"Who—or what—are you?" she asked.
"I am Sukuna. I used to be human, but now I'm just a cursed being."
Her brows furrowed. "Okay… then how did you end up inside my soul?"
I smirked. "That's because of you. You ate one of my fingers."
"WHAT?!" she practically shouted.
"Hey, keep it down," I warned.
"I ate one of your fingers? I would never do that!"
"Well, you did. You were five at the time—probably mistook it for a snack or something. You got sick for a couple of days, but you went back to normal."
She looked horrified. "But how did that put you in my soul?"
"Because I cursed all twenty of my fingers. That way, if I ever died, anyone who consumed them would become my vessel."
She blinked. "Wait. Twenty fingers? Don't you mean ten? And why would anyone eat a severed finger?"
I chuckled. "No, I had twenty fingers. And people ate them to gain power. A long time ago, I was the strongest sorcerer. If a witch or any supernatural being consumed one of my fingers, their abilities would get a massive boost."
Her voice wavered. "And what about a normal human? What happens to them if they eat one?"
"They die. That's the usual result. But you… you're special. You survived."
Fear flashed in her eyes. "So… now what? Are you just going to take over my body?"
I sighed. "No. If I could take over anytime I wanted, I would have done so to save your parents. I need your permission to use your body, and even then, I can't control it for long."
"So if I had just let you take over my body, you could have saved my parents?" she asked, her voice heavy with guilt.
"Yes, but your reaction was completely normal. You heard a strange voice in your head, and you didn't remember me."
She looked down, fist clenched. "But if I had listened… if I had let you take over… my parents would still be alive. It's my fault they're dead. It's my fault I even survived the crash…"
"None of this is your fault, Elena. It was an accident—nothing more. And again, you heard a random voice in your head. Of course, you wouldn't trust it or understand what I was trying to do. Your reaction was natural—anyone in your position would have acted the same."
She didn't respond. She just sat there, silent.
After a long pause, she finally spoke. "So… now what?"
"Now, I need to prepare you for what's coming—because danger is on its way."
Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Remember when I told you about vampires, werewolves, and witches? Well… they're real. And certain vampires are coming after you."
"Why? Is it because I ate one of your fingers?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"No. It's because you're a doppelgänger. You're needed to break a curse and to set someone free."
"A doppelgänger?" she echoed, confusion clear on her face.
"Let me start from the beginning so you understand. There's a vampire named Katherine Pierce. She's one of your ancestors… and one of Klaus's many victims."
"Klaus?" she asked.
"I'll get to him in a moment. The important thing is that Katherine is going to come after you to earn her freedom from him. She's cunning, always a step ahead, and she's been alive for a long time."
Elena's eyes narrowed. "What did she do to Klaus to make her so afraid of him?"
"She ran away," I said simply.
"Ran away?"
"Yes, she was Petrova blood, and that needed to break the curse. When Katherine found out, she fled—and turned herself into a vampire in the process. She had to die in order to break that curse."
"Wow," she whispered, processing everything.
"Yeah. After that, he slaughtered her entire family," I said.
Her face paled. "What?"
"Klaus is a complete sociopath, and now… he's coming after you."
She swallowed hard. "Because I have Petrova blood?"
"Yes."
"What kind of curse is he trying to break?" she asked.
"One placed on him by his own mother. You see, Klaus is one of the Originals—the first vampires to ever exist. They were created through a spell cast by their mother. But Klaus is different. He's a hybrid, he's half werewolf—the only one of his kind… for now, and his mother locked that part away."
Her brows furrowed. "Why would his mother seal away his werewolf side?"
"To appease her psycho husband. Klaus is a bastard—his mother had an affair with a werewolf, and he was born with that blood. She hid the truth for as long as she could, but when it was finally revealed, she cast a spell to suppress his werewolf nature."
Elena's hand curled into a fist. "So now he's coming after me because I'm the only one who can break his curse?"
"Exactly. And he won't hesitate to kill a lot of people to get to you."
Her voice hardened. "And why are you helping me?"
I smirked. "My pride is way too big to die at the hands of some childish vampire."
She didn't buy it. I could see it in her eyes.
"What's the real reason?" she pressed.
I hesitated, but I answered honestly. "Because of you. I actually care about you, Elena. I've watched you grow up. I may be far from a hero, but I do have emotions. And I want to help you. You, your friends, your family."
