Excellent. I trust your judgement, then.

[Then, as an afterthought:]

In fiction on my homeworld, we have a similar phenomenon called "vampirism". The concept is effectively the same, with some artistic license and poetic flair added throughout the ages, as authors are inclined to do. For example, I doubt you could be classified as "undead", nor would religious artifacts send you hissing into the night.

Ah, but that is me searching for common ground. Your condition is based in reality, while vampires are purely fictional.