Altruism.

March, 2028.

Alaric Saltzman have been preparing for a challenging task he set himself to do. Kill Hope Mikaelson, unconsciously he know this is a mistake, for more than one reasons.

Whoever forced this idea into his mind made an excellent work, he barely felt it, in fact if he didn't had been compelled and mind controled as many times as he did he wouldn't have sense anything abnormal.

For a full year he had no idea he was manipulated, it was only when he was killed by the gargoyle and brought back by the spelled ring his ex-wife gave him years back.

Since then he tried do resist the urge to hurt or worst kill Hope, Ric also tried to access his memories of who did that to him but nothing, it's like the memory never existed.

But these last weeks, enduring the desire implanted in his head became more harder.

The last weeks multiple opportunities present themselves but his past teach him the virtue of patience and so with this mindset, he reduced the urge but barely. Fortunately, the target of whoever did this is not his daughters. It's selfish but this is the truth, Lizzie and Josie are everything to him.

While his institute suffered a numbers of attack from monsters with the new kid Landon and Hope, none of these monsters represent a real threat for his daughters and Hope.

The ones that offer the best occasion is the gargoyle but Alaric was more preoccupied by saving his own life to do anything else, so he didn't tried to attacked Hope.

He walks through the halls of the school he built with the help of Caroline Forbes. He see the hormonal students doing their adolescent thing, but despite the joyful atmosphere Ric don't feel good or happy, on the contrary he feel the opposite, negative emotions is what he practically only feel since someone played chess with his brain.

Thousands miles away from Mystic Falls, Sammael is drinking a glass of blood like in the old times. He is in the most luxurious hotel of Paris. He always had a little something for France, one of his past aquaintance, Michel de Nostredame.

He was a bright mind, his predictions on the course of events unfortunately were wrong. Primarily thanks to Sammael, if he never existed, Nostradamus might have been recognized for his correct predictions.

Taking a sip, Sam look at the monument that have replaced the Eiffel tower. It look like a very high column designed in the form of an helix, it look quite more like a pharmaceutical symbol than a monument in Sammael opinion.

Nevertheless, he make abstraction of the monstrosity they call art, and he take out his tablet. It's been one or two years since he stopped working on his device.

A took a little break to come back with a new perspectives. Drawing schematics with a stylus on the logicial.

He is interrupted when a shady woman entered the small cafe. She have a hood that hide her face, and a backpack. The hood doesn't keep Sammael from seeing her face, and mostly the way her eyes stop for a second too long on him.

She walk to the toilet, he hear her lock the door behind her and shuffle inside a bag.

He take Sammael less than a second to remember where he see her familiar face, she changed her blond hair to black but her light green eyes didn't.

Blake, the YouTuber who investigated the New York incident. The fact that she also use her telepathy on all of the clients, himself include, is another clue to her indenty.

Of course her telepathy had no effect on him, his level of mastery is such that he tricked her easily into thinking her power worked on him.

Looking at the other clients he see them eating, drinking silently and mechanically, like they are sleepwalking.

Impressive demonstration think Sammael who clinically dissect how exactly she did her deed.

He sense her taking an even more drastic security measure, a small talisman with a protective spell. From his position in his chair Sammael siphone at distance the energy contained in the protective spell. The spell block all sounds from getting out but Sam weakened the spell to allow his super hearing to hear what she say.

" Guys, it's been 6 months since my last video, I apologize for the delay but as some of you know, I am targeted by the Conclave 4, I escaped their last attempts on my life but staying under the radar is becoming increasingly more difficult each days. Anyway, I found some new information on the secret organization I believe is responsible for some of the most important events in human history. The oldest writing on them date from the late 13 century, the Deorum, this is the name given to this old secret society and I'm not even sure if its the correct one. I'm actually looking for more information, one of my contact is looking through classified documents that could prove without a doubt the existence of a link between the Deorum, the F.B.I. and other institutions. " Blake says to the camera she is holding in her hand. Despite being chased by the special unit and the army, she still upload her videos on the darknet, she make less views than on Youtube but the discretion and anonymat is much better and the people really interested by her infos know where to look.

" I think they found me, I saw a man with a perfectly tailored black suit and a extremely sinister aura, I am sure he is here for me. But I am ready, bye seekers of the truth. " she finish with a slightly scared tone, she stop the recording and take out a gun from her backpack.

She put back the spelled talisman in her bag and unlock the door, she cocks her gun and rapidly open the door.

She aim toward the position where she saw the man in a suit but no one is in the chair, there is only an empty wine glass left on the table.

Looking at the other customers, she realized with horror that they misinterpreted her telepathic order, it rarely happen but sometimes when she use her power on multiple persons then the precision of the telepathic orders can be inaccurate.

