Chapter 1

Dr. Edith Barlow sat in her dimly lit study, the flickering light of her desk lamp casting long shadows across the room. The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds, each one bringing her closer to the moment she had been dreading for years. She had always known this day would come, but now that it was here, she felt a strange sense of relief. She picked up the pen and began to write, her hand trembling slightly as she formed the words on the paper. "To whoever finds this letter, know that what I am about to reveal is the truth, no matter how unbelievable it may seem. I have kept this secret for too long, and now, as my time draws near, I feel compelled to share it. The man you know as John Oldman is not what he appears to be. He is not a man at all. He is something far older, far more mysterious. He is... immortal."