The family reconvened in the study the following evening, and the atmosphere was tense.
Kol and Rebekah had dragged in even more books, stacking them precariously on every available surface. Elijah and Niklaus returned looking frustrated and dirty from their time in the forest. And Finn arrived last, his expression troubled.
"Right," Elijah said, taking his position near the fireplace. "Let's share what we've learned."
"Nothing," Kol announced cheerfully from his armchair. "Absolutely nothing. We've gone through every supernatural reference we have. No red-eyed creatures, no beings that can vanish at will, no matches whatsoever."
"We expanded to mythology," Rebekah added. "Gods, demons, primordial entities. Still nothing that fits exactly."
"The closest we found was a reference to 'the Ancients,'" Kol said, "but that was just philosophical rambling about beings who existed before magic and nature separated. No specifics, no descriptions, nothing useful."
"We had similar luck with tracking," Elijah said. "We found evidence he was in the forest—a hiker saw him near the Lockwood property. But no trail, no tracks, nothing physical to follow."
"He was at a clearing," Niklaus added. "Just standing there, according to the witness. Then he vanished."
"Why the Lockwood property?" Rebekah asked. "That's werewolf territory."
"We don't know. There was nothing remarkable about the location."
"Could he be connected to werewolves somehow?" Kol suggested.
"Possible, but we have no evidence of that." Elijah turned to Finn. "What did Mother say?"
Finn shifted uncomfortably. "Not much. She... she refused to tell me who he is."
"Refused?" Niklaus's voice was sharp.
"She said we're better off not knowing. That he's beyond our understanding, that we can't fight him or defend against him." Finn met their eyes. "She's terrified, and she won't say why."
The room fell silent.
"That's unacceptable," Niklaus said finally. "We need answers, and she's the only one who has them."
"She also said something else." Finn hesitated. "She said he destroyed the spell components she'd been working on."
Everyone turned to stare at him.
"What spell components?" Rebekah asked.
Finn looked uncomfortable. "I don't know the details. But Mother had been preparing something, and he found it and destroyed it."
"How did he even know about it?" Kol asked. "If it was Mother's secret project, how did this stranger discover it?"
"Mother didn't know. She seemed... shaken by that. Like the fact that he knew was almost as terrifying as what he did."
Niklaus was pacing now, his agitation clear. "So we have a mysterious entity who can appear and disappear at will, who knows things he shouldn't know, who terrified Mother badly enough that she won't even tell us what he is. Does that about sum it up?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Elijah said.
"This is ridiculous." Niklaus stopped pacing, turned to face them all. "We're the Original vampires. We've survived a thousand years, killed countless enemies, outlasted everything that's come against us. And now we're cowering because of one stranger?"
"We're not cowering," Elijah said calmly. "We're being cautious while we gather information."
"We've been gathering information for a day and found nothing!"
"Then we keep looking—"
"For what?" Niklaus's voice rose. "We've exhausted our resources, Elijah. The books have nothing, the tracking led nowhere, Mother won't talk. What exactly are we supposed to keep looking for?"
"We could try finding him directly," Kol suggested. "Set up a trap, lure him out—"
"How?" Rebekah interrupted. "We don't know what he wants. We don't know how to contact him. We don't even know if he's still in Mystic Falls."
"He's still here," Niklaus said with certainty. "I can feel it. He's watching us. Probably enjoying our confusion."
"That's paranoia talking," Elijah said.
"Is it?" Niklaus whirled on him. "He appears at our ball specifically, brother. Out of all the places he could have shown himself, he chose our home, our event. That's not coincidence. He wanted us to know he exists. Which means he's still here, watching to see what we do next."
Elijah had to admit the logic was sound, even if it was driven by Niklaus's paranoid tendencies.
"So what do you suggest?" he asked.
"We stop hiding in our mansion doing research and start actively looking for him. Talk to every supernatural creature in this town. Someone must have seen him, noticed him, interacted with him."
"That could take days," Rebekah said.
