"Perhaps I'm not making myself clear here.
This is a threat."

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   HENRIK TRIED HIS BEST TO IGNORE how his heart pounded as he walked into the school grounds. The last time he was here, he left quite a departing message to the faculty. It may or may not have included fire. He wasn't anxious about them per se, but the actual place just brought bad memories. Angry memories. The good thing was he arrived on the first week of school, so he could easily blend with the other students. Hopefully, this would only be a small stop until he found the person he was looking for. He knew it was best he didn't arrive right on time, he wasn't looking to take classes or be found straggling the halls, so he arrived late around the afternoon just one or two hours before sundown.

   It was a blend of different people, excited to see each other again, and eager about the new school year, but what really caught his eye were the sparks and fireworks shooting through the halls and living rooms. For a second, he remembered how fun this place had been when he was young. He remembered he and Hope practicing spells like those in the morning.

   His happy memory dimmed as he caught a familiar face. She had a plastic cup in hand, drinking some type of smoothie as she walked away from the main staircase with a smile on her face. A smile that fell when her eyes landed on him.

   "Ugh, Henrik Mikaelson. Someone shoot me already." Lizzie said, not bothering to hide her distaste as she walked away from her conversation with another girl. Henrik remembered the Saltzman twins well, or at least Lizzie. Josie tended to shrink into the background and funny enough he could see her a few feet away from her sister talking to another kid. But you could never forget Lizzie Saltzman, even if you wanted to. She crossed her arms almost defensively as he walked up to her. "Well, you certainly look terrible."

   "Lizzie Saltzman, still awful?" He greeted her with the same type of malice as she did him, only with a smile and happy tone. Lizzie was very competitive and he enjoyed pushing her buttons to no end when they were children, especially when she got too mean-spirited in her anger. He didn't understand what she had against his sister but he was quick to intervene on Hope's behalf whenever she decided to take the high road (which she did way too often with Lizzie). Henrik, however, was self-aware enough to admit that he hated the high road and liked getting revenge on Lizzie way too much.

   "Bite me, devil spawn." Was her only reply which made him laugh. It was nice to laugh after his week of guilt and self-torture. And even if he despised the school to no end, he could always rely on Lizzie Saltzman to tell it like it is. She didn't lie, she didn't try to make you feel better, she was almost unapologetically honest. Especially when you didn't want her to be.

   "Only if you ask nicely." He gave a wide annoying grin before walking past her as he observed how the school had changed over the years he was gone. It hadn't. What a surprise. "I'm looking for your father. Where the hell is he?" He turned back to face her. He couldn't just call Alaric Saltzman up and reserve a meeting with him. Saltzman would have a crossbow with his name on it by the time Henrik stepped out of his car. It was easier to show up and surprise the teacher.

   "Why? Want to finish what you started years ago? It's too late to re-enroll, deadline was in August and I've personally banished you from this school, so you better get a move on before you burst into flames." She spoke all too quickly in a deep voice with an attitude that told Henrik to get lost.

   Henrik couldn't help biting back his own comment, "You mean that half-assed blocking spell that gave me a mild headache? I can assure you that your presence is giving me a bigger one." He gave her a half-smile once more that was sure to annoy her.

   Lizzie wasn't as good a liar as most people thought, he knew lying ate away at her if it was truly something terrible. And he knew that despite whatever rivalry crap she had with Hope or him; if she knew something about what happened to her, it would be all over her face. She wouldn't have been this casually loathful towards him, no, she'd be more cautious and maybe even try to be nice. She didn't know.

   Lizzie rolled her eyes, not wanting to know more about whatever drama was spewing with him, "Why do you want to talk to my dad?" She was probably recalling Henrik's last moments in the boarding school and how if he hadn't dropped out, he would've definitely been expelled. And considering she hasn't mentioned Hope at all, he was convinced she has had her memories erased.

   "That's none of your business, but think of it this way, you tell me and the faster I'll be out of your hair."

   Lizzie remained silent, not revealing her father's whereabouts.

   "I'm just looking for some information, I don't plan on sticking around any longer than I have to. And unfortunately, it involves talking to him." He tried his best to assure her he wasn't there to cause harm. At least not much.

   Lizzie bit her lip and looked to the side before giving in, "He's currently moving all his stuff to Mystic Falls High, he's the new principal for the townies." Her voice clearly showed her distaste for the other school, "Have fun rolling around public schools in your fancy coat." She added a diss.

