The Mikaelson compound was quiet save for the soft footsteps of arriving guests. Vali stood on the balcony, watching as his children gathered in the courtyard below.
The mark on his arm pulsed steadily, casting a faint crimson glow over the scene.
Alexander entered first, looking uncomfortable in his designer suit.
He'd only recently learned of his connection to this family, and it showed in how he kept glancing around, studying everything and everyone with cautious interest.
"Quite a turnout," Victoria's gentle voice carried across the courtyard as she entered with Roderick.
The two were rarely seen apart - Victoria with her kind eyes and healer's hands, Roderick with his scarred face and bitter expression.
"Father must have something important planned," Roderick muttered, unconsciously touching the mark on his arm - a paler, weaker version of Vali's own - an attempted replication by the King, a failure. "He doesn't usually gather all of us like this."
The twins, Dante and Diana, arrived next. They moved in perfect sync, a habit formed over centuries of fighting together.
Where one stepped, the other followed, their movements precise and practiced.
"The prodigal son is here," Diana commented, nodding toward Alexander.
"Nature's echo," Dante added, studying Alexander with open curiosity.
Marcus slipped in quietly, taking a position near the shadows. His presence was subtle - easy to miss if you weren't looking carefully. Small illusions danced around him, making the air shimmer slightly.
"Always hiding in corners, Marcus?" Cassandra's arrival was more dramatic. Dark magic crackled around her as she materialized from the shadows, her expression carrying its usual defiance.
Adrian descended the main staircase last, his analytical gaze taking in everyone's positions and reactions. He might not have the raw power of his siblings, but his mind was sharp as any blade.
"I see the two called Elena and Stefan haven't joined us yet," Adrian noted, his tone carefully neutral. "Keeping your new projects separate, Father?"
Vali finally spoke, his voice carrying easily across the courtyard: "They'll join us when it's time. For now, we have family matters to discuss."
The atmosphere shifted as he descended to join them. Each of his children reacted differently to his presence:
Alexander straightened unconsciously
Victoria moved closer to Roderick protectively
The twins shifted into defensive positions
Cassandra's magic flared in challenge
Marcus's illusions grew more complex
Adrian watched everything with calculated interest
"Still playing the all-powerful father?" Roderick's bitter voice broke the silence. "Some things never change."
"You speak of change," Vali replied, his tone casual despite the tension in the air. "Yet here you stand, still carrying that same old bitterness.
Tell me, Roderick, has it served you well these past centuries?"
Victoria's hand found her brother's arm. "Father, please. Must we start with antagonism?"
"Antagonism?" Cassandra laughed, sharp and cold. "This is practically warm for him." She turned to Alexander.
"Has he told you yet? About his little experiments? About how he tests his children?"
Alexander met her gaze steadily. "No. Why don't you tell me?"
"Careful what you ask for, brother," the twins spoke together. "Some truths are better left buried."
"Like how Father marked Roderick at birth?" Cassandra pressed on. "How he let nature try to limit his potential just to see what would happen?
Or shall we talk about Marcus's early years, learning to bend reality until he nearly broke his own mind?"
Marcus remained silent, but his illusions flickered, showing brief glimpses of past moments - a younger version of himself, blood running from his eyes as he tried to reshape truth itself.
"Each test had purpose," Vali stated simply. "Each challenge shaped you into what you are."
"And what exactly are we, Father?" Adrian asked, his voice carefully controlled. "Your children? Your experiments? Your weapons?"
"All of those," Vali replied. "And more. Each of you carries a different aspect of power:"
He gestured to each in turn:
"Victoria - healing magic that can reverse death itself."
"Roderick - strength forged through limitation."
"Dante and Diana - perfect synchronization of power."
"Marcus - mastery over perception and truth."
"Cassandra - darkness given purpose."
"Adrian - strategy that rivals raw power."
"And Alexander," he turned to his newest son, "nature's attempt to echo what it never can."
"You speak of our powers," Roderick cut in, "but not of the cost. Not of your continued disappointment.
Tell Alexander about the price of your attention. About the nights spent screaming as you pushed our limits. About the siblings who didn't survive your 'tests.'"
The mark pulsed once, making the shadows deepen.
"Those who broke," Vali replied calmly, "proved themselves unworthy. You survived. You grew stronger."
