In a bar in Montana, country music echoed and the smell of alcohol permeated the air.
Dozens of individuals talked at the same time, drinking to their heart's content or singing the music alongside the rhythm of the singer; Some were even doing all of it at the same time.
Every couple minutes, more people arrived at the bar, with rarely anyone leaving despite how late it was. They hung their coats at the entrance and moved towards the bar counter, with the bartender readily delivering their drinks by only seeing who was the customer, with none of the latter complaining so.
The atmosphere was calm, with everyone just trying to enjoy a warm place, a cold drink and good music after a long day of work.
But, in one of the back corners of the bar, a small group was awkwardly more calm than the rest of the bar. They silently enjoyed their night, rarely chatting between themselves.
They played cards and drank their beers in a strange calm to see in a bar at this hour. However, they hardly stood out by it, for no one paid them any attention more than normal.
However, at a certain point in the night, one of the men found himself forced to draw out his phone. At nights like these, he didn't like to be perturbed and disabled most notifications, permitting only what was important to alert him. So, even if he didn't like it, the man still forced himself to verify it.
Who is it at such a time? The man thought, seeing his own reflection on the phone's screen for a brief moment before unlocking it.
At first, the man thought the notification might be about a matter of no great importance. However, that changed first. Quickly, he put down the beer and straightened his posture.
His actions didn't go unnoticed, with everyone of his group following his actions and paying attention to his every movement while the conversation completely ceased.
A few seconds passed and the man started to rub his black – almost greasily – bear in a gesture of worry. He held his chin and a thoughtful look took over his eyes.
More or less a minute later, the man turned off his phone and put it over the table in front of him. His eyes settled on the men and women surrounding him, a deep breath preceding his words.
"Rachel is dead." The man announced. "Her son and the rest of her pack share the same fate as her."
"…"
Just like their leader, the group reacted silently to the news.
They lacked any heat of anger or tears of sadness for learning people they have known for years have passed. Instead, they were calm and kept themselves composed in front of it.
The first response to the news was a man of olive skin putting down his cowboy hat, placing it in front of his heart. "Any suspect, boss?"
Despite his gesture of respect for those who died, the man failed to transmit any sentiment of mourning for them in his voice.
Slowly, the leader of the group nodded. "A few." He replied, staring into the air. "It seems to be the act of a single individual or thing. There are few out there capable of this. We can reduce these numbers even more when we consider the one responsible apparently survived Rachel's last war cry."
"She ignited herself?" A woman in the group asked, an insignificant bit of surprise in her voice.
"According to our allies, it seems so." The man affirmed once again. "I do not need to say that our comrade did this to take down her enemy with her. We would only be tainting her death if we believed Rachel, among us all, to share any bit of information regarding our cause."
Everyone agreed with the man in different ways, be it by nodding or simply saying a single word of agreement.
With a bit of satisfaction glinting in his eyes, the man rose up to his feet and everyone followed him. Throughout the bar, people who were enjoying a more noisy or heated experience noticed the man's movements and turned their eyes to him, as if they were awaiting his orders.
Picking up his hat off the table, the man looked at one of a few feathers tucked on its band. "We might not know who is responsible for this tragedy, but we must suppose this individual is aware of our group for obvious reasons."
Even if he was reluctant, the man plucked one of the feathers and slid it into his pocket. "Tonight, we shall return and prepare more to compensate for our losses. Now, we must not only work harder to achieve our goal, but also to avenge our friends and end the borrowed life of the scourge who has impeded them to see the world that we envision."
As he put on his hat, everyone slightly aware of the man's presence could see his eyes faintly glow under the small shade of the hat's brim, a reflection of the beast buried in his heart and soul.
[Scene Break]
"Oh my God, what a rain." An elderly woman commented, opening up her umbrella after a few drops fell from the sky.
Fortunately for her, she acted quickly. Soon after, the rain thickened and people around started to mumble about the city drowning overnight if this rain continued for some more time.
Looking to her side, the elderly woman noticed the person next to her didn't have an umbrella or a rain cape to keep him shielded from the approaching strom.
"Good evening, Darling." She tried to call his attention. "Would you like to share the umbrella? I guess we can both fit under it despite you being a big boy." She gently extended her arm towards the young man, protecting him from the rain.