   Henrik nodded solemnly as he began to walk backward, still talking to her, "You mean the same school your mom went to?" He rhetorically asked with a tilt of his head.

   "You did not just make a 'your mom' joke." Her mouth was open with disbelief.

   "I love how it's both a joke and the truth, don't you just love when life works out?" He gave a final laugh and turned to leave. He left as fast as he arrived, leaving the siphoner to roll her eyes.

   It didn't take long for Josie to come rushing up to her and Landon quickly followed behind. "Was that Henrik?" She asked as she looked to where he disappeared from, "I barely recognize him." She noted how much his hair had grown.

   "Who?" Landon asked, he was too busy looking something up on his phone— either to do with his and Josie's date or something to help Raf— to properly pay attention.

   "Henrik Mikaelson," Lizzie answered. "One of the worst people you'll ever meet."

   "Lizzie doesn't have the fondest memories of him."

   "He stole my date! And he was always showing off in class." She grumbled before quickly adding, "And let's not forget the day he left—"

   She was quickly shushed by Josie, remembering that the twins promised their father not to speak a word of the Henrik incident. Lizzie refrained and pursed her lips in contempt.

   However, it didn't really matter because it seemed Landon was off in his own head as he barely caught the not-so-subtle exchange between the twins. "Mikaelson." He said the name allowed, hearing it and saying it felt familiar almost. "Where have I heard that name?"

   The blonde was quick to answer, "Probably his family, or his dad: Klaus Mikaelson. Scary guy, killed lots of people, evil dude." Lizzie deadpanned, not really putting emotion in her words. Though it earned her yet another glare from Josie. Both girls knew that when it came to the Original family, it was better to say nothing than anything at all. Especially in front of one of them. And even if the tribrid wasn't with them in the room, it went without saying that they should stick to the rules.

   "Lizzie!" Josie scolded. Though it looked like it was just Josie who would stick by those rules, not her sister.

   "What? Everyone thought so." She shrugged sheepishly.

────────── ☽ ──────────

   It didn't take long for Henrik to make his way into the nearly empty high school and break into the principal's office door with a quick yank to bend the metal.

   He approached the desk, sat, and leaned back on the principal's chair with his feet resting upon the desk. It took the human a few minutes to return back to his office and when he did, he wasn't happy with who was waiting for him. "Alaric Saltzman, my least favorite teacher." He sent a grin to annoy the adult walking in the open doorway. "What the hell did you do to get yourself kicked out of your own school?"

   Alaric didn't answer him but did briefly glance at the office door, "Did you break my door?" He asked incredulously.

   "Yes."

   "It wasn't locked!" Alaric exclaimed before he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, dropping the files he had onto one of the chairs to properly focus on the tribrid. "Henrik, what are you doing here?" Alaric had already been having a bad day, throwing in a random visit from one of the few Mikaelson's left alive and now his anxiety spiked through the roof. If he was here, things were about to get worse.

   Henrik had been absentmindedly playing around with some ceramic knickknacks the human kept on his desk, an awfully painted fish, and an ugly eagle with Alaric's name painted intricately across the back. "Looking for you. And, looking for someone else. Unfortunately, you're one of the few people around here that make themselves so horribly intrusive into everyone's business that you usually know what's going on." Henrik let go of the eagle with ease and enjoyed Alaric's glare when it smashed to pieces on the ground.

   "Who are you looking for?" He chose not to take any more battles against this kid.

   "My sister, Hope. She's about yay high, cute as a button, currently missing."

   "Your sister?" Alaric's eyes grew like saucers, "There's more of you? How many secret Mikaelsons are there?" He recalls learning of the surprise eldest sister of the Originals, Freya Mikaelson, years back.

   Henrik decided to sit properly and looked him in the eyes, "Except, she wasn't a secret. She went to your school, she was even one of your student aides along with that talkative vampire kid. And two months ago, she went missing. The last time I talked to her she was still attending your school. But, the interesting thing is no one seems to remember her. Any guesses?"

   "I have no idea who you're talking about. The only Mikaelson we've ever had was you and that's the last time I'm making that mistake."

   Henrik knew he should've kept this conversation to what was important, to finding information about where she could have gone— but he couldn't help himself. "What, still angry over how I departed your lovely school?"

   "You burnt down most of the football field and almost tore my head off."

   "Don't be so dramatic." He said innocently, "If I wanted you dead you'd be dead. I wouldn't even have to lift a finger."

