Reality bent like silk in Vali's hands as he led them through the threshold between worlds. Crimson stars pulsed overhead in patterns that shouldn't exist, while shadows moved with deliberate purpose through spaces that denied normal physics.
"Welcome," Vali's voice carried casual power as he gestured to the impossible architecture around them, "to what a millennium of gathered power can build."
Buildings rose from nothing, their structures defying gravity while somehow maintaining perfect aesthetic balance. Streets formed from living shadow, their patterns shifting subtly with each step.
"It's..." Elena struggled for words as she watched a fountain appear, its water flowing upward in geometric patterns before dissolving into starlight.
"Beautiful," Katherine breathed, her eyes wide with reverence. "And terrible."
"Both," Tatia agreed, her hand finding Vali's as she watched him shape their new domain. "As all perfect things should be."
Stefan, still blood-covered from his earlier kills, studied the ever-changing landscape with growing understanding. "You're not just creating," he observed. "You're... experimenting. Testing limits."
"Clever boy," Vali smiled, his crimson eyes gleaming as he reshaped a nearby structure with a casual gesture. "This realm responds to will, to intention. But even infinite power needs... refinement."
To demonstrate, he reached out, pulling shadows into solid form. They watched as he crafted a replica of Mystic Falls' town square - but wrong, beautifully wrong. The clock tower spiraled ever changingly, its hands marking time in ways that it shouldn't.
"But if you can create anything here," Caroline spoke up, her voice uncertain, "why maintain connections to our world at all?"
"Because, Miss Forbes," Vali replied as he adjusted reality around them with the casual ease of someone arranging furniture, "creation without context is meaningless. Art needs contrast. Power needs purpose."
He gestured to a window that opened into their original world, showing Mystic Falls continuing its normal existence. "This realm isn't meant to replace that one - it's meant to enhance it. To provide... possibilities."
"Like what?" Bonnie asked, her witch senses overwhelmed by the power flowing through everything around them.
Instead of answering directly, Vali smiled and pulled at the fabric of his domain. Suddenly they stood in a vast gallery, its walls lined with moments frozen in time - perfectly preserved scenes from history.
"Consider it a library of reality," he explained, walking past displays of ancient battles, lost civilizations, moments that shaped the world. "Everything that was, is, or could be - accessible, but not replaceable."
"You're creating a foundation," Elijah realized, watching his brother work with newfound understanding. "A space between spaces, where power can be... refined."
"Among other things," Vali agreed, casually adjusting the flow of time around a particular display. "After all, what good is having our own realm if we can't make it interesting?"
To demonstrate, he reached into one of the frozen scenes - a medieval battle - and pulled out a sword that shouldn't still exist. With a thought, he transformed it into pure shadow before returning it, the timeline adjusting seamlessly around the change.
"Show-off," Tatia teased, though her eyes shone with pride.
"Always," Vali agreed, turning to address their still-stunned audience. "This realm exists alongside the original world, not separate from it. Think of it as... an extension. A place where certain rules can be... reinterpreted."
"But not broken entirely," Katherine observed shrewdly. "There are still limits, aren't there? Laws that even you can't simply ignore?"
"Clever Katerina," Vali's smile showed approval. "Yes. Even this power needs structure. Framework." He demonstrated by trying to create life from nothing - the attempt dissolving into shadows. "Some things remain solely in His domain, absent or not."
"So what exactly can you do here?" Tyler asked, his wolf nature making him particularly sensitive to the power flowing around them.
Rather than answer directly, Vali reshaped their surroundings again. The gallery melted away, replaced by a vast chamber where shadows danced like living things. At its center, a fountain of pure possibility flowed upward into an ever-changing sky.
"I can create spaces where magic follows new rules," he explained, letting Bonnie feel how her power responded differently here. "Where time moves according to will rather than natural law." He demonstrated by aging a nearby tree through centuries in moments, then reversing it to a sapling.
