The Boy King's Journey in TVD/TO As A Mikaelson

The wind in Chicago carried a mix of old memories and unspoken confessions. Vali led Stefan and Elena through the dark streets, his stride unhurried, his presence commanding. The city had changed, but the ghosts of its past still whispered beneath the hum of traffic and neon lights.

"This is where you thrived, Stefan," Vali murmured, hands in his pockets as he walked ahead. "The Ripper of Chicago, the artist of carnage."

Stefan flinched at the name. Even without his memories, the weight of it pressed against him like a phantom's grip. Elena squeezed his hand, her warmth an anchor, her faith in him unshaken.

Vali stopped in front of an old bar, its faded sign barely legible. "Ah, The Blue Rose. You and I spent nights here, drowning in blood and bourbon. You would charm them, lead them into dark corners, and when the moment was right…" He smirked. "Well, you can imagine."

Stefan's jaw clenched. "I don't need to imagine."

"Don't you?" Vali tilted his head. "Because I remember how much you loved it. The way you relished the hunt. And the way they screamed your name before you tore into them."

Elena gasped, her grip on Stefan tightening. But even as horror flashed across her face, her eyes softened with love. "That's not who he is. Not anymore."

Vali chuckled. "Oh, Elena. Your devotion is almost poetic. But let's not be hasty."

He turned on his heel and led them deeper into the city, stopping next at an alleyway soaked in shadows. A rusted fire escape clung to the bricks, and Stefan felt a sharp pang in his chest as he stared up at it.

"Here," Vali whispered. "Here, we painted the walls red. One night, we lured two lovers out of a jazz club. They were so in love, lost in their own world, much like you two." He glanced at Elena with amusement. "You ripped the man's throat open first, while she watched in frozen horror. And then… well, she wasn't frozen for long."

Stefan closed his eyes, nausea rising. He didn't need to remember it to know it was true. He could feel the echoes of his own monstrosity pressing in, suffocating him.

"Enough," Elena snapped. "You've made your point."

Vali's smirk remained, but there was something sharp in his gaze. "Have I?" He stepped closer to Stefan. "Because I'm not sure you understand yet. You were more than a killer, Stefan. You were my friend. My pupil. My son in all but blood."

Stefan recoiled, shaking his head. "No. I could never-"

"Oh, but you did." And with a flick of his wrist, Vali's power surged, invisible yet tangible. Stefan gasped as his mind fractured, memories crashing into him all at once.

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The jazz club pulsed with life, the music weaving through the air, wrapping around the patrons like a spell. Stefan sat at the bar, a glass of whiskey swirling in his hand, his forest green eyes scanning the room.

Vali stood beside him, exuding effortless command, his smirk a promise of something far darker than the smooth melodies playing in the background.

"See them?" Vali gestured with his glass toward a couple in the far booth -- young, beautiful, lost in each other's eyes. "Love makes them blind. The perfect kind of prey."

Stefan felt the hunger coil in his gut, the pulse of his own power growing stronger in Vali's presence. He rose from his seat, moving like a shadow across the floor, his charm slipping into place like a well-worn mask.

He reached their table, offering a polite smile, slipping into conversation with practiced ease. Within minutes, they were enraptured by him, willing to follow him into the alley outside where Vali waited, the darkness curling around him like an embrace.

What followed was chaos -- blood slicking his hands, the woman's screams swallowed by the night as Stefan let himself go, Vali watching with satisfaction. When the bodies stilled, Vali clapped a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Perfect, my boy. Absolutely perfect."

And Stefan had smiled.

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"You are my son in all but name," Vali had told him one night, as they stood over the wreckage of another bar fight, bodies strewn across the floor. "You understand what it means to live without restraint, without shame."

Stefan wiped the blood from his lips, something cold and satisfied settling in his chest. He had once fought against this part of himself, but under Vali's guidance, he had learned to embrace it. To revel in it.

Vali lifted a glass of wine, toasting him. "To eternity, my Ripper."

Stefan grinned and raised his own glass, their fates bound by darkness and destruction.

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A storm raged outside, wind slamming against the windows of their safehouse. Stefan stood in the center of the dimly lit room, chest heaving, his hands covered in fresh blood.

