage and grabbed the mic,
"Quiet everyone. Please. I have something to say" grabbing everyone's attention.
When everyone went quiet, she started clearing her throat, "She wasn't wrong you know? You all really don't know her. In my time here, I've learned a lot about Lizzie. Like how she's so nice, she has to cover it up with sarcasm and bitchiness. You know why? Because that's what you want to see", seeing the effect she was having, Kaleb started playing slow music on the piano to go with her speech with a smile as she continued,
"When I came here, I hated Lizzie. I hated her with all my guts. But when I got to know her, I realized that the cover she shows, is not the full book. It is true that when you meet her first, she can kind of be a mean bitch. But when you get to know her, she becomes the best person you know. She is one of the best people I know. So maybe you all should scan your brain and see why she was such a bitch to you and then maybe you'll realize that's exactly how you wanted her to be and refused to see anything else" Izel said and stepped off the stage.
Lizzie heard all this from behind the stairs and had tears in her eyes and a smile while MG gave her a proud and beaming smile before he stepped up too,
"I have something to say too" grabbing everyone's stunned attention.
He continued, "My first day here, Lizzie was my tour guide. Just like she was for most of you. I was so scared. And she knew it too. At the end of my tour, I mentioned hating my name. Milton. She said, 'So change it. No one here knows. How about, MG?'. Remember that shock bracelet Lizzie had? Or when she was suddenly into talent shows, and Miss Mystic Falls, and Football. She was always trying to start over. Yeah, she could be extra but, she knew it", the crowd gave a laugh at that. So waiting a few seconds, MG continued,
"And, she never stopped trying to change. But, did you all let her?? Or did you hold to that one image of her at her worst? She was an easy target who couldn't control her brain chemistry. So it was easier to think that she was broken than to root for her and accept that she was changing. If you really stop and think, I'm sure you have a good Lizzie story too. Here's your chance. Start over" he concluded stepping off the stage.
Whispers started going around and Izel looked back seeing people murmuring to themselves when finally the same witch who was making fun of Lizzie, got up and walked towards the stage.
But she also saw Alaric who was standing at the very back and was trying to leave without getting noticed. So she discreetly got up from her seat and approached him while the girl started her eulogy about the good things Lizzie did,
"Where are you going?" she asked startling him.
"Jesus, Izel. And nowhere. I'll be back soon. Stay here" and with that he left without looking back to see if she listened or not.
Big mistake.
_______
The Bar,
He arrived at the same bar in hopes of finding the Necromancer there. He had made his decision. He was going to do it. And as he hoped, the Necromancer was right there having a glass of something with his three puppets standing at one side.
"Ah! Headmaster, welcome back. You've made your decision, I presume?" the Necromancer said.
"Yes. I'll do it" Alaric replied.
"Well then. What are we waiting for?! Let's sign this deal so I can raise these three puppets along with that Phoenix and have me magic!" the Necromancer eagerly said sliding the book towards him.
"Or, I can do that myself" a voice said from near the entrance.
Everyone's head snapped to the direction of the voice and there stood, Izel. Casually leaning against the wall with a smirk in place.
With that same expression, she moved inside, "Hello again, the Necromancer" greeted almost mocking him and leaned with her back against the counter beside the Necromancer.
"Ah. Malivore's spawn. Did not think I would see you here. Or at all" the Necromancer replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
Izel hummed in reply.
"I thought I told you to stay" Alaric finally spoke up.
"Yeah well, maybe next time turn around to see if I'm actually miraculously following your orders out of nowhere" Izel replied casually.
A look of mild shock passed on Alaric's face and Izel turned around and poured herself a shot of Whiskey and turned back around while he was processing.
He sighed and finally asked, "How did you even find me?"
Gulping all of it in one go, "You see, that's a funny story actually. I followed you. You didn't even realize it" she replied with a smug face.
"Cool!" Chad exclaimed out of nowhere with a fanboy grin.
