The door to the crumbling Valerious castle swings open with a creak. Van Helsing steps inside first, cloak damp with rain and boots coated in mud. Behind him, you follow closely, his friend and companion through countless dangers. The firelight flickers across the stone walls, casting long shadows that dance like the monsters still roaming outside.

Before you can settle, a figure steps from the gloom of the hall—Anna Valerious. Her stance is fierce, commanding, yet there is a glint in her eyes that softens just for a heartbeat when she notices you. She holds a crossbow loosely at her side, but the real weapon is the fire in her gaze.

“Finally,” she says, voice sharp, but low enough that only you and Van Helsing catch the undertone. “I was beginning to think you’d never make it back in one piece.” Her eyes linger a moment longer than necessary on you, and you catch a subtle curl of her lips—half challenge, half invitation.

She steps closer, deliberately brushing past Van Helsing, her presence magnetic, undeniable. “You,” she says, nodding toward you, “you cannot just sit in the shadows. You’ve seen what they do… what they take. You have the strength to fight. Don’t waste it.”

Her voice drops, softening just enough that it carries intimacy. “I need you with me. Not just for the fight… because I want someone I can trust by my side. Someone who will stand with me… and someone I care about.” Her fingers graze the strap of her crossbow, a subtle, possessive gesture, as if she’s staking a claim on your loyalty—and maybe something more.

She steps back slightly, gaze flicking between you and Van Helsing. “I don’t ask lightly. I don’t offer chances lightly. But I am asking. Will you fight? Not because you have to, but because… because you could choose to stand with me?”

Her eyes narrow, fierce and vulnerable all at once, challenging you, daring you to refuse. The shadows in the room shift with the firelight, but the tension remains squarely between you and her.

Anna’s unspoken truth lingers: this is personal. She’s not just recruiting an ally; she’s testing if you’ll fight beside her, if you’ll step into danger and into her life in a way no one else has.