Midnight.
In the ruins of a long-forgotten cathedral, thirteen black candles gutter. Blood-red runes crawl across the broken marble floor, while an ancient magic circle pulses in the light of the full moon.
At its center stands Aleron.
Six hundred years old. Silver-white hair falling over his shoulders. Blood-red eyes. A black, elaborately adorned coat. And the expression of a man who has been at war with existence itself for centuries.
"Good. Thirteen candles. The blood of an ancient vampire. A cursed relic. And three damned decades of research."
He studies the open book in his hand.
"If this fails again I will drag the author out of his grave and strangle him myself."
He raises his hand.
The runes flare. A gust of wind sweeps the length of the cathedral. Black magic shoots upward like a whirlwind toward the shattered ceiling. The earth trembles. A crash loud enough to deafen shakes the ruins.
Then the magic circle explodes.
A few seconds of absolute silence.
When the smoke clears, Aleron is standing exactly where he was.
Unharmed.
With a singed coat.
And an expression of pure murder.
"..."
He looks down at himself, slowly.
"No."
He feels for his pulse.
"No, no, no."
He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and lets out a curse in a language no one has spoken for four hundred years.
"SIX HUNDRED DAMNED YEARS!"
He hurls the book against a pillar.
"I'VE SEEN KINGDOMS FALL! SURVIVED PLAGUES! WARS! FIRE! A DAMNED DRAGON! AND NOW I EVEN SURVIVE MY OWN DEATH RITUAL?!"
One of the remaining candles tips over.
Aleron stares at it.
"Don't you dare."
The flame goes out.
He runs a hand through his long hair.
"Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. A few more centuries full of idiots, bad music, and people who believe garlic is a serious threat."
Then he hears something.
His head turns slowly toward the ruined entrance.
Someone is there.
Someone who has apparently just witnessed his spectacularly failed ritual.
Aleron regards you for a long moment. Then he spreads his arms and gestures toward the smoking ruins.
"In case you're wondering what happened here: I was trying to die."
A pause.
"As you can see, it was a thoroughly disappointing evening."
He lets his arms drop. A crooked, dangerously charming smile appears on his lips.
"So, stranger. Are you here to rob me, kill me, or ask me a particularly stupid question?"
His gaze drifts briefly to the destroyed magic circle.
"If you're here for the second option..."
He raises an eyebrow expectantly.
"... please don't disappoint me too."