The Other Side

Image Source: The Other Side

I was always envious of Klaus. So much so that it killed me.

I met Damon in passing during World War I. The medical tent near the trenches was packed full of soldiers fighting for their last breath. I found one of my friends that had been serving alongside me in one of the beds towards the back of the tent. The relief I felt when I saw that his eyes were open and there were no life-threatening injuries.

Another person was sitting beside him. He introduced himself as Damon Salvatore. He was there when my friend got injured, and I told him I owed him one. He only smirked and walked away to give us privacy.

I never saw him again until 5 years later when I was face to face with death. A vampire near the French Quarter had attacked and bit me, causing the start of my transformation. There was no one around for me to drink blood from and fully transform, so I accepted my death. In some fateful way, Damon was in New Orleans for business and he gave me some human blood he had on him. From that day on, I established that Damon was the only person who would always be there for me when needed.

I lived with the Mikaelson family for most of my life after my mother passed. They claim that they see me as family and they would do anything for me, but they treat me like I am worthless. I especially don't know what Klaus saw in me that made him want to stay with them for that long. He was always the instigator, looking for ways to humiliate me.

After sharing these feelings with Damon, he took me under his wing and trained me as a strong fighter that could assert dominance against Klaus.

Damon's idea of challenging Klaus seemed like a good one at that time. I was young and full of adrenaline, so Klaus agreed to fight for power in New Orleans.

The fight was in the courtyard of their massive compound. Before the fight, I looked around and imagine myself and my followers representing the vampires of New Orleans. I looked around at all of the people there for the fight on both sides—vampires, werewolves, witches. It felt like all eyes were on me, and I began to feel like the pressure under the bright lights.

Before the fight started, Klaus tried to convince me that he cared about me and to lead alongside him. I thought it was hilarious that he would think for a second he actually cared about my wellbeing and not for his own advantage.

He is not my brother, Damon is. He is the one who has shown me brotherhood and how strong a bond is when you are both loyal to each other.

My declination to Klaus' proposition was to attack first when he was the most vulnerable. He fell hard into the concrete, and I knew this was just the beginning of our battle.

Klaus put up a fight, but so did I. However, this was more than just a physical battle. It was also an emotional battle, and Klaus has always had the toughest demeanor. I let my emotions of never having anyone to call family get to me. I let Klaus stick his hand into my chest, and rip out my heart.

The Other Side is lonely and daunting, but I have no choice but to sit with my own choices until I find peace. Until then, I will wait for my brother to join me here.

— Marcel Gerard

Author's Note: For my final installation in my storybook, I wanted to shift the perspective to a new character, Marcel Gerard. He is one of the main characters in The Originals, and he was seen as a brother to Klaus. He would constantly challenge him for power in New Orleans throughout the show. I found similarities between Marcel and Karna in the Mahabharata. Karna befriended Duryodhana and was loyal to him against the Pandavas. He found out he was the half-brother to the Pandavas, but that did not stop him from fighting against Arjuna. I made Damon the one to befriend Marcel and gave Klaus the role of Arjuna for this story. Even though the characters in the show are on opposite sides compared to the Mahabharata, I wanted to incorporate the dynamic between Klaus and Marcel in the show as well. The Other Side is a supernatural purgatory for all supernatural beings that have died. It is a threshold between the living world and finding peace. I wanted the story to seem more like a journal entry of Marcel's recount of how he died. I didn't even mention who the narrator was until the very end because I wanted to achieve that effect. Something to note is the transition to a vampire in the show. A vampire can bite you and give you his blood after. When you die from the attack, you wake up and start the transition to a vampire. In order to live and become a full vampire, you have to drink human blood or else you actually die. A vampire could carry around bags of human blood that they took from a hospital if they don't want to physically anyone.

Banner Source: Death of Karna

Bibliography: Karna. Website: Wikipedia

Vampire, The Vampire Diares. Website: The Vampire Diaries Fandom

The Other Side, The Vampire Diaries. Website: The Vampire Diaries Fandom