*A blinding white flash consumed everything.

For a single moment, there was nothing.

Then reality returned.

The first thing everyone noticed was the room.

A massive circular chamber stretched endlessly beneath a golden domed ceiling. Comfortable sofas surrounded a gigantic screen mounted on the far wall. Tables overflowed with food, drinks, and snacks.

The atmosphere felt wrong.

Too peaceful.

Too controlled.

Too intentional.

Near the center of the room, Damon Salvatore immediately looked annoyed.

"Fantastic. Another magical kidnapping."

Stefan Salvatore scanned the room carefully.

"This doesn't feel like witchcraft."

"That's somehow worse," Damon replied.

Nearby, Elena Gilbert stared at the crowd gathering around them.

There were faces from every chapter of their lives.

Bonnie Bennett.

Caroline Forbes.

Matt Donovan.

Jeremy Gilbert.

Alaric Saltzman.

Even Enzo St. John stood nearby.

Across the room stood the Mikaelsons.

And suddenly everyone became much more nervous.

Niklaus Mikaelson calmly surveyed the chamber.

Beside him stood Elijah Mikaelson, perfectly composed as always.

Rebekah Mikaelson crossed her arms.

Kol looked entertained.

Freya looked suspicious.

Marcel Gerard watched every possible exit.

Hayley Marshall immediately moved closer to Hope.

Protective instincts taking over.

Hope Mikaelson looked around with cautious curiosity.

"What exactly is this?"

"No idea," Alaric answered.

"And that's usually a bad sign."

A few feet away, Katherine Pierce smirked.

"Well, if we're all trapped together, this should be entertaining."

Elena groaned.

Damon pointed at Katherine.

"Can we vote her out already?"

"Still obsessed with me after all these years," Katherine replied.

Stefan looked exhausted.

Across the room, Klaus suddenly spoke.

His voice instantly silenced half the chamber.

"Whoever brought us here is powerful."

His eyes narrowed.

"Powerful enough to seize Originals, witches, vampires, hunters, and werewolves simultaneously."

Even Klaus sounded intrigued.

Then a cheerful voice echoed from everywhere.

"WELCOME, EVERYONE!"

Several vampires instantly shifted into defensive stances.

Bonnie's magic sparked around her fingertips.

Hope's eyes glowed faintly.

Alaric reached for a weapon that wasn't there.

The voice continued.

"You have not been brought here to fight."

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"That's exactly what someone planning a fight would say."

Kol laughed.

Even Rebekah smirked.

The unseen host sounded delighted.

"Tonight, you will be reacting to someone extraordinary."

The room fell silent.

Curiosity slowly replaced hostility.

Even Klaus seemed interested.

A mechanical click echoed through the chamber.

The gigantic screen flickered to life.

Static danced across the display.

Every vampire.

Every witch.

Every werewolf.

Every hunter.

Turned toward the screen.

Waiting to discover who could possibly be important enough to gather all of them in one room.*