“elijah.” the soft whisper barely holding back the sniffle stirred dread, fear as well as relief in him. He closed his eyes, composing himself and opened them again, just so he could respond.

"How are you?" he asked her.

"I──I’m not sure." she told him sorrowfully. "I mean, I'm tired, constantly and she's taking more and more control."

Elijah closed the book he had on the desk and rose up from his chair. "Maeve, don't give in to her. Keep fighting, okay? You are stronger than anyone I know. You can take her."

"What if I'm not up for this? What if I──what if I can no longer keep up?" she broke down into tears unable to hold herself. "She whispers such things Elijah. I can't take it anymore. She is feeding on my power."

"Maeve please...we will find a way. You just have to hold on. Please." Elijah looked out the window of his apartment in Manhattan, burning through every memory he had to find a temporary way at least to help Maeve. That was it.he thought.

"Maeve? Shift into your wolf form." he told her.

"What? Why?"

"Remember back at the cabin? You said the voice, the nightmares all stopped after you shifted into your wolf form. If the darkness is tied to your magic, it is inaccessible when you are a fully formed Lycan. Shift into your wolf-form Maeve."

"But it will only delay the inevitable Elijah." said Maeve. Her eyes darted to Klaus who stood hovering over her, with his ears to her conversation.

"It will give us some time, Maeve. Please." Elijah pleaded with her. He could hear some ruffle and muffled voices over the call but could barely make out what they said.

"Brother, Maeve has shifted into her wolf form. We have some time to fix this." answered Klaus over the call. "Stop biting off my jeans! Maeve! Alright, apologises. We have some time to find a work around the prophecy. Huh? How does that sound? Honestly her wolf is as bad as her human form. Stop growling at me. I'm trying to help you."

"I'll be in touch, Niklaus. Try not to pet her. She might just bite you. As entertaining as it would be, I'd prefer it on another occasion when I can witness it myself." Elijah said amused by his brother's reaction.

"Did not ask for your comments, Elijah. Keep them to yourself." Klaus ended the call abruptly. Perhaps it was the first time in seventy-two hours that Elijah had cracked a smile.

"Did I just hear Maeve try to bite Nik?" asked Kol sauntering over to the desk from the corner of the room where he previously sat crowded by large stacks of books.

"Keyword: try. If I know Maeve, one silly mistake and Niklaus might just start facing some very lucid hallucinations." Elijah responded bemusingly before his smile faltered. "Nothing?"

"Like the last several tries. I called Maverick but Ezekiel said they haven't come up with anything."

Elijah hummed before he furrowed his brows, "you called Maverick but Ezekiel answered?"

Kol nodded his head and responded nonchalantly, "they've been dating for about two months now."

"Figures. Now what?"

Kol dropped the book he held in his hand on the table and looked up at his older brother, "I don't know. I am lost, Elijah. There is absolutely nothing anywhere that could help Maeve."

"There has to be something. Somewhere."

"Yes, somewhere...in some old grimoire buried somewhere belonging to someone from some civilization or coven but we don't have it! There's no time. We don't even know how much time we've got left!" yelled Kol.

Elijah glared at Kol, his panic clearly reflecting in his eyes, "I know, Kol. I am well aware of the constraints of time but there has to be something we can do. Something to relieve her in some way."

"Since morning I've been thinking...perhaps──" kol couldn't finish his sentence as Elijah shouted a loud,

"No. Absolutely not. We cannot give up."

"I don't want to Elijah. Trust me I don't want to, but think about what it is doing to Maeve. We heard it last night from Nik of just how tired and done with all of this she looks. How much she's been struggling."

Elijah shook his head adamantly, "keep searching. I'll call the covens again. Why don't you go to her pack house? I think Maeve once mentioned they have a supernatural archive. Perhaps there might be a solution for Maeve."

No one was giving up on Maeve. After everything, no one wanted to.

Klaus stared at the large black wolf curled into a ball in a corner. Although with the size, the wolf had taken over half of the living room. He knew Maeve's wolf was larger than an average one, he had seen it multiple times during the previous summer but this time he really saw the size.

He studied the movements of the wolf for quite some time before he stopped. The wolf padded her paws around the room in circles before she sat down and curled up. Klaus could feel the thickness of the air lessen. Perhaps her power had become so overbearing that even the air around began to be affected.

Klaus diverted his attention away from Maeve to the front door when it opened yet again. "Look who is foolishly back again." he commented.

Tyler opened his mouth to respond snarkily but stopped and stepped away from the living room. He gawked in slight shock at the wolf in the room.

"I──is th──is that Maeve?" Tyler stuttered with his words. He rudely pointed a finger at Maeve's wolf. She sat unbothered with him, although she could hear him well.

"Yes. Magnificent isn't she?" reiterated Klaus with a smug grin. His eyes darted to Caroline who looked at him hesitantly at first before she decided to look away at Tyler.

"How is she?" asked Caroline avoiding Klaus's eyes──those which she could feel burning on her.

