Elena and Jenna were walking down the street when they ran into two unexpected people—Sheila Bennett and Bonnie Bennett.
I didn't think we'd see them again so soon.
I remember spotting them at the funeral. Elena has been neglecting her friend a little bit, but she can fix that once school starts.
"Elena, how are you?" Bonnie asked, pulling her into a hug.
"I'm better than before. It's nice to see you again—I missed you," Elena replied.
"I missed you too! If you're up for it, maybe you, me, and Caroline can hang out?"
"I'd really like that," Elena said with a smile.
She turned to Sheila and hugged her. "It's good to see you too, Miss Bennett."
"It's nice to see you as well, child," Sheila said, returning the hug.
As they pulled apart, Sheila's gaze lingered on Elena a little too long, her expression unreadable.
She knows something.
That shouldn't be possible. If she could sense me by touching Elena, she should have noticed me a long time ago. But I don't like the way she's looking at us.
"You two should come to our house—just to catch up," Sheila said, looking straight at Elena.
Jenna glanced at her niece. "Oh, I don't know. What do you think, Elena?"
'Elena, accept the offer,' I said.
Does she know about me? And if she does, how did she find out?
Elena nodded. "I'd love to."
Sheila smiled. "That's wonderful."
After finishing their conversation, Jenna and Elena headed back to the car. The drive from the Grill to the Bennett house didn't take long. By the time they arrived, Sheila and Bonnie were already inside.
As they approached the front door, it opened before either of them could knock.
"Come in," Sheila said.
They stepped inside and made their way to the living room. Bonnie was already sitting down but stood up when she saw Elena.
"Come on, let's go to my room," Bonnie said eagerly.
"Okay," Elena replied.
Before they could leave, Sheila stopped them.
"Wait. Before you go, I'd like to talk to Elena alone."
That's… strange. Maybe she just wants to check on her. Still, I should be on guard.
Elena hesitated. "Oh—okay," she said, confused.
Sheila led Elena toward another room. As soon as Elena stepped inside, something felt off. Something familiar.
Sheila sat down and studied Elena carefully. "So, how have you been?"
Elena offered a small smile. "I've been getting better. I signed up for boxing, and it's been helping a lot."
"That's good." Sheila nodded, then her expression grew serious. "I hope this doesn't sound strange, but… who is inside your soul?"
Elena froze.
Damn. She noticed me.
How? I've been inside Elena since she was five, and no one—not even a witch—has sensed me before. If Sheila could feel my presence just by touching her, shouldn't she have noticed long ago?
A mouth and an eye appeared on Elena's cheek as I decided to speak for myself.
"That's quite impressive," I said, eyeing Sheila. "But I shouldn't be surprised. You are a Bennett witch, after all. Still, tell me—how did you notice me now? I've been with Elena for years."
Sheila's expression shifted, a mix of surprise and realization flashing across her face.
"I don't know how I didn't sense you before," she admitted. "But today, when I touched Elena, I felt something—something inside her soul." She narrowed her eyes. "So, who are you?"
I smirked. "The name's Sukuna."
Sheila stiffened. Her face paled slightly.
"...Sukuna," she repeated. Her voice held a hint of fear.
I chuckled. "Ah. So you do know of me."
Sheila exhaled slowly, regaining her composure. "Sukuna, the sorcerer. A being of dark and strange magic."
Interesting. So there are legends of me in this world? That's… useful.
I smirked. "The one and only. I'm surprised you know about me."
"There are stories and legends about you," Sheila said, her expression hardening. "Now tell me—what do you want with Elena?"
I sighed. "Calm down. I mean her no harm or her loved ones."
Sheila's gaze remained sharp. "Hard to believe, considering everything I've heard about you."
"Yes, yes, but that was a long time ago. People change. And I have changed," I said
Sheila didn't look convinced.
"Miss Bennett, he's telling the truth," Elena cut in. Her voice wavered slightly. "In fact… if I had let him take control that night, he could've saved my parents."
