In southeastern Europe, more precisely in a village engulfed in flames, a single man walked calmly while dragging a corpse behind him.
Further ahead stood a woman with fury burning in her eyes as she stared at the man.
"Mikael… you took my sister from me, destroyed my lands, and now wiped out my entire clan… You will not have a peaceful death," the woman growled, her eyes glowing with magic.
"Shut up, cow. Wake my daughter and release her," Mikael snarled back, the veins on his vampiric face darkening.
"Don't think you can demand anything from me, Mikael," the woman replied as she raised one hand and a stake appeared in it. "I didn't want to use this on you. It was being saved for your children."
The woman clenched the stake, and it turned into dust that spread through the air.
"Bitch," Mikael roared as his body turned black like steel, and the sword in his hand transformed along with him. Yes, Mikael had learned vampiric magic. "I'll kill you."
He believed that by protecting his body and sword with magic, the white oak dust would not reach him, and he accelerated.
A sonic boom exploded through the village as he appeared in front of the witch and swung his sword, only for the blade to collide with something invisible and recoil.
The impact of Mikael's sword against Dahlia's invisible barrier echoed through the village like the ringing of a gigantic bell. Stones beneath her feet cracked, windows shattered around them, and nearby houses trembled violently.
But the barrier held.
Dahlia slid back several meters, her eyes glowing golden while maintaining the magical shield.
Mikael gave her no space.
Another sonic crack split the air as he vanished and reappeared to her right, striking again. The sword slammed into the barrier with monstrous force, creating visible ripples across the defensive magic.
Dahlia immediately raised her other hand.
Chains made of green energy lashed toward the vampire like living whips.
Mikael dodged with monstrous speed.
One chain struck a house behind him, blowing apart the wall and scattering wood and embers across the street.
He appeared in front of her again.
Another strike.
Another barrier.
CLANG.
The ground sank several inches beneath Dahlia's feet. She felt her arms tremble.
"You're getting tired," Mikael growled.
"And you're dying," Dahlia replied coldly.
She wasn't wrong.
Black veins were slowly spreading across Mikael's neck. Every breath pulled more white oak dust into his lungs.
Even with magic protecting his skin, the poison still entered through his breathing.
And Dahlia was beginning to feel the effects as well.
She coughed discreetly while creating another barrier the exact moment Mikael appeared above her.
BOOM.
The roof of a nearby building collapsed from the shockwave.
Mikael spun in the air and attacked again instantly, giving her no time to breathe. Dahlia raised two layered barriers, one partially shattering before the second managed to stop the sword.
The force pushed her feet across the ground.
She used the tiny distance she created and pointed her hand.
Bolts of compressed magical energy shot toward him like condensed lightning.
Mikael dodged the first.
The second grazed his shoulder.
The impact launched him into a destroyed cart, splintering wood and stone.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Mikael emerged from the debris almost instantly.
Dahlia's eyes widened slightly when she saw him smiling.
A smile filled with rage.
He charged again at supersonic speed.
Dahlia no longer even tried to visually follow his movements. She simply raised barriers in the direction she felt danger coming from.
Left.
Impact.
Right.
Another.
Above.
Another explosion.
Every strike made her magic tremble violently.
Every defense consumed more energy.
And Mikael was getting worse too.
His breathing had become heavy now.
Small black cracks were beginning to spread across the hardened skin created by his vampiric magic.
The dust was winning.
Dahlia noticed the exact instant he hesitated for half a second.
She tried to take advantage of it.
Runes appeared around her as dozens of magical stakes materialized in the air before firing toward him.
Mikael destroyed several with his sword.
Dodged others.
One pierced his side.
He didn't even seem to feel it.
He kept advancing.
His speed was absurd.
Dahlia created a reinforced barrier at the last possible second.
Mikael collided with it like a living battering ram.
CRAAACK.
The magic visibly cracked this time.
Dahlia lost her balance and fell to one knee, coughing dark blood.
Mikael staggered as well.
Both of them were breathing heavily now.
The village burned around them while embers drifted through the white oak contaminated air.
"You can't touch me," Dahlia said between heavy breaths.
Mikael slowly raised his sword.
"But you can't stop me either."
He charged one final time.
Dahlia raised her final barrier.
The sword struck the magic.
The two became locked in brutal collision.
The barrier trembling.
The sword pressing forward.
The ground cracking beneath them.
Then Mikael weakened first.
His arm failed.
The sword slipped from his hand.
Dahlia dismissed the barrier almost immediately, stumbling backward while clutching her chest.
Silence slowly fell over the village.
No magic.
No explosions.
No speed.