   "And that— that is exactly why you will never be stepping foot in my school ever again," Alaric said, referring to the tribrid's attitude. Henrik often thought of himself as untouchable, and no kid should have access to that much power.

   Henrik squinted his eyes and sarcastically responded, "That's awkward since I was there this morning. And, is it still your school after you left? Sorry— kicked out?" He asked with glee.

   "Henrik, go. I'm not asking."

   "See, neither am I, and last I checked, there aren't any dark objects in the room to keep someone like me from doing something like this." He lifts his hand, mutters a motus spell, and effortlessly waves it back and forth as Alaric is thrown sideways across the room in the same motion. He stopped him for a second but kept him still in the middle of the room whilst his other hand brought out a crossbow from underneath the desk, "I mean I did find this little number stashed in one of the filing cabinets along with some bourbon. Honestly, Saltzman, you gotta learn to not keep booze in the places you work. Especially when those places are schools. I'd snitch on you to the school board but let's be honest, you'd just get one of your many vampire helpers to compel it away. So, instead, I'll settle for making your life miserable until you finally fess up the truth." He gave the man a wide grin and went to go back swinging him sideways.

   "Okay, okay, just stop already," Alaric pleaded before Henrik could even make another gesture.

   Henrik raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment "I'll stop, but not because you asked. But because I can see how worn out you've gotten in old age. If I keep going you might break something. And the last thing I need is a pair of angry siphoners." He muttered loudly and dropped the spell, simultaneously dropping Alaric. The human took a second to shake off the strange sensation magic always left on people before standing up.

   He panted a bit before walking up to his desk and said, "I don't know about any sister of yours."

   Henrik made a tsk sound with a shake of his head, "A part of me wants to believe that you believe that but then there's that little part that's itching my brain to remind me I'm not an idiot." He emphasized near the end.

   "You have to trust me on this, okay? I don't know anything." He said, shaking his head.

   "Oh on that I do trust you. You've never known anything, about anything really." He responded. "See, I'm not about to side with someone who's tried to murder almost all my family members at least once in their lifetime. And now that my sister is missing and erased from their minds, it begs the question: did Alaric Saltzman actually get smarter in his schemes for Mikaelson fail-safes? I won't lie, it's pretty ingenious. You put one of us —the strongest of us by the way— in a prison world whilst erasing us from the minds of those who would seek revenge on our imprisonment. How could they know to find someone that never existed? Except, whatever you did —no matter how you did it— didn't work on me."

   "Henrik—"

   "I'm also guessing that maybe you asked for a mind-wipe too? If you've held out this long then it might be the reason. I mean I always assumed you'd feel the tiniest bit of guilt behind the booze and the crossbows." He made a jab at the hunter.

   "Have you considered that I'm not the one to blame? That you've gone paranoid over this whole thing?" Alaric tried to defend himself, "But I think I know what's responsible."

   "Keep talking." He ordered. "And just so you know, I am paranoid. I left a very detailed video for my family if I don't call them every twenty-four hours just in case the same thing that happened to Hope would befall onto me as well. And it ends with them coming back here in search of you. You remember how fun they can be when it comes to revenge, don't you?" Henrik could feel the twitch of a smile creeping up his mouth.

   "God, you're just like him," Alaric said, shaking his head.

   "Thank you." He gave a genuine smile that made the situation even more uncomfortable. Henrik knew how Alaric felt about him. He knew that no matter what, he'd always feel the same. He won't admit that it bothered him to be thought of as some carbon copy of his father, but he wasn't about to make an effort with someone who clearly wouldn't change their mind. If Alaric wants to make him into a bad guy, he'd play the role he was given.

   Henrik didn't miss the way Alaric's eyes went back and forth, obviously thinking and forming ideas. "If no one remembers her, then that's how it could have happened," he said quietly.

   The tribrid's eyebrow rose and he tilted his head, "That's how what happened?"

   When he didn't respond, Henrik figured he was thinking it through, like he didn't know if he could trust him. Though to be honest, Henrik never gave him a reason to in the first place. "Last semester we kept encountering new supernatural creatures, some that no one thought existed beyond stories and folklore, it was connected to this ancient being that would consume and cut them off from the rest of the world. When it consumed them, the memories people had of other supernaturals were just gone, erased, the only thing left behind were stories written down or drawings or—"

   "Photos," Henrik filled it in, reminding himself of all the pictures of Hope in his family home and his cell phone. "My sister met this creature, didn't she?"

