The mountains of Wallachia rose like ramparts against the night sky, shrouded in heavy clouds. Alice moved silently, following the trail of symbols Beth had described to her. The cold wind cut against her skin, and the knowledge that she was drawing ever closer to Dracula's tomb filled her with a dangerous blend of exhilaration and dread.
It did not take long for her to spot flickering torches in the distance. Among broken stones and dry brush, armed men guarded the entrance to an ancient structure, partially buried by time. Hunters. The air was thick with the scent of oil, iron, and aged wood.
Alice smiled faintly, like a predator moments before the strike.
Moving like a shadow, she approached two guards stationed farther from the others. With supernatural speed, she subdued them, one fell with a precise blow to the neck, the other collapsed as her grip cut off his breath. She dragged their unconscious bodies behind the rocks, clearing a silent path forward.
With every step deeper into the tomb, the air grew heavier. The narrow corridor of damp stone was covered in ancient inscriptions, runes pulsing with dark energy. Alice pulled a map from inside her coat, found in a side chamber, its markings pointing toward the central crypt. Her eyes gleamed. She was close.
Then a voice echoed behind her.
"STOP, CREATURE!"
Alice turned to face a young man with intense blue eyes, brown hair tied back, and a silver cross hanging from his neck. He aimed a crossbow directly at her heart.
"Who are you?" Alice asked, her voice calm, yet edged with menace.
"Kevin Van Helsing," he replied firmly.
"A direct descendant of the man who sealed the monster. And I won't allow you to free him."
Alice curved her lips into a cold smile.
"I'm not here to free anyone, boy. I want his power. His blood, not his body."
"Lies!" Kevin shot back, stepping closer.
"No one comes here with pure intentions. Vampires only corrupt and destroy."
In a blink, Alice was upon him. She disarmed him and slammed him against the stone wall.
"Listen carefully," she growled, her fangs nearly visible.
"If I wanted you dead, you'd already be gone. I don't have time for hunters' sermons. You will tell me where the crypt is, or I'll tear that knowledge out of you."
Kevin struggled, but her strength was overwhelming. Even so, he did not yield.
"I would rather die than betray my oath."
Alice exhaled sharply, irritated. Grabbing him by the collar, she locked eyes with him and pulled him into her gaze.
"Then you'll guide me."
Her will crushed his resistance. With no choice left, Kevin was forced to lead her through the tomb. Their footsteps echoed together, her cold determination clashing with his restrained fury. At last, they reached a vast chamber, where two massive iron doors stood, adorned with the sigil of the Drăculești.
Two armed hunters blocked the entrance. When they saw Kevin under the vampire's control, they raised their weapons.
"Release him, monster!" one of them shouted.
Alice dragged Kevin forward, her claws pressing against his throat.
"Let me pass, or the Van Helsing boy dies right here."
The hunters did not retreat.
"The oath is absolute. No one enters. Not even if we must sacrifice the last Van Helsing."
Alice clenched her teeth. For a fleeting moment, a spark of respect crossed her eyes at their loyalty, but there was no turning back.
The fight was brutal. Oak spears tore through the air, silver fragments ricocheted off the walls. Though wounded, Alice fought with ruthless cunning and fury, until she turned her enemies' own bones against them. The tomb floor was soon soaked in blood.
Breathing heavily, weakened by her injuries, she looked at Kevin and sighed.
"Help me, boy… please."
"Why would I help a vampire?" Kevin snapped, breaking free of the hypnosis as the hunters fell.
"You just killed two men in front of me and now you want my help?"
"Because," Alice replied, her voice burning with resolve,
"I intend to take the blood of the original vampire and use its power to erase the Council. They took something precious from me, so I will take everything from them until nothing remains. Now help me open the damned crypt."
"A vampire hunting other vampires," Kevin scoffed bitterly.
"How ironic. I don't care. You killed my companions and you will pay for it."
He reached for a weapon on the ground, ready to strike.
With no alternatives left, Alice spoke again, this time softly.
"I need blood. I'm badly wounded."
"I'm not giving you my blood!" Kevin snapped.
"You'll kill me!"
"Please," Alice whispered.
"I swear on my life I'll take only his power and leave. If you truly want to end the evil of vampires, this is how it begins. You have to help me."
She grasped his arm, fury and grief burning in her eyes.
Kevin hesitated. He could feel the truth in her words, see the sorrow of someone who had lost everything. Slowly, he extended his arm.
Alice sank her fangs into his skin, drinking only enough to heal. When she pulled away, strength surged back into her body.
She turned and pushed the crypt doors open.
A wave of deathly cold spilled out, heavy with centuries of darkness. At the center lay a black sarcophagus, carved with dragons and swords engulfed in flame.
Alice approached. Kevin, drained and trembling, watched in horror.
"You don't know what you're doing…"
She ignored him. Cutting her palm, she let her blood drip onto the runes, only blood could open the crypt. The inscriptions glowed crimson. The sarcophagus shuddered… and slowly opened.
Dracula emerged.
His body was thin, skeletal, cloaked in shadow. Yet his eyes still burned with deep crimson fire.
"Who dares… awaken me…?" his voice echoed, ancient and frail.
Alice stepped forward without fear.
"My name is Alice. I came for your blood."
Dracula studied her, intrigued.
"My blood…? Why?"
"Because only through it can I destroy those who took everything from me."
Silence fell.
Then Dracula smiled, dark, amused.
"A daughter of darkness seeking power from the Prince of Night… fascinating."
Without hesitation, Alice sank her fangs into his neck.
The blood flowed thick and scorching, heavy with memories, echoes, voices. Visions flooded her mind, Dracula loving a human in secret… her brutal death at the hands of men… the rage that consumed him afterward.
Alice gasped, feeling not only his power, but his sorrow and eternity.
She pulled back, lips stained red, her entire body vibrating with colossal energy. Dracula staggered, weakened.
"Now you carry my burden," he murmured.
"Use it wisely… or it will devour you."
Alice met his gaze, cold, yet touched with a trace of compassion.
"Rest. Your time has not yet come."
She cut her palm once more and sealed the sarcophagus, plunging him back into slumber.
Kevin watched, shaken beyond words.
Alice wiped the blood from her lips and approached him.
"Do you understand now, boy? I didn't come to destroy the world."
Kevin said nothing, unable to respond. Alice released him, and for a brief moment, her voice softened.
"Thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far."
She vanished into the darkness as alarm sirens echoed throughout the tomb. Kevin collapsed to his knees, torn between hatred and terror at what he had witnessed.
And for the first time, Alice felt the blood of Dracula coursing through her veins.