Crescent Moon

Part 28

The next morning, the Mikaelson's were weary after finding that Caroline had disappeared. Klaus woke alone, she was nowhere in the house and Sidra couldn't find her. "It feels like she's everywhere, in the light, in the darkness, in all things" Sidra commented. The second she woke, everything around her felt off, Sidra almost felt invaded by the feeling. "The darkness that has fallen upon the earth is very old and very empty. A never ending hunger that will seek out and destroy all things until its had its fill" Sidra told Enzo. The two, while free from the armory, were still glued to one another's side, he accompanied her where ever she went to "protect" her. Sidra had been working with the witches to find Hope while the others had readied their small army for war. 

"Have you heard from your mother?" Klaus asked Henrik who wanted to go over the plan once more before nightfall. "If anyone is more capable of taking care of themselves, it's mom. We can end the war of the sire lines, tonight. For once Dad, stay focused on the task!" Henrik yelled before speeding away. Elijah and Kol waited on the blow up but Klaus slumped back in his chair. "He needs his sister. Rik didn't mean it" Kol sighed. 

Caroline had been searching all morning for Sen (pronounced Sin) but the she'd vanished, both her and the shop. Not even a trace of Sen's magic lingered. "The burden is yours now. I'm sorry" a young woman approached with caution. Caroline took the girl in, she felt like she knew her, but couldn't recall  her face. "My true name is Zika. I look much different now that I'm free from the clutches of the hollow" she shrugged. Caroline was in awe, it was Sen. "What is the hollow?" Caroline asked. Hanging her head, Zika invited Caroline to walk with her, it would be a very long story. Zika told Caroline that her tribe long ago, in attempt to create a stronger witch and bring prosperity to their people turned to unconventional practices. The tribe subjected a pregnant woman to various rituals, but when the child was born she only craved more power. "Before being given its current name, the girl was called Inadu" Zika whispered. Inadu was insatiable, hunting and killing supernaturals of all kinds to make herself stronger, eventually she'd become too strong for even the elders to restrain. When a plot to kill Inadu rose, she cursed her tribe "Inadu created the werewolf curse as punishment for those who tried to kill her" Zika continued while Caroline had yet to see what it had to do with her. Over time, the magic absorbed became too great causing Inadu to shed her earthly body which could no longer contain it. "Inadu is darkness, a hollow, power-hungry entity that swallowed the light and brought the worse in the ones she possessed. A plague" Zika sniffed. Years later a shaman found a way to trap the hollow within her descendants. The curse was passed throughout the years, a baby girl was chosen before her first shift to contain the hollow until it became too strong, she was then sacrificed and the hollow passed to the next child. "That's insane! I won't pass this on to anyone!" Caroline screamed. Zika was sure that Caroline was the witch of their legends, the one to rid the world of the hollow forever. "Legends say that the witch of legend would bring a light that could not be stifled, that she bore the light that would finally consume the darkness" the young girl smiled. Caroline was lost in thought, an evil much older than anything she'd ever heard of now lingered in her veins, lurking just below the surface of her skin, clawing at her insides. "You feel it. The hunger for power" Zika whispered. Caroline was the perfect vessel for the hollow, not only was she immortal, Caroline was more than capable of containing the power of Inadu forever. "How do I get rid of it?" Caroline begged, Zika was unsure. "Go back to where it started, find the descendants of Inadu. They created this curse, they'll know how to end it" Zika offered. After saying their goodbyes, Caroline prepared to return to her family, unaware that it had gotten so late. Saying nothing, Caroline noticed a scar on Zika's shoulder, a scar resembling the crescent wolf birth mark. 

Dahlia paced her small living area, angry that she had yet to harness to magic of Hope's blood though she had renewed hope. "She wants your cousin too, the first born of Nikoli" Freya whispered to Hope that evening. While in the company of her aunt, Hope had learned much about the Mikaelson's, about her grandmother. "We have to try again, we have to talk to Henrik. If Sid is free then my mother is awake and she could help free you" Hope begged. Freya declined, having her own means of escape but it was risky, for her at least. Dahlia was making preparations to retrieve Sidra and it was then that Freya warned they too could leave but they would have to find Caroline quickly. "I am bound by my mothers curse, The curse of Firstborns" Freya revealed. Freya told Hope that long ago Esther could not have children, so in exchange for a fertility spell, Esther promised her sister her first born child. "It wasn't just Esther's first born, it's every first born Mikaelson child. You and Henrik are twins but you came first, Sidra is Kol's first born child" Freya continued. "You don't know Sidra, and you certainly don't know my mother" Hope sighed. 

With this new information provided by Zika, Caroline raced home but found it empty, remembering the raid. Her husband and son, along with the rest of her family were fighting for their very existence and suddenly a rage unlike Caroline had ever felt surrounded her; a rage she knew was not all her own. After tracking the rest of the family, Caroline sped away to join them. "Is everyone in position?" Henrik whispered to Tyler who checked in with the hybrids. They were ready. The Mikaelson army stormed the warehouse simultaneously, seemingly catching the crowd off guard. "Thank you for coming, all of you. You abandoned the Strix long ago Elijah, but with the extinction of your family and the rest of their lines, you can lead us once more" Tristan grinned. The oracle, who'd warned the Mikaelsons of the war casually walked into view along with a slew of additional vampires, surrounding the Mikaelson army. With out stretched hands, the Mikaelson army fell to their knees in agony, the woman's words were much too low to hear but clearly effective as the originals were separated from the rest of them and a white oak stake was produced. "With the extinction of the other lines, only yours will remain Elijah. A race of superior vampires with you as our leader" Tristian grinned, tying Elijah down with vervain ropes. "You will all die, kill me now or I hunt you down and kill you all later" Elijah growled when he heard the order to slaughter the others. Before anyone could react, the doors blew from the hinges, the wind whipped wildly and Caroline casually strolled through the door. Everyone in attendance was in awe, Caroline stood with glowing blue eyes, blue veins running up her arms and a dark shadow surrounding her. The oracle stretched forth her hand but Caroline was at her side in a second, biting into her neck and drinking her dry. Without the influence of the oracle, the Mikaelson army began tearing through the masses but the evil within Caroline had other plans. No words were spoken, Caroline simply lifted her hands and all the vampires who'd gathered against her family began to whither away and die. Henrik along with the rest of the immediate family were horrified watching the energy left behind from the massacre surround Caroline, allowing her to absorb it. "Caroline" Klaus called. She stood a moment, trying to cope, unable to stomach what the hollow had forced her to do but at the same time she felt nothing. "Everything must die" Caroline smirked. Once freed, Elijah himself, tore apart the leaders of the Strix, leaving Tristan for last. "More will come. The war of the sire lines will not stop with us" Tristan choked out. Caroline through the blood of the oracle had seen that he was telling the truth, but she'd also seen their way out. "She could have prevented it, there was another way" Caroline rolled her eyes. The others looked at her like she had two heads, when Caroline first arrived the darkness surrounding her was suffocating, but after the slaughter of the Strix she was back to normal. "What happened to you love? What have you done?" Klaus asked, staring her in the face. 

"I've been given a task bigger than anything we've ever faced. I must give life to death. Promise me Niklaus, that no matter what happens, no matter what I become, that you'll stay by my side until this ends" Caroline whispered. "What does that mean love? What will you become?" he asked, pulling her off to the side. "Not will... I am death, the death of all things light".