On 34th Street in New York, a castle stood proudly along the wide roadside, its towering structure impossible to ignore. Though it didn't reach the sheer scale of Xavier's mansion, it was still more than enough to leave ordinary people stunned if they ever laid eyes on it. The architecture alone carried an oppressive grandeur, as if it had been planted there not just to exist, but to dominate its surroundings.
Unlike Xavier's estate, however, this place radiated something far older, something heavier. The air around it felt steeped in age, as though the building had absorbed decades—maybe centuries—of silent history. It wasn't just a residence. It felt like something that had endured, something that had watched the world change and remained untouched.
"Ryan… is this really the place you were talking about?" Hank asked, staring up at the seemingly endless structure with wide eyes. His glasses caught the light as he tilted his head back, and for a moment, he looked like he might forget how to blink.
"Ryan, you're just like Charles, huh?" Raven added, equally stunned. "You've been hiding this the whole time."
Even if the castle wasn't quite as massive as Xavier's mansion, owning something like this in the middle of New York wasn't something an ordinary person could pull off. In their minds, Ryan suddenly became a mystery all over again.
All this time, they had thought he was just like them.
"Well," Hank said, adjusting his glasses as a flicker of excitement crept into his expression, "if we're staying here, I'm not complaining. There are a lot of trees around this place too."
Only after he mentioned it did Raven truly take notice.
The entire estate was practically buried in greenery. Trees surrounded the castle from every direction, not just in expected places but in spots that made no architectural sense. Some grew dangerously close to the structure itself, their branches stretching high and wide.
And they weren't new.
Every single one of them had clearly been there for years, thick trunks and towering canopies forming a dense natural barrier. When viewed as a whole, it wasn't just landscaping—it was a forest.
A forest that blocked out light.
"It looks like whoever owns this place really loves nature," Raven said with a half-smile, though there was a faint edge of discomfort in her tone. "But don't you think it's a little… creepy?"
Creepy?
That was the whole point.
Ryan almost laughed, but he held it in. Clearly, both of them had misunderstood the situation completely. He had never intended to live here. This wasn't a home—it was a target.
A nest.
A stronghold occupied by vampires.
Living here? Not a chance. The place looked like it existed in a permanent twilight, where day and night blurred into one endless stretch of dimness. Spending too long here would probably mess with anyone's head.
"Come on," Ryan said casually, motioning for them to follow as he started toward the main entrance. "Let's go inside. Time to show you something interesting."
"I'm already curious," Raven replied, her eyes lighting up with anticipation as she stepped forward.
Hank didn't say much, but the way he straightened slightly made it obvious he was just as intrigued.
"Before we go in," Ryan added, glancing back at them with a faint smirk, "you should know—what lives here isn't human."
"Not human?" Hank froze for a second, then his voice rose in surprise. "You mean… mutants?"
As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at Raven, confusion written all over his face. The idea that Ryan knew of another mutant gathering point caught him completely off guard.
Ryan shook his head slightly.
"Not exactly. If we're being precise…" He paused briefly, as if choosing his words. "They're more like bloodsucking monsters."
That answer only made things more confusing.
Raven and Hank exchanged a look, both clearly trying to process what he meant. Neither of them could quite connect the dots.
Ryan didn't elaborate further. Instead, he walked up to the entrance and pressed the doorbell.
A sharp chime echoed through the quiet surroundings.
Then they waited.
And waited.
Nearly five minutes passed before the door finally opened.
A figure emerged, completely concealed beneath a dark robe. A hood covered his head, and a black scarf obscured his face, leaving nothing visible except a pair of wary eyes.
"This is private property," the man said coldly, his tone sharp and unwelcoming. "Leave immediately."
There was no attempt at politeness. No curiosity. Just hostility.
"Private property?" Ryan repeated calmly, nodding as if in agreement. "Of course. This is my private property."
The man in the robe went silent.
For a brief moment, he simply stared, as if trying to process what he had just heard.
Then a single thought crossed his mind.
This guy is insane.
"Don't make me repeat myself," the robed man snapped, his patience clearly gone. "Get out. Now."
Ryan didn't respond with words.
Instead, his eyes flashed.
A searing beam of heat shot forward instantly, striking the man's arm with terrifying precision.
"Ahh—!"
The robed figure staggered back, nearly collapsing as a scream tore from his throat. He clutched his arm, the pain immediate and overwhelming.
Looking down, he saw the damage.
The flesh was burned deeply, charred in a way that didn't make sense.
Because it wasn't healing.
For a vampire, regeneration should have kicked in immediately. But instead of recovering, the wound continued to worsen, as if something was actively destroying his body from within.
"W-Who are you?" the man demanded, fear now replacing his earlier arrogance.
"When we first met, you didn't know who I was," Ryan said flatly. "So I'll let that slide. But if there's a next time, I won't be so generous."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"I'll put two holes straight through you."
Without waiting for a response, Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, tossing it toward the man.
"Take this," he said. "Give it to whoever's in charge here."
The robed man caught it instinctively, his hands trembling just slightly. He glanced down at the object, examining it carefully.
At first glance, it looked ordinary.
But instinct told him otherwise.
There was nothing ordinary about the person standing in front of him, and anything that came from someone like that couldn't be dismissed lightly.
"P-Please… wait here for a moment," he said cautiously, no longer daring to show any disrespect.
"Five minutes," Ryan replied coldly. "That's all you get. Go over that, and you deal with the consequences."
The man visibly flinched.
He didn't waste another second. Turning quickly, he disappeared back inside, his pace noticeably faster than before.
Once he was gone, Raven and Hank immediately turned to Ryan, their expressions filled with confusion.
Nothing about what just happened made sense.
"Ryan… what exactly is going on here?" Raven finally asked, unable to hold it in any longer.
Ryan didn't keep them guessing this time.
"Simple," he said with a casual shrug. "There's a vampire clan living here. Actual vampires—the kind that survive on blood."
The words landed like a shockwave.
"Vampires?" Hank repeated, his eyes widening behind his glasses.
Raven looked just as stunned.
Creatures like that… they were supposed to be myths. Stories. Fiction.
And yet Ryan was talking about them like they were just another everyday problem.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
"Raven, Hank," Ryan continued, a faint, knowing smile forming on his face, "this world is a lot bigger than you think. And a lot more dangerous."
His tone carried a quiet certainty.
"You'll see more of it soon enough."
Because this was the world of Marvel.
Vampires were nothing.
Compared to what was coming, they barely even counted.
The age of superheroes was just beginning, and once it truly kicked into motion, things would spiral fast. Sentinel programs, ancient mutants rising again, alien forces stepping onto Earth—none of it was far away anymore.
And when that storm hit…
The world would never be the same.
.....
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