   "It could be." Alaric sighed, sitting down on one of the visitors' chairs so he could be at the same level he was, trying to make a calm environment. "Listen, there's a kid at the school, his name is Landon Kirby, he was created by the being, sort of his son. He was there the night he defeated it. But he told me everything, and he doesn't remember what happened. He doesn't even know what he did to it. Maybe your sister was there, maybe she got mixed up with it before Landon put it down." Alaric saw the way Henrik's eyes shifted. "I know what you might be thinking, but it's dead. If you go searching for it, it might do more harm than good." He warned carefully.

   Henrik had a lot of experience talking with Alaric. And sitting down across from him brought up all sorts of fun memories. The best one was learning to recognize when Alaric never tells you the full story. "You're not telling me the whole truth." He said quickly and unemotionally making a closing fist gesture as he cast a truth spell, "Veritas."

   Alaric coughed for a bit and the words came spilling out, "This creature, it devours you. It removes you from existence and there is no way back unless it spits you back out. If she went in, there's no possible way to escape." He tried shutting his mouth but it just spitted more out, "And Landon's told me that he can feel it, it's not dead, just gone." Alaric grumbled, angry he let that one get away.

   "What else?" Henrik kept his eyes trained on Alaric. They focused, even more, when he saw Alaric practically turning blue from keeping his mouth shut and promptly gave him a warning, "You're going to give yourself an aneurysm if you keep fighting it."

   The man let out a gasp as he finally revealed, "There was news of a flipped bus this morning, completely in shambles and the school year hadn't started so I knew it wasn't any of the Salvatore kids. And today I found some sort of trail but I got interrupted and couldn't follow it. I think there's a monster loose which means—"

   "Which means it's spitting monsters back out." Henrik finished the thought. His gaze left the hunter and drifted to the side in deep thought. "You said the creatures it consumed kept coming right? So who's to say that my sister can't get out as well?" He said, thinking out loud. "This Landon kid was connected to it. If he can feel that it's still alive, then maybe he can find where it is. And then I can find her." He whispered to himself.

   Alaric finally got his own voice back as Henrik lifted the spell aimlessly. "No, no, no, you're not staying in my town on the brink of yet another monster attack, just to use some kid to track down an even bigger monster." He raised his voice in an almost authoritative manner.

   "Oh relax, I'm just going to talk to the guy. And you said he doesn't remember what he did, so I'm sure he's just as eager to find out what really went down that night." He waved the disapproval coming off the human.

   "And if he doesn't want to know? If he doesn't want to help you?" Alaric questioned.

   "You don't give me enough credit, Saltzman. Besides, it's not like you're going to remember any of this."

   "What?" He barely had time to respond before Henrik spoke.

   "Omittamus." Henrik cast the spell quickly, not wanting to hear him speak anymore.

   Alaric suddenly coughed, trying to find his voice, but nothing came out. He tried wheezing a bit to try to form some words but to no avail.

   And then Henrik got up abruptly, stopping Alaric from attempting to speak as he kept his eyes trained on the tribrid. Henrik looked like he was about to do something reckless. He circled around the desk, only for Alaric to walk backward to avoid him. Henrik reached down to whisper, "Obliviscatur," he said, and instantly the human fell back, his eyes rolling backward unconsciously.

   "Lovely to see you as always, Saltzman."

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   Henrik won't sugarcoat the rest of his day, he tried going back to the Salvatore School only to be halted by what could possibly be the strangest interaction he's ever had in his entire life. Funny enough, it was only the beginning.

   Another funny thing was how Henrik barely remembered how it started. He remembered walking down the street and the next thing he knew he was in the park and something was off. Especially his sense of smell.

   It was almost... sweet. It was fruity, almost like, "Guava?" He asked aloud, muttering. He looked around most of the area but could barely work it out, his eyes had begun to haze over, getting overly fuzzy. But even that didn't stop him from almost staggering back in shock when he saw the woman.

   Woman was the wrong word—she—it was more monstrous. It was small and round, grayishly green, with long greasy hair, and the ironically sweet smell just got stronger. He remembered all the talk of witches with his aunt, the ones to respect, the ones who should respect you, and the ones you should run from.

   "I've been having so much fun!" She cackled, her voice high and shaky and filled with chilling excitement. She laughed, getting closer to Henrik, but he only fumbled back— or at least he tried to. Gravity seemed to pull him down, he tripped over his feet and landed on the dirt with a thud. Something was wrong— something was— "You smell it, don't you?" The air was filled with that same scent: sweet and fruity and intoxicating. "Special somethin' of mine to make all you critters follow Sweet Shelley." Despite her deadly appearance, her voice flowed like smooth velvet. It was like his sense of smell and hearing were being warped.

