The Boy King's Journey in TVD/TO As A Mikaelson

The endless white expanse stretched in all directions, reality itself seeming to bend and warp at its edges. Vali stood motionless, his black eyes fixed on Silas, the mark on his arm pulsing with an almost eager intensity.

"Prince of Darkness," Silas repeated, his lips curving into a knowing smile. "That's what they call you on the Other Side. The demon who bears the mark of death itself."

"And you're the First Sinner," Vali replied evenly, though his mind raced. "The one who dared steal immortality from nature."

Silas laughed, the sound echoing strangely in the void. "Steal? I earned it. Just as you earned your mark." He gestured to Vali's arm. "We're not so different, you and I. Both willing to defy the natural order for power."

"The difference is," Vali's voice carried a dangerous edge, "I never pretended my actions were noble. You wrapped your theft in love, convinced yourself it was justified."

"And your love for your family justifies nothing?" Silas countered smoothly. "We all tell ourselves stories to sleep at night, Prince. Even demons."

The mark flared crimson as Vali took a step forward. "Why am I here? What was the true purpose of this ritual?"

"To talk," Silas spread his hands in an almost casual gesture. "To show you what's coming. The scholars believe they're working to free me, but they're merely pawns in a much larger game."

"A game you seem eager to include me in," Vali observed, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Because you're the variable no one expected," Silas's expression grew more serious. "The mark you bear - it changes everything. The balance Nature thought it had maintained is crumbling."

Seeing Vali's silence, ushering for him to continue, Silas began speaking once more.

"The balance," Silas continued, his voice taking on an almost reverent tone, "was already fragile before your arrival. When He left, everything began to crack."

Vali's expression sharpened. "He?"

"God," Silas stated simply, the word hanging heavy in the void. "The Creator abandoned His creation, left us to our own devices. The Principal Guardians still maintain their watch, playing at being divine authority, but they're nothing but abandoned children clinging to old orders."

The mark pulsed stronger as Vali processed this revelation. This wasn't just the world he'd known from stories - this was something far more complex, more dangerous.

"The Guardians," Vali tested the word carefully. "The ones who serve as Heaven's warriors?"

Silas's laugh was bitter. "Serve Heaven? They serve nothing but their own interpretation of divine will. Even Satan, the greatest of their number, merely plays at rebellion. They're all just filling the void He left behind."

"And you?" Vali pressed. "Where do you fit in this abandoned creation?"

"I was Nature's Chosen," Silas's eyes blazed with ancient pride. "The most powerful witch to walk the earth, honored by Nature itself. But I saw the truth - with God gone, humans hold the greatest potential. We're not bound by divine purpose or natural law. We can become anything."

"So you stole immortality," Vali concluded, pieces falling into place. "Not just for love, but because you saw an opportunity."

"I saw reality," Silas corrected. "Without Him, the natural order is merely suggestion. The Guardians, demons, even Nature itself - they're all just powers to be challenged and overcome. You understand this, don't you? Your mark proves it."

Vali's black eyes gleamed as understanding dawned. This world was far larger, far more dangerous than he'd imagined. Novel and show had merged, creating something new - something where even Heaven waited to be claimed.

"And now?" Vali asked, his voice carrying an edge of dark anticipation.

"Now," Silas smiled, "we stand at the precipice of change. The Guardians sense it. Satan watches with growing interest. And you, Prince of Darkness, you're the wild card none of them expected."

The mark blazed brighter as Silas stepped closer. "They fear you, you know. The spirits whisper about the demon who bears the mark of death, who kills without remorse yet loves with unshakeable loyalty. The perfect contradiction."

"Is that why you brought me here? To warn me about celestial politics?"

"I brought you here," Silas's voice dropped lower, "to offer you a choice. The world is changing, Prince. The old powers are stirring. When I break free - and I will break free - everything will change. You can either stand with me in reshaping this godless world, or..."

"Or?" Vali's tone was dangerous.

"Or you can stand against me," Silas finished simply. "But know this - your mark makes you unique, powerful, immortal, truly so, beyond even mine, but do keep in mind, that does not make you invincible. After all, even immortals can be defeated."

"You bore me," Vali suddenly stated his eyes looking hollow. "What makes you believe you will even have the opportunity to achieve anything? What makes you think that I will ever allow you to step foot upon my world?"

Silas at his words smiled, "Because you'll be the one to make sure I rise."

Vali raised an eyebrow at his words as he crossed his arms, "Now why would I do that?"

"Because without me, your eternity will become dull." 

Vali laughed at his words, "Dull? Please, there is an entire world out there filled with wealthy and glory for me to obtain, pleasures to experience, armies to crush, lands to conquer. Believe me, you will not even be a thought in a century or two."

