Chapter Text
“I don't deserve the love you've given me, brother. But I am so grateful.”
“It’s been a glorious ride, Niklaus. And my greatest honor.”
Klaus smiled at his older brother as the stake was jammed into his heart. Pain spread through him before his limbs started to go numb. Soon enough, he took his last breath and died.
He thought that would be the end of him. He truly believed it was finally over and he could rest. But it seemed someone else had other plans for the infamous hybrid.
“To go out in such a lame manner after being one of the most fearsome creatures to walk this earth. How shameful of you, Klaus Mikaelson.”
“Sir, are you sure about this? We shouldn’t get so close to an earthling…”
“This one is special! He’s my main source of entertainment. I cannot simply let his legacy die here. Restart his life in another body. I want to know how he’ll fare without immortality this time.”
“That will take a lot of your power though.”
“I gave you an order. Follow it!”
“… As you wish, sire.”
Klaus's damaged soul remained sleeping in front of the entity watching over him.
“Do not worry your pretty blonde head about a thing. You and I will be meeting very soon, Klaus Mikaelson.”
~~~~~~~
Klaus stirred in his sleep as he heard talking. What was this? Where is he? He’s supposed to be dead, right?
“Hi there, Mischief. Are you hungry?”
His eyes found a woman. She looked happy to see him. Who was she? And why did she call him Mischief?
“Where am I,” Klaus asked.
Was that his voice?! He sounds like a child.
“You’re home, silly,” the woman said with a light laugh.
If he was home, then that must mean…
“Mother?”
“Yes. What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare,” his new mother asked.
How is this possible? It can’t be! He’s supposed to be dead! There’s no way he’s been reborn. Klaus slapped his face with his hand. Slapping himself stung and he didn’t wake up so this must be real.
“Oh no,” Klaus muttered, staring at his hands in disbelief.
Small, like a child’s.
“Stiles,” his new mother asked.
Klaus got up from his napping spot, taking note of just how big everything was compared to him. Just how old was he? He snuck off to the bathroom, only to find that he couldn’t reach the mirror to see his reflection. Of fucking course. But he will not be defeated so easily by this small body!
Klaus found something to climb on and made his way up until he could see his reflection. Brown hair, brown eyes, childish features. Yeah. There's no denying it now. Not only is he reborn, he is a human child.
“Stiles, what on earth are you doing?”
Klaus turned a bit too quickly on his makeshift stepping stool. His stool shifted unsteadily before tumbling to the floor with him. How embarrassing. If he were in his previous form, he could’ve easily caught himself.
“Are you okay, buddy? Are you hurt,” a man asked.
This man. He must be his new father. A chill ran up his spine. He’s had far too many bad experiences with Mikael as his father. So this one is sure to be livid at witnessing that.
His new father reached out to him, making Klaus flinch on instinct. But instead of hitting him, he picked him up in his arms and checked him thoroughly for injuries before giving him a hug with a breath of relief.
What was this? Why isn’t he hitting him for causing trouble? Klaus knows how a father should act and this is wrong. It felt too warm and kind.
“You scared me. I was worried that you got hurt,” his new father said, “You have to be careful, bud. Using that as a ladder is dangerous.”
This man, his new father, was worried about him. So strange. He’s not used to experiencing a father’s love. Klaus almost felt guilty for being comforted by him.
“I’m sorry… Father,” Klaus whispered, unable to bring himself to hug the man back.
“It’s alright. I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” his father said.
His new father was correct though. This body is fragile and small. It would be wise to find a way to properly strengthen it. So for the next few years, that would become his new project. He found different ways to make himself useful and learn about his new life.
Klaus had learned some things already, like his name is Mieczysław Stilinski, or Stiles for short. And although this body was small, it held power. That power felt all too familiar. This boy was a witch.
Thus began his research on magic in this world. He convinced his parents to buy him some books on the subject much to their dismay. The information was a little helpful, but where was the real deep stuff? Like destruction magic? Healing magic? Binding magic?
Klaus frowned as he read through yet another book. There was some information worth his time, but most of it was too weak to do some real damage. Eventually, he decided to take matters into his own hands and use the magic from his previous life instead.
He still remembers the spells Esther would cast and all the things she taught him and his siblings growing up. Kol was especially fond of casting, so he would often drag Klaus or another one of their siblings to help him.
After some recollection, he’s started training using one of Kol’s old practice spells. And today was no different. Klaus went to the front yard of his home and sat down on the grass. He hovered his hand over the dirt.
“Flosculus,” Klaus whispered.
Nothing happened. He glanced at his palm in question. Maybe he wasn’t putting enough effort into it. Oh, that’s right. He needed to cultivate a flow. Klaus closed his eyes, trying to feel for that stagnant energy…
“Stagnant energy,” young Klaus asked.
“Yes. Young häxa like yourself often have a flow of stagnant energy hidden within you,” Esther said, “To reach it, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and feel.”
