The sun rose over the horizon on the morning of October 28, bringing light to an archaeological site in Bucharest. The castle of Vlad Tepes III, more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler cast a long dark shadow on the site, filling the locals with fear. The superstitions of the locals were snubbed off by the dig site's team of archaeologists; they had more important matters to deal with, like following a lead into the origins of the creatures that entwined itself into modern occult knowledge. For this venture, no place seemed more perfect than the epicenter of the lore itself. The team's leader, a renowned anthropologist named Prof. Edmond Stoker, distant descendant of the famous novelist Bram Stoker, had been struggling to get this expedition under way for nigh on fifteen years. He was on the verge of quitting, when one morning he'd received a visit from a mysterious man who represented the Queen of England's Knights of the Round Table. With the man was a map leading to a location in Bucharest where an ancient inscription had been located, and where the locals feared to approach. The professor was excited by this and immediately contacted his team, telling them that if they were to make head way on this project, so they took off on the earliest flight to the former kingdom of Wallachia, now Romania, to begin looking for their "find of the millennium."
The morning sun brought with it a sight that made the citizens of Bucharest cringe in fear, the team's supply runners had gone to the town and to their surprise, the shops were closed and boarded up and no one would come out. Upon their return to the dig site, the runners made the report to Prof. Edmond, "It was like they were afraid the Nosferatu was going to get them, if they ever came out." said one of the runners.
"Never seen anything like it in the months we've been here, Professor." Said the other runner, "They were scared something awful."
"Then we've got to make the next twenty-four hours count," Prof. Edmond said, "we've got to see what lies behind those etchings in the mountainside."
At that moment, one of the archaeologists who'd been up all night examining the etchings came running in yelling excitedly, "Prof. Stoker, you've got to see this, I don't know why I didn't see this before now."
"Wait, slow down, Carter," The Professor said putting his hands on the younger man's shoulders, "what on earth are you talking about?"
"Come with me, sir," Carter Alexander, the 16 year old archaeology intern said, "it's something you need to see firsthand, I promise you will not be disappointed." Carter led the professor to the site of the etchings, "Do you remember what you said about the left section of the etchings not making much sense?"
The Edmond sighed, "Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that, my boy. I racked my mind for hours. It's all gibberish to me, what about it?"
"Well, sir," Carter said as he reached toward the vines covering most of the section of the etchings, "if you move these vines out of the way, you can make out the rest of the message you could see before."
The Professor was in awe, "Oh my God," He approached the section he thought had eroded away over time, "Carter, you've done it, by God, you've done it, this is remarkable." He started laughing.
"You're welcome, sir." Carter replied smiling.
"I must inform Sir Integra of this," The Professor ran to his tent and grabbed his satellite phone and dialed the number, "Yes, put me through to Sir Integra of Hellsing Manor, this is Prof. Edmond Andrew Stoker, tell her it's urgent."
The sun was morning light was beginning to peak over the horizon of the English countryside. Around six o'clock in the morning, the first light of dawn shone into the office of Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, leader of a secret organization dedicated to keeping enemies of the Queen and the Church of England who were considered of supernatural qualities. Sir Integra, a member of Her Majesty's Protestant Knights of the Round Table had been in charge of the Hellsing Organization since her father passed away some thirty-nine years before now; she was undeniably strong willed and strong headed but at the same time she was loyal to the Church of England and the Queen giving her the top seat of the Covenant of Twelve. She spent her days since a near cataclysmic attack mobilized by a group of malevolent creatures of darkness in her office, and let her two subordinates do all of the field work. She was taking a sip of her morning tea when suddenly, her phone rang, she picked up the receiver and answered, "Yes, this is Sir Integra of Hellsing Manor, who might I ask is calling?"
"Ah, Sir Hellsing, it's me, Prof. Stoker," Said a voice on the other end.
"Professor, I didn't expect to hear from you until this evening," Integra said sounding mildly surprised, "How is the expedition, or has it been all for naught, like the Covenant stated?" She started taking another sip of her tea.