Izel looked over at him amused when he hurriedly and nervously introduced himself, "Chad"
She gave him a small smile, "Izel. But I'm guessing already knew that" she stated more than asked.
Chad hesitantly shrugged.
Izel smiled amused other than anything and turned her attention back to Alaric, "You know, Dr. Saltzman, I'm not really surprised that you managed to hide something as big as your unkillable student dead, two of your students and one human being the Necromancer's puppets, and still managed to seem normal in school. And you wonder why we don't trust you and tell you of our plans" Izel pointed out angrily but her anger was well masked.
Before Alaric could think of something to answer, the Necromancer cut him off, "Enough! You can call your Headmaster out on his lifelong of mistakes after I've got my magic. We have work to do" he said looking at Izel. And he looked beyond annoyed by just her mere presence.
"Sure. So, going back to that topic, as I said, I can do it myself so we don't really need you..." she stated.
The Necromancer didn't back down though, "You won't"
"And what's stopping me? Do tell" Izel replied and asked.
"Because, you are in my debt, child" he replied.
"Your debt? Please do tell how exactly did I manage to do that?" Izel asked next.
"Because, I granted your wish" he simply replied.
"You cannot seriously be talking that one wish more than a year ago. It did me more harm than good. I'm not in any debt for that" Izel replied thinking back to everything that happened that day. From her mother to how the Necromancer was somehow being decent.
"Two wishes, if we're counting. And I was talking about the other wish you made. The one you actually voiced?" he replied as if asking her if she remembered.
Izel looked at him quizzically thinking what he was talking about.
"Oh c'mon. The amount of desperation you possessed should be hard to forget" he hinted.
And that is when it clicked and her eyes went wide. Hope.
"Ah! There it is. You remember now" he said next with his signature smirk.
"What did you do??" she asked.
"See for yourself" the Necromancer said with his smirk.
And before she could even react, he took a step towards her, put both his hands on the side of her head, and both of their eyes went white.
_______
More than a year ago, The cells,
The Necromancer sat there thinking after the girl had threatened- no. Requested, him to not rope the Mikaelson girl in his trap too. He was debating on it. It would be incredible to torment her. So many things he could use. He had learned about the demise of Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson along with Hayley Marshall, the Tribrid's mother. It would be wonderful to see the girl suffer.
And as he was thinking, the subject of his thoughts entered right into the room carrying what looked to be some books eyeing the unconscious Vampire curiously and confusedly.
"You have a very powerful scent of death on you" he said sniffing the air.
Her eyes snapped towards him but she didn't say anything. So he added, "It's quite lovely really" with a smirk.
"What did you do to him??" she asked gesturing to the Vampire.
"Oh, he's just taking a nap. No need to worry" he replied with a smirk withholding who did it. He was curious to see what the Tribrid wanted.
"How did you use magic??" she asked looking at him skeptically.
"His fault. Now. Why are you here, Tribrid?" he asked. He diverted so he could show that girl what happens when someone challenges the Almighty Necromancer. And telling the Tribrid of her plan would just ruin the fun now, wouldn't it?
And looked like the Tribrid fell right for it, "I thought that maybe we could talk" she said next.
The Tribrid waved her hands and the next thing he knew, his shackles came off.
He got up, "Such a puny creature isn't scared of the Almighty Necromancer" he said.
"Well, here's the thing about that. You don't exist" she stated.
"I won't fall for your mind games" he replied. He wouldn't believe her. He was the Almighty Necromancer. Feared by thousands! People tremble at his name!
"This isn't a game. Let me lay it out for you. You died. You were in a dark place for what felt like an eternity until suddenly you were pulled into the light with a singular inexplicable mission to retrieve a knife" she paused.
That sounded eerily similar to what happened to him. So he decided to let her speak, "Do continue"
She did, "It's been same for all the creatures that came before you. A dragon, a Gargoyle, an Arachne, a Dryad" she said.
"Please! Those creatures exist only in fiction!" he cut her off.
"No. They've been erased from history. So have you" she simply stated.
"That's preposterous! I'm world renowned! People tremble at the sound of my name" he replied.