"The only way to keep her from harming herself anymore, was to shift into her wolf form. Since the sedation was never brought out."

Caroline sharply darted her eyes at him at his comment, "seriously? You bit me. Do you honestly think I could think of anything else?"

"I never said anything about you, Caroline. I simply stated facts." replied Klaus, "rest assured it is better this way."

"How so?"

"Her magic isn't active when she is in her wolf form. She cannot access her magic in this form, therefore the dark side of hers has almost no control over her. Giving us enough time to find a solution."

Caroline's features softened. "That's good. Good. We can save her then. Good."

"I see you've found the sword then." said Klaus gesturing with his eyes at the sword Tyler held in his hands.

"Found this in your attic." He informed.

"And you think finding the sword brings you closer to the cure?" Klaus mused staring at the two.

"You tell me. I was playing around with the handle on the ride over and I found this." He unwrapped a cloth around the handle.

"And what do you think this is?" Klaus walked closer to him.

"It's called a cryptex. What? I have watched the Da Vinci code." Caroline interjected, "you turn the different sides to different symbols to get the translation on the other side. And with the magic of the internet, Elena sent over these." Caroline showed the printed pictures of Jeremy's tattoos.

"So now all we have to do is cryptex away." She sat and looked sideways at Klaus, "If you happened to want to help, we wouldn't stop you."

"Right, well, might I suggest using the magic of the internet to purchase an Aramaic to English dictionary from your nearest retailer."

"What's Aramaic?" inquired Tyler looking back at Caroline.

"It's a dead language. It hasn't been used since biblical times."

"Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing."

"You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate. Perhaps weeks." Klaus sighed settling on the coffee table.

"Ahe nee see to, Ara ma eet" he mumbled.

"What does that mean?" Caroline asks.

"If only you spoke Aramaic." Klaus looked up at her with an arrogant smile. A soft growl diverted their attention. Maeve's wolf was grinning wolfishly with the head tilted to a side, and red eyes looking at Klaus and then at Tyler.

"Stop grinning!" yelled Tyler. The wolf growled dangerously making Tyler take a step back.

"Look at that!" commented Klaus, "the orphan Lockwood is scared of you. Maybe you could stand up and show off as well." he added a suggestion.

Maeve's wolf seemed interested in the suggestion when it lifted up the head tall first and then the body. The wolf towered large in the room. She padded around the coffee table to stand right next to Klaus.

"You are beautiful, Maeve." Caroline complimented Maeve. Her wolf bowed her head a little showing a sign of thank you.

Caroline and Tyler resumed their work of translating the cryptex on the sword with the use of the internet. Klaus sat on the coffee table with the wolf right next to him. Both were watching with amusement as the two members of the Mystic Falls gang attempted to solve the riddle.

"Okay. This is it. We've translated all the symbols on the tattoo." Caroline said with a sigh. "The passage inside requires a young senator and a pretty flower. Okay, none of this makes sense." She groaned and dropped the papers back on the table.

He glanced at the table and started reciting what was written on it in Aramaic, "Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom." he translated. Caroline and Tyler looked at him surprised.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked.

"I don't need to tell you my reasons." He quickly shot back, "Caroline, bring my sword over here."

Caroline brought the sword closer for him to get a better look. He examined it and began to translate, "Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand." He looked up at the mark, "Turn the cryptex to the right"

Caroline followed his instructions. "Stop. The top of the hilt reveals a key to the nautical map. Turn it to the left. Now turn the other piece. There's something else." He read the cryptex in Aramaic instead of the translation.

"What does it mean?" Caroline asked, growing weary of the words. Klaus only smirked at her, "Klaus, what does it mean?" She pressed more for him to answer but he simply smirked.

Giving up, Caroline walked back to the table and sent the translation over to Rebekah.

"Hey. It's Caroline. We got the translation. We're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now." Caroline spoke over the call as Tyler sent the email.

"Got it. Thanks." Rebekah's voice came from the phone's speaker.

"Actually. It was me." Klaus said.

"Nik, you helped?" 

"You sound surprised, little sister."

"Shouldn't I be? You don't want me to be human. You don't want any of us to be. Why would you help find the cure?"

"Maybe I finally realised the longer I stand in the way of what you want, the longer you continue to hate me. Perhaps, I want my sister to finally know happiness."

"Fool me once shame on you. Fool me a hundred times—"

"No more fooling. No more games. I hope you get to live and die as you wish."

"So do I. Is Maeve okay? How is she doing?" Maeve's wolf barked in response. "What was that?"

"Maeve has shifted into her wolf form. She is dealing with things." replied Klaus glancing over at Maeve's wolf and returning back to gaze at the phone.

"I'll be home soon, Maeve. Don't worry. We'll get you out of this." said Rebekah.

