By the next evening, New Orleans officially started talking about Drake.
Which Drake hated immediately.
The rumors spread through supernatural circles with terrifying speed.
Apparently erasing dark magic barehanded in public counted as memorable behavior.
Who knew.
The vampires called him the Thing Beside the Originals.
The witches started referring to him as the Red Shadow.
One particularly dramatic rumor claimed Drake consumed souls and walked between realities collecting monsters.
Another claimed he was older than Hell itself.
Lucifer would have been unbearable if he heard that one.
Drake sat on the balcony of the Mikaelson compound staring out over the city while trying very hard not to think about the growing attention surrounding him.
Below, New Orleans pulsed with life.
Music drifted through the streets.
Lanterns glowed warmly across balconies.
Humans laughed completely unaware of the supernatural cold war unfolding around them.
And beneath it all—
Magic moved uneasily.
The city could feel him now.
Ancient systems reacting instinctively to a foreign presence.
Ciri stepped onto the balcony carrying coffee and a paper bag that smelled aggressively sweet.
"You're brooding."
"I'm observing."
"You've stared at the same rooftop for twelve minutes."
Drake accepted the coffee automatically while Ciri sat beside him on the balcony railing.
She pulled a powdered pastry from the bag and handed him one.
Drake looked suspicious immediately.
"What is this?"
"A beignet."
"…It's covered in enough sugar to kill someone."
"New Orleans believes in excess."
Fair enough.
Drake took one cautious bite.
Paused.
Then immediately took another.
Ciri grinned victoriously.
"I knew it."
"This city weaponizes dessert."
"Honestly? Respect."
For a while they sat quietly together overlooking the French Quarter.
The Mikaelson compound behind them hummed with old power.
Not cosmic.
Not eldritch.
But ancient in a deeply human way.
The walls carried centuries of history.
Violence.
Love.
Paranoia.
Family.
Drake found himself strangely fascinated by it.
Immortals trying desperately to create permanence.
To build something lasting against eternity.
Familiar instinct.
"You're thinking loudly again," Ciri observed.
Drake sighed softly.
"…Can you actually hear my thoughts at this point?"
"No."
Pause.
"But your face gets emotionally constipated."
Drake looked mildly offended.
"That is not a real expression."
"It is now."
Before Drake could defend himself further—
A new presence entered the compound.
Drake felt him before hearing footsteps.
Wildness.
Violence restrained through sheer force of will.
Paranoia sharpened into survival instinct.
Power layered over centuries of rage and grief.
Interesting.
Ciri straightened slightly beside him.
"That feels…"
"Dangerous," Drake finished quietly.
Niklaus Mikaelson stepped onto the balcony moments later.
The hybrid moved like controlled chaos.
Every step carried confidence sharpened by endless conflict.
Unlike Elijah's calm precision—
Klaus felt like a storm pretending to wear human skin.
Sharp blue eyes locked onto Drake instantly.
Assessing.
Calculating.
Hungry for answers.
"So," Klaus said finally, his accent curling around the word smoothly.
"You're the creature terrifying my city."
Drake raised one eyebrow.
"I've been here two days."
"And already witches whisper about you in fear."
Klaus smiled slightly.
"Quite impressive honestly."
Ciri leaned subtly closer to Drake while studying Klaus carefully.
Because despite the casual tone—
The atmosphere had changed immediately.
Two apex predators examining each other.
One ancient vampire hybrid.
One eldritch entity wearing humanity like borrowed skin.
Klaus approached slowly.
Most people feared him instinctively.
Drake didn't react at all.
No intimidation.
No submission.
Just quiet observation.
And somehow—
That fascinated Klaus instantly.
"You're not frightened of me," Klaus observed.
Drake answered honestly.
"I've met scarier things."
A grin spread across Klaus' face immediately.
"Oh, I like him."
"Questionable judgment," Elijah muttered while stepping onto the balcony behind them.
Klaus ignored him completely.
Instead circling Drake slowly like a wolf testing boundaries.
"You know what's interesting?" Klaus mused.
Drake already looked tired.
"I suspect you're going to tell me regardless."
Klaus laughed sharply.
"You don't smell supernatural."
That got Drake's attention.
Klaus stopped directly in front of him now.
Close enough that most people would've felt threatened instantly.
"You're not vampire. Not witch. Not wolf."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You smell…"
Pause.
"…wrong."
Ciri nearly choked trying not to laugh.
Drake pinched the bridge of his nose slowly.
"This keeps happening."
"What exactly are you?" Klaus asked softly.
Interesting question.
Dangerous question.
Drake considered answering honestly for half a second before deciding against potentially causing international supernatural panic.
"Complicated."
Klaus barked out another laugh.
"Oh, he'll fit in beautifully here."
Rebekah suddenly appeared through the balcony doors carrying wine.
"I told you that yesterday."
She paused briefly after seeing Klaus and Drake standing nose-to-nose.
"…Should I be worried?"
"Probably," Elijah answered immediately.
"Excellent."
Rebekah handed Ciri a wine glass before sitting beside her casually.
"You know, for someone ancient and terrifying, he's surprisingly polite."
Ciri smirked faintly.
"He learned manners recently."
"I heard that," Drake muttered.
"Good."
Klaus continued watching Drake carefully.
His instincts screamed caution every time he focused too hard on the newcomer.
Not because Drake radiated aggression.
Quite the opposite.
Drake felt restrained.
Contained.
Like enormous violence held perfectly still beneath calm surface water.
Klaus had met monsters before.
He'd been one for centuries.
But Drake felt different.
Older somehow.
Not in age.
In presence.
Like reality itself treated him differently.
And Klaus hated not understanding threats.
Before he could continue pressing—
A scream echoed through the compound courtyard below.
Everyone moved instantly.
Predatory instincts took over the balcony immediately.
A young vampire stumbled through the compound gates bleeding heavily while dark magic burned visibly across his skin.
"Witches," he gasped desperately.
"There's dozens—"
The courtyard exploded.
Dark magic detonated through the compound walls in violent black-purple waves.
Stone shattered.
Vampires screamed.
Protective symbols ignited around the estate.
Then cloaked witches surged through the broken gates from every direction.
At least twenty.
Maybe more.
The attack happened fast.
Too fast.
Hexes ripped through the air.
Vampires launched forward to intercept.
The compound erupted into war instantly.
Klaus smiled immediately.
Actually smiled.
"Well," he murmured almost happily.
"Things just became interesting."
Rebekah groaned loudly.
"Oh for God's sake, not another family battle."
Elijah's expression hardened into lethal calm.
"Protect the interior."
Vampires blurred across the courtyard below while witches unleashed devastating magic through the estate.
One spell detonated against the balcony hard enough to crack ancient stone.
Ciri drew her sword instantly.
Drake sighed deeply beside her.
Not annoyed.
Just resigned.
"…We really can't go anywhere normally."
A witch raised both hands below.
Dark magic surged toward the balcony like a tidal wave.
And for the first time—
Klaus watched Drake stop holding back.
Space distorted violently around him.
Not dramatically.
Not explosively.
Reality simply bent.
The incoming spell froze midair.
Then slowly—
Everything went silent.
The city itself seemed to pause.
Magic stopped moving.
Wind stopped blowing.
Every supernatural creature in the compound suddenly felt ancient pressure settle across New Orleans like a sleeping god opening one eye.
Klaus' smile vanished instantly.
Because for the briefest moment—
Even he felt afraid.
Drake stepped forward once.
Crimson-black energy flickered beneath his skin like fractures through reality itself.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Not human anymore.
Not entirely.
And when he spoke—
The universe listened.
"No more spells."