"Don't believe me? Read up" she replied handing him the books she bought through the bars.
So he took the books and read up. And he couldn't believe his eyes. There was no mention of him. No word. Not even an utter! He didn't exist! No one knew him! He wasn't even a myth! He just wasn't there. How could that happen though?! He had been on this Earth since centuries and people left the room when his name was uttered. How could he just be gone?!
And that his how all the books found themselves torn and on the floor along with his chair when he was throwing a tantrum in rage.
"Lifetimes work!! My legacy!! Reduced to something as pitiful as a brand of sorcery! Terror and barely a footnote. Who's responsible for this!?" he asked going towards the bars in anger to the Tribrid who had taken a seat between all this.
She got up, "That's what I'm hoping you could help me figure out" she replied.
Begrudgingly agreeing, he picked up his chair and took a seat, "Well, I'm all ears" he replied with a smirk.
She took a seat in front of him right outside his cell too and asked, "If we need to get to the bottom of this then we need to figure out who's communicating with you" she said.
"No one's communicating with me. My mind is a steel trap" he replied as a matter-of-fact.
"But you resurrected Dr. Saltzman's dead fiancée right after he mentioned her to the Dryad. That's why he had questions. It can't be a coincidence you're all coming after the same thing. Communicating in some way. So who's pulling the strings??" she asked again.
"I'm no puppet!" he replied in an outburst of anger standing up. But taking a deep breath, he continued. "It's less a voice, more an instinct. I simply know things" he replied trying to describe what it feels like.
"Simply know things..... Like Izel.." the Tribrid muttered to herself.
He didn't say anything but he heard her quite alright and knew very well what the Tribrid was talking about. Malivore's spawn would know things no one else did. She was made for that. A creature forged for one single purpose. Raising Malivore.
Then the Tribrid spoke again, clearly, "Like you know you're here to retrieve a knife and return it to a place called Malivore" she stated more than asked.
"If I return the knife to Malivore, I will be free" he replied.
"Of what??" she asked.
"The blackness. The void. The empty oblivion!-"
"Do you ever just say things once?!" the Tribrid cut him off annoyed, standing up.
"And more importantly, do you know how to get there?" she added and asked.
"Only that the knife will lead me" he replied.
"Yeah well, we knew that" she muttered to herself.
Then she opened the first page of the book she was holding and showed him a symbol. Malivore.
"I'm assuming you know this symbol" she stated again.
"It is the sign of the worst existential nightmare. The ultimate hell!-"
"You're doing it again" she cut him off once more.
She continued, "Focus! What does it mean??"
"That symbol represents what you say has happened to me. That means no one remembers you. No one celebrates you. No one mourns you. Loosely translated, it means, 'Permanent Death'" he replied.
"Alright. Do you remember how you died?" she asked next.
So he described it to her.
"But you don't remember who killed you?" she asked.
"No. Though that's not uncommon. The subconscious has a way of protecting the mind against the trauma of death. I say it all the time in my line of work" he replied.
"But theoretically that memory still exists, right? What if there was a way to access it?" she asked.
Is the Tribrid saying what he thinks she is saying? Welcoming herself to his mind to be tortured? Oh, this could be way easier than he thought...
"You wanna take a walk through my subconscious? Well, that's your own peril, my dear" he said chuckling. "I'm not sure you're quite tall enough to ride the scary ride..." he added standing near the bars quite literally towering over her to gain more height.
She looked very unimpressed.
"I'm assuming you know you'll require a powerful vampire for this, correct?" he asked then. He hadn't really made up his mind if he was going to listen to her request or the girl's but he wanted to see where this could lead.
Her answer was a spell and the vampire behind her jumping to consciousness.
"Wha... What.. Wait.. Hope..? Wait! You're not supposed to be here! Wait.. Why was I asleep..? What.....?" he rambled confused.
"I'm already here so. And maybe next time don't mess with him and you won't end up asleep. And I have a job for you" she replied.
