𝟏• 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 | 𝐓𝐕𝐃 ✓

𝐓𝐄𝐍

"THE ORIGINAL HERETIC. SHE IS, IN A WAY, like us witches." Aurelia sat in the shadows, watching quietly over the children at the other end of the room, with the elder sitting in front of them. Faces illuminated by the occasionally wavering fire a few feet away from them, the vampire made sure to watch over the pair of twins she had come back to check on every few years.

She had last seen them in secret—without Niklaus and Rebekah—when they were newborns. They were six as they sat there with curious looks on their faces, cute and innocent smiles pushing their cheeks up like apples. "Has she not passed?" Chuckling once at the quick question from one of the two blonde twins, Aurelia looked at the elder who had the same reaction as she had.

"Gemina, dear, let me tell the story first." Giggles filled the group at the woman's sweet comment, and Gemina sat back with folded arms, ignoring as her brother nudged her with stifled laughter. "As mentioned, she is like us. But she isn't entirely."

Aurelia had heard this story a few times from witches she had met while with her family, but sat back and watched. She enjoyed all different versions of the fable.

"Legend has it, that she had no magic of her own. She was a special kind of witch, and the first one to be as such." Sighing through her words, the elderly began to shake her head. "Of course, witches are quite peculiar about their magic—an entirely different witch for whom no explanation could be offered was terrifying. Their only solution was to shun her, to let her know that she was weak." A small pause ensured when the woman's lips turned up into an unreadable smile. "They were wrong. You see, this special witch could absorb magic from anything that had magic."

"Absorb?" Aurelia hadn't looked in time to see who questioned the storyteller, too caught up in the explanation.

"Yes, Seraphina, absorb." The answer was kind and slow, showing that she was patient with her words. "Say, your amulet. Or a... ground with strong, violent magic. She could simply put her hand on it and take the magic away, storing it within her to be used up. This...cryptic, mysterious being was more powerful than the normal witches when she absorbed magic." A small chuckle followed. "This was why the witches were so bent on making her feel weak."

Aurelia had to stifle a laugh at how this story came closer to the true story than any other had, even to the point where it made the witches seem like the villain of the story.

"WAY TO GET HER HOPES UP for something that's never happened on the history of vampirism." Damon dryly remarked, gaze focused on the empty glass sitting on the kitchen counter in front of him as he opened up a bottle of whiskey he had found in one of Elena's kitchen cabinets. "If you were gonna be so wishful, you should've just..." Trailing off, he poured the bitter drink into the glass, the satisfying glug of the liquid filling up the sudden silence.

"You know what," Stefan finally spun around to face his brother, tired of hearing the comments and chaffs his brother had been throwing around all day. " You weren't there that day when she looked me in the eye and told me she absolutely never wanted this." Sending a glare towards the older of the pair, Stefan nearly spat his statement out with venom.

"Well," Damon exhaled, looking at the younger with a spiteful expression. "If you're so defensive about this, then you shouldn't have let her die." He arched an eyebrow as he spoke, before raising the glass to his lips. "Right now, your words are as confusing as that mini earthquake last night."

"What the hell do last night's tremors have to do with this?"

"I don't know, I was just incorporating a comparison so my point would get through your very clearly thick skull."