Her voice was tinged with guilt,
I've told Elena countless times it wasn't her fault, but she still wrestles with the what-ifs.
"What?" Sheila asked, her confusion clear.
Elena hesitated, then explained everything—how I had been with her since she was five, how I've been training her, and everything we knew about the dangers ahead. As she spoke, Sheila's frown deepened.
When Elena finished, Sheila was silent for a long moment before she finally asked, "How do you know all of this? Everything Elena just told me is very specific. How do you know about Katherine? How do you know about Klaus? And how do you even know about the tomb vampires?"
I chuckled. "Let's just say I have a lot of knowledge, and how I got it… well, that's for me to know and you to—dot, dot, dot."
"Sukuna, you're really not making this easier for us," Elena sighed.
"Hey, she's the one prying into my personal business," I shot back.
"Maybe, but you're the one antagonizing her," Elena countered. "She thinks you're evil, and I'm trying to convince her otherwise, so please, just play nice."
"Whatever. But I still won't answer," I said.
Elena was right, though. It probably wasn't the best idea to make an enemy of a Bennett witch. In fact, we needed her as an ally. Who wouldn't want a powerful witch on their side? And if she really was as strong as the stories claim, she might even be able to help me track down my missing fingers.
Sheila studied me for a long moment before turning to Elena.
"Are you sure you can trust him?" she asked. "He's done a lot of bad things in the past. I truly can't believe he's not that person anymore."
"Miss Bennett, I promise you, Sukuna is no threat to us," Elena said firmly. "I mean, is he even acting like the monster you've heard about?"
Sheila sighed. Then, without another word, she walked over to her closet and rummaged through it. After a few moments, she pulled out an old wooden box and carried it toward us.
When she opened it, I immediately felt it—the familiar energy that had been gnawing at me since we entered the room.
Inside the box lay two of my fingers.
My eye narrowed. "How no, why the hell does a Bennett witch have two of my fingers?"
Sheila's expression remained calm as she spoke. "For safekeeping. Many vampires wanted your fingers, believing they could make them stronger. So, a lot of witches worked together to gather as many as we could and hide them from supernatural creatures. Sadly, we didn't get them all—most were stolen."
I scoffed. "And yet you're so willing to hand two over to us, even though you don't trust me. Why?"
Sheila's lips pressed into a thin line. "I want to make a deal with you."
I chuckled darkly. "You want to make a deal with me… and you only have two of my fingers? How about this—you tell me the location of the other ones, then we can talk."
Sheila shook her head. "I don't know where the others are."
I laughed. "Then you think you can bargain with me? That's so pathetic."
"Sukuna," Elena said firmly. "Let's just listen to her and see what she wants. You said we need to be stronger for what's coming."
I exhaled sharply. "Fine. What kind of deal do you want to make, witch?"
Sheila's gaze hardened. "I want you to protect Bonnie from what you said is coming. I think she needs protection, and I can't be with her all the time."
I stared at her for a long moment before laughing outright. "Are you stupid—or is old age finally catching up with you? Didn't I just say I would protect Elena and the people she cares about? I don't like repeating myself, witch."
"Sukuna, please stop laughing. Bonnie and Jenna might hear you," Elena hissed, throwing me an annoyed look.
I chuckled for a few more moments before finally stopping, though the amusement still lingered.
"Miss Bennett, of course, we'll protect Bonnie. She's one of my best friends," Elena reassured her.
"Yes, we will," I added. "But here's my advice—tell her she's a witch. Show her magic so she actually believes it. Then train her. She's a Bennett witch, which means she has the potential to be strong. But what's the point of all that power if she doesn't even know how to use it properly?"
Sheila looked at me with a bit of surprise at my words but quickly shook it off.
"Good to know. Here, Elena."
She handed Elena the box. The moment Elena realized what she had to do, her face twisted in disgust.
"Come on, Elena. We'll get stronger if you consume them. Besides, they might actually be good, you know—finger-licking good," I said with a chuckle.
