The love for my enemy

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Truth of the Blade

The house was still, the weight of an uneasy calm pressing against its walls. Arianna paced the length of the library, her thoughts a hurricane of doubt, frustration, and anticipation. The Blade sat on the heavy oak table, glowing faintly, its hum filling the room like a heartbeat.

She could feel it calling to her, its power swirling deep inside her veins, whispering secrets she didn’t understand. Klaus sat in the corner, watching her silently, his usual smirk absent. For once, he looked as concerned as she felt.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” he muttered, finally breaking the silence.

Arianna shot him a look but didn’t stop. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

Before Klaus could respond, the front door burst open, the sound echoing through the house. Both of them turned just as Damon stumbled into the room, bruised and battered, his face streaked with blood.

“Damon!” Arianna rushed toward him, but he held up a hand, stopping her in her tracks.

“I’m fine,” he said hoarsely. “But we’ve got bigger problems.”

Klaus rose from his seat, his expression instantly hardening. “Care to elaborate?”

Damon looked between the two of them, his usual sarcasm absent. “The Blade—it’s not just a weapon. It’s a key. I found the answer in Sebastian’s old hideout.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a tattered journal, tossing it onto the table next to the Blade.

Arianna’s heart skipped a beat as she stared at it. “A key to what?”

“To a prison,” Damon said grimly. “Sebastian wasn’t just trying to use the Blade for power—he was trying to unleash something. Something ancient. He called it the Shadowborn.”

Klaus’s brows furrowed. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Neither had I,” Damon replied, wincing as he leaned against the table. “But according to Sebastian’s notes, the Shadowborn is some kind of primordial entity. It was imprisoned centuries ago, and the Blade of Thorns was split in two to seal it away.”

Arianna felt a chill crawl down her spine. “But the Blade’s whole now. We put the halves together.”

“Exactly,” Damon said, looking at her pointedly. “And now that it’s whole, it’s waking up.”

The room fell silent as the weight of his words sank in. Klaus’s face darkened as he turned to Arianna. “You said you felt it calling to you. Are you saying it’s been speaking to you?”

Arianna hesitated, her hands trembling as she finally admitted, “It’s more like whispers. Dreams I can’t quite remember. I thought it was just the power... but maybe it’s this thing trying to get out.”

Damon looked at Klaus, his expression grim. “If it does get out, nothing will stop it. Not you, not me, not Arianna. It’ll tear this world apart.”

Arianna’s voice was barely a whisper. “Then how do we stop it?”

Klaus looked at Damon. “You wouldn’t have brought this to us without an answer, would you?”

Damon nodded, pulling the journal closer and flipping through its crumbling pages. “There’s a ritual—something Sebastian never got to try. The Blade has to be purified, and it has to be done by the one who carries its power.” His eyes locked with Arianna’s. “That’s you.”

Arianna’s throat tightened. “Purified how?”

Damon hesitated. “You’re not going to like it.”

“Spit it out,” Klaus growled, clearly losing patience.

Damon sighed. “You’ll have to channel all of its power into yourself—every last drop. If you can hold it long enough, the Blade will burn itself clean. But the catch is, it’ll try to consume you in the process.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Arianna swallowed hard. “And if I fail?”

Damon didn’t look away. “Then you die, and the Shadowborn is unleashed.”

Klaus’s face hardened, and in an instant, he was on his feet, his voice cold and furious. “Absolutely not. There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t,” Damon snapped. “I read everything. This is it.”

Arianna’s heart pounded in her chest as the reality of the situation sank in. She could feel the Blade thrumming on the table, as if it knew what they were discussing, as if it was taunting her.

Klaus turned to her, his blue eyes blazing with intensity. “You’re not doing this. I won’t let you.”

“You don’t get to make that decision for me,” Arianna shot back, her voice shaking.

Klaus’s face was etched with anger, but beneath it, she could see the fear. “This thing will destroy you, Arianna. You think I’m going to stand here and watch that happen?”

“It’s not your choice,” she said softly, though her voice trembled. “If I don’t do this, everyone dies. You. Damon. Stefan. Elena. Everyone I care about. I can’t let that happen.”

Klaus turned away, running a hand through his hair. “There has to be another way,” he muttered, but his voice lacked conviction.

Damon stepped forward. “We don’t have time for this. The Blade’s power is growing stronger by the hour. If we don’t act soon, it’ll be too late.”

Arianna took a shaky breath, her eyes landing on the Blade. Its glow pulsed brighter now, as if it could sense her resolve.

“I’ll do it,” she said quietly.

Both Klaus and Damon turned to her, their faces etched with concern. Klaus looked ready to argue again, but Arianna stepped toward him, placing a hand on his chest.

“Trust me,” she whispered. “I can do this.”

Klaus stared at her, his eyes stormy with emotion. After a long pause, he nodded stiffly, though she could see the anguish in his gaze. “If you’re doing this, then I’m not leaving your side.”

“Neither am I,” Damon added, stepping up beside her.

Arianna looked between the two of them, her heart aching at the thought of what might come next. But there was no turning back now. The Blade’s whispers grew louder, and the room seemed to hum with its energy.

“This ends tomorrow,” Arianna said, her voice steady. “One way or another.”

Klaus and Damon exchanged a glance before nodding. They would fight together, whatever the cost.

As Arianna picked up the Blade, its glow flared brighter than ever, and for the first time, the whispers turned into words.

“I am coming.”