   Aunt Freya told him about these witches. The most deprived and outcasted because of their spells and potions. The way they altered themselves to stay alive for hundreds of years until there was nothing human left of them.

   A shtriga right before his eyes.

   And then it came at Henrik, oh joy, "Icaeus!" He pushed it away at the same time it threw a punch at him, knocking them both on opposite sides.

   The tribrid stood up, recovering as fast as he could with his eyes trained on the shtriga, "Comminuet ossa et confringet dorsum," he cast the spell and watched as her bones started breaking and she fell, roaring in agony. Henrik cast another spell to try and get rid of it, "Incendia." But instead of the body being lit aflame, it was the greasy black hair as the shtriga kept writhing on the ground.

   "What the—"

   "Get down!" A voice interrupted him as he quickly ducked to the grass as an arrow flew into the monster's hand and it screamed in pain.

   Once Henrik stood back up he turned to see who had shot that arrow and he was not at all grateful.

   "Listen, you have to get out of here—" Alaric stopped in his tracks, recognizing the tribrid. "Henrik?"

   "Saltzman," Henrik nodded. "That a friend of yours?" He asked sarcastically as he pointed toward the sick thing that came running at them once more.

   Alaric met the monster whilst Henrik ducked and rolled to avoid it. He watched as she magically pushed Alaric to the ground like he was nothing. All the while, Henrik grabbed the crossbow and removed one of the arrows.

   Henrik didn't know a thing about shooting one but figured something sharp would do the trick. Why fight fire with fire when you could just suffocate it 'till it went out? He slowly levitated the arrow, getting a handle on it before quickly shooting it into her right eye and out through the back of the head. It fell with a big thud that shook the ground a little until the body lay still. The bloodied arrow lying a few feet from it.

   Henrik was joined by the teacher who stood close by as they stared at the dead thing, who then asked, "Can you tell me who the hell that is?" Alaric trailed off.

   "It called itself Shelley, so I guess... Shelley." He didn't mention the Sweet in its self-title.

   "Right, and why was she trying to kill you?"

   Henrik didn't answer as he lowered himself over the body, inspecting the disturbing number of ivory-colored necklaces and strange jewelry that adorned the corpse.

   "What is that?" Saltzman lowered himself to view it as well. "Is that..."

   "Bone." He answered. "Human bones most likely." He pointed around the adornments, at the joints of each end, "And see that? What's holding it together?"

   "Oh God," Alaric almost gagged, "Please tell me that isn't hair."

   Henrik stood back up, wiping his hands on his pants, "Unfortunately."

   "What is she?"

   "It used to be a witch, now? A shtriga. It's still technically a witch, but now consumes human flesh and is particularly fond of children. Shtriga's are considered the most heinous, the biggest abominations, bigger than heretics or siphoners in the witch community. Hated by everyone and anyone, see, they weren't born this way. A witch chooses to become shtriga. Chooses to partake in innocent flesh to sustain themselves and their magic for centuries. The first part of the conversion ritual is to consume your own blood so typically they'll cut up their own children first." Henrik said, the echoes of Freya's words in his head, warning him of the vile creatures. "They're not even considered people anymore, they're monsters that chose their path. See, this?" He gestured toward the dead body, "This is where all those wicked witch stories about eating children and filling them up with sweets come from."

   "And what was she doing here?"

   "Best guess? Looking for a meal. The Salvatore School is right there, filled with plump magic kiddies who don't even know what a shtriga is. I wonder why." He commented.

   "We don't teach kids horror stories."

   "You should when the horror stories are real."

   He didn't say another word after he spoke an incendia spell and the body lit aflame. It lit up so fast, the bones crunching quickly like it had been dry and ready for years now. He wondered if all shtriga were like that, their bodies slowly decomposing from the inside until all that was left was a dry husk waiting to die. Eventually, the body bent into itself, it looked more like a bonfire than a witch burning.

────────── ☽ ──────────

   Henrik just wanted to go to his family's mansion in town and take a very long nap. He hasn't been in town longer than twelve hours and already something tried to eat him, he's had to talk to Saltzman twice, and something was messing with his mind.

   And yet, he still had a list of things to do, finding this Landon guy that might give him a clue as to where his sister could be. He would check the school tomorrow, making a mental note to visit early. As he walked down the street to where he left his parked car, a voice called out to him.

