Shouting echoes down into the bunker. Screams and gunfire pierce the cold air. Swarms of goblins flee deeper down into the cavern, retreating from humanity. But the dark lord Thamiezel pays no attention to humanity's assault. He is focused on a tool, a pink gem he has retrieved from a new servant. He focuses his dark power on the gem and finds it gives power to his memories. Memories he has long discarded, now brought back to the forefront of his mind.

"My sister's family… I thought I got rid of those memories… strange toy."

He concentrates on the gem. It allows him to see farther into his past. Farther than he should ever be able to. He smiles sadly, seeing memories of days long forgotten. Two toddlers run amok in the back yard, barely three years old and already getting on each other's nerves.

"They're… me and Mabel… I didn't think I could remember… being so young."

The memories continue moving down into the past. He sees things he knows he never could have seen. He sees his family before he existed. His father awkwardly chatting with his mother, attempting to ask her out. He sees his mother as a young girl, playing with her childhood friends. A loud gunshot echoes into the cavern, distracting Thamiezel. He is dragged from the memories by the first wave of human soldiers. They surround him, armed with guns loaded with silver bullets and energy weapons. The vampire rolls his eyes and turns around, far more interested in the mysterious gem.

"You're distracting me. Please stop." Thamiezel calmly states. The commander of the task force aims for the vampire and fires. Thamiezel groans, more irritated than damaged. He turns around, facing his enemies with a delirious smile.

"Alright. You have my attention."

The task force unloads their weaponry on the vampire. His body is shredded and mangled into bloody, smeared chunks. With his flesh destroyed, the soldiers press farther into the caverns. But their attention is now away from the dark king. The remains of Thamiezel group together and lash out with jagged pieces of his ribcage. The bones impale several of the soldiers. They turn around and begin firing on the vampiric mass. Intestines become vines, wrapping around the necks of the human forces. The sounds of screaming echo around the cavern before coming to a stop. Only one human has been spared. Thamiezel's broken body reforms. He smirks at the small mortal before him. Thamiezel takes the memory stone. He looks at the survivor, and then glances at the gem.

"I wonder… it seems you're in luck. You get to be my guinea pig!"

Thamiezel laughs as he approaches the terrified man. He grabs the soldier, no older than thirty, and presses the memory gem to the human's forehead. Thamiezel's prey begins to convulse as the dark lord begins to look back on his own memories. And he finds that the soldier, even though his mind is burning, can see Thamiezel's memories. Thamiezel looks farther back. He watches as his great grandfather brings two young twins into the world, Stanley and Stanford. Thamiezel sees as his great grandfather is born to a pair of immigrants from Poland. And Thamiezel continues pressing farther and farther until the memory stone begins to rebel against Thamiezel's mind, almost as if it is denying him access to the secrets within. Thamiezel smiles into the eyes of his guinea pig, now foaming at the mouth and shaking uncontrollably.

"I think it's time for a new test. What do you think Mr., uh, Soldier?"

Thamiezel is given incoherent muttering in response. The vampire giggles as he attempts to use the memory gem to look through the mind of the soldier. Thamiezel discovers the name of the soldier. Jeffrey, born twenty-seven years ago. The dark lord pries open Jeffrey's mind. He discovers all there is to know through the power of the memory gem. He looks farther back in Jeffrey's history. Farther than anyone alive could possibly know. He sees Jeffrey's ancestor in Ancient China. He sees another, one of the earliest humans, travel from the lush forests of Africa into the unknown. And as Thamiezel goes farther back, to the point where humanity can barely be considered sapient, the gem again begins to rebel, driving the vampire out. He takes the memory stone within his body, hiding it away from the world.

"Funny little toy… and as for you, Jeffrey, I'm in need of a snack. Looks like you're on the menu."

Thamiezel laughs as he digs into Jeffrey's neck, devouring the human, giving no more thought to the memory gem as it becomes buried within the vampiric lord, waiting to be unveiled again.