Ludwig approached slowly, boots shifting across the withered vinework that covered the stone like an organic veil, the platform beneath his feet barely holding firm under the weight of what loomed above. The vampire stood at the center, her back turned to him, unmoving, but her posture held a dissonant stillness. There was no alertness in the way she stood, no defensive rigidity. She was neither braced for combat nor relaxed. She seemed caught somewhere between memory and trance, like a revenant caught in a dream it no longer understood. Ludwig lifted a hand and waved gently before her face.
"Hello," he said, voice low, not out of caution but out of respect for the gravity settling in the air.
