This story is not about the same vampire portrayed in the Castlevania series. Whether this being is a vampire at all is in question, but the term "vampire" best conveys what we mortals can currently conceive this entity to be. Only one aspect of its character can be spoken of truthfully. Whatever it is, it is damned in the eyes of the Lord.

(A Vampire has no interest with carnal pleasures. Vampires are of the undead. For them to reproduce is a contradiction of their nature. But, they do have their own twisted forms of gratification, each unique unto themselves. That is why the woman looking to become the World's greatest physician, Lisa, is a plausible beginning, as it was in the Castlevania series. So, from that starting point, I will attempt to correct the mistakes made from the short anime and how a being referred to as "Dracula" should have been presented to the audience.)

Lisa thought she was prepared for the horrors that she would behold along her way to meet the one whose legends tell of atrocities have been carried down through the generations of local townsfolk. Naively, Lisa believed most the stories to be just superstition, but that opinion quickly changed as she looked on at the orchard of sun bleached skeletons held aloft by wooden stakes that accompanied her approach to the foreboding mansion. Now, somewhat unnerved, the woman drew near the entrance to the castle's doors, imagining the untold terrors of what may lie behind the double barrier. After attempting to restore the bravery which initially allowed her to set out on her journey, Lisa pounded her fist on the large wooden doors. Following this, she asked in a loud voice for permission to have an audience with the lord of the manor. Her pleas went unanswered, but the woman was unwilling to abandon her dream of aiding humanity in its current distress of wide spread disease. She reached out with both hands and placed them upon the surface of one of the two doors. To her surprise, it opened with no effort on her behalf. It was as if the moment she was going to push the wooden obstacle, someone had opened it from the inside, allowing her to enter. After inspecting her surroundings, she could see no one around. A large pavilion aesthetically designed with lit candles, extravagant carpets, suits of armor from centuries past, and numerous portraits decorated the lower level. Lisa's eyes traced the blood red carpet below her feet to where it took a diverging path, each leading to a set of stairs which ascended to the second story. She turned toward the entrance momentarily and looked back at the staircases. One half of the room reflected the other nearly identically, aside from a few minor discrepancies. Looking upward to the second floor balcony, another site shocked her into a brief moment of terror. Staring down from the center of the upper floor stood a figure resembling a man, cloaked in a black cape. Lisa felt as if she could feel its gaze piercing back into her eyes, though she couldn't discern any features of the onlooker's face at the distance she perceived it from.

Reinforcing her resolution with the reasoning as to why she came, Lisa summoned the courage that had brought her this far and shouted to the ominous individual, "I am looking for the owner of this manor, to ask…" But, before she could say another word, the cloaked being shouted down from atop the staircase, "Why is it that you have come here, alone to this accursed abode?" Lisa's gaze dropped to the floor momentarily after the interruption. Slowly raising her head, she began explaining her motive for seeking out such an uninviting place. "I am here on behalf of humanity; I…" She stopped, startled to find the individual standing directly in front of her now. The figure appeared to be a handsome man around forty years of age. He had dark hair that fell covering his ears and a goatee. The figure towered over the young woman. "Humans," he uttered with a sound of disdain in his tone. "What reason should I have to care for those who view me as a monster and a scourge upon their lives?"

"Are you the proprietor of this establishment?" Lisa asked.

"Yes," a commanding voice replied. "I am Vlad Tepes; the one spoken of in tales of horror through the years by locals. But, the stories passed down by mortals are mostly fables. The actions I have taken during my time upon this earth cannot be expressed properly with words alone. The title Dracula and the feeling of dread its resonance brings to mortal ears best relates what I am."

"Dracula!" the name repeated itself in the woman's head. Lisa's eyes widened in near disbelief of what she had just heard. Though she was not from Wallachia, or any nearby village, the name of Dracula was well known by most in central Europe as a demon who fed on the souls of men and relished in humanities struggles. Though priding herself a woman of the empirical sciences, Lisa was not foolish enough to ignore the endless possibilities that may lay hidden within the earth which humanity had yet to uncover or could even begin to understand. Dracula was said to have been an immortal being, who was once a man himself. Through some horrid act of blasphemy, he cursed both God and man, binding his soul to this world, shunning the light and embracing the night's darkness, gradually becoming its master. He ruled the domain of shadows. A place where the sun's light and the hope of a new day were absent. Lisa attempted to shake these wild thoughts that filled her mind, so as to strengthen her resolve.

"If you are as wicked as they say and worse still as you claim, why have you tolerated my approach to your residence and my being here now?" Lisa struggled to harden her expression.