Silas's smile turned knowing, almost predatory. "You doubt my words? Then let me show you something, Prince." He waved his hand, and the white void filled with echoing voices, shifting images: 

A battle-worn warrior, blood streaming from countless wounds, "They tell stories of your amazing strength -- how you glide through oceans of blood. Beyond human, a monster whose powers radiate with a darkness that casts a shadow on darkness itself."

A demon lord, eyes blazing with challenge: "Finally, I get to know, once and for all, if there's anything more to you than rumour."

An ancient witch, her voice trembling: "Your body is no longer that of a human -- neither is your soul."

The images shifted, faster now, each one showing Vali potential futures, paths not taken:

A Guardian, wings spread in defiance, as Vali tells her, "Your unshaken mercy for others is a sign of weakness."

A vampire lord, bowing in defeat: "No matter what the rest of us do, really, we're all just chasing your shadow."

"You see?" Silas's voice cut through the cascade of visions. "This is what awaits you - endless victory without true challenge. You've left many great fighters beaten, unable to match your unshakable victor's mentality. You know you're the strongest. You know you're the greatest. And no one has ever proven otherwise."

The mark pulsed as more voices filled the expanse.

"I feared you. The stories anyway." A fallen angel states.

Vali's began to echo as well, "Your lack of control over your body leaves something to be desired."

"What kind of idiot loses twice in one day?" Vali mutters disgusted, looking down at his son.

"His mental capacity is far stronger than any muscle on his frame, for it is unquestionably his mind that convinces his body it is stronger than any man or beast he may face." A scholar observes

"Wait -- the Green Berets? The Seals? Both of them wiped out?" A hybrid military commander roars in question.

"If I may, I believe we should retreat. We've lost enough good men already. I don't believe his objective is to fight us, sir. I think he just sees us as being in his way." A general states.

A warrior's dying words: "Vali's strikes are faster than any blade -- faster than any fist."

Vali's own battle cry as he turned to Tatia, his son beaten on the floor: "Come on, let's take his heart out."

An ancient being's assessment: "A perfect body, one that has been pushed well beyond its limits, with the reactions and strength of a Dragon, the speed of an angel, the plasticity of a Gorgon, and the stamina and endurance of a Phoenix."

His own philosophy echoing: "Only by death is a true warrior defeated. Only by death is a true victor crowned."

The future-Vali's voice, arriving at a battlefield: "Good -- just in time. Looks like you've had a chance to warm up."

The visions faded, leaving them in the white void once more. Silas's eyes bore into Vali's with an intensity that seemed to pierce through time itself.

"This is your fate without me," Silas said softly. "Eternal strength without true challenge. Victory without satisfaction. You'll spend eternity wondering what might have been, haunted by the knowledge that you turned away from the one being who could truly test your limits."

The mark pulsed stronger, responding to the truth in Silas's words. The promise of ultimate challenge, of finally meeting someone who could push him to his absolute limits, was intoxicating.

"Think about it," Silas continued. "Every victory will feel hollow, knowing you avoided the greatest battle of all. Every triumph will be shadowed by doubt - could you have defeated me? Were you strong enough? You'll never know, because you chose the safer path."

Vali's black eyes narrowed as the weight of this possible future settled over him. The mark burned with anticipation, with hunger for the challenge Silas represented.

"You will let the seals break," Silas stated with absolute certainty. "There is no question about it. You'll be there when I rise to face me at my full strength, for if not, you'll spend eternity regretting your cowardice."

The void began to shimmer, reality preparing to reassert itself. But before it did, Silas left Vali with one final thought:

"Remember, Prince of Darkness - in a world without God, the only true sin is refusing to reach for ultimate power. Don't let fear of what I might be keep you from discovering what you could become."

The white expanse shattered like glass, and Vali found himself back in the crypt, the energies of the ritual still swirling around him. But now he was left with speeding thoughts, as he processed what he saw and heard.

The mark pulsed steadily on his arm, a constant reminder of the choice that lay before him.

Silas's words echoed in his mind, promises of ultimate challenge warring with the calculated risks of freeing such a being. The First Sinner had shown him visions of a hollow eternity, of victories without meaning, of power without true purpose.

But as he stood in the blood-soaked crypt, surrounded by the corpses of Silas's followers, a testament to his brothers victory, a cold smile began playing across his lips.

For, who was to say which path would truly lead to satisfaction?

Will he make Silas's words true? 

Or will he let him rot for an eternity ever more?

Only time would tell, and time was something they both had in abundance.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Do tell, what will Vali choose? Will he allow Silas's followers to continue breaking the seals, or not? 

Will he even help them if he does let it happen, or not?

Though, do know, that whether Vali allows it or not, it is not guarenteed that Silas will fail rising if Vali eventually chooses not to.

So, do tell me what you all think, and how you all found the snippets of the future, for indeed that was the future. Silas has some powerful witchy abilities.

By the way, do tell, who does Vali remind you of when reading those snippets?

I'm also interested to hear that.

So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you all later.

Bye!)