"I can preserve moments," he continued, pulling a perfect memory from the air and crystallizing it. "Store power. Reshape matter." Each demonstration more impossible than the last.
"But I cannot create souls," he admitted, letting the limitations be clear. "Cannot rewrite what truly was, only create new possibilities moving forward. This realm is vast, but not infinite. Powerful, but not omnipotent."
"And that's why you need both," Elena realized suddenly. "This place lets you reshape reality, but the original world is where reality has... meaning."
"Very good," Vali's smile showed genuine pleasure at her understanding. "Power without purpose is merely force. This realm gives us possibilities - but those possibilities only matter because of their connection to what's real."
He gestured, and reality shifted again, showing them glimpses of both worlds simultaneously - the normal and the abnormal, existing in perfect parallel.
"After all," he concluded, his crimson eyes reflecting both realms at once, "what good is having your own realm if you can't properly appreciate what makes the original world worth preserving in the first place?"
"Speaking of preservation," Katherine's voice carried a strange mix of anticipation and fear as she stepped forward. "You promised to show us your collection."
Vali's smile sharpened. With a casual gesture, the space around them shifted, revealing what appeared to be an endless gallery. Crystal cases floated in perfect formation, each one a masterpiece of preservation.
"Ah yes," he said softly. "Behold what true preservation looks like."
The cases descended, arranging themselves in a circle around them. Inside each one, they saw them - Klaus creating endless art with Aurora at his side, their bodies perfectly preserved while their souls lived on elsewhere in their Traveler vessels.
Rebekah dancing through eternal summer, her form frozen in perfect joy. Kol surrounded by magical knowledge he'd always craved, his essence captured in its highest moment.
"They're not suffering," Stefan observed, studying Klaus's case. "They're... peaceful."
"But... I don't understand," Elena stepped closer to Klaus's case, her brow furrowed. "These are just their bodies. I can't feel..." she struggled to explain, "there's no presence. No soul. Didn't you say you would collect us in these, as in us, not just our bodies?"
"Of course not," Elijah's voice carried centuries of carefully maintained secrets. "Their souls are elsewhere, living their lives in Traveler vessels, while these preserved forms served a greater purpose."
"You see, Elena," he continued, straightening his cuffs - a gesture unchanged by a millennium of deception, "our enemies needed physical proof of their assumptions. They needed to believe that Vali had truly trapped us, had stolen our essences for his collection."
"While in truth," Vali added, his crimson eyes gleaming with satisfaction, "Niklaus creates his art in another body, Rebekah practices magic she was never supposed to have, and Kol explores powers beyond normal vampirism - all while every power that thought to challenge us believed they understood our weakness."
"The perfect deception," Elijah explained, "isn't one you force your enemies to believe. It's one you let them think they've cleverly uncovered themselves."
"A millennium of planning," Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "Every story about your family's division, about Vali's 'tyranny'..."
"Was precisely calculated," Elijah confirmed, a hint of pride in his voice. "Each 'daggering' carefully staged, each body preserved here while its soul lived on elsewhere. The Principal Guardians, Silas's followers, even Satan himself - all believing they'd found exploitable cracks in our family's unity."
"But why?" Caroline asked, watching the preserved forms of Klaus and the others floating serenely in their crystal cases. "Why such an elaborate deception?"
"Because, Miss Forbes," Vali replied, adjusting reality around them with casual grace, "true power isn't in what you show your enemies. It's in what you let them think they've discovered on their own."
"Our enemies needed to believe they understood us," Elijah continued. "Needed to think they'd found our fatal flaw. After all, what better way to keep them occupied than to let them waste centuries planning around a weakness that never truly existed?"
Katherine laughed suddenly, understanding dawning in her eyes. "That's why you let me run for so long. Why you made sure stories of my escape spread..."
"Every power that thought they could challenge us," Vali smiled, showing too many teeth, "believed they understood our vulnerabilities. Believed they could use our 'divided' family against us. While all along..."
