Thomas Kenley

Upon Thomas’s dramatic realization that Aurora’s body was being kept under water, he quickly began to put a plan in motion. It would have a lot of steps and take a lot of dedication but all the effort and time was worth it if it meant saving Aurora and keeping her from an eternity isolated with her demons. She deserved better and he was going to give it all back to her.

Gathering all the supplies that he would need for what he had in mind, Thomas locked himself away in a dark room in the house, making sure he had the peace and quiet that he needed in order to work. He needed every single ounce of focus he could muster knowing that he was going to be mixing spells and types of magic in order to complete the task at hand.

To begin, he set up a bowl of water with a handful of rose petals in it and a drop of his blood. Beside the bowl he placed another smaller bowl of water which held a lock of Aurora’s hair and a water compass floating on top. In front of the bowls laid a map, a small pile of sand resting in the middle of it. Grabbing a strip of cloth, he tied it over his eyes. He didn’t need sight for what as he was doing as magic would be his eyes for him. At that moment, Thomas was grateful for all the magic he had siphoned up over previous days, as well as the dark and mystical objects that were surrounding him in the room knowing that he was definitely going to need the extra fuel.

“Ma te ak san sou ki à lumière le fuis. La magie soit ma lumière. À travers l'eau, laissez-moi avoir la vue. Ce che vous, pro la busque. Ce che vous, pro la busque. Ce che vous, pro la busque.” He began to chant, crafting a spell that allowed him to see through the world’s oceans, looking for any sign of his lost love. As the magic allowed him sight, he kept going, looking and searching every single spot imaginable. He remained like that for days, there in the room, using the spells to search and search and search until-

He couldn’t push further? His virtual sight was being thrust back and no matter how much he tried, he could not press on. It was like there was a boundary draw there in the sandy floor of the ocean. That. That had to be it! The boundary spell that Dante had put up! Despite not being able to break it then and there, he had still found it. Ripping off his blindfold, blinking at the sudden light that had flooded his eyes, Thomas looked at the map, seeing where the sand had traveled to. “The Mediterranean Sea.” He read. Right off of the coast of Sicily. He had found her.

XXX

“You better be right about this Thomas. I would hate for our resources to go to waste, or for you to give me a sense of false hope.” The disdain in Tristan’s voice was apparent, but it was only there to mask the nerves that he felt. It seemed as if they had finally made a breakthrough and he didn’t want it leading to another dead end.

“I am right.” Thomas told him, looking at him with annoyance. After all that he had gone through to get to this point, he didn’t want even the smallest bit of negativity to throw things off.

“Go on with it then.” Tristan gestured and then Thomas knelt, pressing his palm firmly against the ground. “Magia tollox de terras. Utera aso utox.” He chanted, siphoning the magic that Dante had placed there out from the Earth, then going to the coast line and doing the same over the water. “It’s done.”

“Scan the water now. Don’t stop until you find something.” Tristan and his Strix connections had arranged for a recovery crew to come in with cranes and divers and search the area, compelled not to ask questions and to keep any record of this off of the books. They would forget it all after the fact but Tristan had arranged for them to be highly paid for their time. After all, this was his sister’s life they were dealing with.

The crew was there for hours until finally there was a mention of finding something from two of the divers. Both Thomas and Tristan stood beside the crane as it lifted a shipping container out from the sea and placed it on the shore. After a few moments and use of many tools, they finally got it open. Inside was a coffin and Thomas wasted no time running over and breaking it open. There she was, after months of searching.

“Aurora.” Tristan was beside Thomas noticing that his sister’s heart rested in her hands in the coffin. Dante certainly had a flair for the dramatics. “Heal her body. I don’t wish to keep seeing her like this.” He shook his head. Nodding, Thomas jumped right to it, placing a hand over her’s which had already gone through various stages of decomposition. He performed a healing spell, returning her to her normal state with her heart in it’s normal place. “Let’s get her back to Mystic Falls. We’ll do the rest of the spell there.”

XXX

Once they were back in Virginia, Thomas and Tristan set up what they would need in a crypt in the cemetery. What more poetic place than that for a resurrection?

Meanwhile, Thomas’ brother Julian had one of his witches tracking Thomas’ every move. He wanted to know exactly where he was and what he was getting up to so that Julian knew when to intervene, make something that was already causing trouble to his brother’s life to be even worse. It was how he knew that they had retrieved Aurora’s body, which had angered him immensely. His brother really would stop at nothing for her which he was surprised by, but it was annoying to see that his determination had worked out for him in the end. Now he had to figure out how he was going to stop her from fully returning, wondering exactly how Thomas was going to go about doing so. When he arrived at the cemetery, Julian kept his distance from where they were, listening in but doing his best not to make any noise, wanting to just listen until the moment was right for him to do something to cause their plans to go awry.

“Do you have everything you need for this?” Tristan asked Thomas, raising an eyebrow at the hybrid. He didn’t want them to get this far just to fail now. “Have a little faith in me would you?” Thomas looked back at him over his shoulder. He had the casket that held Aurora in the center of the room, lighting candles all around it. “I’m going to take my time and do it right. Don’t make me rush.” He gave the ancient vampire a small look of annoyance before he continued on with his task. “Stand over here, out of the way.” He gestured for Tristan to go stand at the head of the casket. Tristan stood where he was told, glancing down at his sister. How he had missed her. If all went well, he would have her back within a matter of moments. It all relied on the hybrid not screwing up.

