Chapter 66

Meanwhile, In Mystic Falls...

Abby Bennett had started summer courses at Whitmore college along with her cousins. With her family there, Abby could focus on her classes and not have to worry about, If Bonnie was being properly looked after.

Bonnie proved to be a well-mannered child, Abby managed to get her schoolwork finished and still tend to Bonnie's limited needs. Rudy, Abby's husband, was a doting father and loving husband. Though from the moment Abby had brought Bonnie home from the hospital, he could feel a dynamic shift, Rudy could never manage to determine the cause of this feeling.

When Abby and Rudy would leave Bonnie with Sheila and the family, Rudy would always be wrecked with worry. The Fidelius charm, placed on the Bennett ancestral Manor had been so strong, that when Bonnie was brought into the house, her existence, along with any other Bennett ladies' that walked into the manor, would be utterly forgotten.

This drove Rudy's mind to be invariably strained and twisted. It was not until the second week after Lucien left Mystic Falls, was the effects of the charm noticed. When Abby and Rudy went out for a date. Abby had gotten a call from Sophia, her cousin, asking about Bonnie's extra bottle. When Abby asked Rudy, he had no idea who Bonnie was. The name sounded so familiar, causing him to fall into another panic attack when he couldn't remember why.

The days following that incident, the Bennett family had discovered that the Spirits, of the massacred Bennett coven, had aided the charm, adding a twist to make the charm exceedingly efficient. Because of this, the family agreed to keep Bonnie out of the house until she was older.

As an infant, Rudy was overly cautious about her well-being. The family believed that it was his overprotective love for Bonnie that caused the charm to affect him in such a way. The Fidelius charm could erase the knowledge of something but not the emotions attached to that something or someone.

The rest of the Bennett family were also doing well. Before Lucien had left Mystic Falls. Pauline had started teaching English at Mystic Falls High School. Towards the end of the school year, Pauline had met a young boy, Alex, he was an orphan that was going to various psychological problems due to his lack of understanding about his emerging powering power, Specifically his power of premonition.

Ava and Mia had bought a Bar and Grill, that was once called Mystic Grill. They had also bought two more buildings creating an apothecary ran by Mia and the occult Shop managed by some vampire fangirl that flunked out of college, while Alex, the boy Pauline was helping, worked the store after school. Ava ran the recently procured Bar and Grill.

From that point on Mystic Falls turned into a complete anti-vampire territory, vervain was served in all of the drinks, and some of the medicines. The number of Vampires in town could be counted on one hand. But, the most dangerous vampire was a young girl named Anna Zhu, she was over 500 years old. This meant Anna had a pretty solid handle on her elemental magic and shapeshifting.

When Anna had first moved into town around late May, Emily Bennett reached out two her descendants to take the girl in. Something about a promise made long ago in the 1800s. Anna now stayed in a small house on the Bennett property.

The Bennetts were soon labeled as an unorthodox, eccentric family as opposed to the ever so refined founding families. But the town flocked to their business.

In mid-June, the Bennett family in Mystic Falls had received a letter from Lucien and a package containing single core wands. Lucien told them the same thing he told the family staying with him. Whenever they were ready to take on their 1st Baptism, they could eat two single-core wands to help them through it. Lucien's goal was for everyone in his family to receive perfect baptisms, every time they ascended to a new level.

it didn't take them long to achieve their first baptisms. The gains they all received were massive. The laws of magic and the world were truly known to them for the first time. Opening their eyes to a whole new world of magic. After the everyone in the family completed their baptism, Pauline and Sheila gave everyone an immortal elixir from the family vault. That day, the Bennett's had stepped into the world of immortality. It had triggered a vision the young Bonnie, not able to understand, she sent it to her mother through their connection that remained after Abby gave birth to her.

"What's wrong Abby?"

"Momma, someone's coming. beyond powerful. I can't see his face but, his arrival means destruction and the end of Mystical Falls. Everything will be swallowed by fire."

Sheila looked at Abby with concern. The rest of the family all had the same feelings. Isabelle asked how the family was going to handle the situation. Everyone tried brainstorm solutions. The problem was, the vision that Abby received was so vague, it was hard to plan accordingly. All they could do was prepare for the worst and be ready.

China, Somewhere along the Xiao Bei River...

A Manor sat on the bank of a river. Invisible to the eyes of nonmagical folks and magical folks alike. The Bennett family put a cloaking spell over the manor. Inside the manor, The Bennett ladies sat indifferent rooms undergoing their first baptisms while awaiting Lucien's return.

Lucien arrived the next day after getting Hermione situated at the Dubois castle on the Isle of Mull. He and the Ladies went to travel across China visiting the most well-Known travel spots. The great wall of China, the temple of heaven, Potala Palace, and more. At the end of a two-week stretch, when everyone was tired out, Lucien had taken Vega with him to see the tomb of the first Qin Emperor in Xi'an.

Before Lucien had got to Xi'an, he performed self-transfiguration on himself. Lucien know looked like a young man in his 20s, standing at 6 feet and 2 inches. In the Museum of the Qin emperor, Lucien looked at the massive terracotta army. Men, Soldiers, and chariots. It was a sight to behold. Every soldier was different, representing a different man that had probably lived, during that time.

In one of the dugouts, Lucien waved his hand, attempting to create an inferius. After a few moments when nothing happened, Lucien determined that there were no dead soldiers in the terracotta army. Turning away to leave, his pattern was suddenly grabbed by a commotion on the other side of the museum. A group of young people was being escorted out of the museum.

Lucien could bȧrėly make out the words. All he could get from some of the surrounding people was that the group of people we're trying to sneak into the lower levels of the museum. Finding the cause of the strangers' ejection from the museum, sparked curiosity in Lucien. He had read that the lower levels, or inner tomb, of the Qin Emperor, was saturated in mercury. So, why would anybody want to go down there, especially nonmagical people with no protection?

Following the people, Lucien arrived at a bar on Defu Lane.

In the bar, Lucien walked straight to the booth of the people he was following. Sitting at the table without an invitation caused the group of friends to look at Lucien with contempt.

Lucien signaled the waiter "Dài shàng liǎng píng báilándì"

Lucien remained calm as the waiter nodded in acknowledgment and went to retrieve two bottles of brandy for Lucien.

"Nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma" Lucien looked at the friends waiting for an answer, after a moment they the shook their heads and said no

"That alright, I think my Chinese is okay, I hope it is good enough to communicate. " Lucien put on a friendly smile and the bottles of brandy came to the table.

Lucien took it upon himself to pour everyone a glass

"To new friends and new opportunities. " Lucien raised his glass and tossed it back. Everyone at the table soon followed his lead.

After another drink, a young man spoke and asked Lucien for his name and what he wanted with him and his friends.

Lucien kept it simple and truthful, asking about the reason they wanted to get into the inner tomb of Emperor Qinshinhuang. Four out of the six friends all looked at each other silently debating if they should tell Lucien what they wanted, and out the last two, one of the females tossed back her fourth drink and told Lucien if he kept the drinks coming, she'll sing like a canary. Her friends looked at her and just gave up. Lucien figured she was the friend that liked liquor a little too much.