Smoke choked the sky as crimson flames devoured everything in sight. Buildings crumbled. The air was thick with ash, and screams echoed from every direction.
Dracula stood over a man lying in the rubble, his breathing ragged.
A voice drifted from behind him.
"What's wrong...?" it asked. "Getting cold feet?"
Dracula glanced over his shoulder.
A faceless man stood there, his outline wavering in the smoke.
"You finally have him," the faceless figure continued. "The man whose greed and selfishness brought so much suffering upon you."
It chuckled.
"He lies beneath your feet... and yet you hesitate?"
Dracula slowly turned back toward the man.
"P-Please..." the man whimpered. "Mercy..."
The faceless man burst into laughter.
"Mercy?" he mocked. "How amusing."
"His choices led to the slaughter of your people so that he could save himself."
"He is the reason she died the way she did."
Something inside Dracula snapped.
With a roar that came from the depths of his chest, he seized the man by the throat and slammed him into the ground over and over again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
When the blows finally stopped, the man barely resembled a human.
Dracula slowly reached forward, his fingers curling as though grasping something invisible.
The man's ribs cracked outward.
Bones splintered.
His heart tore free from his chest and floated into Dracula's waiting hand.
The faceless man smiled.
"Wasn't that satisfying?"
Dracula said nothing.
He simply stared at the beating heart resting in his palm.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump...
Each beat grew weaker.
As the heart slowed, so did the world around him.
The screams faded.
The crackling fire vanished.
Even the faceless man's laughter disappeared.
Silence.
Then...
A crimson glow appeared in the corner of his eye.
Dracula slowly turned.
A woman's silhouette stood in the distance, completely engulfed in immense crimson flames.
"...It's not hot," he thought.
He took a step toward her.
Another.
"Do I... know you?"
He reached out.
The moment his fingers neared her—
WHOOSH!
Crimson fire consumed his arm.
He instinctively tried to smother the flames, but they spread across his entire body.
Within seconds, flesh peeled away.
Muscle vanished.
Until nothing remained but a burning skeleton.
It collapsed.
Dracula jolted upright.
His breathing was uneven.
His eyes darted across his body.
"...A dream?"
He looked at his hands.
Whole.
Untouched.
He leaned back against the bed, clutching his head.
"My head..."
"It hurts..."
His thoughts drifted.
A mangled arm.
Blood.
Fear-filled eyes.
Diana.
"Where is she?"
A few minutes later, Dracula wandered through the hotel's corridors.
Guests stole nervous glances as he passed.
"This place is larger than I expected," he thought.
"Those sisters' father must be someone of considerable influence."
He suddenly stopped.
Slowly turning left, he stared at one particular door.
"...Found you."
He knocked.
The door opened just enough for one of the elf sisters to peek through.
"Oh... it's you."
She smiled politely.
"Feeling better?"
"A lot better. Thank you."
He nodded toward the room.
"Is Varin inside?"
"He is."
She turned.
"Varin! Your friend is here!"
Moments later, Varin stepped into the hallway with a wide grin.
"Well, look who's awake."
He rested both hands on Dracula's shoulders.
"How're you doing, buddy?"
Dracula glanced down at the hands.
"...I hope you washed those."
Varin blinked.
"I literally just got out of the shower."
Dracula looked past him into the room.
"So... this was the price."
Varin shrugged.
"In my book, everyone wins."
Dracula's expression remained unchanged.
"Where is she?"
"Who?"
"You know exactly who."
Varin scratched the back of his head.
"I don't think I do."
"I'm not exactly popular with women."
"Varin."
Dracula's voice remained calm.
"I'm not joking."
The smile faded from Varin's face.
After a brief silence, he answered.
"She was taken to the hospital."
"You should ask Rebecca. Her room isn't far from here."
Dracula nodded.
"Thank you."
"I hope you enjoy yourself."
"I fully intend to."
As Dracula walked away, both elf sisters grabbed Varin by the arms and dragged him back inside.
"Hey—wait! At least let me—"
The door slammed shut.
Rebecca stood inside her room, absentmindedly smelling different bars of soap she'd found in the hotel bathroom.
A knock echoed through the room.
She opened the door.
The moment she saw who stood outside—
Her knees gave out.
She collapsed onto the floor, trembling.
Dracula simply watched her in silence.
Meanwhile...
At the hospital...
Diana sat quietly on the edge of a bed.
An IV dripped steadily beside her.
Her right hand was wrapped in thick white bandages.
