CH77 To find the culprit

After Anastasia falls outside the shield
3rd persons pov
"ANASTASIA" Damon ran towards Anastsia as the shield fell, he picked up her head and tried to shake her awake, Anubis came closer
"No, stay away, you can't have her, I won't allow it" Damon said to Anubis "wake up baby, come on Anastsia wake up" Damon kept repeating
"She's not dead" Anubis told him, to which Damon looked at him "but we do need to get her comfortable, get her cleaned up"
"She's bleeding, why is she not healing?" Damon asked
"The sword that was used was one of Anhurs she will heal, just slower than normal" Anubis explained, Damon then proceeded to blink Anastsia to their home, to their bedroom he proceeded to clean her up as she lay on the bed, he took off her clothes, cleaned her with a wash cloth and water, bandaged her up, and dressed her in some comfortable pj's, he got into bed next to her and tried coaxing her awake
"Damon, you have work to do" Anubis told him, to which Damon shook his head, not wanting to move away from his mate "Damon, you have a duty to your people, to your mate, have you forgotten the promise you made to your mate?"
"I didn't make any promises to her" Damon whispered
"Damon, tell me, do you know why we chose you as a mate for the most powerful witch on Earth? Do you not wonder why she is mated to a mere vampire?" That did it, when Anubis asked these questions Damon got out of bed and faced the god, Damon tilted his head to the side, Anubis laughed "Anastasia has done her part, now it is your turn, the only reason Anastasia couldn't find the culprit is because it is your job to do so, a quest, designed to test you, to test your ability"
"What's the point?" Damon whispered "Dylans dead, Anastasia will die, so many people are dead, I can still hear their screams" Damon covered his ears but he could still hear the screaming
"Anastasia made a potion, a potion that allows a person to travel back in time" Anubis began, he now had the vampires full attention "once you find the culprit you will have the chance to put everything right, to bring Dylan back, to bring your mate back, and your people, all you have to do is find the person responsible for that" he pointed towards Anastasia "use everything you and Anastasia have been through to guide you" Anubis told him, Damon was confused
"Damon" Kristen blinked in she looked at Anastasia on the bed, she smirked, 'how weak and pathetic' she thought to herself, she saw Damon "I need your help, my dad, he's hurt, he's not healing"
"Maybe one of Anhurs blades hurt him, he'll be fine" Damon assured her, trying to get rid of her
"No, that's not it, she took away his powers" Kristen looked towards the queen "that's why he won't heal, he needs vampire blood, please Damon"
"Ok, let me get a knife" Damon was about to leave, when Kristen stopped him
"No Damon, it will only take a few minutes, come with me" she looked into his eyes, was she trying to compel him? Damon nodded, he gave a fleeting look towards Anubis then allowed Kristen to blink him away.
Damon looked around
"Where's Thomas?"
"Oh, dad's dead, drink?" She held a glass of bourbon in her hand
"Dead? How?"
"We were in Antarctica" Kristen stood drinking the bourbon she had originally offered the vampire "dad and I argued, he didn't want me to open the portal, but how else were you supposed to see the truth"
"Portal? It was you? You opened the portal, you're responsible for so many deaths"
"Collateral" Kristen shrugged, Damon scoffed
"You don't care?" Damon realised
"Oh wake up, Damon, this is real life, I did all this to help you see the truth"
"What truth?" Damon shouted
"The truth about Anastasia, she's a fraud" Kristen shouted just as loud
"She's my mate" Damon spoke calmly now
"Mate? Is that what she told you?" Kristen scoffed "when has a vampire ever mated? Especially to a witch, she used you Damon, what's that? Around your neck?" Kristen stepped closer to Damon
"Anastasia got it for me" Damon played with his chain
"A leash, she put that around your neck like you're a pet, don't you see? She doesn't love you, she never did"
"You're wrong, goodbye Kristen" Damon was about to blink but Kristen held his upper arm
"You will not leave, you will stay" Kristen looked into his eyes, Damon scoffed and shrugged his arm out of her grip
"Did you just try and compel me?"
"What? How did you? Why aren't you compelled?"
"Because only Anastasia can compel me" Damon lied "I'm the king of the seven kingdoms" Damon didn't realise what he was saying it was as if someone else was controlling his speech, but he knew what he was saying to be true "I am superior to you, to everyone" he stepped closer to his former best friend "You're lucky you're not dead, when my mate wakes up, we'll deal with you together, in the meantime, don't use your powers" Damon compelled her before blinking straight home he started searching for the vial containing the blue liquid to travel through time, Charlie was in the room now sitting next to Anastasia
"Damon?" Anubis stopped him
"Kristen" he told the god, Anubis nodded as if he already knew
"Now you have another choice to make" Anubis began
"It's simple take the potion go back, stop all this, kill Kristen" Damon told Anubis the plan
"No, my child" Anubis put a hand on Damons shoulder, Damon furrowed his eyebrows at this "the choice is how far back you'll go, if you go back to before the portal was opened by Anastasia your people will remember what you did, and they shall respect you as king, but all those that died will remain dead, however if you choose to go to before Kristen opened the portal, you will save all your people, including Dylan but no one will remember what you did, not even Anastasia" Anubis explained
"The choice is simple" Damon said without hesitation, he took the vial from the drawer of the bedside table and got in bed next to his mate, he said the date in his head and Anastasias name as he drank a sip of the potion, he handed the vial to Charlie
"Good luck" Charlie told him, Charlie didn't even ask Damon how far back he'll go, it was as if he didn't need to, it was as if Charlie knew what Damons choice will be the vampire thanked him as he fell asleep.