Only the sound of fire consuming wood.
Mikael fell to his knees, breathing heavily as the poison finally reached his heart.
Dahlia leaned against a ruined wall, feeling her own magic begin to fail.
Their eyes met one final time.
Hatred.
Exhaustion.
And inevitability.
Then Mikael collapsed forward and his body began to burn before turning into ashes.
Seconds later, Dahlia slowly slid down the wall onto the ground.
And the burning village fell silent.
"You son of a bitch, take that," Dahlia growled with a smile while still leaning against the wall of the house. "Now there's nothing left to stop me."
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
---+++--
In New Orleans, Davina was sleeping inside the church when she heard a strange noise.
"Who are you?" she shouted in fear, raising her hand to attack whatever stood before her.
"Calm down, girl," an old man said arrogantly. "I can see you're having problems. I can help you, protect you from witches and vampires."
"Who are you?" Davina asked nervously.
"I am Mikael, a thousand-year-old vampire."
Davina's eyes widened.
"You're dead."
"Unfortunately, yes," Mikael replied with obvious irritation.
His spectral form flickered before the candlelight like smoke struggling to remain solid. Dark particles drifted from his shoulders before vanishing into the air.
Davina kept her magic ready in her hands.
"Then why did you appear to me?"
Mikael remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he answered:
"Because you can hear the dead… and because I need to return."
Davina's expression changed immediately.
"Return?" she repeated cautiously.
"Resurrection. Spiritual anchoring. Temporary possession. I don't care about the method," Mikael answered coldly. "I need a body again."
Davina felt a chill run down her spine.
"Why?"
The old vampire stared at the floor for a moment.
For the first time since appearing, the monstrous rage in his eyes weakened.
"I spent a thousand years causing destruction because of the pain of losing my daughter, but I discovered she's alive and being held captive by a witch, just like you once were," Mikael began to explain with frustration in his voice. "I want to save my daughter, and I'm powerful — as old as the Originals. I can protect you too."
Davina remained silent for a few seconds.
The spectral figure before her felt ancient beyond belief. Not just powerful… old. As though he had crossed entire eras carrying violence on his shoulders.
"And why should I trust you?" she asked cautiously.
Mikael let out a dry laugh.
"You shouldn't trust anyone in this city."
The answer came instantly.
"Witches want to use you. Vampires want to control you. Humans fear you," the old man continued. "But at least I'm being honest."
Davina narrowed her eyes.
"And you expect that to be enough?"
"No," Mikael answered calmly. "That's why I'm going to show you."
He slowly raised his spectral hand.
The church candles extinguished instantly.
Davina turned in alarm as the church doors slammed shut violently.
BOOM.
Her eyes widened.
That was not ordinary magic.
She could feel it.
His magic was… strange.
Dark.
Heavy.
It felt like magic mixed with something far older.
"Impossible…" Davina muttered. "Vampires don't have magic."
"I spent a long time hunting witches," he said coldly. "Eventually I learned their tricks."
Davina immediately launched magic toward him.
An invisible wave surged through the church.
Mikael didn't even move.
The magic passed through his spectral body and struck the wall behind him, destroying wood and throwing dust into the air.
The old man merely looked at her with disappointment.
"Fast instincts," he commented. "Poor control."
Davina felt irritation rise.
Dozens of candles exploded around the church as she increased the magical energy in the room.
"I can destroy you!"
Mikael took a step forward.
The temperature inside the church dropped abruptly.
Then Davina felt it.
The energy radiating from him was powerful. Extremely powerful. Worse than Elijah's. Worse than Marcel's.
This was worse.
Much worse.
The old vampire continued walking slowly until he stopped in front of her.
"You have enough power to survive in this city," he said. "But not enough experience."
Davina tried pulling her arms free, but the spectral hands still restrained her.
"And you think you can teach me?"
"I survived for over a thousand years," Mikael answered arrogantly. "While kingdoms fell. While entire witch bloodlines disappeared. While monsters tried to kill me repeatedly."
His eyes gained a dark glow.
"So yes, girl… I can teach you."
Davina stared at the spirit before her for several seconds.
Then she realized something disturbing.
Mikael was not trying to impress her.
He was only showing her a small fraction of what he could do.
The spectral hands slowly released Davina.
The runes vanished from the walls.
The candles relit themselves.
And Mikael turned his back on her as though he already expected her answer.
"You want to survive," he said calmly. "And I want my daughter back."
The spirit glanced over his shoulder slightly.
"So stop acting like a frightened child and tell me…"
His eyes glowed faintly red.
"Do you know how to perform a resurrection?"