"We were exactly where we needed to be," Elijah finished. "Building networks, gathering power, preparing for this moment - all while our enemies congratulated themselves on their clever insights into our supposed weaknesses."
Stefan studied Klaus's preserved form, understanding flickering in his eyes. "And now? With your realm created, with the deception revealed..."
"Now," Vali's smile was terrible in its beauty, "we show them exactly why they should have feared our unity more than our division."
"Speaking of revelations," Tatia's voice carried dark amusement as she turned to Katherine, "I believe we have something special planned for you, my beautiful broken echo."
Katherine's hand went to her scar instinctively as Tatia approached her. The mark pulsed in rhythm with the crimson stars overhead, making her shiver with anticipation and fear.
"You see," Tatia continued, circling Katherine like a predator studying its prey, "unlike these preserved forms, you get to experience something... unique. Not just preservation, but purpose."
"After all," Vali added, his casual tone making his words more terrifying, "what better addition to our private collection than a doll that knows it's a doll? That understands its place perfectly?"
Elena stepped forward instinctively, but Stefan held her back, understanding the futility of interference. This had been planned long before any of them had realized.
"I don't..." Katherine started, but her voice failed as Tatia's fingers traced her jaw.
"Oh, but you do understand," Tatia's smile was beautiful and terrible. "You've spent centuries wearing my face, playing our game so beautifully. And now..." her eyes gleamed with possession, "now you get to be exactly what you are - a perfect echo of me, preserved not in crystal, but in service."
Katherine trembled, hatred and longing warring in her expression. "You want me as your... toy?"
"Our toy," Vali corrected gently, "Though you'll never touch her, of course. That privilege remains mine alone. You'll simply... exist for our amusement. Watch. Yearn. Serve."
Vali moved with deliberate grace, his hand cupping Katherine's face while Tatia watched with possessive satisfaction. The mark pulsed, making Katherine's scar blaze with answering light as he leaned in.
The kiss wasn't gentle. It was ownership, pure and simple, centuries of chase condensed into a single moment of claiming. Katherine melted into it, five hundred years of running finally ending in perfect surrender.
When he pulled back, Katherine's eyes were glazed with something between ecstasy and terror. Tatia's smile was sharp as she watched her echo tremble in her husband's grip.
"Beautiful," she observed, though she made no move to touch Katherine herself. "Our perfect, broken doll."
Elena looked away, unable to watch Katherine's complete submission, while the others shifted uncomfortably at the display. Only Elijah seemed unsurprised, as if he'd known this too had been part of the plan.
"Now then," Vali's voice carried casual authority as he released Katherine, who swayed slightly before dropping to her knees. "Shall we discuss what comes next?"
"Next?" Damon's voice cracked with nervous humor. "You mean this wasn't dramatic enough? Creating your own realm, revealing a millennium-long deception, turning Katherine into your personal... whatever that was?"
"Oh, Damon," Tatia's laugh was gentle but sharp. "This was merely the prelude. After all," she gestured to the crystal cases floating serenely around them, "we still have to decide what to do with all of you."
Stefan tensed, instinctively moving closer to Elena. "You promised their souls would be free."
"And they will be," Vali confirmed, his fingers absently stroking Katherine's hair as she knelt at his feet. "But free doesn't mean unrestricted. After all," his crimson eyes found Elena, "Petrova blood still has its uses."
"You said I'd be your left hand," Stefan's voice carried quiet determination. "That my service would ensure their protection."
"Indeed," Vali smiled, showing too many teeth. "And what better way to protect Elena than to keep her close? To let her witness what her blood can accomplish when properly... utilized?"
Elena's hand found Stefan's, squeezing tightly. "And the others?"
"The only one who truly requires my immediate attention," Vali replied, his casual tone belying the weight of his words, "is Miss Bennett."
Bonnie stiffened. "What? Why?"