   "Henrik!" It was Saltzman. Henrik just couldn't catch a break today, could he? The hunter speed walked as Henrik didn't bother to stop. "Henrik Mikaelson! What are you doing here?" He finally caught up with the tribrid who halted in step.

   "Saltzman," Henrik nodded at him, "Goodbye." He went to leave.

   "Henrik! You're not supposed to be in Mystic Falls, you know that."

   Henrik grew frustrated as he let out a closed-mouthed roar, "You're welcome by the way," He said, agitated and pointing at the dead body he lit aflamed from the direction they came from, "for killing the monster roaming around your town!" Henrik quieted down as he let out a sigh, "You know what, I don't have time for this." He wanted to leave. Now.

   But Alaric wasn't quite done with him, "What the hell are you doing here? You were expelled from—"

   Henrik immediately went, "Ah, ah, ah!" He exclaimed with a pointed finger in the air, "I had my aunt pull me out, you never expelled me."

   "But you'll never be welcomed at the Salvatore School ever again after your last stunt there."

   Henrik scrunched up his face, "Sure, whatever you say," He said, turning around, and heading up the alley steps.

   "Henrik." The human called again.

   The boy sighed, "What?" he asked as he turned back.

   "I'll ask again, what are you doing in Mystic Falls?"

   "I—" Henrik came up with something fast and without much effort, "I had a vision." He lied. "I saw monsters running loose. I saw the school in mayhem. And I saw a lot of people dead." He clicked his tongue. "So now I'm back, ready to help." Henrik turned around once more ready to leave.

   "I'm just supposed to believe you came back after two years to help out of the kindness of your heart?"

   Henrik was contemplating erasing his memory again but he knew that spell had worse effects than compulsion did, so with another sigh, he looked back at the teacher, "Believe it or not Alaric, some of the students in that school are bearable. They're also very young, and I don't want anything bad to happen to them. So if I know something bad is going to happen, I might as well try to help them." He answered truthfully. He didn't actually know whether or not bad things would happen, but in a town like this with the reputation they had, he wouldn't be surprised. "I didn't have a problem with them, I had a problem with you." And with that, Henrik left him with those final words as he walked back towards the park.

   "I don't care what problem you have with me. Stay away from my town. Stay away from the school. And stay away from my kids, especially my daughters." Alaric warned him.

   "Or what?" He couldn't help but want to start a fight with him.

   "This isn't a game, Henrik. And I don't need to be worried about you here when I'm going to be dealing with Malivore monsters coming through yet again."

   Henrik stopped his next witty retort when he heard that familiar word. "What did you just say?"

   "What?" Alaric asked, his face confused but wary of Henrik's new stance.

   "You said Malivore. Where did you hear that name?"

   "It's what's responsible for that shtriga. And for all the monsters we've encountered the past couple of months. Why? Do you know something about it?"

   "That doesn't make any sense," Henrik mumbled, looking away in question.

   "What doesn't make sense? Henrik?" Alaric kept trying to call him back even though the tribrid had already turned and was walking away from him.

   He didn't bother looking behind him as he spoke, "Ad somnum," He cast the spell and confirmed it worked once he heard the human hit the ground, asleep. He needed to think and he needed some quiet for that.

────────── ⚜︎ ──────────

   Henrik's mind was racing. He honestly didn't know where to go from here. He's been avoiding decisions like these for the past two years and part of that was because he didn't always have a good answer. Hope was better at this, she was better at controlling her anger and he was better at letting it out on their enemies. She was the calm to his storm. And now that she wasn't here, he had to be both.

   It was all scattered, his thoughts and his ideas and there were even more questions now. He didn't even know where to start. Should he go back home and regroup from there? Stay in Mystic Falls to see if some other foe passes? Question them all over this Malivore nonsense and why that name is being used—

   "Hey,"

   Henrik didn't even notice someone walking up to him. The boy had dark curly hair and hazy green eyes. He looked familiar, like someone he'd seen before.

   "Hey," Henrik said back. He didn't exactly like company that much, depends on the company really.

   "We saw each other earlier, right?"

   It suddenly hit him, he was the guy that was near him when he took out that shtriga. The smoke from the burning body must have drawn his attention. Don't blame him for not remembering, he's had a long day. "Yeah, I was just- I was out and you know trying to clear my head."

   "Rough night?"

