AN: This is the chapter he becomes a Lycan. Now I just want to say this might seem a bit rushed. This chapter is also really short compared to the one before this. Now I just want to say from here things are going to be a bit different. There is going to be a huge time skip in the next few chapters so just be ready, and happy reading. God bless
POV: Nero
I stood at the head of the ship as it cut through the dark waters of the Atlantic. The wind pushed against my coat while the moon reflected across the waves like a silver road leading us forward.
Forward to the place that would one day be called Mystic Falls.
Behind me, my army moved quietly across the deck. Hybrids, vampires, witches. Loyal followers who had sworn their lives to me stood ready. None of them questioned why we had come here. None of them needed to.
They trusted me.
And they feared me.
Inside my infinite storage space rested nearly everything required for the spell.
I mentally went through the list again.
"The blood of a doppelgänger… the ashes of an Original… the blood of Freya Mikaelson… the blood of Silas… the Cure… and a piece of the White Oak tree."
Every one of them was safely stored.
The wolves and the Gemini twins I had captured were sealed inside an Ascendant, which was also inside my storage dimension.
The only thing missing were the final pieces of the Hollow.
But Diana would be bringing those.
"So, brother…"
Dante's voice came from behind me as he walked across the deck.
"How does it feel?"
"How does what feel?" I asked.
He stopped beside me and leaned against the railing.
"Being this close," he said. "To the thing you've wanted for centuries."
I stared out across the endless sea.
Memories filled my mind.
The people I had killed.
The places I had destroyed.
The countless lives ruined in pursuit of this single moment.
I felt nothing.
No guilt.
No regret.
If anything, I would have done it all again.
"It feels…" I said slowly.
I paused for a moment.
"It feels like a long time coming."
Dante watched me carefully.
"And soon," I continued, turning toward him slightly, "very soon this world will have something new to fear."
"What's that?"
I smiled faintly.
"Me."
Dante raised an eyebrow.
"You're already one of the most powerful creatures in the world ."
"Yes," I replied. "But soon I won't simply be powerful ."
"I will be unstoppable."
"The thing hunts the creatures who think themselves predators"
He chuckled.
"I remember you saying something like that before."
I looked at him.
"Yes," I said.
"An apex predator."
–
Later
Our ship arrived at the shores of Virginia just before dawn.
Standing on the beach waiting for us were several familiar faces.
My nephew Jamine.
A handful of powerful witches.
And my wife.
Diana.
I stepped off the ship and walked toward her with a smile.
"Well," I said, "if it isn't my pretty wolf."
She crossed her arms but smiled slightly.
"Hello to you too, husband."
I clapped my hands together lightly.
"So I trust you brought my pieces?"
She pulled a small bag from her belt and tossed it toward me.
Inside were three bones.
Three pieces of the Hollow.
The fourth piece remained inside my storage dimension. Keeping it there prevented Inadu's spirit from awakening prematurely. My storage space existed outside time itself, meaning as long as a piece remained there, the Hollow could not fully reform.
"Perfect," I said.
"Thank you, Diana."
"You've done something I will never forget."
She smirked slightly.
"I don't expect you to repay the favor anytime soon."
She hesitated for a moment.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you about my travels. I think—"
Before she could finish, I pulled her into a kiss.
She froze in surprise before slowly kissing me back.
"If you are ready to stay at my side, Diana," I said quietly after pulling away, "then I will have you."
Her face flushed slightly, but she smiled.
"Oh, can we please get on with it already?" Mekesa groaned behind us.
Dante laughed.
"Yes, brother. I believe she has grown impatient."
"Yeah, yeah," I said.
"Let's begin."
–
The Forest
We reached the quiet forest that would one day become Mystic Falls.
The village nearby slept peacefully, unaware of the event about to take place.
An event that would shake the entire supernatural world.
I began removing items from my storage dimension.
The white oak.
The Cure.
The blood samples.
The Ascendant containing the wolves and the Gemini twins.
Jamine took each item carefully.
"You're certain this will work?" he asked.
"I'm certain," I replied.
One might think , I could have chosen immortality like Silas.
But I knew there was something better.
With my knowledge of every spell within the supernatural world, I had discovered something extraordinary.
A spell with no known origin.
The Lycan Spell.
No witch had recorded where it came from.
No grimoire mentioned its creation.
