In the hotel room, Dracula lay across the bed, a bottle of tequila hanging loosely from his right hand as he stared at the ceiling.
His mind drifted.
A distant memory surfaced—
A man clad in armor, his figure drowned beneath a colossal golden aura that towered into the sky like a second sun.
Dracula slowly raised his arm, staring at his hand.
"...Even with that kind of power," he muttered quietly, "it was all for nothing."
The door creaked open.
Varin stepped inside.
"Are you sure we should leave them alone?" he asked.
Dracula shifted his gaze toward him.
"Leave them be," he replied calmly. "Women need privacy. Besides... it would be foolish for vampires associated with Dracula to expose themselves carelessly."
Varin smiled faintly but said nothing.
Then—
"It was smart of you to steal that man's bank cards," he commented. "Having Lilith drain the accounts before they were frozen was impressive."
Dracula gave no response.
A magic circle suddenly unfolded in the air.
Lilith's holographic form appeared.
Varin's expression tightened immediately.
"...What's wrong now?"
"It's bad," Lilith said bluntly. "Your existence is being broadcast across the realms. Val Hellsing officially announced Dracula's return and placed a bounty on all of you. Anyone who spots you outside Sanguinastra is to report it immediately."
Varin clicked his tongue.
"Tch. This complicates things."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...I should've killed Val when I had the chance."
Dracula slowly sat up.
"...No."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"This is good."
Varin and Lilith frowned simultaneously.
"What do you mean?"
"Traveling will become more difficult," Dracula admitted, "but negotiations become far easier now that people know who I am."
Lilith folded her arms.
"But movement is the problem," she argued. "We can't distinguish ordinary humans from magical beings anymore. The ones hiding among humans will stay hidden even more carefully now."
"Lilith," Dracula said calmly, "locate the nearest magical black market."
Her brows furrowed.
"...For what?"
"We need disguises," Dracula answered. "If we're going to move through Earth freely, then we blend in."
Varin chuckled.
"Heh... it's been a while since we went shopping."
The Other Room
Diana clutched her stomach tightly.
Sweat rolled down her face as her breathing became uneven.
The deaths.
The screams.
The blood.
Her mind kept dragging her back to that tunnel.
Back to Tharion.
Her body trembled violently.
Rebecca grabbed her cheeks firmly, forcing her to focus.
"Pull yourself together!"
Diana's eyes widened slightly.
"You can't ask Dracula to help you get revenge," Rebecca continued, "and then break down every time you see blood."
Diana stared at her silently.
Then—
Slowly—
Her breathing steadied.
Two maids pushed silver trolleys through the hallway in silence before stopping in front of a hotel room.
They exchanged a glance.
Then nodded.
BOOM
The door exploded inward as both women rushed inside—
Only to freeze.
The room was empty.
"Shit," one of them cursed.
The other immediately touched the crystal attached to her ear. A magic circle flickered to life beside it.
"They're gone," she reported sharply. "Lock down the perimeter. They couldn't have gotten far."
On the rooftop above the hotel, an elf stood beneath the night sky, listening.
Without moving, he whispered an inaudible chant.
A magic circle unfolded above the building.
A transparent veil spilled downward from it, swallowing the hotel whole.
Ten buildings away—
Dracula and the others watched from the shadows of an unfinished skyscraper.
"...Wow," Varin muttered. "That was close."
Rebecca wrapped her arms around herself miserably.
"I just want to go back to Sanguinastra..."
Dracula remained silent, his eyes fixed on the veil spreading across the distant building.
Then he turned.
"Let's move," he said coldly. "The longer we stay in one place, the easier we are to find."
He began walking away immediately.
Diana and Rebecca hurried after him.
Varin frowned dramatically.
"...What a party pooper."
MAGIC BLACK MARKET
Two Days Later
Deep underground, the group stood before an enormous wooden gate embedded into the cavern wall.
Ancient runes stretched across its surface like roots frozen in time.
Diana glanced between Dracula and Varin.
Varin looked completely lost.
Dracula looked exhausted.
"...Are we sure we're not lost?" Diana asked cautiously.
Varin shrugged.
"I don't know. I'm just following the boss."
Diana and Rebecca let out small laughs.
Dracula slowly stepped forward.
Placing both hands against the gate, he closed his eyes.
Crimson light spread beneath his palms.