"You did not just say that," Elena groaned, glaring at me.
"Couldn't resist. Just eat the damn fingers already."
With that, the eye and mouth on her cheek disappeared.
Elena hesitated, staring at the fingers as if they might bite her instead. After a deep breath, she finally picked one up and shoved it into her mouth. The first one went down hard—she gagged, looking like she was about to throw up, but she forced herself to swallow.
"Jesus Christ, this is so gross," she muttered, her face scrunching up in pure disgust.
Without giving herself time to second-guess, she grabbed the second one and swallowed it faster.
Then, it hit.
A surge of power shot through my body like wildfire. I felt it, raw and untamed, reintegrating into me. And with it came knowledge—two new cursed techniques imprinted themselves in my mind.
Black Bird Manipulation. Useful. Eyes and ears scattered across town at my command.
Rot Technique. Deadly. A power that could decay anything it touched.
I grinned. Now we're talking.
"That felt weird… but good at the same time."
'That's because we just got stronger—and we gained two very useful cursed techniques. I'll explain them later. For now, just enjoy your time with your friend,' I said.
Elena didn't respond, but she smiled. That was enough.
I let go of my focus on her surroundings, withdrawing into my thoughts.
Today had been a good day. Not only did we recover two of my fingers, but we also confirmed that witches might have more. I couldn't remember many witch covens from the show—it had been a while—but I could think of a few possibilities. Vampires might have them, too.
And then, there was the most interesting discovery of all: Sukuna's history exists in this world.
I didn't know how much or how accurately it had been recorded, but it had to have been altered to fit into this reality. If I wanted to learn more, I'd have to be careful. Asking too many questions about my own history would definitely raise suspicions.
For now, there was something more immediate to handle: use my new abilities.
Black Bird Manipulation.
I needed targets to send them out. The first place that came to mind? The Salvatore house. I wanted to keep an eye on Stefan and Damon.
The second? The Lockwood estate. If I could monitor their movements, I'd know exactly when they left the house—perfect for stealing that moonstone.
And if my birds had enough range… well, the ultimate test would be sending them to New Orleans. There were a few certain people there worth watching.
We also learned something I didn't expect to be a problem—Sheila sensed me.I still don't know how or why it happened now. Was it those two beings was hiding me before? Or is it because I've been steadily pumping Cursed Energy into Elena's body to make her stronger?
Yeah, you heard that right. I've been infusing Elena with Cursed Energy.
My goal? To see if she could manifest her own Cursed Energy or, better yet, develop a Cursed Technique of her own. It was still just a theory, and honestly, not much had come of it yet. I was still testing. So far, she wasn't great at controlling the flow, especially when trying to enhance her limbs with it.
Well, she ain't Gojo or Yuji, so it's gonna take time.
After Elena and Jenna finished their visit, they headed home. As soon as Elena was alone, I explained everything about our new Cursed Techniques and how to use them. Then, I told her to get some rest—because tomorrow, we'd be heading out to get some birds under our control.
The Next Day
Elena woke up early, threw on some casual clothes, and started walking around town, looking for birds.
And damn, I have to admit—I was not expecting this many crows in Mystic Falls. Seriously, we got twenty, it took the whole day, but we got them.
Even better? I found out I don't need to control Elena's body to use Black Bird Manipulation. I can operate it independently, which frees us both up. While I'm monitoring targets through the birds, Elena can focus on training, dealing with threats, or just hanging out with her friends.
We only have a few days of summer left, so I told her to relax for now. She's been training a lot, and while that's great, she needs a break too.
Right now, we're in her room. She's lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
'So, are you ready for school? It's only a couple of days away now,' I asked.
"Not really," Elena muttered.
'Why?'
She sighed, rolling onto her side. "Because once school starts, everything changes. Everyone I care about will be in danger. Damon's coming to town, and he's going to try and open the tomb because he thinks Katherine is inside. If he succeeds, all those vampires will be unleashed, and any one of them could kill the people I love. On top of that, a powerful, ancient vampire wants to sacrifice me to break his curse… and we only have one White Oak Stake."
