“It’s been seven years, Stefan,” Damon says. “I don’t think I can live another day without Elena.”
“You have to Damon. You are strong. You’ve made it this far. You can’t give up now. What will Elena think?” Stefan questions.
Damon argues, “It doesn’t matter what Elena will think, because I won’t be around to witness it. It’s better this way, brother. She was the only thing that could bring out the good in me. You see what I could do, what I have done. I’ve killed people, Stefan. A lot of them. One bite to the neck and they’re done for. You knew how I was before Elena. Now that’s she gone, what’s the point? I was good for her, but she won’t be back for a long time.”
“So what do you plan on doing? Leaving me, your brother for more than a hundred and sixty years? Leaving Elena to wake up and realize she won’t be able to have a life with you? You’re really just going to let her realize that the love of her life is so weak and selfish.” Stefan pushes.
Damon stands up, rapidly and angrily. He states bitterly, “Don’t push me Stefan. I love Elena more than my own life. I’d give up living in a second if it meant she could.”
Suddenly, an arrow is shot through the window and hits just above the fireplace in the Salvatore mansion. The two brothers knew exactly what to expect. They knew exactly who it was.
“She’s here,” Damon whispers.
Stefan nods.
The two boys vamp-speed outside, in attempts to run from the huntress. To their dissatisfaction, they have gone outside just as there stood Rayna Cruz. A master of archery, the woman who can capture vampire souls in her mystical sword, and the woman who was prepared to mark each one of the Salvatore brothers. The two of them knew that if they got marked, they would be hunted to the ends of the earth by Rayna, until she captured their souls. That is, if they got away.
“Nice to finally see you two again,” the wicked beauty smirks. I do admit, I’ve missed you, but that won’t be the case anymore once I’ve got you two captured in my sword.”
“Not if we kill you first,” Damon states c***ily. He secretly knew that it was nearly impossible to kill Rayna.
“I’d like to see you try,” Rayna expresses, drawing her sword slowly out of the back of her jeans.
“Alright. We warned you. You psychotic lady from hell,” Damon expresses sarcastically.
Damon uses his vamp-speed to approach Rayna, attempting to attack. Rayna, too, is quick, however. Damon throws punches and kicks using his heightened strength, but Rayna also holds this power. Although not a vampire, Rayna possesses immense strength given to her by her tribe. The tribe that made her who she is. The demeaning huntress.
Rayna lodges the sword at Damon.
“No! Damon!” Stefan yells, fearing that his brother will be put into the eternal hell of the Phoenix Stone. The stone in Rayna’s sword that holds the souls of centuries-old vampires. The stone that has its captives relive their worst fear over and over again, until saved from it.
Damon kicks Rayna’s sword and it goes sliding, gridding across the gravel of the road. He then proceeds to attack her, with everything that he’s got.
“Ah!” Rayna groans, being submissive to Damon’s attack.
Stefan vamp-speeds to Rayna and twists her neck. A creak is heard as Stefan breaks Rayna’s neck with great force and her limp body falls to the ground.
Damon and Stefan both look at her with great shock. They have defeated the huntress. They have defeated Rayna Cruz.
Damon bends over and rests his hands on his knees.
“The girl might be small, but she sure is one hell of a fighter,” Damon gasps exhaustingly.
Stefan continues watching the dead body of Rayna. Taking in what he had just done. His expression is plain, but his mind is accelerated with thoughts. They no longer have to worry about her.
Suddenly, Rayna’s fingers begin to twitch. Stefan is taken aback.
“Uh.. Damon. Why is she still moving?” He asks Damon.
Damon turns his attention to what his brother is looking at. Instantly, Rayna’s eyes peel wide open and she quickly sits up, taking a large gasp of air.
“Excuse me honey. But uh, didn’t my brother over here just snap your neck?” Damon asks. He was always known for his sarcastic tongue.
Rayna then laughs a wicked laugh.
“You two didn’t know?” She chuckles.
The two brothers look at each other, confused. They look back at her.
“Know what?” Stefan inquiries, furrowing his bushy eyebrows.
Rayna smirks.
“I have seven lives linked to mine. That means that I have seven life-spans to get rid of as many vampires as possible,” she smiles proudly. “If you kill me, it’ll take away one of my lives. But I’ll just wake up again, angrier, ready for a fight.”
The two boys look at each other, concerned. Damon’s expression, however, changes smug.
“So why don’t we just kill you until you wake up again?” He questions.
This makes the huntress laugh even harder.
“You really think you’ll get that opportunity again? I may not have as much strength and speed as the two of you, but I don’t have anything to lose. Which ultimately makes me superior, don’t you think?” She says sarcastically.
“Just because you look a ton like my girlfriend and her three doppelgängers, doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you sweetie,” Damon spits.
Stefan looks toward his brother. He approaches him and grabs his shoulder. He looks sternly in his eyes and says, “Do you really think we can do this?”
Damon also grabs his brother’s shoulder and states with complete seriousness, “I do brother. You and me are in this together. No holding back.”
Stefan’s eyes soften. “Does this mean..” he begins.
Damon nods and slightly smiles.
“It means that I’m going to stay here and be here for my little brother,” Damon states.
The two brothers hug for what seems like forever. The Salvatore brothers, the ones with the unbreakable bond of family.
“I love you, Stef,” Damon whispers.
“I love you, brother,” Stefan replies.
Rayna finally conjures her strength and seems completely restored. She begins clapping hysterically.
“Bravo, bravo,” she exclaims. “How cute are you too? Hugging each other like you are wonder-twins with immense power,” she scoffs. “I mean, you two really don’t think family gives you power.”
“It gave me enough power to stay with my brother,” Damon says. “So maybe it’ll give us enough power to send you to hell.”
“Bring it!” The huntress yells.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Stefan says quietly.
The two brothers use their vamp-speed and run off into opposite directions. The huntress takes this as an opportunity to run to where her sword had been left. She is just about to reach it as Stefan comes at her from her left side. Rayna falls to the floor, but recovers quickly.
She picks up the sword and begins waving it in front of her.
“Come get me,” she mocks.
Before Stefan can reach her again, Damon comes in from her right side, unexpectedly. Damon throws a kick to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She falls to the floor, attempting to recover.
“Bye-bye,” Damon contemplates. “Again.”
Stefan holds down Rayna and Damon proceeds to bite into her neck. Just as he is sucking into her jugular, Rayna gains strength, picks up the sword, and slashes it into Damon’s shoulder.
“Ehh..” He says, looking at the sword plunged into his shoulder. He falls to his knees.
“Damon!” Stefan yells, his emotions overcoming him.
Rayna quickly pulls the blade out of Damon and turns around. Without hesitation, it is soon stabbed into Stefan’s abdomen.
As vampires, Stefan and Damon heal quickly. Each wound lasts only moments, before the magic in their blood cures it. But this isn’t any ordinary wound.
This is a wound from the huntresses’ sword.
Stefan and Damon’s souls are rapidly sucked into the Phoenix Stone. A glimmering light shines on the stone, usually occurring when a new soul has entered it.
Rayna pulls out a match out of her front pocket. She strikes it against the box, and drops it onto the Salvatore’s bodies. She continues watching as they burn.
Souls can exit the Phoenix Stone with the help of a witch, but that is if the victim’s body is still in tact. This meant that Stefan and Damon would be in the stone for all eternity.
“Good luck,” Rayna smirks, watching the bodies burn.