"Then it takes days. It's better than sitting here accomplishing nothing."
"He has a point," Kol said. "We're the Mikaelsons. We don't hide from threats, we confront them."
Elijah considered it. Niklaus's approach was aggressive, possibly reckless, but they genuinely weren't making progress with research. And if the stranger was still in town, someone might have seen him.
"Very well," he said. "We'll divide up and question the local supernatural community. Witches, werewolves, vampires—anyone who might have information."
"Finally," Niklaus muttered. "Action instead of books."
"I like books," Kol protested, but he was grinning. "But I also like interrogating people. Much more entertaining."
"Be discreet," Elijah warned. "We don't want to cause a panic."
"When am I ever not discreet?" Kol asked innocently.
"Constantly," Rebekah said. "You're constantly not discreet."
"Details."
They spent the next hour planning their approach. Elijah would speak with the local witch covens. Niklaus would check with Tyler about the werewolf territory. Kol and Rebekah would work together to question the vampire population. Finn would try once more to get information from their mother.
As they prepared to disperse, Rebekah voiced the question they were all thinking.
"What if we find him? What then?"
"Then we talk," Elijah said. "Find out what he wants, why he's here, what his connection to Mother is."
"And if he doesn't want to talk?"
"Then we make him talk," Niklaus said darkly.
"Brother—"
"I'm not saying we attack him immediately," Niklaus clarified. "But if he's a threat to this family, we need to know. And we need to be prepared to deal with that threat."
"Assuming we can," Kol pointed out. "If Mother's reaction is any indication, this isn't something we can just dagger and box."
"Everything can be killed," Niklaus said. "It's just a matter of finding the right method."
Elijah hoped it wouldn't come to that. But he also knew his brother well enough to know that Niklaus was already planning for violence, just in case.
It's what made him both their greatest strength and their biggest liability.
"Be careful," Elijah said as they prepared to leave. "All of you. We don't know what we're dealing with, which means we can't afford to be careless."
They nodded and dispersed into the night, each heading to their assigned task.
Elijah stood alone in the study for a moment, surrounded by useless books and unanswered questions.
Somewhere in Mystic Falls, a stranger with red eyes was doing... something. Watching them, probably. Waiting for them to make the next move.
Elijah had spent a thousand years reading people, predicting behavior, staying three steps ahead.
But this time, he felt like he was playing a game where he didn't know the rules.
And that was a very unsettling feeling indeed.
Niklaus found Tyler at the Lockwood mansion, working on something in the study.
The younger hybrid looked up as Niklaus entered, and immediately stood. "Klaus. I didn't know you were coming by."
There was no hostility in Tyler's voice—the sire bond prevented that—but there was wariness. Tyler might be compelled to obey, but he wasn't stupid. He knew Niklaus well enough to know that unexpected visits usually meant something unpleasant.
"I need to ask you about something," Niklaus said. "The clearing near your property, by the old oak trees. Have you been there recently?"
"The clearing?" Tyler frowned, thinking. "Yeah, I was there a couple nights ago. Why?"
"Did you see anyone? A stranger, tall, dark-haired?"
"No, there was no one there. It was empty." Tyler's frown deepened. "Should there have been someone?"
"A witness reported seeing someone in that area."
"Well, they're wrong. Or they saw me and got confused." Tyler shrugged. "I was out there for maybe twenty minutes, didn't see anyone else."
Niklaus studied him. The sire bond meant Tyler couldn't lie to him, not directly. If he said he didn't see anyone, he genuinely hadn't.
"What were you doing out there?"
"Just... walking. Thinking." Tyler's expression was guarded now. "It's one of the few places in this town where I can be alone. Is that a problem?"
"No." Niklaus turned to leave, then paused. "If you do see anyone unusual—particularly someone with red eyes—I want to know immediately."
"Red eyes?" Tyler's confusion was genuine. "Like... what, a demon or something?"
"I don't know what he is. That's what I'm trying to find out."