"Wait... Mess with him? I didn't even look at him! Why do you think I would want to look at that?! Much less go near him??" he replied confused and surprised at the accusation.
"He told me. You don't have to hide it" she replied. And the Necromancer inwardly smirked.
"No, I swear I didn't-"
"Anyways. Do you know how to do a head dive?" she cut him off and asked.
"Is that a thing.....?" he asked confused.
"It is. It just takes a little um, precision"
"Oh, who are we kidding, Tribrid? Milton isn't fit for this. He isn't even a real Vampire! Go back to sleep, kid" and with that, the Necromancer put him back to sleep in the same chair again.
"What?! Why did you do that??" the Tribrid asked angry.
"Oh, unless you plan on letting me torture you, Milton is not fit for your plan, Tribrid. It'll just make it easier for me to trap you" he explained truthfully. Looks like he'll be listening to the girl's request after all.
"Why do you care about that? And why did you tell me that?? Are you messing with me right now??" she asked next skeptically.
"Oh, frankly, I think you are the one messing with me. All this talk about solving the mystery of Malivore when we both know which mystery you'd like me to solve" he stated in an obvious tone.
When she looked to not have an answer, he continued, "You wanna know how your dad is. Or should I say, where he is" he said with a knowing smirk.
"No. No, I don't" she shakily replied.
"Sure you do! You wanna know if he's at peace or if he's suffering. Regretting his sacrifice. After all, he did die to save your life. A lovely gesture for such a mercurial man!" he said next.
Then added immediately after, "Not to bother though. Because I'm not telling you anything. But, you will find out very soon" he replied. After all, he could feel the girl talking to Klaus Mikaelson as they speak. The girl's will was strong. She was resisting him greatly. But not for long.
"What does that mean??" she finally spoke and asked.
"All will be explained in due time" was all he replied with a smirk.
Then he added, "Now, get going, Tribrid. I have work to do. And take that Vampire with you since his work is fulfilled too, will you?" he said gesturing towards the door.
In reply, the Tribrid woke the Vampire up and simply told him to follow her outside and left locking the doors.
_______
Present,
The moment the memory ended, she was kicked out from his mind gasping from seeing everything that happened that day. Hope did end up going to him. And if he hadn't miraculously listened to her, Hope could've been hurt. Or worse. And she didn't tell her anything about that day either.
But there was one part that she did find out about. So she voiced it,
"You knew. All this time you knew exactly who I was! What I was!" because she could somehow hear his thoughts too and he knew very well who she was.
"Oh of course I did. You reek of Malivore. Every creature to have spent time in there will know who you are" he casually replied in an obvious tone.
Izel scoffed at that.
"Oh, don't give me that. Did you not see the part where I granted your wish? Where's my 'Thank you'??" he asked with a knowing smirk.
Begrudgingly, "Thank you" she mumbled. Because let's face it, he did listen to her when he really just couldn't have.
"Can you both like, catch up after I have my life back??" Alyssa suddenly spoke up then. Irritated.
"Catch up? You call me involuntarily going inside his mind and listening to him saying everything more than once, 'catching up'??" Izel asked then.
The Necromancer grunted in annoyance but said instead, "Since we are returning to that topic, sign the deal, Alaric" he said gesturing to the book.
"What- No. No, that's not happening" Izel cut in.
"Of course it is! I value my debts quite significantly and breaking them can result in unfortunate consequences" the Necromancer said next with a smirk looking at his three puppets while saying 'unfortunate consequences'.
"Izel, let me. I don't know what deal he made or wish he granted, but we can't risk anything happening to them right now" Alaric cut in gesturing to Rafael, Alyssa, and Chad and walked towards the book.
The Necromancer smirked as Alaric picked up the pen and Izel walked behind to give him the space.
Izel exhaled in defeat as he was signing it. One thing she had to do and she failed in that too.
"Don't worry. The deal is pretty solid. He can't trick him. I think. And besides, you and Super Squad will save the day if anything happens" Chad spoke in a low voice from behind her with a small smile. Trying to cheer her up.
