POV Nero
I arrived at the spot in no time.
Honestly, I had to thank Jesus for this insane luck, because I was pretty sure it was Him behind it. I mean, it had to be. How else would I have found a piece of the White Oak tree, which was supposed to have been cut down centuries ago, and a necklace from the Petrova family?
"Because of me," a voice said behind me.
I turned so fast my neck nearly snapped.
Standing a few feet away was a man with a handsome face, well-built, and dressed in something that completely threw me off—a tuxedo.
He smiled.
"Well hello there, Nero."
My eyes narrowed.
"I don't think we've met before," he continued smoothly. "I'm Lucifer Morningstar. Or as you might know me… the Devil."
The first thing I tried to do was run.
But I couldn't move.
Not an inch.
He slowly walked toward me, hands in his pockets like this was just a casual conversation.
"I just want you to know," he said calmly, "that if you go and find this doppelgänger… you'll owe me a favor."
"What the hell?" I said. "Why?"
He laughed.
"Well, I suppose that was a poor choice of words," he said with a grin. "But you owe me because if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have found those things."
He gestured around us lazily.
"I mean, you could turn around right now and try to find everything on your own."
He leaned slightly closer.
"Or you can do this… and owe me a favor."
My mind raced.
What choice did I really have?
This was the Devil. The king of lies. The ruler of Hell. If he wanted me dead, I'd already be gone.
And who's to say if I refused, he wouldn't kill me anyway?
"Alright," I said finally. "You have a deal."
His smile widened.
"Well, goodie," he said.
Then he turned slightly and waved a hand.
"Give Maya my best."
And just like that…
He vanished.
The pressure holding my body disappeared, and I could move again.
I stood there for a moment.
"…Did I seriously just make a deal with the Devil?"
I rubbed my face.
I was pretty sure no other transmigrator had to deal with something like this.
Jesus? Sure. That made sense.
But Satan?
"Come on, man…" I muttered.
Eventually I shook it off and started walking into the village.
It didn't take long to find her.
She was beautiful.
She looked almost exactly like Elena from the show.
From what I could see, she seemed to be some sort of healer or medic for the village.
Perfect.
I pulled out a knife and cut my arm open before taking off my ring so the wound wouldn't heal too fast.
It stung.
Actually, it hurt like hell.
But it had to be done.
I started stumbling toward her like I was losing consciousness.
Right before reaching her, I collapsed forward and bumped into her.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," she said quickly.
"No… it's fine," I muttered, slurring my words.
She looked down and immediately noticed the deep gash on my arm.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay?"
She gently grabbed my arm and examined it.
"Well… it's a long story," I said weakly before pretending to pass out.
When I woke up, I was lying on a bed.
She had brought me into her house.
Maya was standing nearby with her back turned, gathering supplies.
The moment she wasn't looking, I slipped my ring back on.
The wound on my arm healed instantly.
I got up quietly and walked over behind her.
From my pouch, I pulled out a small packet of powder.
This would knock her out and erase the last few minutes of her memory.
I tapped her shoulder.
When she turned around—
I blew the powder into her face.
She collapsed seconds later.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
"Sorry about this," I muttered.
I placed her on the bed and pulled out a small container along with a knife.
Then I cut her wrist.
Blood flowed into the container.
Once I had enough, I sealed it and placed it into my storage space.
I quickly bandaged my own arm to make it look like the wound was still there.
After a few minutes, Maya slowly woke up.
I had moved her into a chair before she regained consciousness.
When her eyes opened, she saw me waving a hand in front of her face.
"Hey, miss. Can you hear me?" I asked.
She blinked a few times before focusing on me.
"Um… what did you say, sir?" she asked groggily.
"Oh, I was just thanking you for helping me," I said.
She glanced down at my arm, looking confused.
"Oh… well, you're welcome," she said with a small smile.
Just then—
Knock knock.
The door opened slightly.
A man peeked inside.
"Maya," he said. "Someone here says they need your help. His name was… Niklaus."
My eyes widened.
That's not right.
Klaus wasn't supposed to meet Katherine for almost another hundred years.
And nothing in the show ever mentioned him meeting Maya.
"Okay," she said. "I'll be right there."
"Alright," the man said before closing the door.
Maya stood up.
"Well sir, if there's anything else I can do for you, just let me know."
She started walking toward the door.
Before she could open it—
I was behind her.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
Then I snapped her neck.
Her body went limp instantly.
Without wasting another second, I jumped out the back window and ran as fast as I possibly could.
POV Klaus Mikaelson
I had finally found one of the doppelgängers.
It had been almost four hundred years since my siblings and I became vampires.
Four hundred years since my mother sealed away what I truly was.
But now…
I would finally be whole again.
My honorable brother Elijah had found her for me.
In this small, insignificant village.
I stepped inside the house.
"Elijah said she was a healer," I muttered.
The door to the back room creaked open.
And there she was.
Lying on the floor.
Dead.
My expression slowly darkened as I knelt beside the body.
Her neck was snapped cleanly.
Fresh.
Very fresh.
My eyes burned with fury.
Someone had been here moments ago.
Someone had taken her from me.
And when I found them…
They would beg for death.
But I would not give it to them.