Dracula's mouth narrowed and he spoke. "Would you rather I tear your throat out, here and now?" Lisa took a step back, clasping her hands together, as she brought them up to her chest in a subconscious gesture to protect her neck.

His focus sharpened and he turned to face Lisa glaring directly into her eyes. Sounding somewhat annoyed, he spoke, "I do that which brings me pleasure!" He darted behind the woman without her noticing his movements. His voice sounded from a direction unexpected to Lisa, startling her. "You live only because I am intrigued… no man would dare make the pilgrimage you have. A woman with your daring is a novelty among humans. Though, mistaking stupidity for courage has been a common occurrence that has plagued mankind from its inception."

"So, I am alive still due to my own merit, is that correct?" Lisa asked in reply. A downward gaze fell from the castle's master, peering into the eyes of a staunchness he had not witnessed for centuries in a human. Admiration for the valor which exuded from the tone and words uttered by the woman charmed Dracula momentarily. "If you have such disdain for humanity, please, look upon me as an individual separate from the ambitions of mundane men. I come to you pleading for knowledge! A wisdom which could never be accomplished in the short time mortals stay on earth."

Dracula turned his head from the woman's wide eyes, and in a wrathful tone spoke saying, "Witch! You come to me seeking power to aid your selfish ambitions..."

"No!" Lisa exclaimed. "Not at all!" The truth of her motives displaced any fear within her heart. "I was sincere when I said I wished to aid humanity, and though you despise men for whatever reasons you may have, if granted the knowledge I request, I will show you the dawning of a new humanity!" Lisa became embolden by her own words. "A humanity which will breed individuals that even you may admire, in time."

Dracula brought a hand to his face and stared outwardly as if he was peering into the future. A few seconds later, and a reply came from his lips. "This wisdom you seek; how will you use it to aid humanity?" he questioned after turning from the woman. "The use of magick would condemn you as a witch by the very ones whom you wish to help."

"Through practical means," Lisa replied. "Means which other people can understand, so that mankind may educate itself, furthering still their knowledge as time progresses." Lisa elaborated, "There are men of science who are persecuted for seeking out the truth by the church. I am willing to sacrifice my life if need be for the betterment of humanity, but I desire to accomplish something of significance while I am still of this earth!"

"Your science doesn't differ much from the magick I spoke of earlier, in the minds of religious zealots." His back still toward Lisa, Dracula recognized the ambitions she spoke of as sincere, though naïve. "You will be branded a witch and most likely executed." He finished, "And these are the men that you wish to aid in your lifetime?"'

Lisa looked intently at her host, "I have already explained, I desire to aid humanity in a way that will further their wisdom well after I am dead." She admitted that the very ones impeding her progress would likely be the greatest benefactors from the answers she sought, but Lisa kept speaking of humanity and its future. "There will come a day when the repressors of truth will be taken from their seats of power, and in their place will be a science that will benefit all of mankind, trumping preconceived superstitions of the past."

Lisa clutched at her heart as she took her first steps toward the Lord of Darkness. "I swear to you, I have spoken in earnest of my will, and the fact that I am in your presence, traveling here alone, should emphasize the sincerity of my words."

Dracula straightened himself and looked down upon his guest with half closed eyes. "Very well, I will grant your request, as your words have won my favor." With clasped hands, Lisa beamed smiling, wide eyed. Turning his side to her, Dracula continued. "However, do not forget that I do this not for humanity, but for you Lisa _, because it is my will." He began walking toward a door in the direction he was facing. Lisa tagged along, trailing behind slightly. "You are a rarity among your kind; one whose thoughts differ vastly from the selfishness of your mortal counterparts."

Upon reaching the door, Dracula presented a key to the woman. "I have shown you the door to your ambitions. It is up to you to unlock it and discover what lies behind." Taking the key from his outstretched hand, Lisa elatedly expressed her gratitude, thanking her mysterious benefactor.

"Before you turn the key and unlock your possible fate, consider whom it is you are asking this desire from," Dracula warned. Lisa looked steadfast into his eyes without making a sound shortly before speaking. "To me, you are no devil. A fallen angel perhaps, but not the wicked individual I have heard so much about." She placed the key into the lock. "There is a goodness about you that you may not recognize, but I can see it."

She turned the key, and the lock clicked open, after which Dracula replied, "The devil has the power to present himself in many forms. A beacon of light is but one of them." As Lisa reached for the door, Dracula gently grasped Lisa's hand in his icy embrace. "Once you turn that room's handle and step across its threshold, there is no going back."

Lisa took her hands and clutched his with both, stating, "In my mind, it is already too late." She turned the handle and pushed the door open while still holding on to Dracula's frigid grip. In astonishment from the sites she beheld, Lisa stepped into the room without releasing the angel she regarded him as from her hold.