CHAOS BACK AGAIN

11

Henrik wandered away from the village, his small feet carrying him through the dense underbrush as he searched for his brother Niklaus. The air was crisp, the scent of pine and earth filling his lungs, but an unsettling feeling was growing in his chest. He had asked everyone—Finn and Elijah, even Rebekah and Kol but no one seemed to know where Niklaus had gone.

"Have you seen Niklaus?" he had asked Finn, but Finn had merely shaken his head, preoccupied with his own thoughts. Elijah, always the most responsible of his siblings, had gently ruffled Henrik's hair but offered no answer. Rebekah had been too absorbed in her own daydreams to notice, and Kol, well, Kol was always off in his own world, causing mischief and hardly paying attention to anything that didn't directly entertain him.

When he asked his father, Mikael, Henrik had been surprised by the response—or rather, the lack of one. His father hadn't even turned to look at him, hadn't hurled an insult about Niklaus being weak or useless as he usually did. Instead, Mikael had simply continued sharpening his blade, his jaw set, his eyes cold and distant. The lack of an answer was more disturbing than any harsh words could have been. It wasn't like his father to ignore a question about Niklaus. He should have been angry, should have muttered something under his breath about his middle son's failings. But today, nothing.

A chill ran down Henrik's spine. He knew something was wrong. The quiet worry that had started in his heart was growing stronger with each passing moment. He decided to search the forest, knowing how much Niklaus loved the solitude of the woods. The landscape was a vast expanse of green, the forest stretching out like an endless sea. Henrik moved cautiously, dodging low-hanging branches and skirting around thick roots that jutted out of the ground. He had always been nimble, his small frame allowing him to navigate the terrain with ease.

The further he ventured from the village, the more his anxiety grew. It wasn't just his brother's absence that troubled him it was the silence that hung in the air. The forest was unusually quiet today, the only sounds the rustling of leaves and the distant call of a bird. He had hoped to hear the familiar sounds of Niklaus's laughter or even the rhythmic thud of his footsteps, but there was nothing.

As he pushed through the final thicket, he emerged by the river that flowed near their village. It was a place he knew well—a place all the siblings knew well. The river's gentle current babbled softly, the water clear and cold. Henrik's heart leaped with a mix of relief and apprehension when he finally spotted Niklaus. He was sitting alone on the riverbank, his back turned to the village, his body hunched forward as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Niklaus was throwing stones into the water, his motions slow and deliberate. Each stone skipped across the surface, creating ripples that expanded outward before dissolving into the river's gentle flow. Henrik watched him for a moment, noting the way Niklaus's shoulders seemed to sag with each throw. There was a heaviness in his movements that Henrik wasn't used to seeing.

He approached quietly, his bare feet making little sound on the soft earth. "Nik?" he called softly, not wanting to startle him. Niklaus didn't turn around immediately, but Henrik saw his shoulders stiffen slightly, as if he had heard but was unsure whether to respond.

"Nik, what are you doing out here?" Henrik asked again, his voice louder this time, carrying more of the concern he felt.

Niklaus finally turned his head, just enough for Henrik to see his profile. His face was drawn, his eyes distant and troubled. "Just thinking," he replied, his voice low and heavy. "Needed to get away from the village for a bit."

Henrik took a seat next to him, close enough to offer silent support but not so close as to crowd him. He studied his older brother's face, trying to decipher the emotions playing out behind those deep, dark eyes. "Thinking about what?" Henrik asked gently.