She stared at it with hollow eyes.
The doctor finished checking the dressing.
"Your hand was severely mangled," he explained.
"Ordinarily, amputation would've been unavoidable."
He smiled reassuringly.
"But thanks to your vampire physiology... and our medical technology... you'll recover."
Diana didn't answer.
"If you'd like," the doctor continued, "you can report whoever did this. Our authorities don't take cases like this lightly."
He paused.
"Was it... your boyfriend?"
"...Or your husband?"
"Please..."
Diana interrupted quietly.
"My head is spinning."
The doctor immediately bowed his head.
"My apologies."
"You should rest."
He quietly left the room.
Silence returned.
Diana pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
Her body trembled.
"I didn't betray your trust..."
"So..."
"Please don't hurt me anymore..."
"I beg you..."
A knock echoed through the room.
The door opened.
Dracula entered carrying a woven basket.
He gently placed it on the bed.
Diana looked at it.
"...What's this?"
"Food."
"It'll help you recover your strength."
He sat beside her.
"If none of it suits your taste..."
"I'll find something else."
Still hesitant, Diana slowly opened the basket.
Her eyes widened.
Fresh bread.
Fruit.
Soup.
Pastries.
Everything looked warm.
Everything looked... normal.
She reached for one of the cupcakes.
Her trembling hand stopped halfway.
Dracula noticed.
"...Allow me."
He carefully unwrapped the cupcake and held it out to her.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then...
"I'm sorry."
The words were barely above a whisper.
Diana stared at him.
Am I dreaming...?
This can't be the same Dracula from the stories...
The ruthless... merciless... sadistic Vampire King...
Who... are you...?
"Is something on my face?" Dracula asked.
Diana jolted from her trance and quickly snatched the cupcake from his hand.
"…Thank you."
Silence settled between them.
She kept her eyes lowered, fidgeting with the wrapper rather than meeting his gaze.
"…What do you want?" she asked quietly.
Dracula didn't answer.
She looked up at him.
"It's hard to believe the Vampire King would bring me food… and apologize." She narrowed her eyes. "Is it poisoned? Is this your way of getting back at me for asking for your help?"
"I assure you," Dracula replied calmly, "I bear you no ill intent. I only wish to make amends."
Diana remained unconvinced.
Without another word, Dracula took the cupcake back from her and bit into it.
"If it were poisoned," he said after swallowing, "my body would reject it before it could harm me."
Diana watched him carefully, waiting.
Nothing happened.
The room fell silent once again.
She let out a long sigh.
"…Fine."
Dracula reached into the basket, unwrapped another cupcake, and handed it back to her.
"That doesn't mean everything's forgiven," Diana muttered.
"That's acceptable."
He reached into the basket again, this time pulling out a bottle of wine and beginning to remove the cork.
That bottle… isn't that ridiculously expensive? Diana thought.
A few minutes later…
Dracula watched in quiet astonishment as Diana devoured the food with surprising speed.
Despite having only one usable hand, she barely slowed down.
She must have been starving, he thought.
After swallowing another bite, Diana looked at him.
"Were you planning to hurt that boy?"
"No."
"I only intended to speak with him."
"Then what happened?"
Dracula was quiet for a moment.
"It's difficult to explain."
"You wouldn't understand."
Diana raised an eyebrow.
"Dracula… out of everyone in the realms, I'm probably one of the few people willing to sit here and listen to the Vampire King."
Silence lingered.
Dracula studied her face.
Did I just ruin my own life by saying that? Diana wondered.
Finally, he spoke.
"It's as though centuries of memories are layered over one another inside a damaged mind."
"They blur together."
"Sometimes I can no longer distinguish the present from the past."
"I believed I had gained control…"
"…until recently."
Diana blinked.
I have absolutely no idea what he just said.
She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"…Maybe you're just really stressed."
For the first time, the corner of Dracula's mouth lifted.
"Strange woman."
Diana smiled.
She picked up an apple from the basket and held it toward him.
"Say ah."
"I'm not hungry."
"When was the last time you ate?"
Dracula thought for a moment.
"…Over a century ago."
"I think."
She stared at him.
"…No wonder you look so gloomy."
She shifted over on the bed and patted the empty space beside her.
"Young boys need to eat if they want to grow big and strong."
"I'm older than you by several lifetimes."
"And stronger."
"But you could be even stronger."
Dracula looked at her in silence.
Then, without another word, he accepted the apple.
He took a bite.
Diana smiled quietly as she watched him eat.