[3] Bloodline • Legacies ✓

xxxviii.

chapter thirty-eight.

"No, this can't be." Niklaus shook his head before looking at Matthias. "Matthias?"

Matthias felt a sob clog in his throat, he had told Niklaus about what Rina told him and while they both believed that Henrik had truly found his peace, here he stood. He looked alive, he looked the same as the night he had been taken from them.

"Is it truly you?" Matthias asked him and Niklaus was confused on why Matthias believed this to be him.

"Rina said that he found peace." Niklaus reminded him. "Why would he be here?"

"Because Malik won't let me go." Henrik spoke while crouching in front of them. "I gave Henrik whatever remains of my soul because Matthias' plan wouldn't have worked, it would have worked for one twin, that twin being Rina, but Malik was fated to become a tribrid in the end, I stopped that from happening." He told them.

"What?" Niklaus frowned. "You're here, inside of Malik's mind because Malik can't let you go?"

Henrik smiled sadly, "He wants to resurrect me, to bring me back and while that's possible, he would have to give up his humanity."

Matthias' eyes widened at this, "You mean-"

Henrik nodded his head, "Malik would have to complete the tribrid transition, someone would have to perform the resurrection spell which would remove my soul fragment from him but in the process, he would be without his humanity, like a vampire with their humanity turned off."

"Does he know?" Niklaus asked worriedly.

"I fear that a part of him does, but no he doesn't." Henrik told them with a sigh. "But for now, we have to get to Malik and help him, you have to convince him to let me go."

"Wait, wait." Matthias shook his head, trying to wrap his head all around this. "You're the cause of this darkness?"

"I'm not meant to linger." Henrik explained. "He's refusing to let me go, to move on from me saving him, because it's going to eat away at him until finally he snaps. You just have to convince him to stop, to let me go because I will be fine."

Niklaus and Matthias shared a pained look before Niklaus spoke. "Where did you go?"

Henrik couldn't answer them, he didn't have the heart to tell them that he didn't go to peace, that where he had gone was nothing but darkness and cold. There was no bright white light for him, no happy ending on the other side, because he had once again played with fate regarding the Mikaelson's and this was his punishment, a punishment that he couldn't avoid.

"I found peace." He lied once more, a small smile on his face.

Maybe Matthias and Niklaus knew that he was lying, maybe a small part of them could still tell when Henrik was lying because both pulled Henrik into a hug, creating a small group hug between them. Henrik's bottom lip trembled as he hugged them tightly, the thought of having to let them go was crushing but he knew that it had to be done.

They had to let Henrik go.

Pulling away from the hug, Henrik then helped his brothers stand to their feet. "This is the forbidden lake, it has siren's hidden within the water and they were about to drag you under."

Matthias and Niklaus' eyes widened as they looked into the water and noticed the number of eyes that were staring at them. Finally, a siren emerged from the water, she was beautiful, that they could admit as she glared at Henrik.

Her skin was a pale green color, there was scales along her arms, they could see gills on the side of her neck, but she was still beautiful. She had long light brown hair that reached her waist, there was crown of sorts on her head, and she was wearing a bra with a white cloth around her waist acting as a skirt.