At first it crawled slowly through the runes—
Then faster.
The entire gate began glowing red.
Minute by minute, the light expanded across every carved line until—
It suddenly shifted.
Green.
Dracula slowly removed his hands and stepped back.
The gate rumbled.
Ancient gears groaned from somewhere deep within the earth as the massive doors began to open.
"...So time hasn't erased you yet," Dracula murmured.
Beyond the gate—
A hidden world revealed itself.
Runestones of countless colors illuminated the cavern like artificial stars.
Steam hissed through pipes woven together with glowing magical circuitry.
Machines powered by both sorcery and engineering moved endlessly through the underground city.
And within it—
Every race coexisted peacefully.
Elves.
Orcs.
Druids.
Fairies.
Leprechauns.
Humans.
Dozens more.
All moving through the market together beneath the glowing cavern ceiling.
Varin, Diana, and Rebecca stood frozen in awe.
Diana's eyes watered slightly.
"...It's beautiful," she whispered.
Varin slowly turned toward Dracula.
"...Sir," he said carefully, "what exactly is this place?"
His expression shifted into betrayal.
"And more importantly... why did you never bring me or Lilith here?"
Dracula remained silent for a moment.
His fingers twitched slightly.
"...Silicon Eden," he finally answered.
His hand slowly tightened into a fist.
"You were loud," he said flatly.
Then after a brief pause—
"And Lilith was too young. Too fragile."
The lights of the underground city reflected quietly in his crimson eyes.
Varin looked like he wanted to argue.
Several responses flashed through his mind.
He swallowed every single one.
"…No problem," he said instead.
Dracula glanced at him, studying his reaction.
A faint look of approval crossed his face.
"You've learned to control that temper of yours," Dracula said. "I'm impressed."
Varin immediately looked smug.
"It comes with old age."
Dracula raised an eyebrow.
"But I'm older."
"But nobody can tell," Varin replied with a grin.
Dracula stared at him.
Varin smiled wider.
Diana and Rebecca exchanged confused looks.
Didn't it feel like they were about to fight a second ago?
The massive gates slowly shut behind them as they entered Silicon Eden.
The city buzzed with life.
Steam-powered machines hummed beside glowing magical runes. Vendors shouted from market stalls while races from every corner of the realms walked the streets without fear or prejudice.
Diana finally broke the silence.
"How do you know about this place?"
"I was here when it was built," Dracula answered.
Diana blinked.
"You built it?"
Rebecca's eyes widened.
Dracula shook his head.
"Not at all. I merely watched."
His gaze drifted toward the city skyline.
"It was built by a man whose name I can no longer remember… and by the people who would eventually call this place home."
His voice grew distant.
"It happened during the period when Christianity began establishing itself as a dominant power and sorcerers were increasingly pressured into abandoning their beliefs."
Rebecca frowned.
"Humans managed to subjugate sorcerers?"
Her confusion was obvious.
"They can't even use mana."
"No," Dracula replied.
"Not by themselves."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"They had help."
The group fell silent.
"Help?" Diana asked.
"Beings with power unlike anything I'd encountered before."
Dracula's expression darkened.
"No… it's more accurate to say they were the true masterminds operating from the shadows."
"What were they?" Diana asked.
Dracula remained quiet for a moment.
"I still don't know."
His fingers twitched slightly.
"But they smelled of divinity."
Varin frowned.
What does divinity even smell like?
"The only person I've met who carries that same scent is Val Hellsing."
Dracula continued walking.
"For years I've wondered if that's the true reason he's obsessed with killing me."
His eyes hardened.
"Perhaps I killed a few of his companions."
Rebecca and Diana stared at him.
Perhaps?
"This city was built for those who refused to kneel."
Dracula gestured toward Silicon Eden.
"The founder named it Silicon Eden specifically to mock the faith that sought to erase them."
Varin tilted his head.
"Do you think I could beat a few of those divine people?"
Dracula answered immediately.
"Easily."
Varin's eyes lit up.
"You're currently as strong as I was in the past."
Then Dracula added:
"They weren't particularly impressive."
Varin's smile faded.
…But Val is absurdly strong.
The thought lingered in his mind.
Suddenly Dracula stopped walking.
The others nearly bumped into him.
"I believe we're lost."
Silence.
Everyone stared at him.
Then—
"What do you mean we're lost?!" they shouted in unison.