Chapter Text
Stiles had no idea how long he’d been trapped. He had no idea how long he spent sitting on the stump of the Nemeton inside his head, staring at the Go board. Since he became aware, he saw everything as if his mind had suddenly transformed into a giant TV room with a demented version of himself on screen.
He fought with himself, screaming internally at the Nogitsune when he saw Melissa moving closer to him “No, please,” he pleaded “Please.”
“ Stiles…? ” Melissa stopped in front of him, pity in her eyes.
“ Really, Melissa? ” the Nogitsune taunted. He wasn’t even taunting the woman but the boy he had taken over. It was pathetic how weak he was “ I shed one tear… That’s all it takes? ” He let out a derisive snort “ Come on. You can’t crumble that easily. How are you going to hold up when Scott knows the truth? ”
Melissa reared back “ What? ”
Void leaned forward, batting away the voice inside his head “ When he finds out why his dad really left? You know he overheard it, right? You had no idea… You called Stilinski right after it happened. You didn’t tell Scott but you told the Sheriff. Hmm. ” A gleeful smirk spread across his borrowed face “ But Stiles heard it like he hears everything. But you know why he never told Scott? Because he knew Scott would never forgive you. He knew how much he’d hate you. ”
“Shut up,” Stiles shouted “Shut up. You’re lying.”
“I would advise you to tone it down,” a dark voice behind him made Stiles whirl around “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to poor Melissa, would you?”
Stiles stared at the being covered in bandages “Please. Just leave her alone. Why are you doing this?”
“You know exactly why I’m doing this,” the Nogitsune snapped “Revenge. I want revenge.”
“We never did anything to you,” Stiles told him “It was Kira’s mother and Satomi. Please…”
Void snorted with a sneer on his face “You’re pathetic. You really think it matters?”
Stiles frowned, staring at the being with barely hidden fear. He had gotten used to having him in his head but the mood swings were what made him fear the Nogitsune. He could never be sure whether he was in the mood for answering questions or attacking the people Stiles cared about “I don’t understand. You could leave. You could just go back to where you were before Kira’s mother.”
“Maybe I don’t want to,” Void pointed out “There’s something about you, Stiles. Something that called to me. Why do you think I used you instead of that bitch of a huntress?”
“I… What do you mean?”
Void moved closer smoothly, crowding Stiles against the wall behind him “You taste of power. Of magic. But there’s something else there. Something that I can’t put my finger on.”
“I don’t have magic…”
“Don’t lie to me,” Void shouted, fisting Stiles' shirt in his covered hands “There is no way you couldn’t know.”
Stiles swallowed back the nervousness “I don’t…”
“Whatever,” the Nogitsune shook his head and stepped back “I already wasted enough time with you. It’s showtime.”
With that, the room disappeared and Stiles was back on the Nemeton, staring at the Go board. It was almost as if nothing had happened. As if he was still trapped and not knowing what was going on. Panic spread through him at the feeling of more people in his head. Too many. There were too many people in his mind.
“Shhh,” the Nogitsune soothed, caressing the boy’s face mockingly “There, now, Stiles. So much chaos in your head. And people wonder why I chose you. You’re perfect.”
“What are you doing to me?” Stiles breathed, his eyes brimming with pain. It felt like something was trying to claw its way out of his head, leaving long and painful gouges in his brain “It hurts.”
“Soon it will hurt even more,” the Nogitsune cooed with a smirk. He glanced over to the side to see Scott and Lydia standing at the far end of the room, waving and shouting. As long as he kept Stiles’ attention on himself, he wouldn’t notice them. That and the pain the boy seemed to be in helped with distracting him.
Stiles flinched violently when a loud roar echoed through the room. He blinked, throwing the Go pieces around when he jostled. He was about to open his mouth when everything turned a blindingly, painful white.
A flash and Stiles found himself staring at a beautiful blonde. She seemed so familiar as if he had seen her before.
“Come on, Henrik. Our brothers are fighting again,” she spoke in excitement, grabbing Stiles’ hand to pull him along. He frowned internally. Who was Henrik and why was she calling him by that name?
Two young men - as familiar as the girl who was still holding his hand - were in the middle of a sword fight as Stiles and the girl came towards them. Stiles took the time to study his surroundings and felt the presence in his mind again. Something was trying to break free… Trying to tell him something…
“Oh look, our sister has arrived to watch my fast approaching victory,” the dark-haired man laughed.
The blond man rolled his eyes “On the contrary, Elijah.” He swung his sword and cut Elijah’s belt clean off “She’s come to laugh at you.”
Elijah.
The name echoed through Stiles’ mind with pictures of the dark-haired man, a boy with dark hair, smiling…
Niklaus.
The blond in front of him, his favourite brother. Brother? Stiles suppressed a whimper at the flood of memories and emotions that washed over him. What was happening to him?
Kol. Rebekah. Finn. Esther. Mikael.
His family. His siblings and his parents. Mischievous brown eyes. A soft smile. Protection. Magic. Pain, pain, pain.
Stiles turned to see the man in his memories staring at the scene angrily. Mikael. The thought of the man scared him. He had scared Henrik… No, his name was Stiles, wasn’t it?
“..tiles?” a voice cut through the memories… the dreams…
Henrik let out a low gasp as his eyes flew open as he looked around. The room was familiar and yet so strange. Where was he? Where’s Niklaus and the others? “Nik?”
“Stiles,” a voice spoke up, causing him to flinch backwards “It’s alright, sweetheart. Just stay calm. It’s Melissa. Can you look at me, love?”
“Melissa?”