r.i.p to my youth <<>> mercy mikaelson

twenty-three

| family (n): all the descendants from a common ancestor |

KLAUS GASPED AWAKE, his heart pounding a frantic beat against his chest as he shot upward into a sitting position. His mind was whirring, thoughts shooting to Mercy and what she had said before his neck snapped so abruptly. She had looked so different from the loving and happy girl he knew her as, and his worry grew tenfold at the fact that he wasn't with her anymore. He jumped to his feet, looking around the Abattoir to see that the sky was dark and his surroundings were covered with a blue tint. The only other time he'd seen this cerulean color on the world was when he was under the Hollow's influence, and he had to admit that his heart sped up at the thought.

He looked around his new surroundings, feeling a certain edge of magic in the air. As if he was moving out of his control, he opened the balcony doors, stepping into the night air and placing his hands on the railing. He could feel a pressure here, as if something was trying to keep him inside the house, and Klaus frowned. Outside of the Abattoir, the streets of New Orleans were quiet—which was his first sign that something wasn't right. His second sign was approaching from just behind his back, and Klaus felt himself tense.

"Every last exit is sealed," Elijah's voice sounded the same, but Klaus knew that what laid underneath was nothing like his brother; he proved that the day that he stood against Klaus's plan to rescue Mercy and Hayley. "If you're thinking about jumping, don't. I already tried it." Klaus turned away from the balcony to face his estranged brother, keeping his expression neutral and masked. Elijah didn't seem to notice, continuing on in his rant. "I landed in the world's most pretentious wine cellar."

"You sorted it by vintage," Klaus was quick to point out, raising an eyebrow at his brother's confused face. "You don't remember, do you? I thought Marcel was intent on retrieving your memories."

"He was. He failed," Elijah was just as fast as Klaus with his rebuttal. "I still remember absolutely nothing, and Antoinette is dying."

"Is she?" Klaus asked with a lilt in his voice, suddenly amused by the other Mikaelson's words. The hybrid acted as if he were thinking for a moment before pointing a finger at Elijah. "Right. Yes, I'd forgotten."

"What the hell are we doing here?" Elijah questioned. "What is this place? This is dangerous, you and I here together."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "We're not actually together here, are we?" He asked rhetorically, not even waiting for an answer before continuing. "Not physically, at least. It's called a Chambre de Chasse." He explained with frustration. If Elijah actually remembered most of his life, he would understand this concept just as much—if not more—than Klaus himself. "It's a magical mental prison designed to resemble our home. But don't worry," he paused, seeing Elijah's perplexed and distraught look. "There's always a way out: a game or a riddle."

Elijah shook his head, still staring straight at Klaus. "How do we solve this riddle?" He asked, but Klaus only smirked mockingly at him.

"We don't do anything," the hybrid said casually, stepping forward so that he was only a foot away from his brother. "We're square, you and I. You almost got Hayley and Mercy killed, and Antoinette will die because of me." He smirked wickedly, his old ways coming to the forefront while Elijah swallowed tightly. "I would hate to upset that delicate balance, so I'm going to find my way out, and you're on your own."