"Okay..." Tyler still looked baffled. "I'll let you know if I see anyone."
Niklaus left, frustrated. The stranger had been at that clearing—the hiker had seen him. But Tyler, who'd been there around the same time, had seen nothing.
Either the timing was off, or the stranger had made himself invisible to Tyler specifically.
Both options were troubling.
He texted his siblings: Tyler saw nothing. Stranger may be able to choose who can see him.
The responses came quickly.
Elijah: That would explain why we're having difficulty finding witnesses.
Kol: So he's selective about his visibility? How delightfully theatrical.
Rebekah: This is getting worse, not better.
Niklaus shoved his phone in his pocket and headed back toward town. Every new piece of information just made the stranger more impossible to understand, more difficult to predict.
And Niklaus hated not being in control.
Kol and Rebekah sat at a table in the Grill, having just finished their last interview with a vampire who'd known absolutely nothing.
"Well, that was a productive evening," Kol said, signaling for another drink. "We've confirmed that no one in this entire town has any idea what we're talking about."
"Someone has to know something," Rebekah insisted. "People don't just appear out of nowhere with red eyes and supernatural powers without anyone noticing."
"Apparently this one does." Kol accepted his drink from the waitress with a charming smile. "Maybe he's magic. Like a genie. Should we try rubbing a lamp?"
"Kol, this is serious."
"I know it's serious. That's why I'm making jokes. It's either that or admit we're completely out of our depth, and I prefer to maintain the illusion of confidence."
Rebekah's phone buzzed. She checked it and sighed. "Niklaus found nothing. Tyler didn't see anyone either."
"So we're all equally useless. How democratic." Kol took a long drink. "What's our next move?"
"I don't know. Keep looking? Hope he shows up again?"
"Thrilling plan. Very proactive."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Several, but they all involve considerably more alcohol than is currently in this glass." Kol set down his drink and looked around the Grill. "You know what's interesting? We're sitting here, the great Mikaelson family tearing apart this town looking for one mysterious stranger, and life just... goes on. Look at them."
Rebekah followed his gaze. Humans everywhere, eating and drinking and laughing, completely oblivious to the supernatural drama unfolding around them.
"They have no idea how lucky they are," she said quietly.
"Ignorance is bliss, as they say." Kol's expression turned thoughtful. "Do you think he's watching us right now?"
"Who?"
"Our mystery man. Niklaus thinks he's still in town, observing us. What if he's here? In this very building?"
Rebekah looked around more carefully, scanning the crowd. "That's paranoid even for you."
"Or brilliant. Hard to tell sometimes." Kol leaned back in his chair. "If I were an all-powerful entity who wanted to observe the Mikaelsons, I'd do it from somewhere public. Somewhere we'd never think to look because it's too obvious."
Rebekah started to respond, but something caught her eye. At the bar, a man sat alone, eating a burger. Tall, dark-haired, his back to them.
Something about him felt... off.
"Kol," she said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"The bar. The man eating alone."
Kol turned to look, and she saw the moment recognition hit. His entire posture changed, going from relaxed to alert in an instant.
"Is that—"
"I don't know. But look at him."
They watched as the man took another bite of his burger, completely at ease, as if he didn't have a care in the world. The bartender came over to refill his water, and they exchanged a few words—casual, friendly, normal.
But there was something about the way he sat, the way he moved, that was too controlled. Too precise. Like someone who was very carefully pretending to be human.
"We should tell Elijah," Rebekah whispered.
"No time. If that's him, he could vanish again any second." Kol stood up, his movements casual. "Come on. Let's go say hello."
"Kol, wait—"
But he was already moving toward the bar, and Rebekah had no choice but to follow.
They approached from behind, and as they got closer, Rebekah felt it. That same wrongness Elijah had described—like there was a void where a person should be, an absence that her senses couldn't process.
This was him. She was certain.
Kol reached the bar first, sliding into the seat next to the stranger with his usual easy confidence. "Evening. Mind if we join you?"
The man turned, and Rebekah saw his eyes.
