Gwen recalled the steps about becoming a vampire from the S.H.I.E.L.D. files.
And then—
"When you went to the vault with Grandpa, Aunt mentioned to me that recently, Caroline was hospitalized due to an injury."
"You mean..."
Gwen turned around and looked at Hawk: "Could it be that she was transformed at that time?"
Hawk shrugged: "Probably."
He indeed knew how Caroline became a vampire.
She was transformed by Catherine, or to be more precise, Catherine played a significant role in Caroline's transformation into a vampire.
Speaking of which, this Catherine is actually a pitiful woman.
Even though her name is always associated with 'cunning' and 'selfishness', in reality, all she ever wanted was something simple.
To live!
Unfortunately, this dream remained elusive even after she became a vampire.
Because she was targeted, targeted by the Ancestral Vampire Klaus.
Over the past five centuries, to evade pursuit by the Ancestral Vampire Klaus, Catherine donned countless masks and played countless roles, to the extent that she forgot her original self.
But Catherine never forgot one thing.
To live!
Hawk recalled the experiences of this villainess from The Vampire Diaries whom no one could truly hate, shook his head, and then heard Gwen seriously ask him a question.
"Is there a way to turn her back into a human?"
"Hmm."
Hawk snapped out of it, looked at Gwen, smiled: "Gwen, although there are many downsides to being a vampire, their lifespan is extremely long."
Gwen calmly looked at Hawk: "I've read the files. When the Ancestral Vampire dies, all the vampires of that line die too. And being a vampire is essentially being an immortal; they have no heartbeat, no warmth, and no chance to have offspring. Caroline is only eighteen."
Hawk shook his head.
"Maybe she doesn't want to turn back human after becoming a vampire?"
"What?"
"It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but the opposite is hard, Gwen. Once someone experiences extraordinary power, no one wants to give it up; even I can't."
In the beginning, Hawk might have thought that if he could use his strength to ensure his sister Anya's safety, he would.
But as time went on, the thought completely left him.
In a word.
To hell with swapping!
With great power, I can have whatever I want; why make a deal with you? If not, I'll just take it.
Gwen shrugged: "I've experienced such power too when you gave me the Holy Armor, but it just felt okay."
When she wore the Pleiades Holy Armor, she indeed felt a 'supernatural' power.
But after the armor disassembled, she didn't feel any sense of loss. And after Hawk explained the supposed costs of extraordinary power, she lost the urge to pursue it further.
In a word.
Extraordinary power, I've seen it, and it's just like that.
Hawk chuckled: "That shows your wisdom, that you can let go easily, but do you think your cousin Caroline would want to give up that power?"
Gwen frowned.
"But she's only eighteen."
"I think Aunt is quite young too; she could find someone and have another kid, start small again."
"Screw you!"
Listening to Hawk's solution, Gwen rolled her eyes at him, no longer wanting to discuss the topic: "Alright, go ahead, I'll think about it myself."
Hawk nodded, complying smoothly.
"Alright."
"Come back early!"
"Got it."
As Hawk flipped off the bed, he kissed Gwen, whose hair he'd just styled himself, smiled, and vanished from the room.
The next second.
Hawk was standing in front of the mysterious waterfall that Waterfall Town was named after.
As the Sixth Sense was released, it swept across the surrounding forest, ground, and even underground almost instantly, encompassing everything in its range.
He heard the heartbeats of small animals in the forest, the swimming of cold-water fish beneath the waterfall, and sensed the magical wave in a stone wall not far away, as well as a corner near the wall where a woman, emitting fear, fragility, and despair, sat with arms wrapped around her knees.
Female Vampire, Catherine Pierce!
When Hawk took a step with his right foot, in the blink of an eye, he was inside the tomb sealing Catherine Pierce.
Called a tomb, it's a cave carved into a mountain wall, sealed with magic, that any extraordinary creatures weaker than the one who sealed it cannot escape once inside.
Without sleep, not needing sleep, Catherine sensed the Ancestral Vampire Klaus getting closer, contemplating her fate, while fear, fragility, and despair permeated the closed space.
Just then.
Rumble!
