:
---
Gazing upon the city, Klaus could feel the presence of Elijah, even though he had never met his brother in person—only through his own fragmented memories.
A strange instinct washed over him: the urge to protect Elijah. Both Klaus and the nameless man who had assumed the hybrid's body silently agreed—above all else, family came first.
He cloaked his existence, moving through the night until he reached the one place that mattered most: the school.
There, his eyes found her—the young Elena Gilbert, the protagonist of this tale and the doppelgänger of her generation.
She was identical to Katherine, and yet, to Klaus, the subtle differences were easy to detect.
Though they shared the same face, their essence was not the same. Elena lacked the intoxicating sensuality and dangerous aura that Katherine carried like a second skin.
If Katherine was a silent predator—a panther disguised in elegance, ever ready to strike—Elena was but an innocent housecat, believing herself the queen of the world, blind to the lurking dangers.
Klaus shadowed her movements, patient as the night.
When she reached her car, he slipped inside before she could notice, settling quietly in the backseat, waiting.
---
Elena had endured a stressful day. She had been forced to stab Elijah, though it went against her will. She lacked the strength to oppose her friends, who sought to protect her, yet often placed themselves in danger.
And in the back of her mind, a constant dread lingered—the threat of Klaus. A vampire whose very face she did not yet know, yet who could appear at any moment.
Her classes dragged endlessly, every lesson more tedious than the last. With a sigh, she entered her car, adjusted herself in the seat, and started the engine.
She fixed the rearview mirror—and froze.
A figure sat in the backseat.
("Aaahhh!") she screamed, but the figure swiftly covered her mouth.
("Do not scream. Close the window and drive,") the man commanded coldly. Elena, trembling, nodded and obeyed.
She started the car forward, his hand releasing her lips. A faint, unsettling smile curved on his face.
("Good, very good. Now keep driving through the city—we're going to have a conversation,") he murmured, leaning back casually.
("Who are you?") Elena whispered, fear gripping her voice. ("Are you a vampire sent to deliver me to Klaus?")
("No, no… Why would I take you to him… when I am Klaus myself?") His smile deepened as her eyes widened in disbelief. ("I saw how you took Elijah out of play—it helped me greatly. But it also offended me. No one touches my brother.")
Klaus's eyes burned with fury, and Elena instinctively shrank away. The realization struck her—this was him. This was Klaus.
("I didn't want to,") Elena whimpered, tears threatening to fall. ("No one listens to me. They claim to protect me, but only put themselves in danger.")
("Yes… I know. Which is why, unlike them, I will give you a choice,") Klaus said playfully, his gaze catching hers in the rearview mirror. ("Tonight is a full moon. I have a werewolf, a vampire, and a potion of resurrection. We can complete the ritual tonight, and by dawn, you will leave with nothing more than a sore neck. Or—you refuse, and we have our war. I will use your guardian as the vampire sacrifice and your friend as the werewolf.")
("If you agree to the first, you will have my protection for all your life—and your family's—for the next two hundred years.")
("No…"), Elena sobbed, her voice breaking. ("We'll do the sacrifice. Please, don't involve anyone else.")
("Excellent. Keep driving until we reach the abandoned mansion at the edge of town.")
Elena, trembling, nodded as tears blurred her vision, guiding the car into the night.
---
When they arrived at the mansion, Elena saw a vast circle carved into the ground, with a gathering of people inside it. Some looked sickly, others were young and strong.
("Elijah…"), Elena whispered as her eyes fell on Elijah's daggered body, lying upon a table. ("How…")
("I sent a group of humans to recover my brother's body. Did you truly think I would leave him in your hands, for you to do as you pleased?") Klaus snarled, stepping closer to Elijah and gently caressing his head. ("It may not seem so, but I love my family—and I would give my life for each of them.")
("The legends say you're a monster,") Elena whispered. ("Elijah said you were a monster.")
("He isn't wrong. I lost my brother's trust… something I regret deeply,") Klaus admitted, bitterness lacing his voice. ("But I must protect them.")
("Aren't you already the most powerful?") Elena muttered, shrinking back. ("Is there something stronger than you?")
("Of course… I am among the most powerful. But there are things out there—gods, dragons—that even I would struggle to face.") Klaus smirked, turning his gaze back to her. ("And you are going to help me with that.")
("Gods… dragons…"), Elena whispered in shock. ("That can't be true.")
("The world is vast, and you've only just glimpsed the supernatural. The so-called saviors are but children compared to vampires,") Klaus teased, stepping toward her and extending his hand. ("There—are the vampire, a pedophile, and the werewolf—an alpha who slaughtered his own family for power.")
Elena reluctantly took his hand, and Klaus nodded to the witch nearby. She nodded back.
He handed Elena a chalice. She drank, grimacing at the bitter taste.
The witch began to chant, and the moon's influence grew heavy upon Klaus. He ordered the coffins and Elijah's body to be placed within the circle beside Elena.
He then killed the vampire and the werewolf.
The circle began to glow. In that instant, he sank his fangs into Elena's neck. She did not resist—she simply accepted.
Her blood dripped into the circle, and the glow intensified.
("Now,") he whispered, feeling the werewolf's power surge within him.
But before the ritual was complete, the people surrounding the circle rushed in, driving wooden stakes into the hearts of all the Originals.
The circle blazed with light, and Klaus collapsed, falling onto Elena.
---
("Aaahhhh!")
Katherine screamed as her arm burst into flames, her entire body igniting in agony.
But the pain quickly passed, vanishing as suddenly as it had come.
---
Tristan and Aurora de Martel also screamed in torment. Lucian writhed as Sage awoke with searing pain.
The Salvatore brothers fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the same burning sensation. Marcel Gerard and all his vampires collapsed as well.
---
Elsewhere, a vampire beset by a pack of werewolves felt the same burning wave. With renewed fury, he seized a wolf's head and twisted—snapping its neck.
He rose, slaughtering two more before the largest wolf leapt upon him, dragging him down. The vampire fell, his life extinguished.
But he had killed two werewolves on the night of the full moon. Something had shifted in the supernatural chain, and Nature herself felt it.
She worked swiftly, imposing new limits. Vampires would now stand equal to werewolves beneath the full moon.
Balance was restored.
---
A woman attacked by bandits struck one's head with a stone, and as she looked upon the moon, she felt its power surge within her.
Savage and unrestrained, she tore through her attackers without transforming.
From that night on, werewolves who had not yet triggered their curse would retain fragments of their strength and speed in human form, though without the bite—and without control of transformation.
---
A young witch, still a child, called upon her magic. She cast her spell until exhaustion overtook her—but she did not die. She merely fainted, awakening later with hunger gnawing at her.
From then on, younger witches would not perish when drained of magic; instead, they would suffer physical exhaustion, nearly unbearable, yet survivable.
---
What Klaus had done reshaped the three factions forever. Everything had changed.
And Nature did not disapprove.
---
Flashback.
("Do you want me to kill you?") the witch asked.
("No. I want you to improve the immortality spell during the breaking of magic—make me more powerful, alongside my siblings.")
("This will kill you. I don't have that kind of power.")
("Don't worry. Use the bloodlines. My siblings and I have millions of vampires bound to us. Sever those ties—use the void to fuel the spell.")
("I will try.")
("Good.")
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