LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 12: War between the species
The morning sun cast its rays across the Viking village, no longer a threat to the Mikaelson family. Each of them now wore a lapis lazuli ring, crafted by Ayana under Vali's watchful black eyes.
After their first confrontation, the witch had learned the folly of attempting deception - especially when Vali had returned, demanding she create rings for himself and Klaus without any hidden spells. Her fear of him had ensured her compliance.
While Elijah and Finn had spread word through the village of their mother's passing - a swift illness, they claimed - Vali and Klaus had ventured into the woods under the pretense of hunting.
Though blood was now their primary sustenance, they maintained appearances by bringing game to the village. It helped avoid unwanted questions, and besides, they found they still enjoyed the taste of normal food, even if it no longer sustained them.
Niklaus stood at the edge of the forest clearing, their morning hunt concluded, his new ring glinting in the sunlight as he twisted it absently around his finger. His enhanced senses could pick up the scent of the werewolf camp in the distance, carried on the wind.
Somewhere among them was the man whose blood ran through his veins - the coward who had sired him but never claimed him.
Vali adjusted the large white deer slung across his shoulder - a rare prize that would have normally brought satisfaction to their hunt. At Klaus's words, however, he sighed heavily and lowered the carcass to the ground.
The pristine white fur was marred with blood where their enhanced strength had snapped its neck cleanly.
"Going somewhere, brother?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. The mark on his arm pulsed faintly, as if sensing his brother's darker intentions.
Klaus's smile grew sharp, predatory, but his eyes held nothing but revulsion. "I think it's time I paid a visit to the coward who sired me," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "The man who couldn't even face Father's wrath, who left his seed to grow under another man's care."
Vali moved to stand beside his brother, his eyes scanning the distant treeline where the werewolf camp lay as the white deer's blood soaked into the frost-covered ground behind them, staining the snow crimson.
"Most only saw Father's cruelty," Klaus continued, his fingers flexing at his sides. "They never understood the purpose behind it, the strength he was trying to forge in us. And this... this wolf," he practically spat the word, "he ran from even that. Left his own blood to face it alone."
"And what do you plan to do when you find him?" Vali asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
"I want him to see what his seed has become - not because of him, but in spite of him. I want him to know that it was Mikael, the man he feared, who truly made me his son." His voice dropped lower, darker. "And then I want him to die knowing his cowardice meant nothing in the end."
Vali studied his brother's profile, noting how their transformation had brought out something darker in Klaus - not the gentle soul their mother had tried to preserve, nor the mindless beast she had feared, but something more complex.
A darkness tempered by understanding. He reasoned it was perhaps because the necklace no longer suppressed any darker impulses - their mother's magic had done more than just hide Klaus's true nature, it had muted parts of who he truly was.
The white deer lay forgotten behind them as they moved through the forest with supernatural grace. Their enhanced senses picked up every detail of the werewolf camp long before it came into view - the crackling of fires, heartbeats, conversations carried on the wind.
"They haven't transformed back long," Klaus noted, catching the lingering scent of wolf in the air. The full moon had passed just days ago, leaving them weakened from their change. "Perfect timing, wouldn't you say?"
Vali's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "Almost as if fate arranged it." He paused, catching a particular scent that made Klaus stiffen beside him. "That one - his blood smells similar to yours."
Through the trees, they could see a man sitting by one of the fires - strong-built, with features Klaus had sometimes caught glimpses of in his own reflection. The scar across his torso, visible even through his tunic, was a reminder of his encounter with Vali during the last full moon. The mighty black wolf, leader of the pack, now looked almost diminished in his human form.
"Ansel?" Klaus's voice carried a note of genuine surprise. "The pack leader?" His initial shock quickly gave way to bitter understanding. "Well, at least my coward of a father aimed high when he abandoned his seed. The mighty alpha who commands such respect from his pack, yet couldn't even claim his own blood."
The irony wasn't lost on him - how many times had he heard tales of Ansel's bravery, his leadership, his strength? Only to learn that this paragon of wolf virtue was the very man who had left him to face Mikael's "cruelty" alone.
"Shall we introduce ourselves?" Vali asked quietly, the mark on his arm pulsing with anticipation. "Though I believe he already knows my blade's bite."
"Oh yes," Klaus replied, his smile promising violence. "Let's show him what family truly means."