With a warm smile, John nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, lady. Here, let me hold it so you won't tire yourself." He said, gently taking the umbrella from her hand.
She permitted it and moved a little closer to the boy. "What lady? You don't need to flatter me." She wavered her hand dismissively. "Are you here to cheer for one of your friends? I'm actually surprised that a young man like you is not on the field."
The elderly woman's words were not only drowned by the rain, but also by the crowd around as the quarterback launched a promising deep pass downfield.
Still, the noise didn't compromise John's hearing and he calmly gave back a reply. "Thanks for the praise. But, no, I'm not friends with any of the players. I'm just passing by Atlanta and decided to watch the game before going back home." He slowly explained, giving his best so the old lady wouldn't misinterpret him. "And you? Are you here for your son or grandson?"
"Do I look like I have a son in high school at this age?" The woman raised her eyebrows.
"You look young to me." John quietly laughed.
In response, the old lady pinched John's cheek. After all, old people rarely have to worry about others' personal space. "You little flatterer." She said, laughing a little before releasing him. "I'm here for my grandson. There, there he is." She pointed at one of the players on the field.
"The captain? You must be proud." John commented.
"Oh, we are. Although my daughter couldn't attend his game due to work, I made sure to appear to cheer for him. This is his first season as captain, after all." A proud smile appeared amidst her face when she boasted about her grandson.
However, it soon vanished when looking at the game's boarding score. "Unfortunately, it seems it will come close to an end. The team has been in disarray since the second quarter."
"I unfortunately have to agree." And that comes from someone who has almost no idea on what is happening in this game. John said, turning his eyes to the field. "And although I don't like to put blame on others, I think one of the home's OLs is at fault tonight."
"Yeah, it is truly a pity." The woman couldn't help but sigh in frustration. "He is normally a great player; one of our best. I wonder what is happening for him to perform such a bad game."
"Maybe he broke up with his girlfriend?"
"I couldn't think of a better reason." She said, paying some more attention to the game.
After this brief conversation, both of them decided to focus more on the game.
However, the rain didn't permit the spectators to watch it. By now, the rain was strong enough so anyone could barely see what was in front of them.
Because of this reason and the worsening condition of the field, some players protested against the continuation of the game, with others doing the same. However, from what John could hear, the game couldn't be delayed anymore since it was delayed once already.
So, the night went on and the game continued. By now, anyone was already certain the city would wake tomorrow in a worse condition because of the rain just like the field, which by now was mostly mud.
When the judge announced the end of it, most of the crowd whined and sighed because of the loss of the Home Team, with only a small group commemorating alongside the winning team.
John was probably the only who did not react in any meaningful way about the game. After all, he couldn't care less about the result of this match if not for the butterfly effect that the home team's loss would bring.
"Well, my lady–" John handed the umbrella back to the old lady, the rain soon soaking his clothes as he moved away from its protection. "I have to go now. It was my pleasure watching this game in your company."
"Your girlfriend surely must be pleased by how much you are a flatterer."
John smugly smiled. "You have no idea."
Walking down the stands, John was just one of the first to rise, with the crowd soon preparing to leave as well.
Just as he was making his way to the parking lot, John found himself almost stopping in his tracks when he spotted someone amidst the crowd that caught his attention and surprised him.
He was sitting on the first row of seats, soaked from head to toe as he didn't have a cape or umbrella to shield him from the rain. His wet hair constantly covered his eyes and he trembled a lot from the cold; still, even under these circumstances, he didn't leave the place yet.
He looks almost identical to his interpreter. John thought, spotting who he was almost certain to be Landon. Well, this is unexpected. I didn't even consider meeting him here. But I guess it makes sense for him to be here. Actually, it would be strange if he didn't appear to watch his brother's game. He thought, observing one of the key figures of this world's future a little bit longer.
Um… He really has no magic coursing through him, not a single particle. What an odd and interesting thing to see. A bit of surprise flashed in John's eyes.
Throughout his time in this world, John has seen through many individuals with his special sight – thousands at this point. He has not only seen how magic behaves in supernatural creatures, but also in humans as well.
And no matter who he observed, even if they were the twins after long periods without siphoning a magical source, all of them had even the slightest traces of magic running through their veins. Yet, somehow, Landon defied that rule. He didn't have a single bit of magic in him.