It was as if the spell had appeared out of thin air.
But I understood what it did.
It would transform me into something far beyond vampire, witch, or werewolf.
"Are you ready?" Jamine asked.
I stood inside a large circle of white salt and ancient symbols carved into the earth.
Twelve witches surrounded me.
Each of them powerful leaders of their own covens.
"Yes," I said.
"I've waited centuries for this."
I laid down inside the circle.
"Begin."
The witches started chanting.
The blood of a doppelgänger.
The ashes of an Original.
The blood of Freya Mikaelson.
The blood of Silas.
The Cure.
The White Oak.
Around the circle the chained wolves howled while the Gemini twins screamed in terror.
The full moon hung high above us.
The chanting grew louder.
The wind began to roar through the trees.
Then it happened.
Every item around me dissolved into glowing red liquid.
The wolves.
The twins.
The relics.
Everything melted into that crimson energy and flowed into my body.
Jamine stepped forward holding the three pieces of the Hollow.
He dropped them onto my chest.
The moment they touched my skin, I summoned the fourth piece from my storage space.
All four fragments united.
Jamine ran back as the ground began to shake violently.
Agony exploded through my body.
I screamed.
Red energy surrounded me as the sky itself turned crimson.
The moon glowed blood red.
Then my body ignited.
Flames consumed me completely.
I screamed until my voice vanished.
And within minutes…
There was nothing left.
Only ash.
I gasped and opened my eyes.
Darkness surrounded me.
Endless darkness.
For a moment I wondered if the spell had failed.
Had I truly died?
Then a voice echoed through the void.
"So… someone finally did it."
I turned.
Standing behind me was a pale bald man with glowing red eyes and slit pupils.
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.
He chuckled.
"Child… I am the very thing you tried to become."
His red eyes glowed brighter.
"My name…"
POV: Dante
We stood there in silence.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
All that remained of Nero was a pile of ash in the center of the ritual circle.
"What the hell did you do?!" Mekesa shouted as she rushed toward Jamine.
I grabbed her arm.
"Mekesa. Stop."
"Killing them won't bring him back."
"But Nero—" she started.
Suddenly the ground shook again.
We all turned.
The ashes began to move.
They lifted into the air like a swirling storm.
Slowly… they began forming a shape.
A body.
A figure.
And then…
Nero stood before us again.
But he was different.
His hybrid face was gone.
Now his eyes glowed bright red with slit pupils.
Dark veins stretched across his face.
Six pairs of fangs filled his mouth—three above and three below, each razor sharp.
His hands ended in long black claws.
"Brother…" I said carefully.
"Is that you?"
When he spoke, his voice was deeper. Darker. Like something echoing from a void.
"Oh yes," he said slowly.
"It's me."
He smiled.
"But I am so much more now."
He looked down at his hands.
"It worked."
He lifted his glowing red eyes toward us.
"I am the Lycan."
AN: Now let me inform you about Nero's powers now that he is a Lycan.
He still has all the powers he possessed before, of course, but he is now physically and mentally stronger than any Original or any other supernatural monster.
He has the abilities of Silas' mind control, allowing him to make people see whatever he wants them to see and feel whatever he wants them to feel. He does not need to look someone in the eyes to compel them, and this works on all supernatural beings.
His bite can kill an Original or any supernatural creature.
He is truly immortal—nothing can kill him. Because he used the Cure in the ritual, there will be no doppelgänger created as a balance to him, and the Cure itself can no longer reverse what he has become.
He can now siphon magic from anyone and anything. Doing so adds to his magical power and also increases his physical strength.
Since the Hollow, Inadu, was the one who originally cursed the werewolves—and since werewolves were originally Native witches—they still carry witch blood in their veins. Their DNA was completely altered by Inadu's curse. By using her remains in the ritual, Nero reversed part of that effect, granting himself the ability to use magic as well, effectively making him the first true tribrid.
He now has two wolf forms. His original wolf form has grown much larger—now as big as the wolves seen in Twilight. His second form, however, is his true form: the Lycan form. In this form he stands on two legs and is ten feet tall, and he can still use all of his supernatural powers while in it.
He is now able to turn regular vampires into Original vampires. However, these vampires would have complete loyalty to him, obeying his commands at all times.
Finally, with either a scratch from his claws or a bite, he can turn a regular human into a werewolf.