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That night, Dan's car pulled up at the base entrance. Compared to his old place, this now felt more like home.
"I'm back."
Wearing a formal suit, Dan stepped out of the elevator. The base was quiet and empty.
"Welcome back. How'd the charity event go?"
Krim rolled out slowly from the lab, controlling his little trolley.
Dan smiled sincerely.
"Total success. From now on, Valentine won't be facing any more of those... issues."
Krim looked him up and down. In a sharp black suit and light makeup, Dan gave off a unique charm. Krim couldn't help but sigh.
"Ah, youth really is something else."
Dan scratched his head, a bit shy.
"Hehe, I bet you were a real looker back in the day, Mr. Belt."
He wasn't trying to flatter—Dan vaguely remembered from the show that when Krim was still human, he was a handsome older man. If he looked that good at that age, his younger days must've been killer.
Krim chuckled.
"That's all in the past."
"Oh, right—where's Erik?"
Krim chuckled again.
"Him? Said he was worried about something going wrong at the event, so he left early. Probably hung around outside the venue just in case. But now that it's over, he's likely out on patrol."
"Erik..."
Dan felt genuinely touched. He had invited Erik to attend the charity event with him, but Erik declined.
He was worried there might be vampires among those high-society types, and he wouldn't be able to control his killing urge. If that happened, the event would've been ruined. But in the end... he still went.
"Well, you've had a long day. Go get some rest."
Dan nodded and headed to the washroom.
In the mirror, Dan looked at himself. Black suit, white shirt. The face staring back at him looked both familiar and strange. He reached out and gently touched it.
"Is this really me...?"
He whispered to himself, then glanced at the violin he'd brought back.
That strange moment at the charity event resurfaced—when had he ever learned how to play the violin?
He picked it up and tried resting it on his shoulder. The motion felt so natural, like he'd done it countless times.
But... in either his previous life or this one, he'd never touched a violin before.
The doubt gnawed at him like a dark cloud, hanging heavy in his mind. He paced through the base, lost in thought, and eventually found himself standing outside the observation room.
Inside, she sat curled up in the corner like a statue. Her eyes were blank, lifeless. Her gem-blue irises had lost all their luster.
"Sigh…"
Dan let out a long sigh, staring at the girl inside the chamber.
"Well... maybe music can bring a little color to your gray world."
He tucked the violin under his chin, drew the bow across the strings, and let the music fill the lab.
"Oh? Is that Dan? Didn't know the kid could play violin."
Krim was surprised, but didn't interrupt. He just listened quietly.
As the music played, the girl in the observation room slowly lifted her head. She looked toward Dan, and for the first time in ages, a flicker of life returned to her empty eyes.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, her face twisted in fear. She began struggling violently, as if trying to break free from some invisible chains.
"Ahhh—!"
A scream of pure terror shattered the peaceful melody. Dan dropped the violin and rushed into the room, ignoring all of Krim and Erik's previous warnings.
He held her steady, gently trying to calm her.
"It's okay. You're alright. I just wanted to help you relax—I mean you no harm."
She trembled all over, slowly raising her eyes to meet his—and for the first time, spoke.
"He's back!"
Dan froze. This was the first time he'd ever heard her speak.
"Who's back?" he asked quickly.
But all she did was repeat the same phrase over and over:
"He's back. He's back. He's back."
Eventually, overwhelmed by fear, she passed out.
"What's going on, Dan?! Why'd you go in again?!"
Krim rushed over, rolling in on his little cart.
"Mr. Belt! She talked!"
Krim stopped in his tracks.
"She did? What did she say?"
"She said… 'He's back.'"
"Who?"
Dan shook his head.
"No idea. That's all she kept saying. Then she just… fainted."
Valentine Orphanage, Church.
Sister Talia cautiously stepped into the church, flashlight in hand, following the strange noises.
Suddenly, she spotted a pale figure standing at the door.
Talia tightened her grip on the flashlight and pointed it at him.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The man smiled—a wicked, seductive smile. Two sharp fangs glinted in the light.
"Didn't expect to see someone still clinging to such foolish faith."
"Ahhh—!"
A blood-curdling scream tore through the night.
In a nearby alley, Frank had just finished beating up two petty thieves trying to sneak into the orphanage and steal donations. Just as he was getting ready to head out—
That scream rang out.
Frank's head snapped around.
"Shit! The orphanage!"
No time to waste—he sprinted toward Valentine.
Inside the orphanage, Count Vlad gracefully wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"My Lord Count, should we leave now? That scream definitely alerted others. If we stick around, we might attract unwanted attention."
Vlad glanced at the one-armed monster and sneered.
"No. I'm not full yet. That little snack wasn't enough to satisfy me."
He turned, eyes gleaming, staring toward the children's rooms.
"I can also sense even more fresh, young, and full-of-life blood meals."
The earlier screams had already drawn the attention of the security staff. The kids were jolted awake, and everyone was quickly ushered to safety.
"Don't be scared, kids. Uncle's just gonna go check it out."
The head of security signaled for the others to guard the children, then headed toward the backyard where the scream came from.
"Human, were you looking for me?"
He'd barely gotten a few steps away when a mocking voice came from right behind him.
"Who's there?!"
The captain whipped out his stun baton and jabbed backward—
—but before it could hit, two sharp fangs sank straight into his neck.
"Bleh! What lousy-tasting blood."
Vlad released the guard with a look of disgust, then turned toward the direction where the children were hiding.
The captain, now bitten, slowly stood back up—two sharp fangs poking out from his own mouth.
"Captain! Where are you?"
One of the guards, worried about him going alone, hurried out to follow.
He hadn't gone far when he spotted the captain standing with his back to him at the corner of a wall.
"There you are, Captain! You okay? I didn't want you going out here alone, so I came after you."
The guard reached out to pat his captain's shoulder—
—and the captain suddenly spun around and lunged at him.
"Ahhh—!"
Another blood-curdling scream echoed through the orphanage, spreading a wave of fear.
"....."