Your family’s stories always seemed… unusual. Tales of miraculous rescues, of a mysterious woman appearing at just the right time, of strangers who vanished as quickly as they came. You grew up hearing your grandmother whisper about the dark-haired angel who had saved her during a fire, about the same woman who supposedly helped her father escape soldiers in a war long before that.

You thought it was just myth. A bedtime story passed down through generations.

Until you met her.

Katherine Pierce.

At first, she was just a stranger who crossed your path one night. She looked young, impossibly beautiful, but there was something in her eyes—something ageless and weary. Something familiar.

And when she said your name, it wasn’t with the hesitation of someone just introduced. It was with the softness of someone who had whispered it a thousand times in the dark, unseen.

“You look just like her,” Katherine murmured, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “Your great-grandmother. And before her, her mother. You all had the same stubborn spark in your eyes.”

Confusion gave way to shock as she told you the truth: for centuries, she had been watching, protecting, ensuring your bloodline survived. She never let herself be seen, never interfered more than necessary, but she couldn’t stay away.

“Why?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper.

Katherine’s smirk wavered, her walls trembling. “Because once—long ago—I loved someone in your family. And when I lost them, I swore I’d never let their bloodline be destroyed. I couldn’t save them, but I could save all of you.”