"Is that what you tell yourself?" Victoria's gentle voice carried unexpected steel. "That their deaths served some greater purpose?"
Before Vali could respond, new power filled the courtyard. Elena and Stefan appeared at the entrance, their transformed natures evident in the white light and golden fire that seemed to flow beneath their skin.
"Well," Cassandra's smile turned predatory, "look who finally decided to join our little family reunion."
The courtyard fell silent as Elena stepped forward. The white light within her pulsed gently, showing her truths that made her heart ache with understanding.
"You know," she began softly, her voice carrying that same compassion that had once helped Stefan through his darkest moments, "I used to think I understood what it meant to wear masks. To hide parts of yourself to protect others.
But your father..." she glanced at Vali, seeing layers of time and choice beneath his perfect control, "he's perfected it into an art form."
"You know nothing about our father," Cassandra spat, but Elena's gentle smile made her falter.
"I see him," Elena continued, her voice filled with wonder and sadness. "Not just who he is now, but who he's been.
The choices that weighed on him, the regrets he buried so deep even he pretends they don't exist."
The mark flared warningly, but Elena's newfound sight made her brave. "Your lost siblings - they're not gone.
Not really. I can see them in his new realm, in the paradise he's crafted for each one. Every detail perfect, every moment exactly what they dreamed of..."
Her voice caught slightly as the visions washed over her. "The sister who loved music? She dances through endless summer, her voice carrying melodies that shouldn't exist. The brother who sought knowledge? He explores libraries that contain secrets of creation itself."
Victoria stepped forward, hope warring with disbelief. "Sarah? You... you've seen Sarah?"
"She's happy," Elena's eyes filled with tears she didn't try to hide - feeling Victoria's own feelings.
"She sits in gardens that bloom with flowers made of light, healing souls that come to her for peace. He made it perfect for her. For all of them. A world of their own, to do in what they please."
"Enough," Vali's voice carried deadly warning, but Elena saw past it now - saw the pain he'd buried beneath centuries of careful control.
"You don't want them to know," she said gently, understanding flooding her voice. "You don't want them to see how those early years haunt you.
How each loss, each 'failed experiment' carved wounds you hide beneath perfect power."
"How dare you-" Cassandra started, but Elena's next words froze her.
"I see you too, Cassandra. How your dark magic flourished not despite his harsh methods, but because he knew exactly how much pressure to apply.
He pushed until you nearly broke, yes, but he always, always kept your soul safe. Protected. Cherished, even when you hated him for it."
The white light within her pulsed stronger as she turned to each sibling in turn. "Your father wears cruelty like armor because the alternative - letting you see how deeply he cares - terrifies him more than any power in existence."
"This is impossible," Adrian whispered, but Elena saw the doubt creeping into his analytical mind.
"The white light shows me truth," Elena explained, her voice gentle but firm. "Not just what is, but what was.
What could be. I see your father's regret for those early years, when his hunger for worthy challenges blinded him to gentler paths.
But I also see how he's kept every single one of you safe - even those you thought lost forever."
Vali moved with terrible grace to stand before her, his presence making reality strain. "You presume much," he stated, but Elena saw past the cold fury to the uncertainty beneath.
"I see you," she said simply, compassion filling her voice. "Not just the King, not just the dragon everyone fears, but the father who crafted paradise for children he couldn't save in time.
Who learned from those losses, who carries their memories like precious wounds..."
The mark blazed crimson, but Elena didn't flinch. "Your children deserve to know that their father isn't the monster they believe him to be.
That beneath every test, every trial, every seemingly cruel choice - there was always love. Always protection. Always purpose."
The silence that followed felt heavy with possibility. Each of Vali's children stared at Elena with varying degrees of hope, suspicion, and desperate need to believe.
And through it all, Elena saw what they couldn't - how Vali's perfect mask cracked just slightly, how the mark's crimson light pulsed with something beyond power.
Something that looked almost like relief.
Victoria's voice broke the silence first. "Sarah... Father, is it true?"
"It changes nothing," Roderick cut in, though uncertainty crept into his tone. "Centuries of tests and pain-"
"Yet they live," Victoria turned to her brother. "Safe. Protected."
"In a gilded cage?" Cassandra's magic crackled, but her usual defiance seemed forced.
"Not a cage," Elena stated simply. "A realm crafted with purpose."
