New Orleans

"To stop this we need the life force of Elijah Mikaelson" Astrid, the witch told Elena.

"But Elijah Mikaelson is dead. And there is no way he can be brought back. This spell, this prophecy must be wrong" Elena shook her head looking at the scrolls.

"Prophecies of this kind are never wrong." Astrid replied.

"And you are sure that they are talking about Elijah?" Elena looked at the witch questioning the translation.

"Yes. Skaldi, the witch locked the magic inside of him. Because he was born at the day of the total solar eclipse," Astrid explained"and your blood and the power I can draw from you can bring him back. You are the doppelganger."

"Well, no surprise there." Elena breathed in, so very familiar with the story of the doppelganger's mystic blood.

"Yes. That is what it says here. And you are the one. I finally managed to decrypt the verses. And the sun birthmark you bear, makes you the one I can channel."

Elena's heart smiled, feeling both nervous and happy. Finally, they will have a champion hunter, who would be able to kill the mutated hybrids that were plaguing the supernatural world.

"So, have you managed to get the clue?"Rebekah now stormed in the witch's house, restlessly greeting the witch and Elena.

"Yes, we do." Elena said to the blonde Original.

"Good. So when is it happening?" Rebekah asked impatiently.

"Tomorrow night." Astrid replied wrapping the scrolls up.

"Right. And - can you bring Klaus - and Marcel back?" Rebekah shot out.

"I am afraid not. This not any ressurection spell. They will unfortunately have to stay in the void." The witch replied.

Rebekah's eyes teared up. But as sad as she was that she will never see her husband and her half-brother, her heart rejoiced at the news that Elijah will be brought back.

"Right" Astrid said turning to Elena"we have to prepare. Well, I will walk you through the stages of the ritual."

Rebekah now huffed a bit and left Elena and the witch, nearly crushing into Kol.

"Tell me it's good news?!"

"It is. It is Elijah and they will be able to bring him back." Rebekah rejoiced.

"We will get Elijah back!" Kol said feeling happiness stream right through his heart.

"If evsrything goes right - yes, we will." Rebekah's eyes shone with hope.

"He will not be happy about being turned into a hunter."

"Well, this calls for the best vintage Bourbon." Kol pointed out.

"Let's wait. We got all the time to celebrate when he actually returns from the dead."

"He should never have killed himself -" Kol remarked recalling the night Klaus and Elijah died.

"He felt so down. He felt he had no purpose." Rebekah said.

"He had list himself completely in Klaus' shit." Kol said pouring himself a drink.

"Yeah - well,"Rebekah sighed,"I am going to check up on Hope. See you later."

✨

All night Elena was tossing and turning, thinking of the ritual, of him. Elijah. The brunette got up and took one of the Journals found in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. Elena opened a page she had marked earlier.

31st, March 1777, Venice

'Again this dream. I wish I could see her face. But I xan only see this mark on her shoulder. And she always leaves me with a whisper as she leads me by the hand to a door. I cannot recall what she says before her hand slips out of mine.'

Elena flipped over to the last page. Last entry.

17th August 1800, Venice

My mystery lady returned to my dream. This time I heard her say 'I will be back for you'. I wish I understood why she haunts me. Who is she? Why do I dream about her? What is the meaning of this? Why does she return over and over again? Tomorrow we set sail for the New World. I wonder if she would follow me there?

Elena closed the Journal and put it on the night stand. She closed your eyes, and her thoughts now went back to the dream and the words whispered to the man, whose face had always been too blury to make out who he was - 'I will bring you back. I promise.'

Elena took a long deep breath, thinking of the words the witch said 'With your blood and the power I can draw from you, I can bring him back.'

Flashback

Mystic Falls
A few years back

Entering the house, Elena picked up the post from the floor. Going through it, she looked oddly at the handwriting, hitting her as a tone of brick, realizing that it was oh so very familiar to her. Sliding her bag down on the side chair, as well as the keys and the other letters.

As she walked to the living room, she ripped the envelope open and unfolded the letter and started reading.

Dear Elena,

I hope this letter finds you well. As you receive this letter you will already most probably hear that I have, together with Klaus took upon myself to rid the darkness that had been consuming my niece Hope.
You may find it odd that I write to you. Our last meeting was something completely unexpected, as was my behaviour. Which exudes another apology. It seems that every time I was - it seemed that we were wrapped up in a web of circumstances that neither of us could undo. To this day, I feel that I had made a mistake for letting everything else take precedent, but my true feelings.
Anyway, I wish you all the happiness in the world, as a soul as beautiful as yours does not deserve anything less.
With great affection and admiration, always & forever, Elijah

Eventually with the thoughts of Elijah and the upcoming ritual, Elena fell asleep.

🐞✨

The day that followed seemed to be the longest you have ever experienced. And as the hour of the ritual finally was upon her, Rebekah and Freya gave the doppelganger the warmest hug ever.

"Thank you" Freya said.

"I have not done anything yet" Elena said to the Original witch.

"But you will."

"I hope it all goes well." Elena said drewing a deep breath in.

"Are you ready?" Astrid now came up to the doppelganger.

"I am." The doppelganger said and walked away to the ritual sight in the woods with the witch.

Elean sat down in the center of circle made out of candles and sacred herbs. As the witch gave her the sign, she cut in the palm with a little sickle, and as the blood started to drip on the ground, the witch chanted the ressurection spell. Almost immediately Elena felt the magic work its will, and she could now see little particles of light like zillions fireflies rise up like from out of nowhere, flying up in a magical dancing swarm, twisting up, coming together and then, in one bursting flash, there he stood, breathing in air as if he had swam out of the deepest darkest abyss of an ocean.

Elena got up. Her eyes sparkled somewhat stunned at Elijah Mikaelson now standing in front of her, curling a small happy smile at the Original.