Some of the customers who previously finished their dishes started to devour their plates and cutlery, they cut their mouths open and injured themselves, fortunately none of them kill themselves.

She fixed the problem by removing her telepathic influence and she put them to sleep to avoid a more than awkward situation. She hurriedly leave the Cafe momentarily forgetting about the suspect man she noticed earlier.

" I'm one of your first fan. " a voice says dangerously close to her ear provoking an instant reaction from her. She abruptly turn around and point the gun in the direction of the voice. The deafening sound of bullet leaving the barrel she expect doesn't come, in place only a little muffled sound escapes from the weapon.

" Who the fuck are you bastard ! " she shout aggressively and try to free the gun from the man grasp. Her shout attract the attentions of the French passers-by, Sammael don't let it escalate further, he snap his fingers and they all stop like if they were frozen in time, in reality he just mentally manipulated them, a dozen of people frozen in a position where they eyes are lock on the Blake and him.

" Your more vulgar than I have anticipated.. It's amusing. Anyway I loved your video on New York, I am waiting for another on the same level. " Sammael says kindly but his voice sound more unsettling than anything to Blake, especially coupled with the strange atmosphere around them.

His fun trip abruptly come to an end when Sam sense the urge to kill in Alaric reach its paroxism.

The YouTuber don't have the time to blink that Sammael have completely disappeared from her view, the passers-by come back to themselves and start walking again like nothing happened.

Luckily for her, she just escape a dire fate even if she ignore it, however she seriously hope she never encounter a fan again.

Mystic Falls, a few hours earlier.

Alaric had a tumultuous conversation with the councilwoman of the institute, who is an experienced witch, she is the only he told about what is currently happening to him.

In case it degenerate, he know she will do what is necessary, unfortunately for Ric he have to juggle with 2 dangerous threat simultaneously.

Firstly himself and finally the new monster of the month. However this time, the monster revealed itself to be much more vicious and smarter than its peers.

The creature identified itself as the Necromancer and claimed that before his ascension to greatness and obtained the ultimate power, he was human.

Walking toward the basement, where the dungeon is located, Alaric ironically prepared himself mentally to confront the mighty Necromancer as it liked to be called. Fortunately he learned the art of interrogation from vampires and even had his fair share of battle and tortures.

" So you have come to see the master of death again, did the sight of your late wife made you nostalgic ? Is there another person you'd like to see ? Damon Salvatore maybe... " The necromancer says to provoke his jailor. His face seem to be decomposed and sewn together, and his clothes are in a equally state.

" No. What I want is to know, the reason of your presence. Your monsters buddies keep coming up, why ? " Ric answer back in a agressive voice, the metal spike hot enough to burn through flesh might make him appear menacingly but for the Necromancer eyes its only see a scared mortal man, so he let out a small chuck that escalate into a full blown laughter.

" You think your represent a threat for the terrible, the mighty Necromancer. I have plunder the lifes and enthralled thousand, you are an insignificant worm for me, I have mastered the ultimate power ! " Exclaims arrogantly the necromancer while he move dynamically despite being restrained to a chair in a dark and cold cell. This reaction earn him a stab by the fiery brand.

" I am above physical pain, my mind have been tempered by death. The necromancer will never crack under any kind of pressure. " The necromancer says with his flair for dramatics and usual arrogance.

Alaric twist the metal pike lodged inside his prisoner. He decide to use another approach and attack from another angle. " You can quit the annoying persona, your just a human sickeningly obsessed with death, a pathetic specimen of human gifted with magic. You should have made your homework, billions of people have powers now.. You are nothing special. " he says viciously while slowly taking out the hot metal, pieces of flesh and skin sticking on the pike .

The necromancer arrogant facade crack for a split second and it doesn't escape the analytical eyes of Ric. However what he did miss is the small missing piece on the pike.

Alaric continue to torture and questioning his prisoner for a full hour but he didn't obtained the informations he was and is still seeking. His mind is also constantly preoccupied by the fact that, he is a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment.

Walking out of the cell, he turn back and cast one last look at the Necromancer. This whole session wasn't useless, he discovered a weakness that can be exploited, the ironically human need for attention of this new monster.

Theodore or as he like to present himself the necromancer chuckle and loot at where the puny mortal stabbed him.

Liquid metal ooze from his wound and slither inside the lock of the chains, a clicking sound resonate in the wet and cold cell.

The chains fall on the hard ground and the Necromancer stand up while spreading his arms. " Haa ! Ha ! Haha ! " it's sickening laugh follow him as he escaped the dungeon, a devious plan already taking form in his mind.