Chapter 1
Freya stood before the window of her dimly lit room, staring out into the stillness of the streets. The thick, humid air pressed against the glass, and the occasional rustle of the trees was the only sound to break the eerie quiet. She could feel the weight of something just beyond the horizon, an unease that tugged at her senses, gnawing at the edges of her thoughts. It had been like this for days, the feeling creeping under her skin, becoming impossible to ignore.
She closed her eyes, taking a slow, steady breath, trying to center herself. Her connection to magic had always been strong, but lately, it felt as if something was pushing back against her, something darker, something she couldn't quite grasp.
The vision had come to her earlier, flashing like lightning in the night. It was fractured, the pieces scattered like shards of glass, but there was one constant; Hope. Her niece. The vision wasn’t clear, but the warning was undeniable. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something, some great danger, was coming for Hope, and possibly Hayley as well. It wasn’t a specific threat, not yet, but Freya could feel it in her bones. She had to act. She had to protect them. She would do anything to keep her family safe.
Her heart ached at the thought of Klaus, too, isolated and brooding in the bayou. After everything they had been through, the Hollow’s grip, the fractured family, it pained her to think of Klaus in that dark place. He was not the man he used to be, broken by the past, but even so, he was her brother. He had to be warned.
Freya turned from the window, the thought of it all pressing against her chest like a vice. She had never felt so helpless. Her family was scattered; Klaus in the bayou, Elijah missing, Hayley and Hope stuck in New Orleans, and the rest of the Mikaelsons not in any position to unite against a threat she couldn’t yet define. But she knew it was coming. She could feel the storm on the horizon, and it would only take a single spark to set everything ablaze.
Her fingers traced the air as she stood, calling on the magic around her to settle into her skin. She needed to do something, anything, to stop this from overwhelming them all. She couldn’t let the pieces of her family fall apart, not when the danger felt so close. Not when Hope was at the center of it.
Then, in the back of her mind, an idea bloomed. She wasn’t sure why it came to her; why the thought of this person, someone she had only heard of in passing, had become so important. It seemed like a distant memory at first, but then the connection solidified, and it was as though everything clicked into place.
Freya’s mind went back to that late night months ago. She had been drifting through the various corners of the internet, trying to distract herself from the weight of her thoughts. That’s when she had found the show. It was a web series, lighthearted, a bit quirky, but there was something about it that had drawn her in. The host, she remembered her vividly, was bubbly, seemingly carefree, but beneath the ditzy, "dumb blonde" persona was something deeper, something Freya hadn’t initially recognized but now could see with clarity.
The host's name wasn't something Freya could recall in that moment, but the feeling, the spark of recognition, was there. She remembered the way the woman had talked, so naturally charming, and how she moved with an energy that was almost… magnetic. At the time, Freya had brushed it off. She thought it was just an amusing distraction, a little show that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But now, as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, she realized what she had seen.
The host, the one with the easy smile and infectious energy, had something more; something hidden beneath the surface. Magic. Powerful, dormant witch magic that had never fully awakened. A latent potential that Freya could sense now, even though the woman herself had no idea.
Freya stepped forward, her mind already shifting into action. She knew she couldn’t do this alone. To protect her family, Hayley, Klaus, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, Davina, Hope, she needed help, and this woman, whoever she was, could be the key.
But how would she reach her?
Freya closed her eyes, extending her senses outward, letting her magic swirl around her. She would have to be subtle. She couldn’t risk overwhelming the woman with too much. There was a balance here, a delicate dance between guiding someone toward their own destiny and pushing them too hard.
"Please," Freya whispered, her voice barely audible as she reached out with her magic, sending a tendril of energy toward the woman she now knew could help. "Come to New Orleans. Come and help us. The family needs you."
She felt the psychic connection form slowly, like the delicate threads of a web weaving itself into existence. She didn’t expect an instant response, but Freya could sense the pull she had created; like a magnet, quietly drawing the woman toward the city. She could feel the connection solidifying, that distant tug of magic that would eventually awaken in the other woman’s subconscious.
Freya opened her eyes, feeling the weight of the magic she had just cast. She had done everything she could. Now, all they could do was wait. She didn’t know if the woman would come, or when, but Freya was certain of one thing: if she didn’t reach out now, if she didn’t do everything in her power to protect her family, it would be too late.
Her mind immediately turned to Vincent. She would need him. He had always been her most trusted ally, and now, more than ever, his wisdom and strength would be invaluable. Together, they could figure out what was coming, how to protect the Mikaelsons, how to stop whatever this growing threat was.
Freya took a deep breath and sent a message to Vincent, telling him to meet her in at the compound as soon as possible. They would need to prepare, not just for the unknown danger, but for whatever lay ahead. There was so much work to do. It wouldn’t be easy, but Freya had never been one to shy away from a challenge.
As she stood there, the weight of her decision pressing down on her, she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation. The woman she had reached out to, she didn’t know her name, not yet, but Freya could feel the magic inside her, dormant and waiting. With time, that magic would awaken, and when it did, Freya would have the help they so desperately needed.
The storm outside had started to pick up, the winds howling through the trees, as though the earth itself was reacting to the magic she had unleashed. The feeling in Freya’s chest grew stronger, the urgency in her bones more pronounced. Time was running out.
But she would do whatever it took to protect her family. And she would fight, no matter the cost.