One second, I was in my apartment.
TV remote in one hand.
Leftover pizza in the other.
Halfway through a The Originals rewatch.
Then—
Nothing.
Darkness.
Not the kind you see when the lights go out.
This was… absolute. Endless. Suffocating.
I couldn't feel my body.
Couldn't feel time.
Only one thought echoed through the void:
Where am I?
Silence stretched.
Too long.
Too empty.
Not peaceful.
Wrong.
Then it came.
A voice.
"YOU ARE DEAD, YOUNG ONE."
The words didn't just echo—
They pressed against me. From every direction.
I steadied myself.
"…Who are you?" I asked. "And what do you mean I'm dead?"
"I AM WHAT YOU CALL GOD."
A pause.
Then, almost casually—
"AND WHEN I SAY YOU DIED… I MEAN YOU ARE LITERALLY DEAD."
I frowned.
Dead?
That didn't make sense.
I didn't remember pain.
Didn't remember how it happened.
All I knew was—
"My name is Klaus Mikaelson…" I said slowly. "…and I remember… TV shows. Movies. Light novels."
Fragments.
Nothing more.
"GOOD ENOUGH."
The voice didn't care.
Not even a little.
"I WILL GRANT YOU A SECOND CHANCE."
That got my attention.
"YOU MAY BE REBORN IN A WORLD OF YOUR CHOOSING. YOU WILL RECEIVE FIVE WISHES… AND PERKS."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then I smiled.
Yeah… I've read this before.
"Alright," I said. "Then I want to be reborn in The Originals… as Niklaus Mikaelson."
A beat.
"THAT CAN BE DONE."
Of course it could.
"STATE YOUR WISHES."
Now that… required thought.
Not power.
Not just survival.
No—
This was long-term.
I wasn't doing this alone.
"I don't want to be lonely at the top," I said calmly. "My family rises with me."
A pause.
Then—
The Wishes
"First — I want to be the first Tribrid."
"Second — Kol becomes the first Heretic."
"Third — I want a 10× learning speed… and my siblings get 5×."
"Fourth—"
I stopped.
Then added:
"Make us truly invincible."
The void went quiet.
Then—
"…THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THAT."
Before he could continue, I cut in.
"Then only you can kill us."
Silence.
Then—
"…YOU CHEEKY BRAT."
I smirked.
"FINE. BUT YOU ONLY GET ONE PERK."
That was fine.
I already knew what I wanted.
"A growth system," I said. "Our strength increases five times every ten years."
A pause.
Then—
"DONE."
Good.
Then I leaned back slightly.
"One more thing," I added. "Save Henrik. Or prevent his death. However you want to do it."
"ACCEPTED."
I nodded.
"Can I save the last wish for later?"
"YES."
Then the voice shifted.
Different now.
Almost… amused.
"FOR OUTPLAYING ME… AND PRIORITIZING YOUR FAMILY—"
A pause.
"I WILL GRANT YOU A SYSTEM."
Now that got interesting.
"NOT A TYPICAL ONE."
Of course.
"IT WILL TRACK YOUR GROWTH. YOUR STATS. NOTHING MORE."
No missions.
No rewards.
No shortcuts.
Perfect.
"YOUR FINAL WISH WILL UNLOCK LATER."
Then—
"NOW GO."
The void cracked.
Light tore through it.
"A NEW WORLD AWAITS YOU."
Elsewhere…
A cry broke through the air.
"Waaah… waaah…"
A woman held a newborn in her arms, eyes soft with warmth.
A man stepped forward, taking the child.
Proud. Strong. Certain.
"This is a fine lad," he said. "He will be called Niklaus."
The woman smiled.
"Finn, Elijah… come meet your brother."
Two boys entered.
One older. One younger.
"What's his name?" Elijah asked.
"Niklaus Mikaelson," Esther replied.
They nodded.
Simple.
Content.
None of them realized—
I understood every word.
Damn it.
I sighed internally.
Should've asked to get my memories later.
Now I had to relive childhood.
Fine.
Then I'd do it right.
Ten Years Later
Time passed.
But not wasted.
Kol and I trained under Esther.
Magic.
Spells.
Control.
We learned everything she knew—
Faster than she expected.
Faster than she liked.
Ayana noticed too.
That was a problem.
One I'd deal with later.
Elijah…
Still Elijah.
Honorable.
Predictable.
Annoying.
Tatia chose him.
Just like before.
I didn't care.
Not anymore.
That wasn't my story.
I had a different one.
I studied the immortality spell.
Improved it.
Rebuilt it.
Blood.
Shadow.
Power that would belong only to us.
The Originals wouldn't just exist.
We would evolve.
And deep down…
Something else stirred.
Not power.
Not ambition.
Connections.
Future ones.
People I hadn't met yet—
But would.
Not taken.
Not forced.
Chosen.
I didn't know their names.
But I would.
Eventually.
Nine Years Later
I was nineteen.
Henrik was thirteen.
And the world was about to change.
I sat in a tree, staring up at the full moon.
Silent.
Still.
Then—
Something shifted.
A feeling.
Sharp.
Immediate.
I exhaled slowly.
"…So it begins."
The night didn't answer.
It didn't need to.
Because I already knew.