The sky is a magnificent shade of violet and I stand there for several moments, relishing my first moments of conscious freedom. A slight breeze is blowing, ruffling my hair and tattered clothing. I catch a whiff of blood on the night breeze, animal blood, but it still raises an unbelievable thirst in me. I feel my fangs descend instantaneously and can see the soft amber glow on the ground given off by my contracted pupils. As I turn I marvel at the intensity of the light, it appears that I have small flashlights set into the sockets of my skull.

I begin to slowly walk in the direction of the strongest source of the blood scent, trying to be silent in my anticipation. I can feel vibrations creeping up and down my body, and I realize just how long it has been since I've had any sort of nourishment. I glance down at myself as I walk and am shocked to see almost no change in my form. Considering the long period of time that I'd been trapped and starved, I should be wasted away with my bones and collapsed veins showing easily through my skin. But I appear to be in perfect health, as if I'd eaten only a few hours before. I stop to inspect my strangely healthy body more closely. My skin is flawless and radiates a cold white luminescence that shines slightly through the gashes in my clothing. It feels normal though it is deathly cold, colder even than the night surrounding me.

I ponder this for a while. If I am still in this condition, I have one of three things happening to my body. First, I am old enough that I no longer require anything to sustain me. Second, I am somehow drawing nourishment from an alternate, and unknown, source. Lastly, I had managed to totally shut down every function of my body while I "hibernated", thus burning no fuel and eliminating the need of replacement of fluids. I have no way of knowing which of these is the reason for my health. I'd say number three because I have no idea how old I am and I see no other source of energy around me except the earth beneath my feet and the sky above. Yet, if this is true, how was I able to dream and struggle in the few instances that I was conscious?

My state of well being only confuses me, so I ignore it and decide to satisfy this debilitating thirst in me. In my contemplation, my fangs have receded most of the way and my eyes have almost ceased giving off light. I can still smell the blood but it no longer raises such an intense need in me. But it has been a very long time since I've felt and tasted the pleasure of life's viscous fluid, so I decide to partake of it again. My fangs descend again in anticipation of my hunt.

I move quickly towards the surrounding woods, hearing the slight sounds of life that permeate the greenery. I can hear the mental signatures of several animals but I ignore them, in search of a larger one that will sate me with one kill, not many, smaller drainings. There are several squirrels, a few rabbits, and even a badger. Moving past these small forms of life, I sense a deer sleeping several yards ahead of me. I pick up my pace, hoping to sneak up on it before it awakens.

I come into a small thicket where a solitary buck is slumbering, still unaware of my presence. I walk up to him slowly and as I near he wakes with a start, most likely sensing his impending doom. He rises to his feet quickly, wide-eyed with terror. I smile and stare directly into his eyes. He calms quickly, seeming to fall into a daze as I walk up to him. I can hear his labored breathing in the air as I grasp his head in both hands. He takes a small step backwards, trying to avoid me but I lash out with my mind, crushing any instinct to flee that may still occupy his mind.

Slowly I bend my head down to his neck, to the large artery pulsing just under the flesh. I quickly sink my teeth into the fur and a large gush of delicious blood fills my mouth. His still quickly beating heart sends torrents into my eagerly waiting mouth, causing me to groan in ecstasy. My shrunken stomach is quickly filled and I wrench my head away, gasping as if I still needed air. I release his head and his body falls to the ground. In my haste to feed, I had inadvertently crushed his skull between my hands. I looked down at the body, wondering at my strength.

The blood rushes into my frozen brain, making me elated and light-headed. I can feel my heart begin to pump again, sending that delicious warmth to my farthest extremities. I revel in the sensation for a moment then let out an ear-piercing scream into the night, proclaiming my arrival. The only response is the utter silence of the forest and the whispering breeze of the night.

I look around, suddenly bewildered. I have no idea what to do now. I cast mental feelers about, searching for the largest grouping of sentient life in my vicinity. The closest I feel is several miles away, to the west. I decide that's as good a starting point as any and begin walking in that direction. The forest's sounds slowly return as I get farther and farther from the scene of carnage that I had unintentionally created.

As the miles pass away, I begin to ponder my current dilemma. I have no knowledge of who I am, what I am, or where I came from. The only hint is my name, Sammael, and a fragment of a memory that distinctly bears the mark of a dream. A faceless man on a rock eating a musical instrument who seems to know a lot about my situation, but lacks the time to share his knowledge with me. I go over all that I know several times, which takes very little time, considering the sparseness of what I have to examine. No new details come to light in my examination, so I blank my mind and walk towards the life that comes nearer with each step.

Soon I begin to feel the fresh breezes of an ocean ahead of me, the salt flavored air caressing my cheeks and brow. I can hear the murmur of waves washing against a shore a few miles off. As I crest the hill directly in front of me, a large grouping of buildings confronts me. There are lights in a few of the windows, but most are dark. The citizens of this town are mostly asleep, probably preparing for a busy day of fishing that will greet them with the dawn.

I pick up my pace as a myriad of scents assault my sensitive nose. The strongest of these is blood, followed closely by fresh water. I pause for a moment, wondering why water would stand out so much. I feel no need for it, it seems just a bizarre abstraction, meant only to confuse my poor mind. Perhaps there is something special about this water and I only subconsciously recognize the odor that wafts to me on this overlooking hill? Making a mental note to investigate further, I pick up my pace and continue on towards the town.

I reach the outlying houses quickly, passing them up because most of them are asleep and carry an unpleasant scent. I reach the outer ring of homes, most of them completely dark and uttering no sounds. Curious about this town, I press on towards the cleaner, more recently built homes. I enter the main part of the town and grow suddenly uneasy. There is a strange light washing down on me from the light pole on the corner. It gives off a steady yellow light but I know it is not a flame or any other natural occurrence in the world. It does not waver or flicker, just continues to drench the surrounding sidewalk with a harsh yellow glow.

I shiver, not from cold, but from an uneasy sensation that races up my spine. Choosing to ignore this one of many strange and bewildering achievements of this age, I walk on searching for an ideal dinner. I come across several victims that would provide an ample, if diseased, meal, but I am searching for the perfect victim to celebrate my return to the land of the living. As I begin to leave the more heavily populated sections of the city, I begin to enter what appears to be the more upscale neighborhoods. The houses here are very large and well kept. They appear to be the homes of many wealthy citizens who have tried to dissociate themselves with the common rabble that infest this town.

I come upon one house set far back from the street, screened by a row of trees. It sits on a very large estate, and is truly massive, from the little I can see of it. The trees are magnificent, a deep green and very full. They appear to be ancient, much older than the house that they mask from prying eyes. I can tell that this is where I want to go.