Prior to his death, legendary vampire hunter, abraham van helsing, began the establishment of three unique academies to train vampire hunters. he never lived to see them completed. with his dying breath, van helsing uttered a prophecy that stated that one day a student would arise from one of the academies and this student would be the greatest vampire hunter of them all. to date, that prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. ethan, a small, timid, and clumsy orphan, is seen by many of his instructors as the worst student ever to be trained by any of the academies. few expect him live long enough to graduate let alone enter the trade. this all changes when he is the sole survivor of a group of vampire hunters that are ambushed by a vampire prince and his nest. the fact that the youth manages to survive the massacre is nothing short of a miracle. alan spangler is the head physician of the van helsing academy located at lexington, kentucky. after he and a group of physicians interview and observe the youth, he becomes convinced that the youth is the prophetic "chosen one" and begins an investigation into the youth's background. as his investigation expands, alan finds that there is more to the youth than meets the eye. before the doctor can test his theory, ethan and dozens of other hunters are sent on a suicide mission to destroy a vampire prince and his nest.