What is even more strange is that I can't see even the form of his soul. At this point, John frowned deeply, intrigued by this fact.
Feeling a nagging sensation on the back of his neck, Landon turned around, with him finding nothing but the small crowd of people leaving.
From the couple dozen individuals in the crowd, Landon couldn't spot who might've been looking at him to give him such a feeling.
However, there was one person who caught his sight. The reason for it was simply because he was sure that person's eyes glowed amidst the rain.
"What the– Achoo!" Before finishing his words, Landon sneezed so hard it almost threw him back. "Shit, I'm definitely getting a cold." He murmured, rising to his feet.
But before leaving the area, Landon tried to catch sight of that person once again. After all, it wasn't everyday he saw someone with that color of eyes.
However, after looking around a little, he didn't find that person. He was huge as well. Maybe he was another school's player who came to watch the game? Landon thought, deciding to go find Rafael.
By now, John was already in the parking lot of the school. His figure was hidden by the shadows of some leaves as he sat upon a tree's branch, patiently waiting for the moment he came this far from Mystic Falls.
After the game, there was no reason for people to stay and soon cars started to leave, emptying the parking lot. The rain had yet to show any sign it would stop any time soon, with some streets already flooded a bit by the huge amount of water. So, as soon as they got home, there were less chances they had to suffer an accident in these slippery streets.
Just when there was almost no car remaining in the parking lot, the moment John had been waiting finally happened.
"Fuck! Who did this?!" Rafael shouted, putting his hands over his head while he stared at his, or more exactly, his foster parents' car.
All the four tires had been cut, with them totally flat and unusable at this moment.
You could only imagine how angry a teenager with anger issues, werewolf genes, after losing a game he played nothing and a few more other things going through his life, could be feeling right now after seeing his car's tires completely destroyed.
For a couple moments, Rafael had the urge to punch anything nearby to abate his anger. However, the only thing close was the car and he couldn't simply worsen its state. So, to deal with his anger, he simply went along the path to curse every little thing on the planet.
"Motherfucker! I'm gonna rip out the teeth of the bastard who did this and shove it up his ass!" Despite the constant sound of the rain, Rafael's voice could be clearly heard by those who still didn't leave.
Up on the tree, John thinned his lips at the young man's fit of anger. Yeah, I certainly avoided an accident there.
A little to Rafael's side, his girlfriend – Cassie – thought of saying something to calm down her boyfriend. However, she seemed a little hesitant.
The one responsible to pull Rafael's mind away from the problem was someone else, a member of his team.
"Hey, Raf. Come on, I will take you and Cassie back home. We will deal with this later." Rafael's teammate said, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Tomorrow, we will ask to look at the cameras. There is a lot around here, I am sure we can find whoever did this." He said, leading the couple into his car.
Meanwhile, John could only disagree with his words. Sorry, mate. The cameras are now fried, and the one to be blamed will be the rain. He thought, rising to the sky.
As thick as the rain was and by using a few of his own tricks, no one could see John in the sky observing the last car leave the parking lot, with it moving towards the city and disappearing behind the curtain of water.
Should I follow them? John pondered over the idea for a moment. Just to ensure nothing happens. As soon as Rafael arrives at home, I am going back home. He decided, following the car, but keeping a certain distance from it.
But as he traversed the sky, a small thought surged in John's mind. Why didn't Landon go with Rafael? He asked himself, tilting his head in doubt. Actually, where did he go? I didn't see him leaving the school. Did he take a different route?
The doubt took place in John's mind for some time, but it didn't last long. It surged mostly out of curiosity rather than worry for Landon.
He must be fine. John thought, focusing on the current matter.
For some time, John followed the car across the city. The streets were empty due to the rain, so the path to where they were heading didn't take long.
After a couple dozen minutes, the car finally stopped in front of a house in the suburban area of Atlanta, with both Cassie and Rafael getting out of it.
They bid farewell to the friend who gave them a ride and entered the house, with them greeting who sounded like Cassie's mom.
"Okay, then. I guess this is my call to go home." John muttered after seeing he succeeded in preventing Rafael from killing his girlfriend in a car accident and then becoming a werewolf, which would in a strange and funny chaotic way trigger the entire plot of Malivore, and successively of the Gods.
