With the Founder's Day festivities in full swing, Orion decided to do something a bit out of the ordinary. Disregarding the background noise of celebration, he stood before the witches' house.
Orion took a deep breath, his decision resolute, and pushed open the groaning front door. It was as if the house itself reluctantly allowed him to enter.
Inside, the atmosphere was stifling, filled with dust and an unsettling stillness. He moved cautiously, footsteps echoing in the dimly lit passages, guided only by the increasing intensity of the mystical energy that tugged at him.
Orion stood in the grand parlor, waiting with bated breath. As the moments passed, he could hear faint whispers, like the soft rustling of leaves in the wind, echoing through the room. It was as if the walls of the old witch's house held secrets, and they were murmuring to each other about his presence.
The whispers ceased after a few minutes, and a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Emily Bennett.
Orion took a step closer, his determination unwavering. "I've come to make a deal, not just with you, but with all the witches in this house."
Emily raised an intrigued eyebrow. "A deal, you say?" she mused. "That's rather audacious, even for you, Orion, the Chosen of Nature. Go on, lay out your terms."
Orion's voice took on a more relaxed, almost conversational tone. His gaze wandered around the grand parlor, settling on the tired and worn surroundings. He quirked an eyebrow and spoke, "You know, I bet you witches must be itching for a change of scenery. How about this: I'll help you spruce up the place, give your magic a snugger spot to call home by concentrating your bones, with a few ground rules, of course – and, just for kicks, maybe even give this old joint a little facelift. It's seen better days, wouldn't you say?"
What do you desire in return?" Emily inquired, her eyes searching for Orion's thoughts.
Orion considered momentarily, then replied, "I'd like a favor in return, a promise that you and the others will owe me one. How does that sound?"
As soon as Emily disappeared, the murmurs that had briefly ceased returned, this time with increased intensity, as if the spirits and energies of the house were engaged in a lively debate.
After a few agonizing minutes, Emily reappeared with a determined look in her eyes. She declared, "Yes, we agree to your request."
Orion nodded in acknowledgment but added a note of caution, "Just remember, if you fail to uphold your end of the bargain, we'll have some serious issues to address." his eyes flashed with a vivid emerald hue, emphasizing the seriousness of their agreement.
Before she departed, Emily fixed her gaze on him and said, "But be prepared, Orion. You'll have to locate our bones scattered around the property; when you find them, I will come back to assist you." With those words, Emily disappeared.
With the witches nodding in agreement, Orion couldn't help but smirk. He reached for his phone and sent a quick message: "Bonnie, are you free right now?" Bonnie didn't take long to respond with a simple "Yeah." Orion replied, "Good, come over to the witches' house. But grab my and Emily's grimoire and two bowls before you do."
Bonnie acknowledged his message and headed out, ready to assist in whatever magical endeavors awaited at the witch's house.
After about 15 minutes, Bonnie arrived at the witch's house with both grimoires. She looked around the aging surroundings and then turned to Orion with a curious expression.
"So, what are we doing here, Orion?" Bonnie asked.
Orion grinned as he explained, "Well, we're on a bone-hunting mission."
"What?" Bonnie exclaimed, clearly puzzled.
Orion chuckled, putting Emily at ease. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly, "we're just going to dig them up. Emily is going to assist us in locating where the bones are buried. We have around a hundred to collect and concentrate."Bonnie, however, voiced a valid concern. "How are we going to dig them up? We don't have shovels," she pointed out.
Orion grinned and replied confidently, "We have something even better – magic."
And so, as the hours passed by, Bonnie and Orion diligently gathered the bones, carefully arranging them in a meticulous row. By the time they were finished, a hundred sets of ancient skeletons were meticulously laid out before them.
"Alright, let's get started," Orion declared, tapping into his magic to conjure a bouquet of roses. He plucked the petals with deft fingers and scattered them with precision around the assembled bones.
Orion drew a pentagram with intricate sigils around the bones, reinforcing the spell.
With the bones adorned, he transformed the remaining roses into fine ash with a simple wave. Carefully, he divided the ash into two bowls, handing one to Bonnie.
"Smear it across their skulls," he instructed, and together, they proceeded to do just that.
"You done?" Orion inquired.
"Yeah," Bonnie replied
Orion then got his grimoire, looking through the pages until he found the spell he needed and where he copied Josaphine's spells; he looked through it, finding the concentration spell. He called Bonnie Over, letting her look at the spell. After a couple of minutes, she got it down, and they held hands and started chanting.
"Mezanmi ki te pase pèmèt tèt ou jwenn yon kote pou rete ak repoze."
As they chanted, the house witches joined along, adding more power to the spell; as they did, their surroundings changed; the wind picked up howling, and rain started to pour.