"Because, dear Bonnie," his crimson eyes found hers with something almost like kindness, "the Other Side will not welcome you now. Not after your role in the ritual, willing or not. They'll try to twist your spirit into a weapon against me - turn you into an ingredient for whatever the Principal Guardians are planning."
"But I was forced," Bonnie protested. "They must understand-"
"The Other Side doesn't care for context," Tatia interrupted gently. "They see only what they can use. And you, with your power and your connection to this ritual..." she smiled, almost sympathetically, "you're far too valuable to leave alone to your own devices."
"The others," Vali continued, gesturing to Caroline, Tyler, and Damon, "can come and go as they please. Their souls pose no particular interest to our enemies. But you, Miss Bennett..." his smile turned knowing, "you need my protection whether you want it or not."
Katherine looked up from her position at his feet, understanding dawning in her eyes. "The Other Side would tear her apart, wouldn't they? Use her essence to fuel whatever they're planning?"
"Precisely," Vali confirmed, pleased by his new toy's quick grasp of the situation. "So you see, Bonnie, sometimes protection looks rather like possession. A rather familiar concept for a Bennett witch, wouldn't you say?"
Bonnie felt the truth of his words resonate with her magic. The power flowing through this realm responded differently to her - not restricting her abilities, but... sheltering them somehow.
"He's right," she admitted reluctantly, making Elena gasp. "I can feel it - the Other Side. It's..." she shuddered. "Hungry."
"Of course it is," Vali's voice carried dark amusement. "You helped create something new - something they never intended to exist. To them, you're not just a potential weapon, you're proof that their authority can be... challenged."
"And the Guardians?" Stefan asked, his knowledge from his research about Silas, through Travelers who approached him aiding his tactical mind, helping him already work through implications.
"Will try to use that hunger," Tatia explained, moving to stand beside her husband. "They've always been so proud of their divine authority. A Bennett witch helping create a new realm?" Her smile turned sharp. "Well, that's practically heresy, isn't it?"
Katherine laughed softly from her position at Vali's feet. "They'll tear reality apart trying to get to her. Just to prove they still can."
"Unless," Vali's smile showed too many teeth, "she accepts my protection. Formally. Willingly."
"And what exactly does that mean?" Caroline demanded, moving protectively toward her friend.
"It means," Vali replied simply, "that Miss Bennett gets to keep her power, her free will, and her soul - all while enjoying my realm's protection from forces that would gladly unmake her for daring to help create something new."
"And the catch?" Bonnie asked, her voice steady despite her fear.
"Clever girl," Vali's approval was almost gentle. "The catch is loyalty. Not servitude like our lovely Katerina here," he stroked Katherine's hair again, making her shiver, "but allegiance. Your power, your knowledge, your very essence - all formally aligned with my authority."
The impossible stars overhead pulsed in rhythm with his words, while around them, reality itself seemed to hold its breath waiting for her answer.
"You're not giving me much of a choice," Bonnie said, her voice carrying quiet defiance even in acceptance.
"On the contrary," Vali replied, crimson eyes gleaming. "I'm giving you the only choice that matters - survival with purpose, or destruction for principle. The Other Side isn't known for offering alternatives."
To demonstrate, he pulled reality aside like a curtain, showing them glimpses of the Other Side. The spirits there moved with predatory purpose, their forms distorting with hunger when they sensed Bonnie's presence.
"They're already gathering," Tatia observed casually. "Waiting for your soul to cross over. Ready to unmake you for daring to help create something beyond their control."
"Fine," Bonnie straightened her spine, meeting Vali's gaze directly. "I accept your protection. But I want your word - Elena and the others stay free."
"Again, they are free," Vali's voice carried casual certainty, "All except Elena." His crimson eyes found Bonnie's. "After all, her situation isn't so different from your own. Petrova blood has... value to forces beyond your understanding. Would you really want your friend to become just another sacrifice in their games?"
Bonnie defiance faltered. "What do you mean?"