The air shifted as the Originals arrived, their presence filling the courtyard with ancient power. Klaus appeared first, followed by Elijah and Rebekah. Kol materialized moments later, his usual smirk in place.
"Quite the revelation, brother," Klaus observed. "Though perhaps not how you planned it."
Finn entered with Henrik, who paused to study the air itself. "The barriers are thinner here," the witch noted. "Your new realm bleeds through."
"You all knew," Adrian stated, his mind quickly connecting pieces.
"We suspected," Elijah replied, straightening his cuffs once. "Vali's methods were always too precise for mere cruelty."
The twins spoke as one: "Why maintain the deception?"
"Strategy," Marcus answered before anyone else could, his illusions shifting subtly. "The Principal Guardians, the devils - they watch us always. Love is a weapon they would gladly use."
The mark pulsed once, neither confirming nor denying.
Vali's laugh cut through the moment, cold and deliberate. The mark blazed crimson as he stepped forward, his presence making the air strain.
"How wonderfully dramatic," his voice carried perfect disdain. "The reformed monster, hiding a heart of gold beneath centuries of cruelty. Tell me, Elena, what other pretty stories does your newfound sight reveal?"
The shadows deepened as he moved, each step precise and purposeful. "Perhaps you see me weeping over fallen angels? Mourning every soul I've collected?" His smile showed too many teeth. "Or have you confused protection with preservation?"
"Father-" Victoria started, but his cold gaze silenced her.
"The Honoured One," he stated, power rolling off him in waves. "That title wasn't given for kindness. The mark doesn't pulse with mercy." The air itself seemed to crystallize around him. "I preserve what's mine because that's what Kings do. We collect. We perfect. We rule."
Elena watched as his perfect mask slid back into place - layers of calculated cruelty forming an impenetrable barrier.
But now she understood. Each layer of coldness was another shield, another wall between his power and those who would use any weakness against his own.
"Believe what you wish," he continued, his voice carrying finality. "See what pretty truths you think you've discovered.
But remember this - I am the Dragon, the King of Vampires, the one who makes devils cower. Love?" His laugh was sharp enough to cut. "Love is merely another tool in a perfect arsenal."
The mark pulsed once more, and the world itself seemed to bow before him - the Honoured One resuming his throne of perfect, protective cruelty.
"Why are we really here?" Adrian's voice cut through the tension. "All of us, gathered for the first time in centuries. This isn't just about Elena's... revelations."
"Indeed," Diana began, with Dante finishing: "Father never moves without purpose."
The sound of footsteps drew their attention. Lucien appeared at the compound's entrance, Freya's arm linked with his, Mikael following close behind.
The fourth vampire ever created carried himself with characteristic confidence, a knowing smile playing at his lips.
"Why, it's a celebration," Lucien announced, his voice carrying both amusement and reverence. "After all, how often does one witness the breaking of a millennium-old curse?"
The gathered children fell silent, processing this information. Even Cassandra's perpetual defiance wavered.
"The curse?" Victoria whispered. "The one that forced our constant movement?"
"The very same," Lucien confirmed, his smile widening. "Your father has finally broken nature's chains. The King stands truly unbound."
The mark pulsed with quiet satisfaction as Vali observed his children's reactions. Each one understanding, in their own way, the significance of this moment.
A celebration indeed - though perhaps not quite the kind they imagined.
----------------------------------
The Mikaelson compound had transformed as night deepened. Ancient magic mixed with modern luxury - blue flames dancing in crystal chandeliers, shadows moving with deliberate grace between elegant party-goers.
Damon found Stefan and Elena near one of the courtyard's fountains, where water flowed upward in defiance of physics.
His brother's golden fire and Elena's white light - that he could now see, thanks to Elijah's tutelage made them stand out among the supernatural elite that filled the celebration.
"Nice party," Damon commented, accepting a glass of bourbon from a passing waiter who moved too smoothly to be human. "Though the décor's a bit... reality-bending."
"That would be Marcus's work," Stefan explained, nodding toward his new... brother - something he still needed get used to thinking - who stood near a corner, his illusions making the very air shimmer.
"He has a flair for the dramatic."
Caroline appeared with Tyler - refusing to not come along, convincing Elijah to take them with - both looking somewhat overwhelmed by the gathering power around them.
