The Vampires Diaries/TO

The storm broke over the ancient woodland with ferocity. Thunder rolled across the sky like the growl of an angry beast, and rain lashed against the canopy of leaves, cascading in rivulets to the forest floor. In the heart of the storm, Kael stood still, his presence radiating calm amidst the chaos. The storm was not his doing it was the earth itself mourning, angry and desperate.

Ahead of him, a gruesome scene unfolded. A pack of rogue wolves, half-shifted into monstrous forms, tore through a grove of sacred trees, their claws raking across bark imbued with the essence of life itself. Their hunger and madness corrupted the air, an affront to everything Kael stood for.

He stepped forward, and the ground beneath his feet hardened unnaturally, his presence enough to force nature to still around him. The rogue wolves halted their destruction, their golden eyes snapping to him.

"Who are you to interrupt?" snarled the largest of the pack, his voice guttural and warped. His hulking form bristled with unnatural energy, veins pulsing dark beneath his skin.

Kael's voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of an earthquake. "I am Kael. The Arbiter of Balance. And you, abominations, have disrupted the natural order for the last time."

The pack leader bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Arbiter? Balance? You are nothing but a myth. Balance is for the weak! We take what we want. The strong survive. That is nature's true law."

Kael's gaze, cool and unyielding, locked with the wolf's. "Nature's law is not chaos. It is harmony. What you have done here is neither survival nor strength it is greed and corruption. I will not allow it."

The rogue wolves snarled and began to circle him, their bodies coiling with tension, ready to strike. The pack leader sneered. "You talk like you have power, Arbiter. But power means nothing without the will to use it."

Kael's eyes glimmered faintly, his expression unmoved. "You will learn."

The rogue wolves lunged as one, their movements a blur of claws and teeth. But the moment they crossed the invisible threshold of Kael's influence, the world seemed to shift. The rain froze mid-air, drops suspended like diamonds. The wolves halted, their bodies jerking as if tethered by unseen chains.

Kael raised his hand, and the earth itself obeyed. Roots erupted from the ground, coiling around the wolves with a speed and strength that defied nature's usual pace. They howled and thrashed, but the roots only tightened, dragging them to the ground.

The pack leader, still struggling, roared, "You think this will stop us? We will escape! We will return!"

Kael stepped closer, his voice like the calm before a hurricane. "You will not return. You will not disrupt the balance again."

He extended his hand, and the air around them shimmered, the faint green glow of the In-Between rift forming just behind the captured wolves. The howling winds of that dimension spilled into the forest, carrying with them the weight of eternal exile.

The pack leader's eyes widened with true fear for the first time. "No! You can't do this!"

Kael's expression remained impassive. "You chose chaos. Now you will exist within it, forever removed from the world you sought to destroy."

With a flick of his wrist, the roots tightened further, pulling the rogue wolves into the rift one by one. Their howls faded into the void as the rift sealed behind them, the green light dimming until it disappeared entirely.

Kael stood in the now-silent forest, the storm easing as if nature itself sighed with relief. The sacred grove was damaged, but it was not beyond repair. He knelt beside one of the felled trees, his hand resting against its wounded bark.

"Grow," he whispered, his voice soft now. "Heal."

The earth trembled faintly, and the tree began to regenerate. Its bark knitted itself back together, its branches stretching upward as if to thank him.

A rustling sound drew Kael's attention. From the shadows emerged a lone wolf, smaller and leaner than the rogues. Its fur was silver, and its eyes gleamed with intelligence and caution. This wolf, untainted by the corruption of the pack, lowered its head in submission.

"You were not with them," Kael said, his voice gentle but curious.

The wolf shifted, its form blurring until a young man knelt before him, his silver hair matching the fur of his wolf form. "No, Arbiter. I fled when they turned to darkness. They were once my family, but they sought power at the cost of everything else."

Kael studied the man for a moment before speaking. "You chose to leave their path. That was wise. But tell me what will you do now?"

The young man hesitated before answering. "I, I don't know. My pack is gone. My home is gone. But I will not betray the balance, not as they did."

Kael extended a hand to him, helping him to his feet. "Then walk the path of harmony. Protect what remains of nature, and it will protect you in return."

The man bowed his head. "I will, Arbiter. Thank you."

As the man shifted back into his wolf form and disappeared into the forest, Kael turned and began his own journey once more.

Word of Kael's judgment spread quickly. The wolves told tales of the Arbiter who banished an entire pack for their sins. The witches saw visions of the In-Between, their warnings reinforced by Kael's actions. Even the Fae, in their distant realm, whispered of his power and resolve.

But Kael did not seek their praise or their fear. He walked the earth with purpose, his only goal to preserve the balance that gave life to all things. And though many sought to challenge him, none could deny the truth of his power: Kael was the Arbiter, and his judgment was absolute.

But as the years go by he realizes that he can't do this alone. And nature offered him a solution to have more like him out there doing what he does.

"No, we cannot have more like me out there it will disrupt the balance even more, I already have a solution I will create a species based on the humans who walk this world." Said Kael.

Nature considered his thoughts and responded in kind telling him that humans are weak without counting on the witches and werewolfs. So the species he create will also be weak.

"I know that is why I ask of you to grant them the gift of immortality and I will gift to them some of my authorities. They will be there when I cannot and have the weakness necessary to maintain balance. When they are injured mortally they will fall in a 500 years sleep."

Natured didn't respond to him for 50 years. Than came the response that it agreed to his proposal.

Kael then embarked to start preparing for his new creations.