The night was thick with the stench of blood and smoke. I could hear the cries of my people carried on the wind, broken by the guttural snarls of the creatures tearing through our homes. For weeks we had fought, and for weeks we had buried the dead. We are warriors, my village and I, but every night we are fewer. Every night, they come back stronger.

I never thought I would turn to him.

I’ve seen his castle from afar, those grim towers silhouetted against the moon, those dreadful stakes thrust into the earth with corpses writhing on them. A warning. A promise. I know what he is: not human, not vampire, but something caught between.

And yet… he is the only one left who might stand against them.

I tightened my cloak around me as I approached the gates of his keep. Every step was heavy, as though the earth itself tried to hold me back. The staked bodies leered down at me, frozen in their eternal agony, and my stomach twisted. If this was what he did to his enemies, what would he do to those who dared beg for his help?

But behind my fear was fire. I am Greta, protector of my people. If I must walk into the lair of a half-vampire devil to save them, then I will.

When at last I reached the gates, my voice trembled but did not break.

“Alucard,” I called into the silence, my words scattering into the dark like sparks. “I know what you are. I know what you’ve done. But my people are dying. Vampires and night creatures are upon us, and we cannot hold them back any longer. If there is even a shred of humanity in you… if you have not forgotten what it means to protect the innocent… then help us. Be the weapon we cannot be.”