She gave me a small smile. "Well… since we're connected forever, you should say our family and friends."
I smirked. "Get some sleep, because training starts tomorrow."
Her smile faded. "Training?"
"Yes. You're going to be in danger, so you need to learn how to fight. you need to build your muscles and stamina so I can stay in control of your body longer. The stronger your body is, the better your chances of surviving when you eat more of my fingers."
Her nose scrunched up in disgust. "I have to eat more of those things?"
"Yes. The more fingers you consume, the stronger I become. If you eat at least fifteen, I'll be stronger than most beings in this world."
She shuddered at the thought but nodded. "Okay," she said, determination replacing her unease. Because she knew—if we were strong, the people she loved had a better chance of surviving.
One Month Later
A month had passed, and Elena was doing surprisingly well. She had convinced Jenna to let her sign up for boxing. Jenna agreed without much resistance—probably thinking it would help with the grieving process. In a way, it did. But Elena had a bigger goal in mind: protecting the people she loved.
She even convinced Jeremy to join her. He was hesitant at first, but Elena was persistent. She kept pushing until he finally gave in. And, to my surprise, he enjoyed it. I think it helped him cope, just as it did for her.
Of course, Elena hadn't told anyone about me. We had long discussions about whether to warn her family about the dangers they were in. She wanted to keep it a secret, believing that ignorance would keep them safer.
I shut that idea down immediately. I told her how stupid that reasoning was—if they didn't know about the threats looming over them, they'd be easy targets. We argued about it for days, but eventually, she relented, agreeing to tell them when the time was right. I had forgotten just how stubborn she could be.
I also revealed something that caught her off guard—her best friend was a witch. She was completely shocked. That was only the beginning. I told her about Damon and Stefan, about how Katherine was obsessed with Stefan and had manipulated Damon into loving her. And that wasn't even the biggest revelation—I told her she had already met them both.
Damon was the first. He had mistaken her for Katherine. And Stefan? He was the one who saved her.
If I'm being honest, I've debated whether or not to kill Damon. In my opinion, he's too childish for someone who has lived over a hundred years. And I don't like the fact that he compelled Caroline, practically abusing her. Obviously, we're not going to let that happen. But I'm still weighing my options—should I let him live or not?
As for Stefan, he's tolerable in the early stages. But later? His Ripper side makes him just as dangerous. We'll see how things unfold with those two.
I could now take over Elena's body for much longer when she allowed me to. It was a significant improvement compared to the last time I took control—though, to be fair, she was just a child back then. My curse techniques were still weak. Cleave and Dismantle had a long way to go before they reached their full potential.
Right now, we were in her room talking. Only one week remained before summer ended and the events of the series truly began.
"So, there's a tomb filled with vampires, and Damon thinks Katherine is inside, but she's not. He's going to do everything he can to open it," Elena said.
'Pretty much. He's obsessed with that woman. I have to admit, Katherine really did a number on him—he'd do anything for her. Hell, he even died for her, I replied.
"Well, that's not even the craziest thing I've learned from you. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm adopted," she muttered.
I had already told her the truth—her "uncle" was actually her biological father, and her mother was still alive… as a vampire.
'Yeah, I won't lie—there's still a lot more crazy shit I haven't told you yet. But we'll get to that later. How's the White Oak stake coming along?' I asked.
"I finished it. It actually looks like a stake now," she said.
If you're wondering how we got a White Oak stake, it was pretty simple. The Wickery Bridge sign had enough White Oak in it for us to carve one out. It was easy to steal—just a small piece was enough to craft a weapon capable of killing an Original. Honestly, I hoped we wouldn't have to use it. I actually liked some of the Originals. But reality was cruel, and they were dangerous. If killing one became necessary, I wouldn't hesitate.
As we spoke, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock
"Hey, Elena, can I come in?" Jenna's voice came from the other side.
"One moment!" Elena called back.
She quickly hid the stake and the knife she'd used to carve it under her bed.
"Okay, you can come in," she said once everything was secure.
Jenna stepped inside. "Hey, Elena, I was wondering if you wanted to go out and eat at The Grill."
"I don't know…" Elena hesitated.
'You should go,' I told her. 'You've been working hard. Enjoy this moment of peace before things get messy. Learn to appreciate the little moments while they last.'
Elena took a breath before nodding. "You know what, Aunt Jenna? That sounds like a good idea. Just give me a minute to get ready."
