"I said, keep going, hit harder — you dodged! Now attack!" I shouted excitedly while stuffing another fry into my mouth.
"Shouldn't you be helping me?" Jeremy shouted back, barely avoiding a punch that split the air beside his head.
"I am helping!" I replied with my mouth full. "Watch his left foot, he's going to kick."
Exactly as I said, the vampire twisted his hips and struck Jeremy's leg, knocking him to the ground.
Jeremy rolled, but the vampire was already on top of him, ready to finish it.
I sighed.
"Fine."
The next instant, I appeared in front of the vampire and kicked him in the chest. The impact sent him flying several meters back. He tumbled across the ground like physics had decided to have fun.
Jeremy got up, leaning against a tree, breathing hard.
"I had him," he muttered.
"You had almost," I corrected. "Almost is the favorite word of the dead."
The vampire stood up snarling, eyes full of hatred.
"Why are you doing this?" he yelled at me. "You're just like me! Why are you helping a hunter?"
"Pest control," I replied cheerfully, shaking the empty bag. "Community service."
"Pest control is hell!" he spat. "You're a traitor."
I looked at him with cold contempt.
"Now you've offended me."
Jeremy stepped forward, stake firm in his hand, eyes locked on the enemy. He was hurt, but standing. And determined.
"He used compulsion to kidnap girls," Jeremy said, his voice low with contained fury. "Teenagers."
The vampire laughed nervously.
"You kill people too. Don't pretend you're better."
I stopped smiling.
"There's a difference between being a predator and being a parasite," I said. "You don't hunt to survive. You enslave because you can."
He took a step back.
"You look old. Powerful. Are you going to say you've never abused what you are?"
"I never needed compulsion to get attention," I replied. "Natural charm is more efficient."
Jeremy almost smiled, but kept focus.
"I'm going to end him," he said.
The vampire looked between us, calculating.
"If I kill the boy, will you let me go?"
Jeremy's jaw tightened.
I laughed.
"You're negotiating with the wrong admin."
He tried to run.
Classic mistake.
I appeared in front of him again.
"First rule," I murmured. "Never try to run from someone who's bored."
He attacked with everything he had. I caught his fist mid-air. Jeremy took the opening, moving fast.
"Right shoulder!" I warned.
Jeremy dodged, spun, and drove the stake into the vampire's chest.
The world went silent for half a second.
Then, ashes.
The wind carried the rest away.
Jeremy stood still, staring at the empty space.
"I did it," he said, almost surprised.
"You did," I confirmed.
He took a deep breath, still holding the stake.
"You knew I'd land it."
"I knew you wouldn't quit."
He looked at me in that way he tries to hide — that spark of admiration he thinks he disguises well.
"One day I'll be faster than you."
"That's the plan," I replied. "Surpass the older brother. Basic evolution."
He put the stake away, posture firmer now.
"You could've done it alone."
"I could've," I said. "But it wasn't about me."
In the distance, I sensed two familiar presences watching. Pearl and Anna. Their tension vibrated in the air.
"What is it?" Jeremy asked curiously, not even noticing his tattoo had grown.
"Nothing, let's move to the next one." I clapped excitedly, hoisted Jeremy onto my shoulders, and ran.
--++--
You might be wondering why I'm on this trip with Jeremy instead of spending the day with my insanely hot girlfriend.
Well, it all started on a normal Monday — the usual day to visit my mother.
In the same Greek palace as always, on the Other Side.
"So... Silas is starting to free himself from the seals," my mother said casually. "I heard several notifications from Lucy that he's manipulating demons into thinking they're freeing Lucy."
"Okay... but isn't the devil locked in hell?" I asked curiously. Yes, I did my research. Apparently this world is supernatural too, and apparently the Other Side is some kind of purgatory.
"No, who told you that nonsense?" my mother asked irritably. "That's just a lie Lucy invented so people would stop bothering her."
This was getting dangerously close to DC's Lucifer. Please don't let it be that.
"Mom... does God exist?" I asked with real fear. An omnipotent being who created the universe is terrifying.
"Yes and no," my mother said calmly. "God is like nature and destiny. Exists in the same category as nature, but above destiny. Has will like nature... but not the same kind of will we do."
That made sense. So God is a cosmic force like nature. No Chuck to ruin my life.
"And Lucifer isn't all-powerful?" I asked. If it's the DC version, my instincts scream fear.
"Yes and no again," my mother said with amusement. "Lucy has a lot of power, comparable or maybe greater than Zeus at his peak... or me here on the Other Side. But she usually prefers dialogue over brute force. So as long as you don't annoy Lucy, you'll be fine."
"I won't," I said firmly. "Better not annoy the devil."
"But back to the point," my mother became serious again. "Since Silas is making demons break the seals I placed to keep him asleep... it won't be long before he returns. And the idiot has already caused an international problem."
"How?" I asked. "International?"
"Your father, your uncles, and Mikael are among the most powerful beings in existence," my mother sighed. "Borderline god-level. And they reproduce absurdly fast."
I knew that. Just seeing Elijah fight my group makes it obvious he's on another level.
"The witches have me — a goddess with a dimension containing thousands of monsters, considered a pantheon," she continued. "The werewolves have alphas capable of creating different supernatural creatures."
True. My mother is a force to be reckoned with.
"The three factions are superpowers in the supernatural world," she sighed again. "Silas, whether he likes it or not, belongs to all three. Despite being immortal, he's still a witch."
"Which means whatever he does... in the eyes of other species... the blame falls on all three factions," she continued, increasingly irritated. "Since your father and uncles live in their tiny bubble and don't even realize the world is bigger than their factions, everything falls on me."
"So...?" I asked.
"So as prince of the Other Side and my son — and also Klaus' son — you have the duty to fix this problem," she smiled.
"You just don't want to see your ex," I shot back.
"That too," she admitted. "But I also want you to make a name for yourself."
"I already have a name," I replied. I'm pretty famous locally as the owner of Mystic Falls.
"No, you don't," she said coldly. "You're my son. That's why the bigger beings don't look at you. I'm a wall protecting you from truly divine entities. I couldn't stop destiny though. You know how destiny manipulates you, since nature tied you to it."
"It manipulates the people close to me that I love," I said. It was obvious. Destiny lets me do whatever I want, but everyone else still has one. Like Caroline should've been tossed around by everyone, yet she's with me. "It links their fate to mine and manipulates my actions."
"Exactly," she said. "Now imagine Aphrodite deciding to meddle with you."
I shivered. Many would feel honored. But I read The Odyssey and The Iliad. I know how cruel Aphrodite can be.
"So you need a name," she said calmly. "A name that makes everyone think twice. Not because you're my son — but because you are you."
--++--
Back to the present.
Jeremy's body was now filling with tattoos.
We spent the entire week running from Pearl and Anna to let Jeremy grow without being overprotected.
"Dude, I'm covered in tattoos. I look like a gangster," Jeremy complained. "And worse, my eyes are glowing red and my fangs are getting longer."
"Of course they are," I said. "I told you I modified the mark. You're gaining some traits of the vampires you kill. You'll never reach the level of an old vampire, but you'll be able to defend yourself."
"I get that, I just didn't think it would be this bad," Jeremy muttered. "But what about Bonnie and Caroline? Is it really okay to leave them alone?"
"Of course it is. I made it clear they're taking my place now," I replied. Yes, it was a test. They wanted to know all my secrets and take part in running the city. "It's their test. Now let's go — your girlfriends are catching up to us again."