Ancient vampires mingled with witches whose magic made the air crackle, while werewolves from bloodlines older than written history observed from careful distances.
"This is insane," Caroline whispered, watching Victoria heal a centuries-old wound for an elder vampire with a casual touch. "This family is..."
"Complicated," Elena finished.
Roderick and Victoria kept to themselves near the balcony, though Victoria occasionally offered healing to those who approached respectfully.
The twins moved through the crowd in perfect sync, their presence making even ancient beings step carefully aside.
Cassandra's dark magic created interesting effects when it intersected with Marcus's illusions, making reality ripple in beautiful and terrible ways.
Adrian watched everything from a strategic position, cataloging every interaction and power dynamic.
Alexander stood with Lucien and Freya, learning about his new family's history while Mikael observed with careful attention.
"Quite the gathering," Klaus appeared beside them, Aurora at his arm. "Though I suspect this is merely the prelude."
"Prelude to what?" Tyler asked, then tensed as more of the Originals joined their group.
"To a demonstration," Elijah answered smoothly, adjusting his cuffs. "After all, what better way to celebrate breaking nature's chains than by showing exactly what that freedom means?"
Soon enough Marcel - the king of New Orleans arrived.
His arrival caused a stir among the gathered supernatural elite. He led a procession of vampires - the Rebel faction that had opposed Vali's rule for centuries.
Their numbers filled the compound's entrance, each one carrying the weight of their defiance turned to apparent submission.
"My King," Marcel's voice carried across the gathering as he knelt. "I bring those who wish to beg forgiveness. To submit to your rightful rule."
The party's atmosphere shifted as hundreds of vampires knelt in unified gesture. Ancient beings watched with interest as the rebels - who had fought against Vali's authority for centuries - bowed their heads in surrender.
"How generous," Vali's voice held perfect amusement as he observed from above. "And what brought about this change of heart?"
"We've seen truth," one of the rebel leaders spoke. "Witnessed your power. We understand now that resistance was..."
He never finished.
The first scream cut through the elegant atmosphere as a vampire suddenly plunged his hand into his own chest.
Before anyone could react, hundreds followed suit - a symphony of flesh tearing as rebel after rebel ripped out their own hearts.
Bodies fell in perfectly orchestrated death, blood staining the compound's stones as hearts dropped from lifeless hands. The party guests froze in horror as they witnessed hundreds of vampires choose simultaneous suicide.
Marcel stood amid the carnage, his expression grim but unsurprised. He himself found it bizarre how they accepted to submit to his uncle now, when they've been against him for centuries, despite his showings of power.
The mark pulsed once, and Vali's laugh echoed through the suddenly silent compound. "How delightfully dramatic," he observed, as if commenting on an interesting piece of art. "It seems some would rather die than kneel."
The blood had barely settled when the sky turned crimson, the moon darkening to impossible black.
A torrent of whispers filled the air - thousands of spirits speaking at once, their voices building to a near-deafening crescendo.
"Well," Kol's voice carried forced lightness, though tension lined his face, "this is quite the entertainment, brother. Though perhaps a bit excessive, even for you?"
The mark pulsed with sudden urgency as Vali's eyes narrowed. "This isn't mine."
Power pressed down from above - pure, burning might that made reality itself groan under its weight. The Heavens themselves seemed to tear open, white light gathering with terrible purpose.
"Everyone," Vali's voice cut through the chaos, the mark blazing crimson, "to me. Now."
Reality fractured as he pulled his realm into being - not gradually this time, but with desperate speed.
The gathered supernatural beings found themselves yanked through dimensions just as divine judgment descended.
Pure white fire engulfed New Orleans - Heaven's combined Smite turning night to burning day.
But the city's inhabitants were already safe in Vali's realm, watching through windows between worlds as their home was bathed in celestial flame.
Vali alone remained, taking the full force of Heaven's wrath. The mark blazed as he absorbed power that should have atomized him, his form flickering between human shape and something vast, ancient, and terrible.
Then, cutting through divine fire and mortal screams, a voice echoed - one that made the mark pulse with genuine surprise:
"Hello, old friend." Silas's words carried triumphant amusement. "Did you really think those seals would hold forever?"