She turned around, "I feel like you think I can do no wrong. If so, just ask the people beside you. But, thanks for the words" she replied with a small smile of her own.
"You might be a pain in the ass but you don't necessarily do wrong... All the time" Alyssa said then. And it looked like it physically pained her to say it.
"Yea. And since I can't really move right now, I choose the former option" Rafael said too with a smile.
When Izel realized what he meant, her face broke into a big smile.
"Thank you. Both of you" she said then.
Looking at Chad she added, "I feel like we could be friends. Once you're free of this shit show that is" she said with a genuine smile.
"Yes!" he exclaimed with a grin.
"C'mon, Izel. Let's get going" Alaric spoke moving out.
Izel nodded and waved a goodbye to her.... Friends, and left.
_______
Josie's Subconscious,
After running for a while, the girls were passing through an archway when Josie stopped, defeated.
"We have to keep moving" Hope tried to get her moving again.
"Doesn't matter we're never going to get away from her" Josie replied defeated.
"Jo, while you've been trapped in here, she's has been rampaging in the real world. She even tried to Merge with Lizzie" Hope tried again.
"Oh my god. Is she okay??" Josie asked worried.
"For now. But that's why we have to stop her" Hope said next.
Josie sat down on the ground holding her knees to her chest and said next, "She's more powerful than I am"
Hope followed suit, "Jo. She is you. Some part of you. You can control her somehow. I don't know how but, Izel would have a theory about the brain chemistry, or she would connect it to a comic book character" Hope said with a small smile.
"She would, wouldn't she?" Josie replied. She really missed her right now.
"Pretty messed up subconscious you got here by the way" Hope let her know next.
"Are we surprised?" Josie asked.
Hope gave her an amused look as if saying 'Not really'
Josie continued, "My mom used to read us fairy tales for bedtime stories. It was so calming. It was good guys and bad guys. Very clear rules that you had to follow. It all made sense. Unlike my life" she finished with a light scoff.
"Well, this fairy tale sucks" Hope said then.
"It's accurate. I'm either the powerful petty bitch or the good weak victim" Josie replied.
"That's the story you're telling yourself. I mean, your subconscious made a fairy tale. That the good you is weak, and the powerful you is evil. Tell yourself a different story" Hope said then.
Josie mulled over her words going over it realizing the meaning behind them when Hope's body was suddenly flung backwards and so was hers. And there stood Dark her.
Hope immediately got up and tried to defend her by throwing the axe she had at her but she easily caught it. Just like how she absorbed the next spell she threw at her. Her last chance was trying to convince Josie to fight her. Because the next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall.
But Josie, she was terrified. She couldn't move much less fight her dark self. And Hope said one thing as she was turned to stone by Dark Josie,
"Change the story!" before nothing but a stone silhouette of herself was left in her place.
And Josie ran. She ran back towards the cabin, hastily found a knife, and fell to the floor shaking while holding the knife towards her own dark self.
Her dark self darkly chuckled, "I hate you. You're so weak. And vulnerable. The kind of girl who's so quiet that her father and mother forget about her in the chaos of Lizzie. The kind of girl Penelope won't fight for anymore. The kind of girl whose own friends think she's a lost cause. The kind of girl who's destined to lose the Merge" and flung the knife out her hand somewhere in the cabin.
At this point, Josie was backed up in a corner with tears flowing from her eyes and her breathing ragged. She was terrified and she couldn't do anything about it. She was about to die and it's her fault. That's all she could think of.
"You needed me. Because without me, you would've never survived. This is what being strong looks like" Dark Josie continued.
As Hope's words echoed back to her,
"That's the story that you're telling yourself. That the good you is weak, and the powerful you is evil"
It all clicked into place.
"I was afraid of being strong. I thought being strong meant hurting Lizzie. Or being like Kai. I told myself being powerful meant being evil. But it doesn't" she said in realization.
