The Witch's Story

"Mr. Barnabas..."

"Lord Jesus, reveal to me a heart of prayer. Touch me with Your hand and make me strong and courageous in all things..."

"Mr. Barnabas..."

"You are my salvation, the source of my life. In You are joy and hope; even when I walk in darkness, Your light shines forever..."

Salomon let out a long breath.

He gave up. He felt that the vampire before him might have something wrong with his head. If the local legends and the facts he had investigated were correct, this vampire had likely been locked in a coffin and buried underground for over two hundred years. A few mental issues would only be natural. He looked toward the Collins family seated on the sofa opposite him. They showed no reaction to the vampire's behavior and even served Salomon cookies. Even Caroline, who had a distinctly wild air about her, had relaxed and was idly picking at her nails.

Only David Collins tried to stop Barnabas, but he was dragged into praying as well.

"Young Master David," the vampire said, "I have sold my soul to the Devil. Now only prayer can raise me to Heaven."

"Does he... often do this?" Salomon declined the dessert offered by the Collins family. He pointed at his own head and asked them.

"Often. Whenever Victoria is absent, he becomes like this." Elizabeth, her hair entirely silver, did not mind Salomon refusing the food. She told him solemnly, "Before you came, many people had visited our home claiming they could help lift our curse. It was only when our ancestor appeared before us that we learned the curse was real."

"The Dark Magic in that book can only be countered by the corresponding methods in the Book of Vishanti." Salomon shook his head. "But, Ms. Elizabeth, my purpose is to find that book—or rather, the papers or books that copied down that knowledge. That is my goal."

"I can help you." Barnabas sprang up from the floor and sat beside Salomon in a gust of cold air, moving with astonishing speed. "Angie's collections have become relics and are kept in the museum, but this is Port Collins. The Collins family built it. I can help you obtain those things, but..."

"Relics?" Salomon asked. "That is my first question. Where is Angelique Bouchard?"

"She is dead." Barnabas pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and rested both hands on his cane, his fingers twitching restlessly. "She died here, beneath her own curse."

Seeing Salomon's puzzled expression, Barnabas began telling the story of his past. "This was my fault," the vampire said.

It began in 1750. Joshua Collins and Naomi Collins brought their youngest son, Barnabas Collins—the vampire pointed to himself—and traveled from the United Kingdom to the United States in pursuit of a better life. They established their own fishing empire in a small coastal town in Maine and named the place after themselves—Port Collins.

"Collins Manor was built then as well." The vampire gestured around them. "Though not this one. This was renovated later, as I believe you know. The original Collins Manor took fifteen years to build, and twenty years later, I had grown up."

Barnabas Collins was wealthy and powerful, but he was also a womanizer by habit, until one day he made a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life. At this point, the vampire stood and raised one hand as if knocking on something.

"I fell in love with a beauty named Josette DuPres." Pain filled Barnabas's face. "But I broke Angelique Bouchard's heart because I could not marry her."

Barnabas still remembered the gloomy weather that day and the piercing cold wind blowing in from the sea. That day, Angie controlled Josette and made her leap from the cliff, crashing onto the rocks by the shore. Barnabas was devastated and jumped after her.

"But she cursed me to suffer a fate more miserable than death!" The vampire waved his arms agitatedly and paced through the living room, his hurried footsteps and leather shoes clacking endlessly against the marble floor. "Until the icy seawater woke me. When I came to on the rocks, I found Josette lying beside me. Her corpse had already gone cold, while my fingers had become incredibly sharp and blood flowed from my eyes. Like a demon from Hell descending upon the world, I saw the witch standing atop the mountain, cursing me aloud! I was unbearably thirsty. No matter how much water I drank, I could not suppress that craving. I could never appear in sunlight again. Angelique cursed me into becoming a vampire, so that my suffering would never end."

"I believe you know what happened next. Angelique led villagers carrying torches to Collins Manor. She accused me of being a demon, and the villagers sealed me in a coffin and buried me underground." The vampire's tone slowed. "Two hundred years later, I was dug up and returned here."

"At the time, only Elizabeth believed who I was. Of course, it was not because my portrait happened to hang in the living room." The vampire pointed to the wall, where his portrait hung. It was one of the few things to escape the fire. "Until one day, a governess named Victoria Winters came to Collins Manor."

According to Barnabas, Victoria looked exactly like Josette. After returning to the family, he sold off the family's treasured valuables and restored the Collins family's fortunes. At the same time, he and Victoria developed feelings for each other. Everything was so wonderful.

"But your exact words were that she had the most fertile hips you had ever seen." Caroline showed no mercy in embarrassing her ancestor. Barnabas, however, ignored her.

"But! That witch! Angelique Bouchard learned that I had awakened!" The vampire grew agitated again. "The Angel Bay she founded controlled most of Port Collins's fishing industry, leaving the Collins family unable to make ends meet! She extended her hatred to the Collins family and wanted to drive the Collins bloodline onto the streets! That was something I could not tolerate! After I awoke, she even wanted to repeat upon Victoria what she had once done to Josette! That vicious woman!"

"In short, when she tried to use the same methods as before to incite the residents and police into arresting me, we fought. Her skin shattered like glass, and Collingwood Manor caught fire as a result. The Collins family's most important property was reduced to ashes."

"She died," Salomon said. "And yet you are standing here."

"Yes. She pulled out her own heart, a heart like pink glass, covered in cracks." Barnabas said in a low voice. "I watched with my own eyes as her heart shattered into fragments. She became like a doll, completely motionless."

"What an interesting story, Mr. Barnabas." While quietly raising his guard, Salomon pulled several printed sheets from the small pouch at his waist. He smiled at the vampire. "Then could you tell me which murder cases were committed by you?"

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Good morning!