   "Uh, yeah, actually, uh family trouble." Henrik scratched his left eye, it dawned on him that they had been burning the last few days thanks to lack of sleep.

   "Ah, I got plenty of that." He took it as an invitation to sit down with Henrik. "Ironically I'm actually in relationship trouble right now— which is literally a first for me."

   Henrik laughed, the guy had jokes, and it was nice to laugh. "Wish I could help. Plenty of dates but nothing steady in the end."

   "Ah, a free spirit, huh?"

   "You could say that." Henrik said, "I'm pretty sure that one way or another, there's no avoiding heartbreak. So, why try it in the first place?"

   That was when the boy's face scrunched up, immediately disagreeing with him, "Heartbreak isn't the point," he shook his head, "It's about a connection, about loving someone and being loved in return. And sure, maybe it ends at one point, maybe it lasts long or it's cut short but the time in between makes it worth something. No one can take that time away from you, and you're going to look back at that time, and yeah you're going to miss it but you'll also treasure it."

   "So you're a romantic, huh?" Was all Henrik had to say.

   "Actually no, not really," He shook his head, his curls moving with him, "I just— I don't know, I think if you love someone, you should fight for them."

   "Is that what you're going to do with your relationship? Fight for it?"

   "I mean, I think so. I'm with this really amazing girl, but all of a sudden, everything's super complicated." The guy motioned for Henrik to go next, "And you? Family troubles?"

   Henrik considered whether or not to talk to a complete stranger about his problems, but at that point, he was willing to talk to a cactus. Why not get some feedback? "Trouble. Just the one. My sister's kind of gone at the moment and I don't have a clue where to go from here. She's usually the one that comes up with a plan. And then I back her up and we do what we do best. You know it's funny, I've essentially been by myself and my uncle, he stays close but he keeps his distance, but I've never actually felt alone. And, now?" Henrik cleared his throat, nodding at him to continue with his own dilemma. He can think about the fact that he's the only one to carry his sister's memory and the one that has to keep his family at it every time their belief goes down later once he was alone.

   "Oh, uh, well yeah, you know she is really great, but I just feel like I want it to be perfect, and," He sighed and started rambling, "And I want to be the perfect boyfriend, and she's trying to be the perfect girlfriend, and it was really effortless, but now it feels so," he paused, "Off." He delivered sullenly and noticed how he got, "I don't know, sorry."

   "First thing you need to know, is never apologize for how you feel." Henrik told him, "The other thing is it sounds like you're both putting too much pressure on it. You aren't talking about it, instead, you're talking to some random guy in the park." The boy chuckled at that, "And if this is your first relationship, then yeah, it can be scary. Firsts always are and there's always pressure to make sure everything is perfect and going smoothly, but you need to give yourselves permission to make mistakes. My sister once told me that sometimes you have to be brave enough to be imperfect with people. Even if it's scary."

   The guy nodded, "Of course, you're gonna have to take your own advice and stand on your own for a while. You said it yourself, firsts are always scary. And being alone isn't always a bad thing, sometimes it actually makes the picture a bit clearer."

   Henrik gave a smile with a small scoff, "I don't know about that."

   "I hope your night gets better." The boy wished him.

   "Thanks."

   "This'll help," he motioned toward the drink that was in his hand as he handed it to Henrik, "Peanut Butter Blast, whipped cream on the bottom."

   Henrik could only imagine his realization one way, it was like Hope was standing next to him and gave him one good smack to his head so he could remember. Because the second the name of that milkshake came out of the boy's mouth, Henrik was taken back to every time he accompanied Hope to the Mystic Grill. Sure, they had good food and it was close by, but Hope always had another reason to go there and that was to talk with one of the waiters, Landon. Landon. The same Landon that Saltzman had mentioned. Huh. What were the odds? "It's probably all melted by now, but um yeah. I don't even know why I ordered it. I didn't have any of it. I didn't want a milkshake. It just seemed," he trailed off, not knowing what to say. "Thanks for listening."

   It was a small crush, he remembered asking her about it and she said her favorite thing about him was that he was normal. Finding out he was supposedly the son of an all-consuming monster of doom was terribly ironic. Yet, also on the nose for his family's track record with romance.

   "No problem, same to you," Henrik muttered, still staring at the drink in hand. The boy left and Henrik stayed on the bench while his mind kept racing. At least he knew what he looked like, and besides, he'd still be here the next day. Hopefully. Ugh, Henrik cursed at himself every time he used that word.

