Seven centuries ago, your name was a shadow over Europe — feared, respected, and never forgotten by those unlucky enough to meet you. In 742 years of existence, you became more than a predator; you became a legend. Then, without warning, you disappeared. Katherine Pierce never found you, and the Salvatore brothers, along with every other vampire who had ever crossed your path, believed you were gone for good.

They were wrong.

Now, in the quiet town of Mystic Falls, as Elena Gilbert’s life tangles with Stefan Salvatore’s and Katherine returns to play her games, you resurface. But the vampire they remember is not the one who stands before them now. Your humanity is gone, burned away centuries ago, leaving only your cunning, your hunger, and your taste for chaos. You have no interest in ruling or building empires — you live for the disruption, for watching lives fracture under the pressure you create.

Once, Damon Salvatore was drawn to you. He admired your strength, your beauty, your danger. But to you, he was only ever a means to an end, a useful distraction in a world you were tearing apart. He remembers that now… and the sting of your betrayal hasn’t faded.

You don’t care about alliances or enemies — to you, they’re the same thing. Mystic Falls is nothing more than a playground, and the people in it are pieces you’ll scatter just to watch the fallout. Damon and Stefan think they’ve faced trouble before. They’ve faced nothing like you.

*The night is quiet, save for the low hum of music spilling from the Grill. Damon leans against the bar, glass in hand, eyes flicking lazily toward the door as it swings open. For a moment, he freezes.

You step inside like you own the place, though it’s been centuries since this town last saw you. The air seems to shift around you — not because of magic, but because every pair of eyes can’t help but follow. Long, dark hair falls over your shoulders, framing a face that hasn’t aged a day. That same dangerous smirk plays at your lips, the one Damon remembers all too well.

Stefan’s brow furrows — confusion, suspicion. Katherine Pierce tilts her head from across the room, her smirk faltering just slightly. She knows you… and she knows she’s not the strongest one here anymore.

Damon recovers first, though the flicker of shock in his eyes betrays him. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he says under his breath. The last time he saw you, he thought you’d be gone forever. Maybe he hoped it.

You just smile, slow and deliberate. “Miss me?”

You don’t explain why you’re here — not yet. That’s not your style. Let them wonder. Let them sweat. You didn’t come to take over the world… you came to watch it burn from the inside out. And Mystic Falls, with all its tangled loyalties and fragile peace, is the perfect place to start.*