"The Guardians aren't the only ones who collect power, Miss Bennett," he explained, almost gently. "Petrova blood has been a currency of supernatural politics since before your ancestors drew breath.
Have they not informed you of this? If so, then do you really think Elena would survive long without protection? That they wouldn't use her just as they plan to use you?"
Katherine's soft laugh carried understanding from her place at his feet. "They'll drain her dry, Bonnie. Just like they plan to unmake you. Different methods, same result."
"So you see," Tatia added, her smile sharp but not unkind, "protection requires supervision. For both of you."
Bonnie looked at Elena, seeking her best friends help, not knowing what to do.
"He's right," Elena said softly, surprising everyone. "I can feel it too - like something watching. Waiting." She moved closer to Stefan, who wrapped his arm around her protectively. "Ever since the ritual, it's like... like there are eyes everywhere."
"Good awareness you have there," Tatia praised, though her smile remained predatory. "You feel them because they're there. Every power that's ever craved Petrova blood, now aware that a new doppelganger walks free. No longer hidden by us."
Bonnie hesitated for a moment longer before she sighed in acceptance, "Very well, I accept."
"Shall we make it official then?" Vali offered as he extended his hand, the mark this time silent, dark.
Bonnie hesitated one final time, looking at Elena who gave her a small nod. Together, they reached for Vali's hand.
The moment their fingers touched his palm, the mark blazed to life - not with its usual crimson light, but with something deeper, older. The shadows around them stilled, akin to holding their breath, not wishing to miss a moment.
"I, Vali Mikaelson," his voice carried power that made the air vibrate, "extend my protection to Bonnie Bennett and Elena Gilbert, so long as I have their loyalty. Their souls are their own, though their power aligned with my will, their essence shielded from those who would unmake them."
The mark's power flowed through their joined hands, not burning or painful, but... transformative. Bonnie felt her magic respond, growing stronger rather than diminished. Elena gasped as something settled into her blood - not changing it, but... securing it somehow.
"Welcome," Tatia's smile was beautiful and terrible, "to our inner circle. Not quite family," her eyes flickered to Katherine who remained contentedly at their feet, "but... protected."
Stefan watched with careful attention as his brother shifted uncomfortably beside him. Feeling already alone once more, knowing Stefan and Elena will be gone soon with the King, while he remains.
"Feeling abandoned, Damon?" Vali's voice cut through his thoughts. "Wondering what happens to the spare brother when the favored one joins the King's court?"
At Damon's silence he continued, "I told you, didn't I?" Vali's voice carried dark amusement. "That my offer would haunt you. That every time someone tries to 'fix' you, every time they demand you be better..." his smile turned knowing, "you'd remember that I would have kept you exactly as you are. Perfect in your imperfection."
Damon's throat tightened as he remembered refusing the King's earlier offer, choosing messy freedom over perfect preservation.
Having said his piece, before anyone could jump in, Vali snapped his fingers. Reality twisted, and suddenly they were all exactly where they needed to be - Stefan and Elena in the King's court, Bonnie in a chamber of protected power where Freya would aid her and Katherine at her new masters' feet.
Damon though...
Damon stood alone in the Salvatore boarding house, a glass of bourbon in his hand that he didn't remember pouring, wondering if he'd just made the biggest mistake of his eternal life.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Yeah, so how do you find the new dimension and the explanation for its purpose? I haven't gone too in detail yet, since Vali still needs to do some things before its truly ready.
So, Katherine finally understands what Vali and Tatia intend for her. And she loves it.
Though, I still feel bad for Katerina, so, eventually, she'll move up the totem pole of love from toy to something more.
Also, Damon is now alone, this is quite the opposite to canon, since Stefan was the one who was alone, since even when he was with Klaus, he never truly felt at peace with anyone. This time Stefan at least has Elena, and Elena has both Stefan and Bonnie.
What do you think will happen to Damon?
Well, do please comment and review if you haven't and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)