Chapter 47: A Hunter in the Shadows
Morning descended heavily upon Mystic Falls. The sky wore the color of ash, and clouds stretched across it like bruises, foretelling an impending storm—a storm in the air, and another in the blood.
Inside the Salvatore house, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Damon leaned over the dining table, which had turned into a war map cluttered with files, maps, old journals, and crime scene photos. His fingers traced red ink circles drawn around various locations in Virginia.
"Three disappearances over the past week. All from towns that no longer exist on modern maps. Old, isolated places, deeply rooted in witchcraft."
Stefan, flipping through the pages of a leather-bound book, said, "Witches… It seems he's back to harvest their power. Maybe to grow stronger. Or to complete some kind of ritual."
Bonnie entered with Caroline, each carrying spellbooks and modern tech devices. Bonnie said darkly, "Or both. He's not just trying to become stronger. He's trying to finish something."
Alexander walked into the room, dressed in black, still bearing traces of dread. His gaze was sharper, his voice deeper and more composed.
He said calmly, "I remembered something else."
All heads turned toward him.
"When I escaped Elias, I didn't just run. I took something with me."
From the inner pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a small black stone and placed it on the table. It shimmered with a faint, pulsating light.
Alexander spoke, "I found it in my room with the rest of my belongings. I didn't know what it was until now, when I finally remembered."
Damon asked, on edge, "What the hell is that?"
Bonnie whispered, her eyes wide, "A soul anchor… Where did you get this?"
Alexander replied, "From his tower. He used it to trap the pain of those he tortured. It's filled with screams, Bonnie… real screams."
Bonnie picked up the stone carefully, lifting it close to her face. "There's something else… a place. A faint magical trail leading to its source."
Alexander nodded. "Then let's follow it."
—
That Evening – On the Road
The hum of the blue car's engine roared over the highways. Damon was driving, Stefan beside him, and Alexander in the back, quietly watching the scenery pass.
Stefan asked, "Are we sure this isn't a trap?"
Alexander answered without hesitation, "No. But it doesn't matter. He wants me to come. And I want him too. It's mutual."
Damon scoffed, "You sound like you're dating him."
Alexander smirked faintly, "He kept me chained up for thirty years. Technically, we've spent more time together than you and Elena have."
Stefan said with disgust, "Really?! Don't turn your torture into a love story."
The magical trail Bonnie had crafted led them north, through forests forgotten by time, untouched by cars for decades. Eventually, the car stopped in front of a rusted iron gate.
Everything beyond it was silent.
Dead trees stood like ancient sentinels lining the path. And on the gate, the same symbol Alexander had seen in his dreams—engraved on Elias's ring: a circle split by a dagger.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the temperature dropped.
Stefan murmured, "This place reeks of old magic."
They walked together, the earth trembling gently beneath their feet, as if something long buried stirred in the depths.
And Elias… was awake.
—
Inside the Ruins
The place had once been a temple—or what remained of one. Cracked stone columns tilted, vines climbing like dead fingers. But the air crackled with a strange energy—like electricity moments before lightning strikes.
Alexander whispered, "I know this place…"
He stepped forward slowly, dry leaves crunching underfoot, his eyes scanning the ruins.
"Here… This is where he cursed me for the first time. It's all coming back."
He approached a low stone altar. At its center lay a dagger made of bone and obsidian, still untouched, as if it had remained there for centuries.
He said quietly, "He stabbed me with it."
Damon scanned the place with his eyes. "Are you sure he's not here now?"
Alexander replied, "I'm sure that—"
A metallic clang cut him off.
Stefan turned toward the sound but saw nothing.
Then, the wind spoke.
A deep, hollow, ancient voice echoed from all directions.
"You brought them here, boy…"
They all turned.
"You brought them to my grave."
A figure emerged from the shadows behind a crumbling arch. A black coat, pale eyes glowing red, swords in hand. But it wasn't just Elias.
He had… changed.
Damon whispered, "What the hell… Is that…"
Bonnie's voice came through Alexander's earpiece, "He's feeding on forgotten souls. I can feel them. Thousands."
Alexander said, his voice growing firmer, "Then we cut off his source."
But Elias raised his hand—and the ground trembled.
From the cracks, corpses began crawling out. Twisted creatures, neither fully human nor entirely dead. Remnants of his previous prey.
Alexander said, "They're not real. Just shadows… like him."
Stefan drew his sword. Damon readied his stake launcher. "Let's burn the shadows."
And the battle erupted.
—
Twenty Minutes Later
The wave ended. The stones were soaked in blood—some real, some not. Elias stood untouched, hovering inches above the ground.
He shouted, "You cannot win. I was born of betrayal, fed on pain, forged from centuries of death. You… are mere mortals."