Strangely, even if he succeeded, a sigh escaped John's lips. I hope I'm doing the right thing. He thought, turning around.
Whoosh!
John's sudden acceleration pushed away the rain around him, with the strong wind helping a bit at drying his clothes.
As Atlanta disappeared in the horizon, John's worries about him having to use more of his speed disappeared, with him soon threatening to break the sound barrier.
His trip back to Mystic Falls was a peaceful one, as it usually is every time he flies since the sky didn't have to afford anyone but him. Also, flying in itself was a peaceful activity in John's perspective. Until this day, he was still incapable of properly explaining through words how fascinating it was to traverse the sky by himself.
"Ah~ maybe I should slow down a little and enjoy this a little bit more." John muttered to himself.
Vrrr…
However, it seemed the world had other plans for him as his phone soon started vibrating after he said those words.
Even if he didn't want to, John still picked his phone out of his pocket. When he saw who was calling him, he immediately brought it to his ear after accepting the call and abruptly slowing himself down.
"Hello?"
"Hey, where are you?" Hope's voice came from the speaker. "Why does it sound windy?" She asked before John could answer the first question.
"It's because I am a thousand meters high in the sky, flying a little over a couple hundred miles per hour now." John replied. "As for where I am, I am out of the state."
"Okay… that's kind of abrupt." Hope said, sitting down on her bed. "Why go so far?"
Shit, I hate lying to her. John bit his lips in frustration before replying. "I was bothered by something. So, to clear my mind, I decided to fly a little." He tried to give her a simple explanation. "I guess I just forgot to pay the proper attention to my surroundings and the fact the sun is gone now."
"Hmph, you guess?" Hope chuckled at his words.
Listening to the melody of her laugh, a smile bloomed on John's lips. "So, why did you call me? Missed me so much when you didn't see me in my room?"
"That's partially the reason I called you." Hope said.
"Urgh. Only 'partially'? Where did your love for me go?"
"Oh, stop it. Be more serious, would you?" Hope sternly said, but even she couldn't hide the warmth in her voice when she talked to John. "I called you because I wanted you to see something."
"And what is it?" John asked.
"Do you remember that painting I've been working on for some time?"
"Yes. The one I tried to take a peek at and you punished me for it." John said, reminiscing of the event a few days ago. "Really, how did you make for the paint to last that long on me?"
"Not telling. Who knows the next time you disobey me?" Hope smiled, looking at the paint that tainted her fingers. "Anyways, I was looking for you to take a look at it. I wanted you to be the first one to see it since it is somewhat… special." A little bit of shyness and enthusiasm were entangled in Hope's words.
"Well, that's the kind of invitation a man can't refuse." Even if he didn't say anything, John was a little bit anxious to see the painting as well. "I will be back in an hour, maybe less. I will call you when I get closer."
"Okay. I'll leave the window open for you." Hope mischievously said.
"Heh~ okay, then." John slowly started to speed up again. "I love you, see you soon."
"I love you too." Hope said, ending the call.
Putting his phone back into his pocket, John turned his eyes ahead. "Well, I guess I must make a little bit of noise." He announced, the world around him slowing down to his perspective.
Boom!
A deafening sound echoed, with ripples spreading through the air announcing the fact someone broke one of nature's thresholds.
[Scene Break]
Whoosh!
A couple kilometers from Mystic Falls, John drastically reduced his speed so as to not startle anyone about his arrival.
Still, just a few minutes later, he approached an open window in the last floor of the building, with Hope leaning on it as she patiently waited for him.
As John entered her sight, the smile Hope gave him simply melted the young man's heart, with him forever keeping this image in a safe place in his mind.
Taking a step back, Hope gave way for him to enter her room, with John landing right in front of her.
"Hello, my beautiful lady." John held her waist.
"Hm, you flatterer."
"Believe it or not, you are the second person to tell me this tonight." John said, trying to get some reaction out of her.
But by now, Hope was used to John's antics already and knew of his attempts. Still, she played with him. "Really, who else?"
"An old lady I met on the way out. I think she was in her 70s, maybe."
"Well, be careful. It isn't unusual in our society for even older women to pray upon young men like you." Hope alerted him with a mirthful smirk.
"I will be." John nodded, giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Hope happily accepted it before releasing herself from his hands, with her walking towards the side of her bed. There, she picked up a canvas from her easel, keeping the painting hidden the entire time as she walked back.
