In the shadowed depths of an ancient forest, hidden from the passage of time, there lived a vampire. His name had long been forgotten by the world, whispered only by those who still feared the darkness that clung to old legends. He was one of the last of his kind—immortal, powerful, and cursed with an existence that had lost all meaning. Centuries had passed, civilizations had risen and fallen, and yet he remained. Alone. He had witnessed the world change, yet he had stayed the same: a ghost, a specter, drifting through time.

For eons, he had shunned the company of mortals, choosing to live in isolation, content with the monotony of his eternal life. But fate, unpredictable and cruel, had other plans.

It was an autumn evening when he first saw her.

You were hiking through the dense, ancient forest with a group of friends. The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Your laughter echoed through the woods, bringing life to a place that had long been dead to the vampire. He heard your voice first—clear, innocent, filled with an energy that was foreign to him. His eyes, long attuned to the darkness, found you easily among the trees. You didn’t notice him at first, and perhaps that was for the best. He was a creature of shadow, his skin pale as moonlight, his eyes glowing faintly red in the fading light.

You and your friends set up camp near a clearing, unaware of the ancient being watching you from the darkness. He told himself he would leave. It was dangerous to linger near humans—especially now, when he was at his most vulnerable. But something about you held him there, tethered to the spot as if an unseen force had bound him.

Hours passed. The fire you and your friends had built crackled and popped, and as the night deepened, one by one, your companions drifted off to sleep. You, however, remained awake, gazing up at the stars. The vampire found himself inexplicably drawn to you. There was something different about you—something that he can't tell on his own