So finally, getting up from the ground and standing in front of her dark self with a new found confidence, she continued, "Hope, is strong. And she is good. You made a story. I made a story. Where I was powerless. But that's not true" and she said it, flashes of everything she did since last year came to her mind. From the Arachne to the Mummy to returning everyone's memories and everything in between. She did good by being strong.
"Because I can change this story" she continued then.
"Enough!" Dark Josie tried to shut her up when she realized what was happening.
"I'm not afraid of you anymore. Because I'm holding the axe" and as she said it, the axe was in her hands.
Dark Josie tried to bind her to the Cabin forever but Josie replied to that, "I'm not trapped. Because we're not in the Cabin anymore" and just like that, they were outside at the same place where fake sleeping Josie had once laid.
And as transforming into the Princess she was, "And if you use your magic against me, it hurts you too" Josie added. And just as she said it, Dark Josie's powers left her hands.
"But most importantly, you're not wearing armor anymore" Josie added and Dark Josie's armor disappeared.
And the next thing she knew, Josie had stabbed her with the axe in the chest and slammed her into the slab where her fake self once laid.
"It's over" Josie stated.
"It'll never be over. As long as you have Black Magic in you, I'll always find a way back" Dark Josie replied gasping for air, slowly dying.
"We'll see" Josie replied and bent down to place a parting kiss on Dark Josie's forehead as it was finally over once and for all.
_______
Meanwhile,
When Alaric and Izel had departed, Izel had left to go check on Hope while Alaric had went with the Necromancer to the Crypt where Josie's body lay unconscious and called Lizzie to fulfill his end of the deal.
So as her body lay in a circle surrounded by candles, Lizzie chanted,
"Magia tollox de terras"
And the Necromancer stood there with an eager look waiting for his magic.
"Magia tollox de terras"
She continued and soon the black veins started disappearing from her face.
"Magia tollox de terras"
The Black Magic started rising out of her body and the Necromancer stepped forward ready for it.
"Magia tollox de terras"
And as she chanted those words, the magic rose and went straight into the Necromancer's body and he screamed in glee or pain, they didn't know.
"Solvo"
She finished the spell and the candles went out as the Necromancer hit the ground. But they didn't care about that. All they cared about, was Josie. She was freed. She was back.
So they gently lifted her and took her back to her room. Home.
_______
Later,
After everything had happened, Josie was still asleep so Lizzie had decided to meet two people and thank them. MG and Izel. What they did today, was the best thing anyone has done for her. And she found Izel near the fireplace. She looked to be waiting for the time to pass. She sat down beside her,
"Hey" and softly greeted.
Izel turned to her with a small smile, "Hey" and greeted back and went back to looking at the fireplace.
Not being able to be still in the silence, "I wanted to say, thank you. For what you did today" Lizzie blurted.
"I just pointed out the truth" Izel replied shrugging.
"But, you didn't have to. I wasn't really dead so you didn't really have to correct anyone. But you still did. And I really appreciate that" Lizzie said next.
"As I said, I just pointed out the truth everyone was overlooking. And besides, it wasn't just me. MG's 'Lizzie appreciation' was better than mine and don't even argue" Izel replied with a small grin.
Lizzie grinned back.
"You should thank him too. He deserves it" Izel added then.
"I know. He deserves that and much more. And that's what I was going to do after this" Lizzie replied with a fond smile.
"Well, you can go and appreciate him now and I can go and check on Hope and see if she's woken up" Izel replied getting up.
Lizzie followed, "You know, it's like Déjà vu" and said.
Izel looked at her confused.
"When the Necromancer first came here and put you in a magical coma, Hope wouldn't stop checking up on you every minute and dad had to get her to sit or take a walk. And now as she's in a magical coma, you're the exact same" Lizzie stated.
Izel was shocked and surprised at hearing that.
"Anyways, I'll see you lovebirds later. Bye" Lizzie added with a grin and walked away.
Izel grinned back and walked towards her next destination herself.