Alexander stepped forward, panting, but steady. "I'm not alone. I'm a Salvatore."
He lunged at Elias, crashing into him mid-air, the impact shaking the entire structure. The others rushed to help, but a powerful spell surged up like a dome, trapping the two inside.
Stefan yelled, slamming his fist against the barrier, "No!"
Bonnie's voice came through the earpiece again: "Let them… This battle, only Alexander can fight."
Inside the dome, the clash was epic. Magic versus fury. Ancient hatred colliding with renewed resolve. Bones broke, spells burst, lightning flashed.
In the end, Elias's dagger pierced Alexander's shoulder.
But Alexander smiled.
And he plunged his hand into Elias's chest—grasping the soul anchor he had hidden in his coat, and drove it straight into his heart.
Elias screamed—a long, savage, inhuman cry—and the entire temple shook.
Alexander whispered, "Remember my pain."
The anchor exploded with light.
And Elias Maro turned to ash.
—
They returned shattered, exhausted.
But Elias was gone.
At least… for now.
Alexander lay on the couch, his wounds already starting to heal. Damon handed him a drink.
Damon said quietly, "You're insane… but I'm glad you're one of us."
Stefan gave a soft smile, "Welcome back, brother."
Alexander raised his glass.
"To the dead."
The glasses clinked.
And outside, the wind carried Elias Maro's final scream… into eternal silence.
---
The sky over Mystic Falls was heavy with clouds, and light rain slid down the Salvatore house windows, as if the world itself held its breath, waiting for something to break. Inside, the crackling of fire whispered in the hearth, casting flickering shadows on the dark wooden floor.
Bonnie sat beside Alexander on the couch, her hands tightly clasped in her lap. She remained silent for a long time, words forming and shattering in her mind like fragile glass. Alexander, for his part, sat still, fingers loosely intertwined—but his eyes… those shadowed eyes knew no peace.
At last, Bonnie whispered, her voice barely audible:
"I don't want to lose you… not after all this."
He turned to her slowly, looking at her as if she were the only truth left in a world full of ghosts. Then he said gently, a faint smile on his lips:
"You won't."
She shook her head slightly, a tear glinting at the edge of her eye:
"You can't promise me that. Not when you're burning like this inside."
He paused before answering, and a heavy silence stretched between them, full of all the things left unsaid. He reached for her hand, letting his thumb softly trace her knuckles, as if trying to anchor the moment.
"I won't lie to you, Bonnie," he said softly. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I see what he did to me. The pain, the chains, the centuries he stole… It's a fire that doesn't go out. But I see you too. And I see Stefan, and Damon. I see what I have now. That's what keeps me from becoming what he wanted me to be."
Bonnie's eyes filled with tears.
"You don't have to face this alone."
"I know," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'm not alone anymore."
She leaned into him, resting her forehead against his, and for that brief moment, they tasted peace.
---
In the kitchen, Stefan paced back and forth across the floor, while Damon leaned on the counter, holding a glass of bourbon.
"He's not the same, Damon," Stefan said in a low but sharp voice. "I saw what happened last night. It wasn't just revenge… it was rage. Old, pure rage."
Damon sipped from his glass, jaw clenched:
"I know. But what do you want me to say? He's our brother. And I get it. If someone had done to me what Elias did to him, I'd have burned the whole world down too."
Stefan frowned.
"That's exactly what scares me."
A heavy silence settled. Damon swirled his drink thoughtfully.
"I've been thinking…" Stefan hesitated, then continued, "What if we lose him again? What if he crosses a line we can't pull him back from?"
Before Damon could respond, the heavy front door creaked open slowly.
Alexander entered, his eyes… unsettlingly calm. As if the storm inside him had quieted—only to gather strength again.
He paused as he looked at them, reading their faces like an open book.
"You're worried about me," he said with a tired smile, "and you should be."
Damon raised an eyebrow sarcastically:
"That's reassuring."
But Alexander continued, stepping closer:
"I haven't lost myself yet. And I won't. I have something worth fighting for."
Stefan watched him closely, his expression unreadable.
"And how can you be sure?"
Alexander looked toward the living room, where Bonnie sat, barely visible from where he stood, then answered calmly:
"Because, for the first time in my life, I have something worth coming back to."
The smirk returned to Damon's face:
"Let's hope that's not a metaphor for Bonnie's cooking."
Alexander chuckled softly, the sound carrying a faint warmth that pushed back the chill in the room.
"No," he said. "It's you. My family. I've been alone for too long. And I won't let Elias take this from me too."
And in that moment, despite the fire still burning in Alexander's soul, the three brothers stood together, side by side… ready to face whatever came next.
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