After a few minutes, the chanting stopped, and an eerie stillness settled over the place. Orion and Bonnie exchanged knowing glances, sensing a palpable change in the atmosphere. It was like a wellspring of power had been unearthed, but it felt formidable and imposing, almost daunting in its intensity.
Upon the spell's completion, Emily appeared before Orion and Bonnie; she spoke with gratitude, "Thank you for granting us this place to stay and for reestablishing our connection to our home."
"Don't forget, you owe me one," Orion reminded with a wry smile before he turned and left, with Bonnie following closely behind.
Orion may not have been foolish enough to surrender control to the witches residing in the house willingly, but he recognized the necessity of creating the illusion that he had. When he executed the spell, he introduced subtle alterations, ensuring that he retained the ability to channel the witches and draw upon their magic as needed, all while making it appear as if he had granted them more influence. It was a crafty maneuver born of both caution and ambition.
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It was 2 a.m. when Orion quietly entered the hospital. He didn't waste any time and used his magic to coax the nurse into revealing Caroline Forbes's room number. With the intel in hand, he had one more trick up his sleeve - he muttered the word "Invisuqe," rendering himself invisible.
Orion went to the hospital's blood donation room, casually snagging a couple of blood bags. Finally, he reached Caroline's room. He found a grim scene inside - a pillow concealing her face, her lifeless body beneath it.
Orion carefully moved the pillow and placed the blood bags within Caroline's reach. He settled into a chair nearby.
After what felt like an eternity, Caroline began to stir, her eyes fluttering open as she let out a gasp. She glanced around, clearly disoriented.
"Orion, is that you?" she asked, her voice hoarse, a mix of relief and fear.
"Yeah," Orion replied, his voice steady but compassionate. He gave her a moment to take her surroundings and gather her thoughts.
Then, he locked eyes with her and delivered the news.
"Congratulations, Caroline," he said with a small, supportive smile. "You're officially a vampire."
Caroline's eyes widened in shock, her disbelief plain to see.
"What?" she exclaimed, her voice quivering with confusion.
Orion nodded, fully aware of the overwhelming flood of emotions Caroline must be experiencing.
"Yeah," he repeated, giving her a reassuring look. "It's a lot to take in, I know."
Caroline's gaze darted around the room, her mind racing as she processed this newfound reality. The room's sterile, white walls seemed to close in on her as the weight of her situation sank in.
"But... how?" she stammered, her voice shaky as she struggled to grasp the enormity of the change that had befallen her.
"Well," Orion casually remarked, "looks like someone – probably Damon – gave you vampire blood. And from what I can see with that pillow over your face, it seems you went out in style and became a vampire."
"Oh," Caroline uttered in response, her eyes wide with realization. Orion then presented her with a stark choice, saying, "You have two options. You can drink the blood from those bags on the table and complete your transition into a vampire, or you can refuse and face the consequence of death."
Caroline hesitated for just a moment, torn between the allure of the blood before her and the desire to live. The tantalizing scent of the bags drew her in, and without further hesitation, she tore into them. As she drank, her fangs emerged, and she downed both blood bags with an almost desperate thirst.
Then, her crimson-like eyes locked onto Orion, her senses heightened, and the intoxicating sound of his heartbeat and blood flowing through his veins beckoned to her. She lunged toward him, but before she could reach him, Orion swiftly cast a spell, uttering the incantation "Ad Sonum." Caroline crumpled to the floor, immobilized and incapacitated.
As he observed Caroline on the ground, Orion couldn't resist a sly grin. Caroline might be a baby vamp for now, but he knew that with time, she would become a formidable force, capable of bending even the most dangerous Mikaelson to her will with just her words and actions alone.
Orion carefully lifted Caroline's unconscious body and went to the nurses' station. He influenced the nurses ' perception with a magic touch, causing them to sign Caroline out as if she were being discharged.
Orion carefully placed Caroline in his car and drove her home. Once there, he called Bonnie downstairs, interrupting her plans for setting up the carnival.
Bonnie came down in her pajamas, confused and concerned, and asked, "What do you want, Orion? I have to help set up the carnival tomorrow." Her words trailed off as her eyes landed on Caroline sprawled on the couch. She gasped in surprise and inquired, "Why is Caroline here?"
"Well, she's a vampire now," Orion declared a hint of wry humor in his voice. "Tada."
Bonnie gasped in astonishment. The unexpected revelation made her speechless as she tried to process the sudden events.
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The Salvatore Mansion or The Mikaelson Compound?
Where would you Live?
Never underestimate Orion; he had his reasons for consecrating the witches of the house. It wasn't just about gaining more power – he had also managed to outwit them, scoring a favor he would definitely collect later on.