Vali's eyes narrowed as blood trickled from his lips, his body straining under Heaven's continued assault. "Impossible," he growled. "I made sure-"
"You made sure of many things," Silas's voice held dark pleasure. "But even you can't account for everything. Especially when you're distracted by... family matters."
The mark flared as understanding dawned - the rebel vampires' suicide, the spirits' chorus, Heaven's wrath. All perfectly timed distractions while Silas somehow slipped free of bonds that should have been unbreakable.
The first immortal had truly, finally escaped.
Fury transformed Vali's pain into pure power. The mark's crimson light exploded outward as his form shifted - human shape giving way to something ancient and terrible.
A dragon made of living darkness and burning red light took shape, its wings tearing holes in reality as it rose.
He burst through dimensional barriers, ripping his way into Heaven itself. But what he found made even his ancient gaze pause.
Heaven's golden streets ran red with angelic blood. Bodies of the Host lay scattered like broken stars, their divine light extinguished.
Atop a mountain of celestial corpses sat Mael, Commander of the Heavenly Host, his armor stained with his brothers' blood.
Below, Satan writhed in his true form - a beast of smokeless fire consuming angelic flesh, each bite transferring divine power into corrupted strength.
"Welcome, King of Vampires," Mael's voice carried terrible serenity. "You're just in time to witness the results of our... collaboration."
"You sacrificed your own army," Vali's voice rumbled through his ever shifting form. "Millions of angels..."
"A necessary price," Mael rose, his wings spreading to impossible span. "Their deaths powered not only Heaven's Smite, but also broke your precious seals. Silas sends his regards, by the way."
Satan looked up from his feast, divine blood dripping from impossible jaws. "The Dragon finally shows his true form. How fitting."
Before Vali could respond, Mael moved with speed that defied comprehension. His hand, burning with the power of his sacrificed brothers, caught Vali's human face in an iron grip.
"Let's take this somewhere more... appropriate," Mael smiled, and suddenly they were falling.
The two beings crashed through dimensions like falling stars, Mael dragging Vali earthward with inexorable force.
They struck Mystic Falls with apocalyptic impact - divine power and dark magic exploding outward in a wave that obliterated everything it touched.
The town and its inhabitants vanished in an instant, ground zero of a collision between powers that should never have met.
Through the windows between realms, Vali's gathered children and siblings watched in horror as Mystic Falls vanished beneath divine devastation.
The impact crater glowed with conflicting energies - Heaven's light and the King's darkness creating impossible patterns in the ruins.
Mael rose from the destruction first, his armor now stained with both angelic and darker blood. "Your King's strength is impressive," he addressed the watching crowd, knowing they could hear through dimensional barriers.
"But even he cannot stand against Heaven's combined might. Especially not when-"
The ground exploded as Vali emerged, his draconic form somehow larger, darker. The mark blazed like a crimson star as reality itself began to crack around them.
"You want to test Heaven's might?" Vali's voice carried weight that made existence strain. "Then let me show you what true power looks like."
The mark pulsed once more, and suddenly everyone watching felt it - that same vast, terrible presence they'd glimpsed in their King's worst moments. But this time, there was no restraint.
This time, the Dragon was truly unleashing what he'd kept carefully contained for millennia.
And as reality began to unravel around them, they all finally understood what they knew deep down all along:
They had never seen their King's power,
They'd been watching him hold it back.
---------------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! What twist right?! I had to take a little while writing this.
See, I've been thinking how to possibly begin the finale, and how to actually make it exciting. Vali I always saw as akin to a reader himself, that his overwhelming intelligence, and knowledge almost made him incapable of ever being surprised.
He became too intelligent and strong to move the plot forward - I think I get what Gege felt, cough, cough, don't crucify me for this, but I agree with what he did to Gojo, now.
Therefore, I decided, to surprise Vali, I needed to surprise you, the reader.
That's why this happened so sudden, because it was sudden, Silas, did enact this plan at the last moment, having studied everyone from his prison for millennia upon millenia, all so that Vali would never see it coming.
So yeah, we're in the end game now, do tell me how you found the chapter.
Also, I will make a poll soon enough, when this fanfic is done, if you guys want me to write a continuation of what happened the past 1000 years - that is if you all are interested.
Well, I hope you enjoyed, do please comment and review if you haven't - like I need to know if you guys like this, since I'm kinda anxious that you guys don't.
See you all later,
Bye!)