The morning mist curled around their feet as they emerged from the treeline. Conversations around the camp died as the wolves sensed their presence, their instincts warning them of predators in their midst. Ansel looked up from his fire, his face paling as he recognized Vali - the demon who had scarred him in his wolf form.
But then his gaze shifted to Klaus, and something flickered in his eyes. Recognition. Guilt. Fear. All passing in quick succession as he took in the features that mirrored his own.
"The Mikaelsons," one of the wolves muttered, hands tightening on weapons. "What brings you to our camp?"
Klaus ignored them all, his eyes fixed on Ansel. He circled the fire slowly, deliberately, like a predator savoring the moment before the strike. "We came to share interesting news," he said, his voice deceptively casual. "About family secrets. About lies." His smile grew sharp. "About cowards who sire children and leave them to face another man's wrath."
Ansel's breath caught, understanding dawning on his face as Klaus's meaning became clear.
"You know," he whispered, the words barely audible.
"Indeed," Klaus replied, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "Tell me, mighty Alpha, does leading a pack make up for abandoning your blood? Does their respect taste sweet enough to wash away your cowardice?"
Ansel's eyes darted between Klaus and Vali, noting the air of command they both carried, the power that seemed to radiate from them. The wolves around the camp shifted uneasily, sensing the tension and the potential for violence.
"Klaus," Ansel began, his voice tinged with regret. "I didn't know."
"Didn't know?" Klaus interrupted, his voice mocking. "Didn't know you'd fathered a child? Or didn't know what Father would do if he found out?" His eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and bitterness. "You feared him more than you cared for your own blood."
Ansel took a cautious step forward, hands still raised to placate. "I wanted to protect you."
"Protect me?" Klaus's laugh was sharp, humorless. "By leaving me to face Mikael's 'protection' alone? Tell me, what kind of father does that?"
Vali watched the exchange silently, the mark on his arm pulsing with the tension in the air. This confrontation had been a long time coming, the culmination of secrets and betrayals spanning decades.
Ansel's eyes pleaded for understanding. "I thought you'd be safer with your mother."
"My mother," Klaus repeated, the words bitter in his mouth. "The woman who bound my true nature and filled my head with lies. The woman who feared what I might become."
He took a step closer, the firelight casting long shadows across his face. "No, Ansel. You don't get to claim ignorance or good intentions. You abandoned me. You left me to become what I am now."
Klaus paused, his gaze unwavering. "And in a twisted way, I suppose I should thank you," he said, his voice quiet but laced with venom. "Because of your cowardice, I became stronger. I exist. I have a true brother." He gestured to Vali a testament to the family he'd grown with. "But even though I am grateful for my existence, it means not that I am not ashamed for the man you are.
One going after married women, a coward who even when in love, does not truly chase after what he wants, but simply watches as she is with another, as his own son calls another, father. I am truly revolted by you."
His eyes narrowed, the anger clear and unyielding. "You chose your own skin over blood. You put yourself between a family and watched it tear apart. And for that, you will always be a coward in my eyes."
Vali seeing, that Klaus finished stepped forward, his presence commanding as he joined his brother, the mark on his arm pulsing with a sinister energy that mirrored the dark humor in his eyes. He regarded Ansel with a predatory smile, one that promised retribution.
"You know," Vali began, his voice smooth and edged with dark amusement, "I hear it's bad form to run from your problems, but I suppose some wolves just can't resist chasing their own tails."
The cruel joke hung in the air, as Vali's eyes gleamed as he continued, "But we're not here to discuss your lack of bravery or your talent for self-preservation,. No, unlike Niklaus, I'd like to focus on something else entirely."
He leaned in slightly, his gaze locking onto Ansel's. "You were there the night Henrik nearly died, the great black wolf who fought me but failed to protect your pack from their own recklessness - That scar, evidence, I recognize my handwork. Any painter would, wouldn't you agree?"
Klaus's anger simmered beside him, but Vali's tone was light, as he continued almost conversational. "You see, Henrik, our youngest brother, nearly died because of your pack. The wolves you failed to control." His black eyes bore into Ansel's, the weight of his words heavy with dark intent. "And I intend to exact a little... recompense for that oversight."
The wolves around the camp shifted nervously, sensing the threat in Vali's demeanor. "Consider this a lesson in accountability, Ansel," he continued, his voice dripping with sardonic amusement. "Every action has consequences, even for an alpha who thought he could escape them."
