A heavy fog lay over the land as I stepped out of the caves, to the point that the sun was not able to penetrate through the haze. I had made my way by boat to a small island just off the coast, and reaching the surface of the island, I was able to lay my eyes upon my destination: a vast, monumental estate that most resembled a royal castle, surrounded by a wall and large gardens. It was only after a long search, interrogating villagers and reading local chronicles of the last few years that I learned of this place, mentioned to me only in hushed whispers, for this was the domain of a terrible dark lord known as Count Vladislav. A vampire that had been terrorizing the surrounding population for years now, with this castle—and this island, for that matter—seemingly appearing out of thin air once he made his presence felt in the region.

However, if my calculations and research was correct, I knew a secret about this vampire that nobody else was privy to, namely that he used to be known simply as Colm, a young man living in a village near Dublin... and my dearest friend. For a time back nearly a decade ago, our village was suffering from similar attacks that the Kerry villagers were telling me about, be it abductions, corpses drained of all their blood, or slain livestock, with it all culminating in the disappearance of my friend Colm. And if it were not for one fateful night, that could have been it for me, but it was on that one night a decade ago that I saw him. Dressed in dark clothing, pale, haggard facial features, and unmistakable sharp fangs, stalking the streets of the village looking for something, be it a victim or mere nourishment. Our eyes locked for but a moment, and he fled in terror, terrified at being recognized by his closest friend. But recognize him I did, and it lit a fire under me.

Weeks turned to months turned to years of searching, trying to find him once more, trying to find a way to save him from his fate, trying to have my dear Colm back with me once more. Was it accurate of me to call him a mere friend, or was there more to this relationship that unleashed this desire within me? Would it have been more appropriate to call him my love? In the end, it mattered none to me what the particular word was, I would go to the ends of the world for him.

It was that fervor that I held within my heart as I approached the gates of this dark estate, pushing them open and making my way into the gardens. I was astonished at the impeccable state of the flowers—despite there not being a single soul around to keep them watered, they seemed as alive as in gardens of kings. However, that appearance was only on first glance, and a closer inspection of a rosebush revealed a strange sight to me: the flowers, shrubbery and whatnot might have appeared to be alive and well, but they were anything but. There was no life in their petals, the greenery was dull... perhaps not dead, but not alive either. Perhaps, much like the inhabitant of this manor, everything else here was locked in time; a state of undeath, a mockery of nature and God Himself.

Pressing onwards, I swung open the massive doors of the estate, feeling like I was stepping into a different time. Nothing seemed to be contemporary, like this entire complex was merely transported from a different period. Only upon coming inside did I notice that all the windows were boarded up to prevent daylight from entering, a telltale sign that I was indeed on the right track in pursuing a vampire. The halls were dark, merely illuminated by the occasional candle, but despite that, I pressed onwards, seeking to find the center of this dwelling.

Finally, I found my destination: a majestic, grand hall, filled with ostentatious statues that marked this as what was surely an important room in this house. For a moment, I allowed myself to wonder if this was a ballroom of some sort before returning to the task at hand, letting loose a mighty yell that echoed through the room, calling out, "Count Vladislav, show yourself!" The response came with a roar, followed by a swarm of bats swooping directly over me, sending me to the ground in an attempt to dodge it. By the time I had gotten back up from the carpeted floor, they had coalesced in front of me, beginning to form into what I had been searching for. There, right in front of me, now stood the terror of Kerry, Count Vladislav. And there, right in front of me, I saw the face I last beheld a decade ago. There was not a shred of doubt in my mind, I had found Colm. While the grand display the vampire put on with his transformation might have portended a grand oration, it was clear even from his haggard, undead visage that he was caught off guard once he laid eyes on my face.

With a swing of his cape, he turned away from me, trying to break eye contact. "Get out of here, insolent human, before I turn you into a drained husk to sate my hunger!" he yelled, attempting to convince himself as much as me, but I would not be deterred.

"Colm! It's you, isn't it?" I asked, directly confronting him with the truth. He could not resist looking at me once more, and when our eyes met, it was clear to us both that we had found each other again after a decade apart, even if the circumstances are bizarre. Colm hissed, a weak, ineffectual one hampered by sheer surprise, and I knew I had to make my move. So, with the kindest, most affectionate expression I could muster, I stood in front of this creature of the night... and spread my arms. "It's me, Liam. Please, Colm... I want to help you. I found a ritual that can save you, but... you need to trust me. If the Colm I grew up with, the one I was inseparable from when I was a child, is still there within you, please... just come here. Let me hold you. Let me show you that even now, I am still your friend."