"There's one more thing, Rebekah." Klaus began,"there is only one dose of the cure. You need to find it first and take it. It's the only way you woul—" his sentence was cut short with Tyler pressing the end button. Maeve's wolf howled loudly and pounced around merrily showing off the amusement she felt hearing Klaus.

Klaus laughed at the Wolf's behaviour and walked away to settle down on the couch.

Midnight arose as quickly as it had been for the last three times. To no avail, Elijah closed yet another book with a deep defeated sigh. Kol had passed out almost an hour ago, barely having opened a book. It laid on his chest with just the hardbound cover lifted open.

Elijah glanced out the French style window of the room, at the skyline of Manhattan city. It always fascinated him to see the marvelous progress. He smiled to himself when a single thought of Maeve being there with him crossed his mind. He wanted to bring Maeve with him to the city. He found himself wanting to share every single moment of these adventures, these things he owned with Maeve.

He gathered himself together just as he found himself drifting off to the thought of a time after everything that was happening. Elijah made way through the mess in the room to Kol who was sprawled out──almost like a starfish on the leather couch snoring loudly. He had forcefully gathered a few books or encyclopaedias from a professor of Myths and Culture at the NYU.

Elijah took the book and exited the study room, hoping for the quiet he wanted to read another book. Elijah settled on the kitchen island. The small light was lit above the island shedding just enough light for the writings in the book to be visible.

Prophecy & Myths: which is true and which is not.
By Dr Glenn Baptista

Elijah skimmed through the glossy pages, turning them by reading just the titles. He stopped on a particular one finding it somewhat useful──at least hoped for it.

Prophecy of Death: where it began & why ?

In my research and findings, I came across many versions of prophesied deaths. Omens that predetermined someone's death. Which of them were supernatural and which happened because of fear is a research I cannot, unfortunately, conduct.

Shamans, self proclaimed witches, Alchemist, palmist, mystics, and many more believing in their divinities have all said the same thing: dead prophecies cannot be overturned. A prophecy that speaks of death cannot be prevented.

How to find out if it is true?

For someone seeking an answer to whether a prophecy has been made or not, well, you have to ask an expert for it.

All Prophecies──especially one tied down to your death, all have one thing in common, emotion. Emotions are a major contributing factor to these prophecies. In most cases, it is the emotion tied to the cause mentioned in the prophecy that inevitably brings on death.

For example, Laedena the young Maiden with exceptional beauty thrived under her parents care. It wasn't until a Shaman crossed their lands and decreed that she would become an exceptional queen to conquer lands but die at the behest of majestic skills. Laedena loved the idea of power and furnished her skills even more and gradually through calculated moves weded the handsome king of Northdom (Wales) and became Queen. During her last battle, which is not discussed as much in history, she died at the behest of her own sword when a calculated and strategic move backfired on her.

What the historians failed to read when discussing or exploring the story of Laedena was that her husband had often praised her skills and called them "majestic". So you see, the majestic skills were her own, that only grew more with praise and being honed overtime. Her emotions got attached to every praise and help she received from her husband and she became the very thing the prophecy described.

Elijah stopped reading and slammed the book shut quite hastily. His eyes darted up into the dark space that filled around. His heightened senses could help him see in silhouettes the furniture and way around the area of the penthouse but now he had unfocused everything.

Could it be possible? he asked himself. Was it possible that perhaps he was responsible for it? He had something to do with Maeve facing this prophecy? But Elijah also knew that a prophecy always comes true and nothing can be done to avoid it. But something always becomes a catalyst. Something triggers the chain of events that lead to the point where the Prophecy fulfills itself. Elijah kept turning his head, burying himself even further into the labyrinth of chaos and negative thoughts.

The ringing of his phone in the pocket of his jacket pulled Elijah out. He looked at the caller id seeing the name ‘Edwina’ flash in bold letters.

“Did you find something?” he asked just as he answered and pressed the call to his ear.

“Well nothing to save her but something that could help her fight. You said she was growing tired?"

"Yes, I spoke with her this morning and she said that this part of hers is feeding on her power. For now she has shifted into her wolf form but we don't know how long it is possible to ask her to be like that."

"Hold on, spoke with her? I thought you were with her."

"No, due to some issues we faced, my brother Kol and I had to leave Mystic Falls. My other brother, Niklaus and her good friend Caroline are keeping her company." Elijah informed her, "Maeve and Niklaus are stuck inside a barrier created using Expression magic which you may already know is unbreakable. Therefore we left trying to find answers for her."

"You shouldn't have left her side. You did it with good intent but you shouldn't have! She needs people around. Who would keep her grounded. Keep telling her stories that you know our Maeve would love to hear. Give her her favourite food, play her favourite music, and movies. Anything that keeps our Maeve alive. That is the only thing we can do."

"Are you sure it will work?" he asked her.

"For now. But not permanently."

"Thank you for the help Ms Edwina. We'll leave for Mystic Falls right away." Elijah ended the call and determinedly stormed into the study room to wake Kol up.

They had a long flight ahead and they had to leave immediately.