Chapter 4: The Other
The sun rose over Mystic Falls like a hesitant secret, bathing the town in golden light that couldn't dispel the lingering chill in the air. Alexander stood at the edge of Wickery Bridge, the shards of the necklace warm in his pocket, while the wind toyed with his long coat. The ritual had worked—yes—but in return, it had awakened something far older… something buried beneath more than just stone.
He felt it in his bones. Like a shadow lurking just beyond sight.
He was no longer alone.
At the Salvatore house, Stefan poured himself a cup of coffee, while Damon sat at the piano, playing a sorrowful, repetitive tune unconsciously. It echoed through the hall like the memory of something that had never quite died.
Stefan said in a quiet voice,
"You believe him now?"
Damon answered without turning,
"I believed him the moment I looked into his eyes. He's changed, yes… but he's still him. Mostly."
Stefan frowned,
"And what did we unleash, Damon?"
Before he could answer, the front door creaked open. Alexander entered, his face pale from lack of sleep. He said nothing, simply sat down and closed his eyes for a moment.
Stefan asked him,
"You felt it, didn't you?"
Alexander nodded slowly,
"He's awake."
Damon raised an eyebrow,
"Who is?"
Alexander's voice was cold as frost,
"My mirror. The one the witches created when they couldn't kill me. They split my soul in half. One half lived. The other… was locked in the dark."
Damon blinked slowly,
"So… there's another you walking around out there?"
Alexander shook his head,
"It's not just another version. It's me without regret. Without conscience. Without limits."
Stefan whispered,
"Pure damnation."
Alexander looked at his hands, as if searching them for traces of guilt,
"They gave him a name… they called him Ash."
---
Elsewhere in town, Bonnie Bennett was rummaging through her grandmother's attic, shifting old boxes, flipping through spellbooks, brittle scrolls, candles, and bone charms, until she found what she'd been looking for—a worn notebook with an iron cover, etched with a sigil from the old Salem coven.
She flipped through its pages until she reached what she wanted: a reference to the soul-splitting ritual. A spell designed to isolate darkness by fully separating it from the human body.
She read softly,
"Ash—the name given to the shadow born from a cursed vessel."
Then her eyes fell on a faint, handwritten warning:
Do not reunite the soul.
Her phone rang.
Caller: Alexander.
His voice was serious,
"Come to the church. We found something."
---
The church ruins felt different this time. Colder. As if something had clawed at the town's foundations.
Alexander was kneeling near the altar, running his fingers over an ancient symbol that hadn't been there yesterday—a mark carved into the stone as if burned by some dark force.
Bonnie knelt beside him, her eyes widening in awe,
"This is a binding mark. Old magic. Made with blood."
Damon stood nearby, arms crossed,
"Someone wanna tell me why it looks like a demon tagged the altar?"
Alexander rose slowly, speaking in a heavy tone,
"Because he's here. Ash is here. And he's not hiding anymore. He wants me to find him."
Stefan arrived, holding an old map of the town. He spread it across the altar stone.
"There are three ley lines in Mystic Falls. They intersect in one place that's not the church—the Lockwood family crypt."
Bonnie nodded,
"If he's trying to gather power, that would be the perfect place."
Damon smirked sideways,
"Field trip, then?"
---
The crypt beneath the Lockwood estate was damp, the air thick with the scent of rot… and something else. Something burnt.
They descended the steps cautiously, the glow of their flashlights catching shattered chains and scorched stone.
And then they saw him.
Ash.
Standing at the far end, cloaked in shadow. His features were a perfect replica of Alexander's—same face, same eyes—but his presence was… wrong. Hollow. And his smile never reached his eyes.
He spoke in a soft voice,
"Hello… brother."
Alexander stepped forward,
"You're free now."
Ash smiled coldly,
"You were supposed to be proud. You did the hard part. Now… it's my turn to enjoy the world you kept from me."
Stefan stood beside Alexander, while Damon lingered behind them.
Ash looked over them all, then said,
"Pretty lies. I remember them all. Stefan's guilt. Damon's hate. Your silence, Alexander. The screams you never let out."
Alexander asked him flatly,
"What do you want?"
Ash's smile widened,
"To complete the ritual. To undo what they tried to split. To be whole."
Bonnie stepped forward, warning,
"That would kill him."
Ash replied without care,
"Maybe. Or maybe… it will make me unstoppable."
He moved with lightning speed.
But Bonnie was faster—she cast a barrier spell just in time, and he slammed into it, thrown backward.
He laughed from the ground,
"I'm not ready yet. But I will be. And when I am… I'll take everything."
Then he vanished in a puff of smoke.
---
At the Salvatore house, Alexander stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection. For a moment, it didn't move with him.
He punched the mirror with his fist. The shards scattered in every direction.
Stefan appeared at the doorway,
"We'll stop him."
Alexander didn't turn, just said,
"I'm not afraid of him… I'm afraid of becoming him."
Stefan's voice was calm,
"You won't let that happen. We'll keep you grounded."
Damon passed by with a bottle in hand, muttering dryly,
"Just don't start wearing eyeliner and quoting Nietzsche. One of you is enough."
But even he couldn't hide the tension in his tone.
Because they all knew the truth…
Ash wasn't just a curse.
He was the worst in Alexander.
And now he was free.
Coming for them all.