Carl slowly awoke to the steady swaying of his creaking cabin. He lay facing a window which framed the evening sea engulfing the setting sun. As it sank, the sun seemed to reach out from the edges of the horizon and steal his strength. He labored to sit up and, exhausted from his efforts, watched the magnificent light fade under the weight of the night sky.
When the sun had finally set, a dark man entered the room and peered out the window. “Can you feel it yet, the sweet relief from the dark winds of night? It’s invigorating having the strength return to your body after the plague of daylight has been extinguished. You’ll be back to normal soon enough but until then I’d suggest that you try and relax while your body recovers.”
“What are you talking about?” Carl questioned his visitor, “What do you want?”
“Let me introduce myself,” the dark man continued as if Carl had not spoken. “I am Count H_____, ambassador of the Dark Council and first born captain of dark blood. I am here because the Council believes it is wise for me to educate you on the war, Mr. McStallion. Since your mysterious disappearance, I have personally led a series of unchallenged assaults in the Southern Seas. Without suitable leadership, the resistance has suffered heavy losses and now poses a negligible threat. The problem with your little resistance is that you only saw half of what was happening, only knew the enemy that you fought during the day. Let me ask you a question Carl, how do you destroy a society built on knowledge?”
“Please do inform me, I'm sure you already have an answer prepared,” Carl replied.
“Indeed, you simply convince them that you do not exist. Let them think that you are the work of a madman, a folklore, a myth. You cannot successfully fight an enemy that you do not believe is real. Call us what you want: warlocks, vampires, demons; we are creatures of fiction, the living incarnation of your imaginary tales. Your men can fight the pirates that they face during the day but the fantastic creatures that they face at night have turned the tides of this war. Among those who believe, there are too few left to save your kind now. Your proud nation will fall from its poor foundation. There will soon be no resistance of consequence left in our seas and we can establish our base of operations for the coming crusade.”
“Are you so bold as to say that you have already won the war? There are others who will fight, they won't bow down so easily to your command.”
“Then they are already dead, we are uncontested in our pursuits now. This puts you into an interesting position Carl, much like myself, you have been given a tremendous gift. In a short time you will become a man of dark blood and great power, the kind of creature that your society most commonly associates with a vampire. You have two options now, the first is to stay and train under Count Vih'rel, Dark Lord of the Night. He will teach you how to use your new powers and give you command of an army in the crusade ahead. Your other option is to flee this ship and return to your people, an outcast with a message of doom. You will die alone, defending those who will shun you for your great blessing, and your gifts will go to waste.” Carl hadn't noticed how dark the cabin had become while the man was talking as if he was suddenly unhindered by the darkness. The man turned to leave Carl alone, “Let the night guide your thoughts.”