Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Quest

Chapter 39

Freya explained to them how they would enter into Elijah's subconscious mind. The three of them would join hands and Freya would be Elijah's guide. They would enter first then Angelica would follow on her own. Freya explained to Charlie that she needed him to stand guard and told him how to break the link if he needed to due to danger. Charlie nodded and told her he understood.

They joined hands and soon Elijah, Freya and Angelica were standing together in the white hallway with all the doors. Angelica looked at the different adornments on the doors, at how each symbol had meaning for Elijah and behind each door a memory, good, bad or ugly, but a thousand years of memories. "Which way?" asked Freya, and Angelica looked both ways then started down the hallway following her intuition more than memory. She found the door that memorialized Henrik Finn's fifth birthday party and summarized to them what had occurred there previously. She then moved on down the hallway, commenting, "I remember being here," as she touched the golden angel wings door.

Directly across from the door with the angel's wings was the red door, and it was open. Elijah stopped both women and stood between them and doorway that was open. As Elijah looked in he found himself looking straight at the barbaric version of himself, the cold and calculating monster that terrified Hayley Marshall to her very core. The real Elijah and the barbaric Elijah stood nearly toe to toe with the threshold in between them but the barbaric Elijah merely stood his ground as Freya and Angelica walked passed them further down the hallway. As Elijah stepped away from the doorway the barbaric Elijah followed him with his eyes until they were out of sight.

Angelica ran her finger along the wall as she walked down the hallway, touching each door she passed as Elijah and Freya followed. She eventually stopped in front of the door adorned with the Alpha symbol, finding it closed. She looked at Elijah and he furrowed his brow, trying to recall what might be behind that door, but he did not know.

Freya cautioned about going inside as the real Elijah confronting memories in his own subconscious could be a dangerous thing. Angelica touched the adornment and was mesmerized by the symbol. Elijah moved next to her and reached with his hand to hers, to move her hand off the symbol. As both of their hands touched the symbol, a burst of energy forced the door open and knocked Freya out of Elijah's mind. She gasped as she opened her eyes in the kitchen. A burst of electricity emanated from Elijah and Angelica causing Freya to release her grip on them. She looked at Charlie and touched Elijah's hand, but withdrew it quickly again from the electrical charge. Freya was cut off from both Elijah and Angelica by some unknown force and she and Charlie were helpless to intervene.

Inside of Elijah's mind, Elijah and Angelica were unaffected by the burst and instead the door had opened wide from their collective touch, revealing a lush forest inside. Inside the room were another version of Angelica and Elijah. "I remember this place, Elijah, it is safe, come on!" Angelica took his hand and they walked through the door together.

Once inside, the door disappeared and they were surrounded by the greenest of forests. A trickling stream could be heard nearby and birds were chirping in the trees. It was a beautiful and serene paradise. "I don't know what memory this is, I have never been here before," spoke Elijah, as he looked around him. The versions of themselves that they had seen initially in the room vanished. "I don't think this is a memory," she replied. Elijah looked perplexed at her response, then asked, "How is this not a memory? We just saw ourselves. If it is not a memory then what is this place?" Angelica explained, "I believe we are no longer in your subconscious mind. I believe this is some sort of neutral territory that exists between realms. It took both of us to open the door and whoever wanted us to find it does not want any other witnesses."

Elijah digested her revelation, trying to grasp the metaphysical complexity of it all but he had questions. "I don't understand, Angelica, you said you remembered the room but if this is not a memory, then ...," his voice trailed off. "We only know time as linear, Elijah, a single line from which there is no going back, only forward. But that is how time works in our realm. Theoretically speaking, the temporal experience is different in other realms. When I entered your mind, I could experience hours and days pass. But in our reality only seconds elapsed in our world. Imagine a realm occupied by beings where the past, the present and the future are all seen at once, like standing in the middle of a circle."

Elijah remarked, "Henrik Finn would absolutely love this discussion with you on theoretical physics, I'm regretting not paying closer to attention to those philosophical debates. So you are saying that when you entered my mind and found this room last week it happened but it had not happened yet?" Angelica smiled, "Exactly, my love, perhaps you were paying closer attention that you thought." Elijah looked at her and stated the obvious, "That seems ... impossible." Angelica responded, "Of course, because we only know of our own experience. But I think someone is trying to contact us from the other realm which is why I was drawn back in."

Suddenly, a low humming could be heard then four points of light appeared and swirled around Angelica and Elijah until stopping in air surrounding the couple. Elijah pulled Angelica in to him to protect her but Angelica was only fascinated by this turn of events. Four female voices spoke; finishing the other's sentences and at times speaking simultaneously in perfect synchronization. As they spoke the light pulsed. The voices stated in unison, "The daughter of Venus understands."