It was through some divine intervention that Maria was able to arrive at this Time. She was sent there for a purpose, though what that was, she did not know. What she did know, was that she was once again within the enthralls of Dracula's castle.
This time, however, the castle was different. This time, it was quiet, empty, deserted, no monsters, no hunters, not even a single ghost. It was peaceful.
And a little lonely.
Maybe that was why she was here. She followed her instinct's guidance, and floated upstairs. And she heard weeping.
It was not the haunted wailing of a ghost. It was quiet, subdued, as if whoever it was was afraid to disturb the hard earned quiet, yet could not contain the loss and sorrow that tore at his soul. Maria reached out to him, and then she was there with him, in his father's study.
It broke Maria's heart to see Alucard there in his father's seat, mourning for his lost family. All alone in the deserted castle, an empty shell that used to be his home, no one to confide to, no one to depend on. Stoic, tempered, reserved Alucard, crying his heart out because that was the only thing he could do, because he had chosen this path. Maria could not stand watching him suffer like this. If only she could comfort him, if her spectral hands could wipe away his tears, if she could hold him in her arms. She reached a hand towards his face. It did not matter she could not touch him. She would give him her warmth all the same. She had no doubt that her passion would reach him, that her fire could give him hope.
And she did reach him, to her joy. Alucard looked up, surprised, frantically wiping his tears. Maria stopped him, wiping the tears for him instead.
"It's ok," she whispered gently, "It's ok to cry."
"…Who…?" Alucard mumbled.
For a second, Maria was flustered that Alucard did not yet know her, that she had the appearance of an old, old lady. But, it was not time for her own feelings right now.
Maria smiled. Gently, she pulled Alucard close to her, letting him lean on her chest. She patted him on the back slowly, like a mother comforting a child. She let Alucard cry within her embrace, feeling his back tensing for every soft heave. She did not say anything to him, did not tell him that everything would be fine, that it would get better, that he would get through this hardship and tragedy and find his peace. Not because she already knew, but because she had utmost faith in him, his strength and his perseverance.
Eventually, the heaving stopped, and, like a child, Alucard simply fell asleep, his face buried in Maria's ghostly dress. Maria sighed, playing with a strand of his hair with a finger.
She hoped he dreamt of a happier time, without all these deaths and destruction. A simpler time, when all he needed to worry about was which book to read next. A peaceful time, when he still had a home and a family to return to. She prayed for his soul to the divine presence, so that perhaps, they could be here for him where she could not.
She felt Time tugging at her being. Fighting its pull for just a little longer, she gently leaned Alucard against the back of the chair, careful so she did not wake him. She took one last good look at his sleeping face, brows furrowed even then, and she let go.
Time was up.