"I- I killed too many," Stefan murmured, his voice thick with something between regret and exhilaration.

Vali's expression darkened, his fingers gripping Stefan's chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. "Too many? There is no such thing. There is only what we take, what we devour. Do not let this weak part of you speak."

Stefan swallowed hard, nodding, his hands still shaking. Vali smiled, his grip loosening. "Good. Now clean yourself up. We have another hunt tomorrow."

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Stefan was eight years old the first time he saw him. The man stood beneath the shade of an old oak tree on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, watching him, Damon, and their mother from a distance.

His long coat billowed in the wind, his dark eyes unreadable. Something about him made young Stefan's chest tighten with unspoken wonder and fear.

He had approached hesitantly. "Who are you?"

The man -- Vali, though Stefan would not know his name until much later -- smiled. "Just a traveler. Watching over something that belongs to me."

"What belongs to you?"

Vali's gaze flickered toward Lilian, then back to Stefan. "Nothing. Not yet."

Before Stefan could ask more, the man placed a hand on his forehead, his voice like silk. "Forget."

And Stefan had.

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The memories slammed into Stefan like a tidal wave, each one sharper than the last. His knees buckled, and a guttural sound escaped him -- half gasp, half strangled cry. His hands clawed at his temples as if trying to physically tear the memories out of his mind, to rip away the blood-soaked recollections that threatened to drown him.

"No- no, no, no!" His voice cracked, raw with denial. His breathing turned erratic, sharp gasps filling the cold air. "I- I did those things… I wanted them. I enjoyed them."

Elena's arms wrapped around him, desperate and firm, her warmth grounding him. "Stefan, look at me. That's not who you are anymore. That's not you now."

But Stefan couldn't hear her. The memories were too vivid, too real. He could still taste the copper tang of blood on his lips, feel the rush of exhilaration with every kill, hear the seductive laughter of Vali urging him on. It wasn't just the horror of what he had done -- it was the twisted, gut-wrenching realization of how much he had relished it.

This wasn't like all the other times.

He had his humanity on.

Vali turned it on, taught him still how to revel in it. 

His fingers trembled as he looked down at his hands, his mind painting them crimson even though they were clean. His stomach churned violently, and for a moment, he thought he might vomit.

He lifted his head to Vali, his eyes blazing with fury and anguish. "You made me this. You took everything dark inside me and nurtured it. You and your temptations clouded my mind You-" He choked on the words, his breath shuddering. "You were like a father to me... And you made me a monster."

Vali tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "I simply revealed what was already there, Stefan. The beast that lives beneath your skin. I gave you what you needed. The freedom from guilt. The freedom to embrace it. "

Stefan's entire body trembled with rage, with guilt, with the overwhelming weight of a past he could no longer escape. He staggered back, shaking his head. "No. No, I refuse to be that. I refuse to be your creation."

Vali's smirk deepened. "And yet, here you stand -- haunted by your past, but unable to deny it. The Ripper is not just a chapter in your story, Stefan. He is you. No matter how much you pretend otherwise."

Stefan turned to Elena, his face stricken. "How can you even look at me? How can you love me after this?"

Tears welled in Elena's eyes, but she didn't hesitate. She cupped his face, her hands firm. "Because I know who you are now. And I know that even if you lost yourself then, you found your way back."

Stefan exhaled shakily, closing his eyes, allowing himself to hold onto her words, even as the echoes of his past refused to fade.

Vali chuckled softly. "Ah, love. The eternal illusion. But tell me, Stefan -- when the hunger returns, when the temptation gnaws at you again… will she still be enough?"

Stefan's jaw tightened, his fists clenching. He didn't have an answer.

Vali's grin widened. "That's what I thought."

"Why the fuck are you like this?!" Elena suddenly snapped, as she rose, to the shock of Stefan and even herself.

"Like what?" Vali questioned, geniunly intrigued by her courage.

"This cruel and unfeeling thing!" Elena continued, steeling herself, despite her fear. Refusing to back down now.

"Why do you have to break everything, to ruin everyone you touch?! What has happened in your life that makes you reflect your own fears and sufferings onto others?!"

