On My Own (TVD Series)

The Power of Dreaming

Standing at the edge of the table, I pulled out a stack of notes Kai and I had uncovered during our stay in New Orleans. Spreading them apart along the table, everyone else had huddled around them while Stefan stood at the other end with his arms across his chest, staring at me silently.

"So, what you're saying is this stone isn't an amplifier?" Ric questioned, pushing back one of the letters.

"No, it's a prison world..."

"Like the one's your mother created?" Tyler added.

"...Yeah, but it's different. The origin of the stone in the beginning of its creation was white, only until it was linked to a supernatural force, it eventually turned red."

"That would explain the sketch..." Ric mumbled.

"So, that's it? It just holds someone inside?" Caroline asked.

"Not exactly. The stone has the ability to kill any vampire once trapped inside the stone, however if the vampire is resurrected, the only way they could survive is if they returned to their original body."

"And if they can't?"

"If they return to the body of a human, they will eventually die with their host." I added.

"And is there a spell to imprison and remove?" Damon mumbled.

"Unless you know any shaman traditions, then sure...but nothing in my grimoires does it ever mention this...phoenix stone."

"...you named it?" Stefan finally voiced out.

"It makes sense. On this paper, it says the stone can create a channel between the spirit inside the stone and the body the stone is touching...wouldn't that be considered a linking spell?" Caroline blurted out.

"That's what Kai and I thought, but without the correct spell, it's just another prison world."

"And you're sure this is what Lilian is after?" Damon added.

"That's what Enzo told me...she wanted to send him to the West Coast in search of it, but then everything that I told you happened."

"And now?"

"Now, I don't know what she's planning...Enzo and I thought it best that I left while he's in search for it first. That's when I remembered Ric..."

"Wait, why?" Tyler asked.

"Because I found it."

"Wait...you have it?" Caroline blurted out, smacking his shoulder.

"Yes, and ow!"

"When I came back Ric made me promise not to say anything until he could find where it came from. But then Lilian's interest peaked..."

"I was going to ask but then Stefan sent Lauren away, and I thought that it would be better and safer if she used that time to research it." Ric added, looking over to his right at Stefan.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked him as he continued to watch me from across the room.

"If I say anything, it isn't going to be what you want to hear...but sure. I think it was stupid of you to leave the house when you knew what our plan was. You were our inside man you even thought of the idea yourself. And now, all we have is this stone with no idea how to unleash it while also not knowing what Lilian's plan to do with it is."

"I left because I realized that whatever plan you had was nothing compared to what Lilian was already planning. I just told you what this stone is capable of, if we somehow find a way to unleash whatever is inside and then trap Lilian and the others-"