Red. Actually, genuinely red, like rubies catching firelight.
He looked at Kol, then at Rebekah, and his expression was pleasant, unsurprised, as if he'd been expecting them.
"Not at all," he said. "I've been wondering when you'd notice me."
Rebekah took the seat on his other side, her mind racing. They'd found him. After two days of searching, they'd actually found him.
Now what?
"We've been looking for you," Kol said, his tone light but his eyes sharp.
"I know. I've been watching you look." The stranger took another bite of his burger. "You're quite thorough, I'll give you that. Though ultimately unsuccessful until now."
"You've been watching us?" Rebekah asked.
"Of course. You're very entertaining." He finished his burger and pushed the plate aside. "Your brother Niklaus is particularly amusing when he's paranoid. Which seems to be most of the time."
Kol laughed, surprised. "You've got him pegged."
"I've been observing your family for quite some time. I know all of you fairly well."
"And yet we don't know you at all," Rebekah said. "That seems unfair."
"Life rarely is."
She studied him. Up close, he was even more striking than Elijah had described. Beautiful in an almost unnatural way, with those impossible red eyes and a presence that felt like looking into an abyss.
But he was also eating a burger in a small-town bar, making jokes about Niklaus's paranoia, acting completely at ease.
It was disorienting.
"You talked to our mother," Kol said. "At the ball. What did you say to her?"
"That's between Esther and myself."
"She's terrified of you."
"Yes. She should be."
The casual way he said it made Rebekah's skin crawl. There was no malice in his voice, no threat. Just a simple statement of fact.
"Should we be terrified too?" she asked.
The stranger turned those red eyes on her, and for a moment, she felt the full weight of whatever he was. Something ancient and vast and utterly beyond her comprehension.
Then he smiled, and the moment passed.
"That depends on what you do next."
Kol pulled out his phone. "I should probably call Elijah and Niklaus. Let them know we found you."
"If you like. Though I imagine they'll be here soon anyway." The stranger glanced toward the door. "Your brother Niklaus has been checking the Grill every hour, hoping I'd appear. He's due for another pass-through in about ten minutes."
"You really have been watching us," Rebekah said.
"I told you. You're entertaining." He signaled the bartender. "Another burger, please. And whatever my new friends would like."
"We're friends now?" Kol asked, amused despite himself.
"We're having a conversation in a public place. That makes us friendly acquaintances at minimum."
The bartender came over, and the stranger ordered his second burger with the easy manner of a regular customer. Kol ordered a whiskey. Rebekah declined.
This was surreal. They'd spent two days desperately searching for this being, and now they were sitting at a bar making small talk while he ordered food.
"You're not what I expected," Rebekah admitted.
"What did you expect?"
"Something more... threatening. Dangerous. You terrified our mother, you can vanish at will, you have powers we don't understand. But you're sitting here eating burgers like a tourist."
"I contain multitudes," he said simply. "And I am dangerous, Rebekah. Make no mistake about that. But I'm also enjoying being awake after a very long sleep, and these burgers truly are excellent."
"How long were you asleep?" Kol asked.
"A few thousand years, give or take."
"Why did you wake up?" Rebekah asked.
"Because your mother was about to do something I didn't approve of." He turned those red eyes on her again. "She was going to kill you. All of you. I stopped her."
Rebekah felt like the air had been knocked from her lungs. "What?"
"The spell she was preparing. It would have linked you all together and stopped your hearts simultaneously." He said it matter-of-factly, like he was discussing the weather. "I couldn't allow that. Not when I've invested so much in watching you over the centuries."
"Invested—" Kol's voice was sharp now. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're mine," the stranger said simply. "In a way. Your mother used my blood to create you. That makes you connected to me. And I protect what's mine."
Rebekah and Kol stared at him, trying to process what he'd just said.
His blood. Used to create them.
This being had been there at the beginning. Had been part of the spell that made them what they were.
"Who are you?" Rebekah breathed.
The stranger smiled.