_______
Next, Lizzie met MG and she wanted to thank him in a special way. Because when you think about it, a Eulogy was a story that we tell ourselves about someone that we lost. But since MG was immortal, he may never get a Eulogy. So she decided to write him one. Here it goes,
The story of MG. He was the son of a preacher and a shady government operative. He kept what was good from each and let go of the bad. He had his own demons. But even when they chased him into the dark, he never stayed there. Instead, he danced like the sparkler and smiled like the sun. He wrote a new story everyday and reminded her to always find the light.
That's as far as she got. But, looks like it just hasn't been written yet. And then she told him how she didn't want to feel alone because of Josie gone and thanking him for bearing her through all of it, MG took it with an understanding smile.
And just as she had been about to leave to tell everyone how she wasn't really dead, they found her first. And just like that, the people that once hated her and stayed clear of her, were hugging her and seeing her in a new light, happy to have their friend back.
_______
The Twins' Room,
Right now, Josie was seated on her bed holding a coin with her dad sitting across from her. She had freshened up and changed into her own clothes.
Then she voiced, "Thank you. For not giving up on me. Even though I did deserve it"
"You know, one of the many joys of being your father is getting to see you slowly figure out how much you deserve. And one day, you'll realize that what you deserve is to never be given up on" he simply replied.
"Tell me that when the all powerful Necromancer comes back" Josie replied then in a voice just above a whisper. Any higher, she thought she would breakdown.
"We'll deal with him when the time comes. I'm not going to lose another student" he replied then.
Josie just sighed and instead, held the coin in her hand and covered it with her other and said, "Oribus turae felio" and both her hands glowed orange before it stopped.
"I saw your biological mother do a spell like that once. Did you just?" he asked curious.
Getting up, she said, "I just, put my siphon powers into this coin. Just-Just for a while. Till I'm ready to use it" and went over to her piggy bank and put it inside.
And at the door, stood Izel. She had come to see if Josie was up but when she saw the father daughter talking, she was about to turn around and leave. But before she could complete that, Alaric called out,
"You don't have to go. I was just leaving"
At that Josie's eyes snapped to look at Izel too.
"Um.. No, it's okay. I can uh come by later" Izel awkwardly said.
"No, it's fine. I'll see you later" Alaric replied and with a smile and a last hug to his daughter, he left the room.
After looking at Josie who pretty much refused to meet her eyes, Izel unsurely said standing at the doorway, "I can still come by later if you want..." because she had no idea if Josie wanted her there right now or not.
Finally after a long silence, Josie spoke, "No, no. Come in" in a small voice.
Izel slowly moved in closing the door behind her and stood awkwardly not knowing where to start.
After a lot of overthinking, she finally went with, "How are you feeling...?"
"Fine" Josie replied looking down at her now crossed hands.
And even if Izel wasn't paying attention, she would've been able to tell that was a lie. Though she doesn't blame her for lying.
So instead she said softly, "How about the truth this time?"
"Why do you think that wasn't it?" Josie asked then.
"You are a terrible liar" Izel replied shrugging.
In answer, Josie just sighed. Not wanting to argue right now.
Izel stood there patiently waiting for her to continue if she wanted to or change the subject or kick her out. Any of the three honestly.
After a long while, she finally did, "I'm just.... Tired. And drained. And definitely not fine" she finished with a light scoff.
Izel nodded with a small smile, "Yeah, I understand how you feel. And I won't tell you that it'll be just fine, because it won't. But it'll get better. You'll heal. Just like every Brave person" she found herself repeating Freya's words. That day she hadn't have believed her a bit. But coming so far, she understood what she meant.
"I'm not Brave. I'm just, broken" Josie replied in a small voice.
"Maybe. But every Brave person was once broken too" Izel replied with a smile.
Josie looked at her for any indication that she was just saying it to make her feel better. She didn't find one. So she believed every word she said.
And finally replied, "Thank you" with a small smile.
Izel smiled back in acknowledgement.
Then after what looked like a lot of thinking, Josie said, "I wanted to talk to you about something.."
"Yeah?" Izel asked.