Vali's predatory smile remained fixed, the mark on his arm pulsing with an almost eager intensity. "But I am not unjust, you were not the one who harmed Henrik, and so in respect to you being Klaus's biological father, I've decided to spare you," Vali continued, his tone now less casual and more malicious, the bloodlust hidding behind a veil. "But there is a price for your life, Ansel. A debt that needs settling."
He leaned forward slightly, taking out a sword of his from its sheath and stabbing it into the ground before Ansel, his gaze unyielding. "I want the heads of each wolf who was there that day laid before me. And the one who hurt Henrik?" His eyes gleamed with dark promise. "You'll cut out his heart yourself and present it to us."
Ansel's jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists. "I cannot agree to that," he began, a hint of desperation in his voice, this being more instinct than anything, since he, though the reason unknown to him, felt the absolute danger from Vali, that he did not sense before when they last fought.
"There must be another way-"
Before he could finish, though, a young, hot-blooded wolf from the pack, brimming with arrogance and defiance, stepped forward. He picked up the sword Vali had driven into the ground before Ansel and charged, his intentions clear.
Vali moved with ease, sidestepping the attack with effortless grace. The young wolf stumbled past, his momentum carrying him forward as Vali then while stabbed him in the back, with his hand gripping his heart and ripping it out.
"Is that really your best, Ansel?" Vali asked as the young werewolf's corpse fell, his voice dripping with mockery. "Sending pups to play with wolves?"
Ansel's face twisted with a mixture of anger and desperation as he looked upon the young wolf's fate. "This doesn't have to end in bloodshed," he insisted, though his resolve was wavering.
"But it will," Vali replied smoothly, "unless you deliver what I demand. The heads of those who were there that night, and the heart of the one who harmed Henrik. Place them before us, or face the consequences."
His gaze swept over the gathered wolves, each one feeling the weight of his words, the promise of violence that lingered unspoken in the air. "I assure you, Ansel, I have no qualms about wiping out all your warriors if you refuse."
The arrogant display ignited a fire in the pack, and another wolf called out to Ansel, drawing his own sword. "We won't stand by while you threaten us!" he shouted, a rallying cry that spurred more warriors to join him.
Ansel's face twisted with a mixture of anger and desperation as he saw the situation spiraling out of control. "Stop!" he called, but his voice was drowned out by the clamor of swords being drawn.
Vali stood firm, the mark on his arm glowing fiercely as the first wave of attackers rushed him. In a blur of motion, he dispatched them with ruthless efficiency, each strike precise and deadly. Their bodies fell around him like leaves in a storm, the ground stained with their blood.
Seeing his warriors fall, Ansel hesitated for a moment, realizing the gravity of the confrontation. But as more of his pack joined the fray, he knew he had no choice but to fight. With a grim resolve, he stepped forward, his sword ready, and joined the melee.
Vali danced through the chaos, his movements fluid and unstoppable, cutting down each assailant with ease. The air was filled with the sounds of battle, the clash of steel, the cries of the dying. And as the last of Ansel's warriors fell, only Ansel himself remained, facing the Mikaelsons alone.
In an instant, Klaus appeared before Ansel, moving with supernatural speed that left the alpha momentarily stunned. Klaus's hand plunged into Ansel's heart, the blood sputtering on dripping with finality.
Klaus's gaze bore into Ansel's, the moment heavy with the weight of everything unsaid. "For the cowardice that tore apart what could have been," Klaus intoned, his voice steady and cold. "For the son you left behind, abandoned, unknowing whether his fate is salvation or damnation.."
With a final, powerful motion, Klaus ripped Ansel's heart from his chest. The werewolf's eyes widened in shock and pain, his body convulsing as the curse within Klaus activated. Bones cracked and reshaped, his form twisting in agony.
As Ansel's life ebbed away, Klaus fell before him, as his right leg's bone shattered.
As the final breaths burst out of the alpha's lungs, the final sight before him was Niklaus on his knees, Ansel's heart fallen to the side, as he roared to the Heavens, his eyes molten gold,
For the Original Hybrid, has been born.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Do tell how you found the interactions between Vali and Klaus alongside Klaus and Ansel?
How do you find the bond between the brothers?
Do please tell me, the more you engage and give feedback, the more I write, today being a testament since there were so many comments I've written four in a row.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)