Morrigan: Year 3101.

Morrigan perched atop the cabin, her sniper rifle at the ready. She'd been keeping watch for hours, scanning the darkness for any sign of threat.

Then, a sudden shift in the wind caught her attention, but she didn't turn. She didn't need to. The presence behind her was as familiar as it was ancient.

"Long time," a deep voice rumbled.

Morrigan kept her gaze fixed in front. "Fifty years has it?"

"And so it has."

"Hello there, 'father' or should I say, Dracula."

"Hush, I'm not your father," Dracula moved to stand beside her, his cloak billowing in the breeze. "Not biologically of course."

"True, but you are the one who created what I am now. So technically, I still consider you as my 'father'."

The grandiose castles and swarms of servants that once defined his existence were now a distant memory. The infamous master of the undead had transformed from a powerful ruler to a lonely nomad, wandering aimlessly without a permanent home.

But Morrigan knew better than to underestimate him. His strength and power remained godlike, even if he chose not to wield them as he once had. Last she'd heard, he'd sequestered himself in some remote mountain range, spending his days in meditation.

"What brings you here?" she asked, finally turning to face him. "Come to lend a hand?"

Dracula's lips curved into a faint smile. "I heard whispers that you're harboring a human with... interesting blood."

"And how did you know that?"

"Let's just say, I have my sources," Dracula said. "Well, is it true?"

"And if I am?"

"It's ironic, isn't it? A mere mortal with the power to end our kind being protected by a vampire?"

Morrigan's eyes narrowed. "Are you planning to kill him?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I have no such intentions. I'm merely... observing. Human affairs hold little interest for me these days."

"Then why are you really here?"

Dracula was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the landscape below. "Perhaps I'm simply curious about what my progeny is up to these days."

Morrigan snorted. "Bullshit. You've never given a damn about what any of us do, least of all, mine."

"Things change, my dear. Even for beings as old as we are."

"Do they?" she raised an eyebrow. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like the same old power plays and backstabbing."

He chuckled. "And yet here you are, protecting a human who could destroy us all. That's quite a change, wouldn't you say?"

"I have my reasons."

"I'm sure you do. Care to share them?"

"Not particularly."

"I knew you're going to say that. You've never change. You've always kept secrets from me."

"Neither did you. You're still the same old grumpy man that you where before hundreds of years before."

Dracula leaned against the cabin's chimney. "Do you remember the first time we met? The first time I drank your blood?"

Morrigan lowered her rifle, setting it beside her. "How could I forget? It was the around the year 2800 or something, I forgot the exact year. I was still human then, living in what used to be called New York."

"Ah yes, the floating city-state. Quite the marvel of human ingenuity."

"It was a shithole," she spat. "Overcrowded, polluted, and corrupt to the core. But it was home."

"And that's where I found you, in the underbelly of that floating monstrosity."

"Yeah, in a back-alley clinic, bleeding out from a stab wound. Some asshole tried to rob me, and I wasn't about to let him have my last credit chip."

"You were fierce even then," he mused. "I remember the fire in your eyes as you lay there, refusing to die."

"Didn't do me much good, did it? I was still dying."

"Until I offered you a choice."

"Some choice," she said. "Become a vampire or bleed out in a dirty alley."

"It was more than most get. I saw potential in you. A strength that deserved to be preserved."

"And what about the others? The ones you didn't deem worthy?"

"We can't save everyone, my dear. You know that better than most."

Morrigan fell silent, glancing on the distant mountains. After a moment, she spoke again. "Why did you really turn me? Was it just because I was 'fierce'?"

Dracula sighed. "In truth, I saw something of myself in you. That refusal to submit, even in the face of certain death. It... resonated with me."

"So, what? You were feeling sentimental?"

"Perhaps. Or perhaps I was simply tired of being alone."

"You? The great Dracula, longing for a company?"

He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Even monsters get lonely, Morrigan. Eternity is a long time to spend in solitude."

Loneliness wasn't something she associated with the legendary vampire. She'd always seen him as a distant, almost mythical figure, untouchable and above such mundane emotions.

But now, hearing the vulnerability in his voice, she couldn't help but see him in a new light. It was strange, unsettling even, to think of Dracula as someone who could feel lonely.

She wondered if this was what awaited her in the centuries to come - an existence so long and isolating that even the company of those you once considered beneath you became a comfort.

"And yet you've spent the last few centuries playing hermit in the mountains," Morrigan continued.

"Sometimes solitude is preferable to the machinations of our kind. You've seen how Les Ombres Sanglantes operate. Always scheming, always hungry for more power. But that power would be meaningless in due time."

"Yeah, they're a real piece of work. But that doesn't explain why you're here now."

Dracula's expression grew serious. "I've been watching, Morrigan. The world is changing, faster than it ever has before. Humans are evolving, developing abilities that rival our own. This man you're protecting... he's just the beginning."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that our time might be coming to an end. The age of vampires could be drawing to a close."

"That's dramatic, even for you. We've survived this long, haven't we?"