"Pardon? Me? Afraid?" Vali questioned, his tone now hinting at a darker edge.

"That right there! That need to pressure everyone until they are so broken, so small that you can step on them till there is nothing left of them but shards! First Katherine - who no matter how much I hate, doesn't deserve the treatment you give her!

She loves you! Worships the very ground you walk upon and yet you still treat her like garbage! Why can't you just accept her love and reciprocate it?! Why do you need to crush anyone who chooses to love you?! Is it all some sick test?! Seeing if they'll still love you after everything?! Are you really that broken?!"

"Watch your tone," Vali warned her, his face blank, his tone soft, filled with ice.

"I won't! Why can't you let people in?! Why can't you just love?!"

"Because it is worthless!" Vali finally snapped causing Elena to flinch and Stefan instantly to rise in protection of her.

"Because," Vali began, sighing, forcing to calm himself down. "The thought of needing anyone to fulfill me has not crossed my mind in millenia."

"No," Elena shook her head, forcing herself past her fears, "You're lying. You can't say you don't need anyone. I've seen the way you look at Tatia, at your siblings, hell at Stefan! You care for them! You love them!"

Vali scoffed, "Your words prove nothing. I may have my moments of weakness, but in the end, I see love as nothing but a curse. A vampire's greatest weakness."

"You're contradicting yourself." Stefan suddenly spoke out.

"If that is truly what you believe, then why teach me to embrace my hunger? Why care whether I no longer feel guilty and crippled by it, instead of permanently shutting off my humanity, if not because you love. If a vampire's greatest weakness is Indeed love, then why have me be with Elena at all?

If it truly would strengthen me, grant you more control over me, then why keep us together? It isn't like you can't. I'll answer for you, it's because you actually do love your family. You're just too much of a coward to admit it."

At his words, Vali blurred in front of him and stabbed his hand in Stefan's chest, "Don't push me little one, she may be too fragile to properly punish, but you... you are not." The King stated as he clenched his hand around the Ripper's heart while Elena stood in shock.

Stefan gritted his teeth against the pain, refusing to give Vali the satisfaction of hearing him scream. His hands clawed at Vali's wrist, but the the King didn't budge. His grip was relentless, fingers curling ever so slightly, sending fresh waves of agony through Stefan's body.

"Let him go!" Elena cried, stepping forward, hands trembling as she reached for Vali.

Vali didn't even glance at her. "You see, Stefan," he murmured, his voice almost thoughtful. "You mistake my patience for sentiment. You think because I tolerate you, because I guide you, that I must care. But care… is weakness. And weakness disgusts me."

Stefan's breath came in sharp, shallow gasps, but he still managed a smirk. "Then why are you so angry?" he rasped. "If you don't care, then why does what I said bother you?"

Vali's eyes flickered -- just for a fraction of a second -- but that was enough.

"Hit a nerve, didn't I?" Stefan coughed, blood staining his lips.

Vali's grip tightened abruptly, making Stefan's body jolt in pain. "Careful, Ripper," he whispered. "You're testing the limits of my generosity."

Elena, desperate, reached up and grabbed Vali's arm, trying to pull him away. "Stop this! If you don't care, then prove it! Walk away!"

Vali's head tilted slightly, his cold gaze finally settling on her. "You seem to think you have some say in what I do, little girl." His voice was soft, dangerously so. "That because I care for your blood, that you are untouchable. Tell me, would you like to share his fate for a little while?"

Elena swallowed, her body trembling, but she didn't move away. "Go ahead then," she challenged, though her voice wavered. "Kill me. That's what you do, right? Destroy anything that tries to reach you?"

Silence.

Stefan's ragged breathing filled the space between them. Vali stared at Elena, unreadable, his expression caught somewhere between intrigue and irritation.

Then, with an exasperated sigh, he yanked his hand free from Stefan's chest, letting the younger vampire collapse onto his knees, clutching the wound as it began to heal.

Vali looked down at him with something almost akin to disappointment. "You mistake my self-control for mercy," he said flatly. "But you are still useful to me. That is why you live."

Stefan coughed, shaking, his hands slick with his own blood. He forced himself to look up, his gaze defiant despite the pain. "Keep telling yourself that," he muttered.