   Henrik stayed at that bench for another hour, trying to put his thoughts in order and trying to think of where to go from here.

   Henrik was still seated on the bench when his phone started ringing, he answered it once he saw the caller ID.

   "What's this I hear about you returning to Mystic Falls? And alone? I get on a plane for ten hours and suddenly you're making terrible decisions left and right."

   "Hello to you too, Aunt Bex." He greeted her like nothing was wrong.

   "Henrik," She warned him.

   "How do you even know about that?"

   "Freya's sent me dozens of messages about it. She's worried, Rikkie. We both are. All of us are." She emphasized the entirety of the family to remind him. And she did sound it, Aunt Rebekah was the most expressive of the family, she was what Henrik liked to call emotionally brave. Sometimes he envied her for it. "You're just lucky Elijah is still in that plane, the minute he lands and checks his messages you are in for a world of his lectures, nephew."

   Henrik chose to ignore her last words, letting her know all was okay first, "I'm fine, okay? I'm staying in Dad's old place, the ladies you pay to keep it clean have been doing a great job, and it's not like I'm about to re-enroll." He scoffed, "That school is the last place that I know Hope was. And the one place that she was sure to let her guard down enough that they might get the jump on her. Now I don't think they might've taken her, but I'm not still a hundred percent sure on it." He informed her. "As for Elijah... I'll figure it out."

   "And you'll call if anything happens?" She asked with a worried tone.

   "Oh trust me, I plan on calling every day out of sheer self-preservation in this tragic town." He promised, "But, it's not a total loss, I found something."

   "What is it?"

   "The school's been dealing with a monster problem recently, a little too weirder than usual. There was a shtriga. It's a type of witch technically but it's wrong. It's what a witch is called when she resorts to sacrifice and cannibalism for her spells or longevity. Freya told us all about them, to make sure to avoid them at all costs. Thing is, shtriga's are rare, odds of encountering one are a million to one and one just happens to show up in Virginia?" He was convinced that something more was going on in the area. "But it came from where Hope might be trapped. At first, I was just looking for this guy that might lead me to where she could be, but the shtriga came and I killed it. There was something off about the whole thing until I heard Saltzman say the name Malivore."

   "Never heard of it."

   "No, but I think that's the point. A couple of months ago, Hope asked me to do some research on that very name. I thought it was just some school thing, and because I was overseas I had access to some places she didn't. Now, Saltzman says it was the name of a creature that consumes supernaturals, all types of them that we thought to be folklore and stories. When I was researching in Rome, I came across this strange myth about some ancient witches—"

   "So we're believing in myths now?" She interrupted, slightly joking and also hoping to hear his spirits lift. Even just a bit.

   "Someone once told me that myths and legends bear a hint of truth." He recalled an old acquaintance's words. "Did you know that the first coven of witches to practice the ritual of damnatio memoriae were given a name? Devorantes obscurum. It roughly translates to Devourers of the Dark. But when the witches did it, they didn't just do it to punish or for vengeance like the monarchy they served under, they did it for power. The sacrifice that lies in the condemnation of someone's memory was something truly otherworldly."

   "And you think these... Devourers are the ones that took Hope?" She asked, and the name itself felt strange on her tongue.

   "Oh, I know it, because after those same witches were forbidden from the practice and shunned from the rest of their community, they hid themselves away. They did the exact same spell they were condemned for to themselves. They erased all mention of them in history books, they abandoned their title so they could thrive in the shadows and returned with a new name. Do you know what else translates to Devourers of the Dark? Malivore."

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Henrik is such a little prick, i swear, and i love him, and yes, i'm obviously using him to vicariously air out my grievances against Alaric and my personal annoyance at him all the while also expose how fucked up the Salvatore School is. plus i get to use him to yell at Hope to not be trusting at someone that once tried to kill their family not two decades ago.

but please be mindful, remember that Henrik has a lot of strong opinions based on his experiences, that's not saying that what he thinks is completely right but rather, he thinks he is. he has his version of events, Hope has hers, Alaric has his, but that doesn't mean that Henrik knows everything, he just thinks he does some times.

this is over 7K

what the actual fuck,

was this too long for you guys?

did you like it?

what was your favorite part?

favorite henrik interaction?

was it too long?

anyway, here i am not knowing whether to ship henrik with lizzie or with landon, who the fuck knows.

in the meantime, please enjoy guessing "which TO character said that?" at the beginning quote of every chapter. no googling please that ruins the fun.

no mundanes allowed
- polaroized