"We have. But at what cost? Look at what we've become. Shadows of our former selves, hiding in the dark, manipulating from afar. Is that truly living?"

"It's survival," she countered. "And I thought that's what you taught us. To survive at all costs."

"Perhaps that was my mistake. Perhaps it's time for something new."

"What, you want us to come out of the shadows? Announce our presence to the world?"

"No. But perhaps it's time we stopped fighting so hard against the tide of change. Maybe it's time we embraced it instead."

"Embrace what?"

"Death."

After centuries of fighting to survive, the idea seemed absurd. She'd clawed her way through countless challenges, adapted to a world that constantly sought to destroy her kind. And now, her creator suggested embracing the very thing they'd spent eternity avoiding. It felt like a betrayal of everything she'd become. Yet, a small part of her understood. The weight of immortality, the endless cycle of hiding and manipulating - it was exhausting. But was death really the answer? Or just another form of giving up?

Morrigan stared at him, trying to reconcile this philosophical Dracula with the ruthless monster she'd known for centuries. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Dracula?"

He laughed. "I've had a lot of time to think, my dear. Meditation does wonders for one's perspective."

"So what now? You want to give up your immortality?"

"I think I do. What is immortality if you have nothing to live for? Nothing to show for? Nobody to worship you? Everyone you loved, dead. Everyone that worshipped you, gone. There is no point in living forever."

Morrigan have seen empires rise and fall, loved ones wither away, and the world change beyond recognition. Was this the inevitable end for all immortals? To grow weary of existence itself? She wondered if she too would reach this point, where the prospect of eternal life became a burden rather than a gift.

"What are you getting at?" she asked.

"That death itself is not inherently a bad thing to us. Maybe it's a good thing."

"So you want to kill our race?"

"Perhaps. That's why I'm here. To witness it firsthand, the beginning of the end of our race."

Part of her wanted to laugh it off, but she couldn't ignore the weight of his statement. The thought of their kind fading away stirred something deep within her, was it fear or relief? She'd grown weary of the endless nights, the constant struggle for power. Maybe Dracula had a point. Maybe it was time for something new. But could she really accept the end of everything she'd known?

They lapsed into silence.

Morrigan found herself wondering, how Dracula managed to stay sane after nearly three millennia of existence. She was barely holding it together after a few centuries.

"How do you do it?" she asked.

Dracula raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Keep going. After all this time. Doesn't it... wear on you?"

For a moment, his ageless face seemed to show a flicker of something – weariness, perhaps, or a deep, unfathomable sadness. But it was gone so quickly Morrigan wasn't sure she hadn't imagined it.

"One finds ways to occupy oneself," he said. "The world is ever-changing, even if we are not. There is always something new to learn, to observe."

"That's not enough. Not for me, anyway."

"Then perhaps this human of yours offers a different kind of purpose?"

"He's not 'my' human. And I told you, I'm not interested in sharing my reasons."

"Peace, child. I'm not here to judge or interfere. As I said, I'm merely observing."

"Yeah, well, observe from a distance," Morrigan growled. "I've got enough problems without adding you to the mix you old bag."

Dracula's lips twitched in what might have been amusement. "As you wish. But remember, the path you're walking is a dangerous one. Be careful who you trust."

"I know that. Now, be gone."

Dracula tilted his head, studying her for a moment longer. Then, dissolved into shadows.

A few minutes later, a yawn broke the silence, followed by the sound of footsteps. Siobhàn appeared behind Morrigan, rubbing her arms.

"Fuck, it's freezing up here," she said. "Did the temperature drop or something?"

Morrigan shrugged, not taking her eyes off the landscape. "Just the wind picking up. Nothing to worry about."

Siobhàn moved closer, peering into the darkness. "So, what's our next move? We can't stay here forever."

"We need to find a more secure location," Morrigan said. "And better weapons. The ones we have won't cut it against Les Ombres Sanglantes."

"Yeah, about that," Siobhàn said. "Sooner or later, you're gonna have to face him, Marquis."

"I know."

"Do you? Because it feels like we're just buying time here."

"What do you want me to say, Siobhàn? That I'm ready to waltz into vampire central and take on my psychotic step-father? Because I'm not. Not yet. I need to bring his own empire down brick by brick."

She sighed. "I get it. I do. But we're running out of options here. And time."

"You think I don't know that?" Morrigan snapped. She took a breath, composing herself. "Sorry. I just... I need more time to prepare. To make sure we have a fighting chance."

"And how long will that take? Another week? A month? A year?"

Morrigan turned to face her companion. "As long as it takes to keep us all alive. I'm not throwing away our lives on a suicide mission."

"Fair enough," Siobhàn conceded. "But we need a real plan. Soon."

"I'm working on it. For now, let's focus on getting through the night. We'll figure out our next move in the morning."

Siobhàn nodded, then yawned again. "Alright. I'm gonna try to get some more sleep. Wake me if you need anything."

As her familiar's footsteps faded, Morrigan turned back to her watch.