The Day the Founders MovedIt started with whispers. A strange illness. Pale bodies. Missing blood.
Malik had known it was coming. Emily had warned him. Katherine was feeding too often, too recklessly. And she wasn't the only one. Other vampires had passed through Mystic Falls over the last few months — travelers with sharp teeth and sharper appetites.
But this wasn't about them. This was about her. About the Salvatore brothers. About Emily's silence and the weight Malik carried like a second spine.
The Founders made their move by sundown.
Bennett Cottage – Hours Before"You can still leave," Emily said.
Malik stood by the window, arms folded, jaw tight. "You've said that three times."
"Because you haven't listened the first two."
"They'll come for her."
Emily nodded. "And for anyone who stands between them and peace."
Malik turned. "Peace?"
She lowered her head. "Their version of it."
"Which means fire."
Emily moved toward him, gripping his face between her hands like she used to when he was younger. "If she drags you down with her, I won't forgive her. But I will forgive you… for surviving."
Malik didn't blink. "I'm not afraid to die."
"I know," she whispered. "That's what scares me most."
Salvatore Manor – That NightGunshots echoed in the distance.
Malik stood in the hallway as chaos erupted outside the windows. Shouts. Screams. Footsteps. He could smell smoke.
"Katherine!" he shouted, pushing open her bedroom door.
Empty.
A hand grabbed his shoulder — Damon, blood on his sleeve, eyes wide and burning.
"They took her!" he yelled. "The church! They dragged her to the church!"
"Where's Stefan?"
"Trying to stop them."
"Are you armed?"
Damon lifted his hands. "Do I look like I came prepared for war?"
"Then get your brother and run."
"I'm not leaving her!"
Malik stared at him. "Then we'll both burn."
The ChurchMalik kicked the door open.
The scent of vervain slapped him in the face like fire.
Katherine lay chained to the altar, weak, but still glaring at the terrified Founders surrounding her. Several of them held torches. Others crossbows.
"Let her go!" Malik shouted.
One of the men turned — Mayor Lockwood.
"You shouldn't be here, boy," he said. "This is not your fight."
"You made it my fight the moment you brought war to my doorstep."
He stepped forward, but the torches rose in unison.
"Stop!" Stefan's voice rang from behind. He stumbled into the church, dragging Damon with him.
"Please," Stefan begged. "She's not—she's not the only one. Killing her won't stop anything."
Lockwood raised his crossbow.
Malik moved without thinking.
He dove forward — but another man pulled the trigger.
The bolt slammed into Malik's chest.
The impact sent him crashing to the floor. Pain erupted in waves. He heard Damon scream. Katherine call his name. Emily's voice from somewhere inside his mind.
And then… stillness.
DarknessMalik floated.
Memories drifted through him like smoke. Emily's hands. Damon's laugh. Stefan's uncertainty. Katherine's smirk.
A single choice.
Live or die.
Church – Seconds LaterKatherine's eyes filled with blood. Her face twisted — not in fear, but fury.
She tore against the chains with everything she had.
They cracked.
Splintered.
And with a scream, she was free.
She was beside Malik in a blink, lifting his broken body.
"You stupid, beautiful fool," she whispered.
And she bit him.
He barely felt it.
She pulled back, then dragged her wrist across his lips.
"Drink."
He didn't move.
"Drink!"
Her voice cracked — desperate, unfamiliar.
And Malik did.
The blood was hot. Fire, metal, power, memory. It surged through him like lightning. He choked on it. Swallowed. Gasped.
Then the pain began.
Real pain.
Bones twisting. Veins igniting. Vision burning white.
Bennett Cottage – Hours LaterMalik lay on the floor, covered in sweat, shirt soaked through. Katherine crouched beside him, watching him like an animal waiting to see what it had made.
He sat up slowly, head pounding.
Emily stood near the door, pale but calm.
"You died," she said softly.
"I remember."
"You're in transition," she added.
Katherine smiled faintly. "You'll need to feed soon."
Malik didn't respond.
"Say something," Emily whispered.
He looked between them — the mother who raised him, and the monster who turned him.
"I don't feel like myself."
"You're not," Katherine said. "You're more."
Emily turned away.
Malik stood, swaying. "I need air."
"Malik—" Emily called, but he was already gone.
The WoodsHe ran.
Faster than he ever had. Trees blurred. Wind screamed in his ears. Every heartbeat, every whisper of life around him — he could hear it.
Smell it.
Feel it.
He fell to his knees by the riverbank, trembling.
"I didn't want this."
A voice behind him: "But you did choose it."
Damon.
Malik didn't look up. "I didn't ask her to save me."
"No," Damon said. "But you saved her. And she paid you back."
Malik looked at him. "And what are we now?"
Damon smiled grimly. "Whatever we decide."