As the cave's entrance thundered, Catherine had her head lowered, not wanting to show her vulnerable side to anyone, but the moment she looked up, the aura of fear, fragility, and despair instantly disappeared, replaced by an air of arrogance, frivolity, and defiance.
The next second.
She saw a gold-haired, blue-eyed, muscular boy in a suit appearing before her as the cave doors opened.
Hawk looked at Catherine, who appeared before him with a nonchalant gaze, his mouth slightly curving upward.
"Hello, Lady Pierce!"
"No, Catherine!"
Because of Hawk's intervention, and almost killing Damon, Stefan, Damon, and Elena were gathered at the Salvatore mansion with Black Witch Bonnie Bennett and Caroline, who had come over after the manor dinner, to discuss Hawk's matter.
Caroline explained to everyone her probing of Hawk's arrival at the manor.
Actually, there wasn't much to probe.
"He got engaged to my cousin before last September."
"Last Christmas, they had originally planned to visit with my cousin."
"But since my aunt felt that their first Christmas together after the engagement should be spent at home, they didn't come."
"This year, it was decided last September that the two of them would come here to see Grandpa and spend the holidays here. After Christmas, they'll return to New York City."
Caroline relayed all the information she had gathered, shrugging: "So I think you might be overthinking it, he's just here for the holidays."
Sitting nearby, sipping whiskey, Damon, still a bit weak, sneered.
"Really, I don't believe it."
"Is it possible that you're just annoying by nature?"
"Otherwise, why didn't he make a move on me?"
Damon chuckled coldly.
"He's your cousin's fiancé."
"What about Stefan?"
Caroline pointed at Stefan, "What about Stefan? You were hiding in the mountains when he found you, but Stefan was standing at the manor's entrance, yet he didn't make a move on Stefan."
Damon fell silent.
Seeing this, Stefan hurried to change the subject, looking at Caroline: "Caroline, do you think he knows your identity?"
Caroline recalled when she entered the manor and was discussing whether there were vampires in the town, and during her defense, Hawk's smile with indifferent facial expressions surfaced, she frowned.
"I..."
"We should find an opportunity to kill him."
Damon interjected: "At a time like this, there's no need to think, either he's a werewolf or a vanguard sent by Klaus."
Stefan looked at his brother Damon, who was furious and eager to rush out to kill Hawk, and covered his forehead: "Damon, can you not interrupt? We still can't be sure if this Hawk is an enemy or a friend, or if he's just passing by."
Damon laughed.
Snapped.
Damon tore his shirt open, revealing red, dense fist marks on his bare upper body: "Look at these wounds, are you sure he's our friend?"
Nearby, Black Witch Bonnie Bennett, who didn't like Damon either, looked at Damon and said directly: "Perhaps he just doesn't like being spied on, so he gave you a lesson, after all, he didn't kill you, did he?"
Damon coldly looked at Black Witch Bonnie.
"Say it again."
"..."
Black Witch Bonnie remained silent, only casting a headache curse on Damon silently.
In an instant.
Damon's eyes suddenly cleared, clutching his head, his expression turned painful.
Just as Hawk had previously stated.
A vampire skilled only in physical attacks without any preparations is no match for a witch capable of magical attacks.
Elena watched Damon, whose expression was pained, quickly turning to her best friend Bonnie: "Bonnie..."
Black Witch Bonnie withdrew her spell: "I don't like you, Damon, never have."
When Stefan returned, the town was doing just fine.
It was only after Damon arrived that extraordinary incidents in the town started to increase.
So...
To be honest, there aren't many people in this room who like Damon.
Damon said no more, panting, easing the residual pain after the curse was lifted.
Just as Stefan was about to steer the conversation back on track.
Black Witch Bonnie's expression suddenly changed, and she seemed to perceive something incredible, rising to her feet instantly, then looking towards the direction where Catherine was sealed.
Nearby, Elena, seeing Bonnie's sudden big reaction, exchanged glances with the others, quickly standing up to come next to Bonnie.
"Bonnie, what's wrong?"
"..."
Bonnie's heart was stirred, looking at Elena, her eyes filled with fear and confusion.
"A powerful..."
"Incomparable."
"Vast like the cosmos."
"Dazzling like the stars, a force broke through Catherine's seal."
"..."