The ancestors came to me that night.
I was in the Bayou safehouse, preparing for transformation, when the air shifted. Temperature dropped. Candles flickered with flames that burned blue instead of gold.
And voices filled my mind—ancient, multiple, speaking in unison.
You who stole from us.
You who took what was ours.
You who hides the girl beyond our reach.
I didn't flinch. I'd faced cosmic entities before—beings that made the ancestors look like children playing with matches.
"I didn't steal. I reclaimed. Davina's soul belonged to her, not you."
She was promised. The Harvest requires four.
"The Harvest was a lie. You know it. You've always known it." I turned to face the darkness where their presence concentrated. "The girls don't come back stronger. They come back twisted. Broken. Tools for your manipulation."
Silence. Then:
You see much. For a creature not of this world.
"I see everything. That's my curse and my gift."
We could destroy you.
"You could try." I smiled—the smile of someone who'd watched universes collapse. "But I've been destroyed before. Reassembled myself from atoms scattered across dimensions. Killed gods who thought they were eternal. You're not even the most powerful ancestors I've dealt with."
The temperature dropped further. Frost formed on the windows.
What do you want, traveler?
"Access. Your realm. Your power. Not to control—to understand. To draw on when I need it." I stepped toward the darkness. "In return, I'll give you something you've never had."
And what is that?
"Honesty. A clear view of what's coming. The Mikaelsons' futures, the witches' fates, the survival or destruction of everything you've built." I extended my hand. "Deal?"
The ancestors whispered among themselves. I couldn't hear the words, but I felt their deliberation—centuries of accumulated caution warring with curiosity.
Finally:
We accept.
Power surged through me—cold, ancient, vast. The ancestors' realm opened like a door I hadn't known was there. I felt them watching, felt their knowledge flowing into my consciousness.
[ANCESTRAL CONNECTION ESTABLISHED]
[Evolution progress: 90% toward Stage 3]
[New abilities unlocked:]
— Ancestral sight (see supernatural origins)
— Harvest magic (limited access)
— Soul awareness (track living and dead)
— Other Side navigation (partial)
[Warning: Transformation imminent]
[Recommendation: Begin evolution within 24 hours]
I withdrew from the ancestors' realm, leaving them with new knowledge and a promise I intended to keep.
Stage 3 was almost mine.