Thomas grabbed the dark object that Niklaus had procured for him as well as a few of his own and placed them around the casket to channel from. They, coupled with the magic he had siphoned from the dead witches of Mystic Falls, would do the trick. Well that, joined hand in hand with a bit of expression magic but he hadn’t told anyone that he intended on using it, knowing fully well of a handful of people that would try to stop him. “Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum.”

Julian had always loved magic, from when he was a boy all the way up until now, even as a vampire. It never stopped him from learning things and it was why he always had a handful of witches with him. Listening carefully to the conversation between Thomas and Tristan, Julian only continued to wonder what his brother was about to do. It wasn’t like bringing someone back was impossible, it was done, several times but if you knew magic, then you’d also know there was always something more to it. As soon as his brother started the incantation, Julian’s brows furrowed. Within seconds Julian was inside the crypt, slamming his hands against Thomas in order to throw him back then quickly moving into a position that would allow him to look both towards his brother and Tristan, since he only saw him as a threat. “What do you think you’re doing?” Julian wanted to bring misery to Thomas’ life from the resentment he held, wrongfully aimed at his brother. It was pain, anger, and so much more that he wasn’t sure he was ever going to fully get over but he had never threatened Thomas’ life. He hadn’t before, he wouldn’t now, it was never something he truly wanted.

“Who is this imbecile?” Tristan was immediately irritated by the man that had swooped in and interrupted the spell that was to bring his sister back to life. In his eyes, whatever issue the man had with Thomas could wait and if he insisted on being a problem, Tristan had no problem in snapping his neck and letting them resume their little quarrel later. “He’s my brother.” Thomas replied, glancing at Tristan and then back at Julian. “I’m getting her back, just like I said I would. Now get out of my way and let me do what I came here to do. Don’t make me fight you Julian. I told you I wasn’t going to play into your petty little games. You may hate me but don’t let it be taken out on her. Just get out of my way and let me get Aurora back.” There was a look of desperation in his eyes, looking over Julian’s shoulder at the girl he had loved for a thousand years.

Julian stood there contemplating what to say, turning his head towards where Aurora laid. He had lived his life knowing that Thomas was always alive, even if he had never approached him, even if his intentions had been ill when he arrived, he had always known his brother was still breathing. This spell was going to take more than Thomas alone could offer, he knew as much. “If you do this alone you will get yourself killed.” He stated shaking his head. “This is her brother, isn’t it? He’s simply going to stand by and watch you do something regardless of what it does to you.” But in the end, Julian understood why Thomas would take the risk, because he would have too for the woman he loved. Even after all the years, he still would.

“Then help me or get out of my way.” Thomas told his brother. “Either way, I’m doing the spell.” He looked back over at Tristan. “He knows I’m his only shot. I know he’s not going to stop me. That’s what I was banking on anyways. It’s why I didn’t have any of my friends here. They’d all try to stop me. But I don’t want to be stopped. I caused this, I’m the one who has to fix it.” He took a step closer towards his brother, making his way back to the casket. “So like I said, help me or get out of my way.”

Stepping aside when Thomas moved towards the casket, Julian watched him and that part of him he constantly tried to keep shoved deep down inside, he allowed to take over. Stepping beside Thomas he looked down at Aurora then up at his brother. “Fine.” Even after years of feeling he hated him, the idea of being the only Kenley left wasn’t appealing to him in the slightest. “This doesn’t change anything.” He raised his hand so Thomas could grab onto him and channel from him. That little move changed everything though, for Julian anyway and it showed that when it came down to it, he wouldn’t let his brother die.

“As lovely as this family moment is, can we get on to the one I’m supposed to have with my sister?” Tristan spoke aloud, his impatience growing. Ignoring Tristan, Thomas raised his own hand and clasped it against his brother’s. They may have had endless arguments since Julian had arrived in Mystic Falls but in that moment it didn’t matter. His brother was standing there beside him, working with him on something that meant the world to him. It spoke volumes despite few words being actually spoken. Thomas channeled his brother, one hand in his and the other’s over Aurora. “Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum.” He chanted over and over, reciting the spell that would bring her back.

However, a spell of that magnitude defied the will of nature, combining the forces of spirits, darkness, and expression. These forces were all opposing energies and performing them all at once was going to take a toll on Thomas and in turn Julian since he was being used as an extra battery. “Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum.” He continued to chant as blood dripped from his nose and a wind storm began outside the walls of the crypt. “Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum!” With one last chant, the brothers were blown onto their backs, the power of the spell overwhelming them.

The moment his head hit the ground underneath him, Thomas knew what was happening. His body felt weak and he could sense the room around him begin to haze. “Tell her I love her. I’ll always love her.” He looked at Tristan, tears in his eyes as he got out a sentence or two. “And tell her I’ll be okay. I may not have reunited with her.. but through her I reunited with my brother. I’ll be okay.” He looked back at Julian and gave a weak smile. “I’ve missed you.” With that, a last breath escaped his lungs and his hand that had been holding Julian’s let go.

When Thomas had begun the spell for the second time, Julian held onto him, his eyes moving all around as it was evident that the spell was making something happen. It wasn’t until he could physically feel the strain from what Thomas was doing, what he was channeling from him, that he realized where it was going. Even still, Julian stood beside him and hadn’t let go. He had chosen to do this with his brother and he wasn’t going to back out now. They either accomplished this or they didn’t but they were going to do it together. Seeing the blood dripping from Thomas, he was about to say something when there was a sudden burst of energy, sending Julian onto his back and rather than feeling his body kick into healing itself, he felt it draining of whatever was left. He could feel his body start to wither up, his head turning to look towards Thomas. “I’ll see you soon.” He managed to say before his skin entirely turned grey and all life escaped him.