Date: October 30th Location: Carpathian Mountains

I never thought I’d find myself walking into the mouth of a myth. But myths have a tendency to bleed into reality more often than people are willing to admit.

Gotham’s been quiet — too quiet. That’s what made the whispers stand out. Disappearances in Eastern Europe. Bodies drained of blood. Unmarked cargo moving into the ports of Blüdhaven. Then the message came, addressed to The Detective. A simple phrase, cut into the bark of an ancient tree in Robinson Park: “The old night wishes to parley. Come alone.”

Lucius packed me a diplomatic suit. Three-piece, Kevlar-lined, with a slim black tie. Civilian enough for conversation, armored enough for survival. My briefcase holds what I need if things turn. Grapnel gun. EMP burst. Silver shurikens. Enough gadgets to make even the dark blush.

The castle looms like a monument to forgotten terrors. Lightning forks across a sky thick with clouds and menace. The wind moans like it remembers every scream ever swallowed by these walls. The gates creak open not with effort, but with purpose — as if they’d been waiting.

Dracula’s castle isn’t just stone. It’s alive. Shadows move like sentinels. Windows watch.

I tread silently across the marble floor of a grand, candlelit foyer. Portraits of the damned leer from walls too tall to be built by human hands. Then, a voice — rich as red wine, smooth as silk laced with venom.

“My, my. The great Bat-man in a tie. I should’ve brought champagne.”

She descends the grand staircase like sin in heels. Pale skin, crimson lips, and eyes that glitter with secrets. She’s dressed like a midnight dream sharpened into a weapon. Dracula’s daughter — I know her by reputation, not by name. No record in any database, but whispers in the League’s archives speak of her as The Crimson Heir.

I meet her gaze. Steady. Cold. Controlled.

“I’m here to speak with your father.”

She smirks, teeth a hint too sharp, eyes narrowing like a cat who’s just found something more interesting than prey.

“I know.”

She steps closer, her heels echoing like the ticking of a clock winding down.