"Great! I'll go see if I can convince your brother to get out of his room too." Jenna smiled before leaving and shutting the door behind her.
"Are you sure it's a good idea for me to take a break? There's a lot of dangerous stuff coming our way," she asked.
'Yes, Elena. Even though we're in danger, you should still enjoy your teenage years while you can,' I said.
She smiled at that before getting ready.
I meant what I said. She had been working hard. She wasn't the same Elena as before—not the naive, fragile girl from the original timeline. She still wasn't ready to take on vampires, but she was strong enough to fight a regular human. And with my help, she'd gain the experience needed to take down a vampire when the time came.
It didn't take long for Elena to get ready. She threw on something casual. Jeremy decided to stay home. I hope that boy isn't getting into drugs. I thought we avoided that. I'd deal with it when the time came.
Jenna drove to the Mystic Grill. It wasn't a long drive—twenty minutes later, we arrived. They walked in and took their seats. Jenna and Elena made small talk, with Jenna subtly checking in to see how Elena was holding up.
"So, Elena, how's boxing going?" Jenna asked.
"It's been good. It's fun, and it helps me blow off some steam," Elena replied.
"That's good. I was kind of surprised when you wanted to sign up. Even more surprised that you convinced Jeremy to do it," Jenna admitted.
Elena shrugged. "I just thought it'd be a good way to help us with the grieving process."
Liar.
'You know,' I chimed in, 'I get that you don't want to tell her about the supernatural world yet, but this is the perfect opportunity to at least tell her you're adopted. Just rip off the Band-Aid.'
Elena stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Aunt Jenna…"
"Yeah, honey?"
"I… I just want to thank you for everything you've been doing for us," Elena said.
"Of course. I'm happy to be here. We're family, after all, and I love both of you," Jenna said warmly.
'Pussy', I muttered.
"Fuck you," Elena shot back, looking down.
"You said something, Elena?" Jenna asked, raising an eyebrow.
Elena quickly looked up. "No, nothing."
Just then, the waiter arrived to take their orders. To my surprise, it was Vicki Donovan. Should I interfere with her fate? I never really cared for her in the show. Whatever. We'd cross that bridge when we got there.
"Hey, Elena. How are you doing?" Vicki asked.
"I'm not okay, but I'm better than I was before," Elena admitted.
"That's good to hear. So, what are you two ordering?" Vicki asked, pulling out her notepad.
"Oh, I'll have a burger and fries," Jenna said.
"Okay, and you, Elena?"
"I'd like a baked potato and a steak," Elena replied.
"Alright, and how would you like your steak cooked?"
"Oh, I'd like my steak well—"
'If you say 'well-done,' we're going to have a problem,' I cut in.
Elena hesitated. "I mean… medium rare."
'Damn right. Good girl,' I said, satisfied.
"Okay! Your food will be out in a couple of minutes," Vicki said before walking off.
As they waited for their food, Jenna and Elena continued their small talk while I was lost in my own thoughts, planning for the future. More specifically, thinking about our enemies.
Honestly? If it were up to me, I'd say kill them all.
But for some reason, Elena doesn't want to kill Katherine—she wants to help her. I get that she sees Katherine as a victim, an ancestor who was just trying to survive. But damn, the woman is more than willing to throw Elena under the bus if it means securing her own freedom.
Whatever. Maybe Katherine could be a useful ally. If I remember correctly, all she really wants is her freedom and Stefan.
Speaking of Stefan, after everything I told Elena about him, I doubt she's interested in having any kind of relationship with him. Maybe we could bargain for Katherine's freedom by making a deal with Elijah or Klaus… or we could just kill Klaus.
I'm more than okay with that plan.
I know a lot of vampires are linked to Klaus' bloodline, meaning they'd all die if he did. Sucks to be them. As long as Elena, her family, and her friends are safe, I don't care who else has to die.
After Elena and Jenna finished eating, they decided to go for a walk.
We really need to find more of my fingers, but the problem is I have no idea where they are. They could be in Mystic Falls… or across the country… or on the other side of the world. Maybe leaving the Salvatore brothers alive would be useful. We could use vampire compulsion to track down the fingers faster.
Of course, Damon would have to be on a short leash.
The only reason I'm even considering sparing him is because Stefan might turn against us if we kill his brother. And I'd rather not have Stefan as an enemy. He might not be strong, but he can still be useful.