Okay. I see why she's stressed.
'First off, Damon won't open the tomb unless we let him. And honestly… I think we should.'
She sat up immediately, eyes wide. "What?! Why?"
I grinned. 'Because we can turn this into an opportunity. There's a strong chance we can gain three powerful vampire allies—maybe even Damon, though he's not the priority. Our focus should be on the others.'
"Who exactly?" she asked, still wary.
'Pearl, Harper, and Anna.'
'Anna isn't in the tomb, but she's coming to town to free her mother. Pearl, her mother, is over 500 years old, making her incredibly strong. Harper is younger, around 100, but he's fiercely loyal to Pearl. 'If we play this right, we can turn them to our side.'
Elena frowned. "Okay… but how do we convince them to ally with us?"
'Simple. We make a deal with Anna. She's coming no matter what, and if we offer to help her free Pearl, they'll be grateful—not just her, but Pearl and Harper too. And here's the kicker—Pearl was best friends with Katherine, and There's a very high chance she knows how to contact her. So if you still want to help Katherine—which, for the record, I think is a terrible idea, you'd have an actual way to do it.'
Elena nodded. "Yes, Sukuna. I still want to help her. She's a victim of Klaus, and she's family."
I scoffed. 'Okay, I get that she's a victim, but she's also willing to throw your ass under the bus to save her own. It wouldn't be hard to kill her with the power we've gained. Just let me take control for a few seconds, and her head will literally fly off her body.'
"Sukuna, no."
'Are you sure? It would make things a lot easier for us. She's dangerous.'
Elena sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. You're way too ruthless. Have you ever considered that maybe she just needs a chance to change? I'm not saying she'll become a good person, but maybe a decent one if she's not constantly in survival mode."
I let out a dry chuckle. 'First off, ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves—always remember that. Second, fine, we'll help her. But the second she betrays us, we kill her.'
Elena hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."
'Good. Now, back to what we were talking about—Pearl can probably help us track down Katherine. We just need to make her an offer she can't refuse: her freedom. And in return, she stays out of our way.'
'And Klaus is dangerous, I won't lie. That's why we need to find more of my fingers to get stronger. Maybe two or three more should do it. If we get those, we'll probably be powerful enough to stop him—or at least make a deal with him.'
Elena frowned. "What kind of deal?"
'Simple. We help him break his curse and show him how to make hybrids.'
Her eyes widened. "But if we help him break his curse, we die!"
I smirked. 'Yeah, temporarily. I can bring you back easily.'
She still looked skeptical. "Okay, but what do you mean about making hybrids? How can we help him with that?"
'You see, his mother was smart—annoyingly so. If Klaus kills you, he'll break his curse, but she made sure he wouldn't have a way to create more hybrids afterward. The key to making hybrids is your blood. And we're not giving that to him for free. If he wants it, he's going to pay—a lot. We could charge him a fortune for just one bag of your blood.'
Elena crossed her arms. "And what if he doesn't want to make a deal? What if he doesn't believe us at all?"
I grinned. 'That's what the White Oak Stake is for. It's the only thing that can kill an Original vampire. And Elijah will help us do it.'
Her expression twisted in confusion. "Why would Elijah help us kill Klaus? That's his own brother."
'Elijah thinks Klaus threw his siblings into the ocean after daggering them. But he didn't—he just hid them away. Klaus loves his siblings in his own very twisted way. We don't have to tell Elijah the truth right away. We'll wait until after we deal with Klaus.' I leaned back. 'Also, there's another White Oak Stake out there.'
Elena's eyes widened. "Wait—there's already one out there? Then why did you make me craft one? You know I cut myself a couple of times!"
I smirked. 'Don't be a baby. I healed you right after, didn't I? Besides, the other stake is too far away, and last I checked—you don't have a car.'