Aleksander Morozov, that is my name now in this new life.
In his past life, he had worked himself into an early grave, dying of a heart attack.
But rebirth into this world had given him a clean slate—and then some special gifts.
He possessed an Absolute Condition.
Mind, body, soul, and magic; there were no limits to what he could do.
He was faster, stronger, smarter, and more durable than anything in existence.
Add to that his absolute mastery over magic—an ability to simply bend reality or pull spells straight from old movies—and it was no wonder the witches treated him like a deity.
The day he was born, every witch felt the shockwave.
They called him the Avatar of Nature.
The Prince of Witches.
And for twenty-five years, the Bennett coven had kept their prince locked away in a gilded cage.
He didn’t feel angry about it, since even with his godlike powers, there was restrictions on him.
Aleksander sat cross-legged in his room, hovering two feet above the floor in deep meditation.
The air around him hummed with raw, quiet energy.
He felt a familiar presence before he heard it.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Standing a few feet away was Qetsiyah.
She looked like a woman in her early twenties, her dark, curly hair falling perfectly over her shoulders.
Aleksander let his feet touch the floor and smiled.
“Feeling bored again?”
Qetsiyah shrugged, walking over to inspect a book on his desk.
“You’re the only company that can actually match me in magic. Plus, it helps that you don’t do that whole uptight ‘servant of nature’ routine.”
They had met when he was seventeen.
Qetsiyah had crossed over out of pure curiosity about the boy who practically radiated infinite power.
Over the years, they had actually become friends.
Aleksander had even talked her down from her centuries-old grudge against Silas.
“You know, you can just admit you have a crush on me,” Aleksander teased.
Qetsiyah rolled her eyes, quickly changing the subject.
“I heard they’re finally letting you off the leash soon. Real freedom.”
“Yeah,” Aleksander nodded, stretching his arms.
“I’m going to visit Aunt Sheila first. It’s been a while. But before I head to Mystic Falls, I need to look around a bit. I’ve been cooped up in here for way too long.”
Qetsiyah offered a small, genuine smile.
“Have fun out there, Aleksander.” She stepped back, her form beginning to fade.
“I can’t stay on this side for long. Don’t cause too much trouble.”
When she vanished, Aleksander walked downstairs.
The smell of dinner drifted from the kitchen, where his teacher, Lucy Bennett, was busy cooking.
Aleksander leaned against the doorframe.
“I’m heading out, Lucy. Going to New York for a bit.”
Lucy stopped stirring her pot and let out a long sigh.
She didn’t look surprised.
They both knew this day was coming.
The coven had given him supervised trips outside, but keeping him hidden forever was impossible.
You couldn’t cage a god.
“I know,” Lucy said softly, turning to give him a warm look.
“Just… be careful out there.”
“Always,” Aleksander said.
He gave her a lazy, two-finger salute.
With a casual wave of his hand, he didn’t just walk out the door—he disapparated, bending space to his will and vanishing on the spot.
The neon lights of a crowded New York dive bar flickered through the window.
It was loud, smelled like cheap beer, and was exactly the kind of normal Aleksander had been craving.
He took a seat at the bar.
Before he could even ask the bartender for a drink, the woman sitting next to him let out an annoyed sigh.
“If you’re about to start hitting on me, save your breath. I’m not interested,” she said without looking up from her glass.
Aleksander glanced at her, sensing the cold, static energy radiating off her immediately.
He frowned slightly.
“I wasn’t planning on it. I prefer to keep my blood inside my body, thanks.”
The woman froze.
Slowly, she turned to face him.
She was gorgeous—tall and tanned, with straight blonde hair and sharp hazel-green eyes.
Her gaze narrowed as she studied him.
“You’re a witch.”
“And you’re a vampire,” Aleksander replied easily, resting his arms on the bar.
“An interesting one, actually.”
She raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by how calm he was.
“Interesting how?”
“I can see auras,” Aleksander explained, his tone conversational.
“Energy fields around living—and undead—things. Usually, a vampire’s aura is practically drowning in blood and violence. But yours isn’t.” He tilted his head.
“It’s different. Cleaner.”
The tension in the woman’s shoulders dropped.
A slow, intrigued smile spread across her face.
She held out a hand.
“I’m Lexi.”
Aleksander smiled, reaching out to shake her hand.
His grip was warm and grounding.
“I’m Aleksander.”
As the night went on, the bartender kept their glasses full, and the loud, pulsing noise of the dive bar seemed to fade into the background.
They talked easily, trading stories and jokes.
The more Aleksander spoke, the more Lexi found herself leaning in, fascinated.
He didn’t carry the heavy, arrogant weight most powerful people did.
He was just…
entirely at peace.
Eventually, Lexi rested her chin on her hand, studying him with a curious tilt of her head.
“I have to admit, Aleksander, you’re not what I expected. Witches and vampires don’t exactly mix. Usually, your kind hates my kind.”
Aleksander took a slow sip of his drink.
“We have a reputation?”
“You could say that,” Lexi laughed lightly.
“Most witches look at us like we’re a walking plague. Because we’re made of dark magic and cheat death, we apparently ruin their precious ‘natural design.’ The only time they even tolerate a vampire is when they’re a witch for hire—doing a job or making a business deal. And even then, they complain the entire time. But you?” She gestured to him.
“I don’t feel any of that hostility from you. You’re completely unbothered.”
Aleksander smiled, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
He understood where she was coming from.
“Most witches consider themselves Servants of Nature,” Aleksander explained, his voice calm and steady.
“They get incredibly hung up on the rules. To them, anything that defies death is an unnatural mistake that needs to be fixed.”
He met her hazel-green eyes, his own gaze completely clear.
“But my philosophy is a lot simpler. The way I see it, Nature has allowed you to exist. You’re already here. So why make an issue out of it?”
Lexi stared at him for a second, absorbing his words.
Then, a genuine, bright laugh escaped her lips.
“I like you, Aleksander,” Lexi said, finding his laid-back logic incredibly amusing.
“You are definitely not like the others.”