"You are making me curious here." John said, his eyes locked on the canvas Hope hid behind her back.
Stopping before him, Hope warmly smiled. "Hm, how should I say it? This painting has gained a new meaning half-way through its creation. When I first started it, the idea was simply to paint a random place of the school. It was meant to be nothing more than a piece to practice." Hope paused to catch up her breath. "But, that changed. Can you guess the reason why?"
"You met a handsome young man?" John shamelessly smiled.
To respond to his cheeky smile, Hope pulled on her boyfriend's cheek. "As infuriating as your expression is, you are correct." She released him, bringing the canvas in front of her. "Maybe it is a bit earlier what I am about to say since our relationship is still new. However, even if short, it has been the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. Everyday since I've met you, I have been grateful for your presence in my life and I expect it to be this way for a long time."
"You are going to make me cry at this rate." John wasn't lying or joking when he said it. In certain aspects of life, he simply couldn't hold his tears.
Hope giggled. "For this reason, I decided to make this project a little bit special. I truly hope you like it." She turned the canvas around, revealing the painting as she passed it to his hands
Holding it, John inspected every single detail of the painting before him.
It was the day both of them met, from what he could see. To be more exact, the moment portrayed on the canvas was none but when they had their first hug – a very pure-hearted choice in John's opinion.
The painting depicted the moment from a bird's view, looking down at the couple from one of the upper corners of the ceiling. Hope's back was facing those who would appreciate the canvas, with her cascading hair hiding the boy's hands resting around her.
Since it was a painting, there were some liberties taken by its creator. After all, the painting displayed how Hope remembered and idealized the moment, and one of them was John's golden eyes. Never had Hope seen them glowing on the same intensity as she portrayed them on the canvas. Yet, at the same time they shared an intense and even threatening light, they were soothing and affectionate when cast down at the girl in his hands.
A detail John paid much attention were the colors mashed up by Hope. They worked like a summer breeze, surrounding the couple in a faint warm light as they enjoyed that short moment of their lives.
After handing the painting, Hope moved to John's side to look at her work as well. "Hm… I still think of changing this part of the painting a little bit. I even thought of adding more color here, but I am not certain…"
Plip… Plip…
Very slowly, Hope halted her words as a barely audible sound entered her ears. It was faint, accompanied by another one very similar to it.
Looking to her side, Hope observed as two more tears rolled down her boyfriend's cheeks, with him doing his best for them to not taint her work.
Noticing that she noticed his tears, John turned his face away. "So-sorry. It's… it's just… shit." He muttered, a bit embarrassed by how he was behaving right now.
However, Hope didn't care about his embarrassment and simply worried about him. "Wait, why are you crying?" Hope asked in surprise, trying to make him face her again. "Come on, don't turn your face away." She soothingly said, feeling his tears escaping amidst her fingers as she caressed his cheeks.
While he wiped away his tears, John let her turn his head back to her. "Before you think otherwise, these are tears of joy, not sadness."
"Yeah, it's great to know that." Hope said with a small, relieved laugh at the end of her words. "If you started crying for any other reason after seeing it, I would be the one crying."
John let out a short laugh, letting out a sigh of relief as he composed himself.
After making sure his face was proper, John looked at the painting once again. He appreciated it for a brief moment before his lips parted.
"It might sound cliché, but the reason behind my tears is due to how beautiful and meaningful your work is, and also what it represents." Discreetly, John grabbed Hope's hand, squeezing it tightly. "When looking at it and listening to your words, all I could think is how you see me, what I represent to you. And this, Hope Mikaelson, means so much to me that I can't properly transmit it into words."
"I think you are doing alright." Hope's tone was soft, enjoying his warm touch.
Slowly, John put down the painting on the bed and pulled her closer. He embraced Hope in a tight hug, with her not fighting it.
Tenderly, he kissed the top of her head and looked into her eyes. "Thank you, my love. I will cherish it for the rest of my life."
A beautiful smile bloomed on Hope's lips as she listened to his words. "I expect you to do so. A lot of time and work was needed to complete it."
"I will, believe in me." For as long as I live, I will make sure you live the peaceful life you wish. He thought to himself, bowing his head and capturing Hope's lips in a long, loving kiss.
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A/N
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