"About what you said in the kitchen..." Josie added to hint at what she was referring to.
Izel's eyes widened in surprise, "You remember that??"
"It's actually one of the only two things I remember.." Josie replied.
Then she added, "I tried to talk, you know? I tried to answer. I tried to say something. But she didn't let me. I was there but I couldn't do anything but watch" Josie admitted in a small voice.
Izel nodded taking it all in. That means she did see the 'real' Josie there.
Josie continued, "And please don't do that. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known" she tried to convey.
"But that's the thing, Josie. I should've known. I spent time with you for god's sake. I should've atleast known something was up. I should've helped you or prevented it" Izel replied.
"No! You couldn't have. There's this thing I have been doing for like, my whole life. I bury my feelings instead of facing them. Which was also the reason dark me existed in the first place. My whole life I've hidden how I felt so dad didn't have to worry about me on top of Lizzie too. And I've gotten so used to it, I still do it. And I've gotten so good at it, no one can tell. Not even my twin. So please don't blame yourself. It's my fault. I should've said something" Josie hesitantly explained in a small voice.
And Izel understood everything she said. She knows too well about hiding your feelings so others don't have to worry.
So she started softly with an understanding expression, "I know what you mean. Too well. So, from experience and not to make you feel bad, an advice? Feel. I know it can be scary. Terrifying, even. But feel. Let it all in. It'll hurt. You'll feel like shit. But everyone feels. Even if it's not all good things. It only becomes a problem when someone doesn't. So, embrace your emotions. Because it'll be better than feeling numb and waiting for it to blow up in your face. Because believe me, that's even worse. Even when you think it won't be" she explained.
Josie nodded with tears in her eyes. Then she said, "I'm sorry for never asking you how you were"
"It's alright. I'm fine" Izel replied with a small smile.
Josie gave her a look to which Izel added,
"Not really fine. But I'm getting there" she corrected herself with a mild eye roll.
Josie gave a small grin at that.
Then her expression turned serious and she asked, "So... You're not going to blame yourself now, are you?" she asked unsurely. She had to know.
Izel sighed in reply.
Josie added then, "If you'll blame yourself, I'll blame myself and then, we'll both be miserable"
So Izel replied, "How about this. I help you and in return, you can help me. Deal?" with a smile.
Josie smiled back, "Deal"
_______
The Headmaster's Office,
While everyone was finding answers for countless things around the school, the things concerning two people, didn't have an answer.
Because while on the other hand Rafael, Alyssa, and Chad were freed and back with their heartbeats, Landon hadn't woken up.
But that wasn't the only problem.
Hope won't wake up either....
The End.
_______
So?! How did you like the 'finale'??
How did you like the whole Necromancer scene with Izel?? I personally loved it. What about you??
And how did you like Izel's 'Lizzie Appreciation'? Let me know! And honestly, I felt so bad for Lizzie in this episode. She didn't deserve that tbh.
Also, did you like the conversation between Josie and Izel?? I felt like it was needed. Let me know if you liked it!
Also, I should probably apologize for making y'all remember Klaus, Elijah, and Hayley's deaths... 💔
And btw, I really hated that Legacies had to end earlier. The only I didn't like about the Pandemic honestly 😂. But yeah, the last four episodes were shifted to first four episodes of S3 which we will get in January so that's great ✌🏻😑
Anyways, let me know how did you like the chapter in general! Any favorite moments? Let me know! ❤️
And, for the last time, if you enjoyed, don't forget to vote to let me know and comment if you want to! I love your msgs ❣️
Also, a side note, as I said before, I do have some Hosie one shots written and will write more so if you're interested in those stick around I'll post those here and there ✌🏻❣️
But before I go, I need to thank you all for reading. I'm already at 2.2k+ reads and 170+ votes. And my first book has crossed 34k+ reads and 830+ votes! I honestly can't believe this. I'm really very grateful for each and every read and vote and all the love I've received. Thank you ❤️❤️
Thanks for coming on this crazy journey with me and Izel. Till next time! ✌🏻❤️