Vali's jaw tensed, but he said nothing.

Instead, he turned his back on both of them, walking away as if the confrontation had been nothing more than an inconvenience.

"Clean yourself up, Ripper," he called over his shoulder. "You're embarrassing yourself."

Then he was gone, leaving Stefan on the floor and Elena staring after him, heart pounding.

"You okay?" she finally whispered, kneeling beside Stefan.

Stefan exhaled shakily, nodding. "Yeah," he said, though his voice was hoarse. He let out a dry chuckle. "I think I finally got under his skin."

Elena wasn't so sure that was a good thing.

Vali observed the scene for a moment longer before regaining that ever present smile on his face,- though this time more clear that it is an act- and turning his attention to the warehouse ahead.

"Enough, it is now time for the final act."

Stefan and Elena, despite everything followed him inside, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Dust clung to every surface, but the opened coffin at the center remained untouched. Its cleanness evident, that it has been cared for.

"She loved you, you know," Vali murmured as he placed his hand on the lid. "Enough to betray me. Enough to suffer a century for it."

Elena's brow furrowed, wary, and confused. "Who is she?"

Vali smirked. "My dear little sister, Rebekah."

Elena exchanged a glance with Stefan - who was still attempting to clean the blood from his mouth - before returning her gaze to Vali. "You never mentioned she had a connection to Stefan."

"Oh, didn't I? Must have slipped my mind." His fingers tapped idly against the coffin. "But you'll see soon enough."

Vali gripped the dagger and pulled. The silence before her awakening was thick, suffocating. And then -- a gasp, a desperate inhale, and Rebekah's eyes shot open, locking onto Stefan's.

Vali's smile was razor-sharp. "Welcome back, sister. We have much to discuss."

Rebekah's breath was ragged as she sat up, her mind struggling to process the passage of time. Her blue eyes darted around the warehouse, confusion giving way to a simmering rage.

"How long?" she demanded, her voice hoarse from disuse.

Vali folded his arms. "Just over a century."

Rebekah's face contorted in fury. "A century? You left me like that for a hundred years?"

Her hands clenched into fists as she tried to steady herself. The last thing she remembered was her desperate plea, her refusal to stand by Vali's deception, and the betrayal that followed.

She turned to Stefan, her eyes clouded with emotion. Already knowing the implications of her situation. "You… You don't even remember, do you?"

Stefan, still reeling from his own memories crashing back, shook his head slowly. "I do now."

Rebekah's lips pressed into a thin line, her expression unreadable. "And do you regret it? Us?"

Stefan opened his mouth, but no words came. How could he explain the maelstrom inside him? The guilt, the loss, the horror of realizing how much he had done with her -- how much he had forgotten?

Elena, processing everything, took a hesitant step forward. "Rebekah… I didn't know about you until tonight. I don't know what happened between you two, but I do know Stefan isn't that person anymore."

Rebekah's gaze flickered to Elena, scrutinizing her. "And who exactly are you?"

Elena straightened. "Someone who loves him, no matter who he was before."

Rebekah let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Love? That's what you think will fix this? You have no idea what he's capable of. What he's done."

Vali's amusement deepened as he observed the exchange. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Rebekah's glare snapped back to him. "You don't get to stand there smirking like this was all just a game! You stole a century from me!"

Vali's smirk faded just slightly. "And yet, you still breathe. That's more than most who defied me can say."

Rebekah's chest heaved with frustration. "You think I should be grateful?"

"I think," Vali said smoothly, "that you should be ready. Because this world has moved on without you, and there's much you need to catch up on."

Rebekah's gaze flickered back to Stefan. Something in her eyes softened, just for a moment, before she steeled herself once more. "Then start talking. Because I'm done being a pawn in your games."

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(Author note: Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

So, Rebekah was indeed daggered, unlike the others. Though this isn't really something new for the family. She isn't the first, for sometimes after all acting too long can make one used to somethings, they normally wouldn't be before.

Oh, yeah, how did you find the conversation between Elena, Stefan and Vali?

Was it interesting? What do you all think about it? 

Do please tell. 

So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)