… Klaus took a deep breath and felt for the flow deep within him. A warm chill flowed over him, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. Like a lock had been released, and he could sense the world in a different way than before. The feeling was always so thrilling. Everything around him was alive and full of power. So this is what Kol meant by a rush.
Klaus reopened his eyes and hovered his hand over the grass.
“Flosculus,” Klaus said.
A red rose blossomed in the dirt in front of him, making a small smile reach his lips. He stood up from the ground, glancing around at the other vibrant flowers that Klaus created during his previous practices. Kol’s techniques never disappoint in his training.
Now that he thinks about it, how is Kol doing back home? Or his other siblings? Were they happy now that he was gone? Klaus shook his head. Now was not the time for self-pity. He had to keep practicing his magic before it was too late.
After all, he needed to be strong enough to cure his mother’s disease.
“If I was still a hybrid, I could just give her my blood and she’d be fine,” Klaus said, talking to himself while he went to train elsewhere in the yard, “But things are clearly different here. I have to actually work to get what I want. I suppose it makes this life quite interesting at least.”
“Hey, Stiles!”
He lifted his eyes to Scott McCall, walking towards him with a bright grin and a wave. Apparently, this cheerful boy was his best friend. Klaus accepted his company since he would pose as a valuable ally when he needed support. Not to mention, he's terribly naive to Klaus's bad influence.
“Whatcha working on,” Scott asked, stopping in front of him.
“A little magic practice,” Klaus said.
“Oh. Can I help,” Scott asked.
“Sure. I guess,” Klaus said, “But don’t tell anybody about this, okay? Keep this between us.”
“Okay!”
Klaus smiled at his excitement. Now that he’s mastered his energy source, he should try something bigger. Like creating an earth wall or growing a tree or even… Klaus hummed as he heard kids shouting nearby.
“What’s that,” Klaus asked, tilting his head at the noise, “So noisy. I can’t focus.”
“Let’s go check it out,” Scott suggested, grabbing his wrist and leading him towards the noise.
Upon arriving, they found a boy who appeared to be around their age getting bullied by a group of other kids. One of those kids (who was apparently the ringleader) was Jackson Whittemore. He chuckled to himself as he watched his ‘lackeys’ attacking the boy.
“Maybe next time you’ll learn to say sorry when you bump into someone,” Jackson sneered.
Klaus narrowed his eyes at Jackson. He’s aware of this little turd’s antics. The way he flaunts himself as if he was the king of this town. It made Klaus sick. Perhaps he should use this as an opportunity to test out a new theory.
“Industria transferre,” Klaus muttered, storing magic into his hands and feet.
His skin began to burn hotly as a result. It felt uncomfortable but it made his body feel so much lighter than before. He rushed towards the group, recoiling his fist and launching it at the nearest kid.
The boy hit the ground, knocked unconscious upon first hit. That was stronger than he expected. Klaus should probably pull his punches, so he doesn’t accidentally kill someone with this.
“What…? What did you do, dummy,” Jackson asked, stomping his foot angrily.
Jackson flinched as a rock flew by his head, cutting his cheek. His breath shook with fear as he was left frozen.
“Quiet down, you pathetic insect. I’ll get to you shortly,” Klaus ordered.
Jackson stood in place as his lackeys were beaten black and blue in front of him. Then each one of them was tossed at his feet with Klaus standing over them.
“Your turn,” Klaus said, pointing at Jackson.
“Wait. You… You can’t,” Jackson said, stepping back.
Klaus stepped towards him. Jackson debated on running away but he was so fast. Klaus was sure to catch him before he could escape.
“It’s not my fault. I was just defending myself… I was just…”
Jackson cowered away as Klaus recoiled his hand once more. His eyes squeezed shut as he prepared to be attacked. Klaus paused. Jackson’s parents were lawyers. Hurting him like the others would prove more troublesome in the long run.
So instead, he flicked him on his forehead. Jackson flinched at the contact and opened his eyes.
“Take your dogs and get lost,” Klaus ordered.
Jackson shook them awake so they could run away. Once they were gone, Klaus halted his spell with a tired sigh. He was exhausted. That spell burned through quite a lot of energy. But it did answer a few questions he had on the different ways he could use his magic.
His previous world had limits to using magic based on the type of witch they were. Here, it was much more fluid. This is exciting. Klaus turned his attention to Scott who was helping the boy who got attacked.
“Hey.”
The boy lifted his eyes to Klaus before dropping them again.
“Sorry for making you handle that,” the boy whispered.
Was he scared of him or something? Maybe he was just shy.
“It’s not your fault so don’t worry about it,” Klaus said, “Those idiots were the ones to blame. Besides this helped me with my study. Pick your head up and look at me.”
The boy looked up at Klaus again, catching his smirk.
“You can call me Stiles,” Klaus introduced, extending his hand to the boy, “What’s your name?”
The boy hesitantly reached out, grabbing his hand to be hauled to his feet.
“I’m Theo… Theo Raeken.”