"We found something in the etchings, a lost passage in European history, dating back to before Vlad Tepes I, it's rather extraordinary; it tells of an ancient order of vampires and a monster whose power surpassed even that of Count Dracula."
Integra stopped mid-sip, "Are you certain you weren't misinterpreting the etchings, Professor?" She asked after she calmed herself.
"My intern, strange as it may seem," The Professor replied, "can interpret them better than I can, here he is."
"Hello… er, Sir Integra," A younger voice, an Irish dialogue spoke through the receiver, "my… my name is Carter, Carter Alexander, it's about the etchings."
"Listen, boy," Integra said raising her tone, "You only have my attention because these etchings hold a history of the occult that predate the reign of Dracula, now speak or our business here is through!"
Carter's tone shifted as well, "In that case, listen carefully, because I detest repeating myself!" He barked back into the receiver.
"There's no need to shout, boy," Integra said as she took another sip of tea, "you have my attention. Proceed with your findings."
"Thank you," Carter said straightening his glasses, "now the etchings depict a sort of ancient blood feud between two families of the upper class. One family had a great army whose power and training rivaled the Roman Empire, and one who prided themselves in their knowledge of the occult, much like your family, if you'll forgive my saying ma'am."
Integra's look softened into a shallow grin, "Please continue, Mr. Carter." She said taking a grabbing a cigar and lighting it.
"Well, it says that in order to come to par with the opposing family, they summoned a dark creature of unimaginable power." Carter explained.
"Creature," Integra asked taking the cigar from her mouth, "what sort of creature?"
"A vampire," Carter replied, "a monster that was nigh on invincible from what I can make out from these etchings."
"I've never seen any records of a vampire that old before," Integra said before taking a drag on her cigar, "is there any information on this creature, how much blood from its victims did it drain after it became a vampire?"
"That's the thing, it was not a human turned vampire," Carter replied as he felt his legs start to shake from the oncoming realization of what the etchings described, "it was born of darkness itself, it had no emotion, it slaughtered many, but it drained no blood. It says..." He nearly dropped the satellite phone as his body froze in sheer horror.
"It says what," Integra asked impatiently, "what did it feast on? Answer me, Carter Alexander! That's an…" She was cut off.
"… It says that this vampire consumed human life force." Carter shuddered in an audible whisper.
Integra could not believe what Carter had said, a vampire feasting on a human's life force, instead of blood? Could such a monstrosity have really existed back then? "Carter, hand the phone back to the professor, thank you for telling me what etchings described, if there's any more information within them write them down and hand them to me when you get back to England with the professor. Is that understood?"
Carter breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes ma'am, thank you."
Carter handed the phone to the professor, "Yes, Sir Integra?"
"Professor, I know you've stumbled up the find of the millennium, but you and your team need to get back here to Hellsing Manor as soon as possible. I think we've collected enough information on this find." Integra said sharply.
The professor could hardly believe his ears, after sixteen-and-a-half years of searching, he'd finally found what he'd only dreamed about, and just as he was going to go further, he gets called back to England by his benefactor. "Yes, Sir Hellsing."
That night, the team had flown away to Hellsing Manor; they were all disappointed yet at the same time glad to have left the site. That night the full moon rose high into the air, above where the sight had been. Pale blue moonbeams passed through a shaft into a chamber hidden from the archaeologists and hit a strange site, a skeleton from ancient times bound in heavy iron chains with the mouth opened wide permanently locked in a state of eternal pain. The light of the moon on this night had an odd effect, as it passed through the shaft it seemed to have gotten brighter the further down into the darkness as they hit the hidden chamber, the shadows themselves started to whisper. The sound echoed and began crescendo. The air outside began to churn and the still air changed into a terrifying wind that swirled, the echoes from the chamber soon wove themselves into the wind and carried for miles into the nearby town. The night became sleepless as the echoing whispers changed to an echoing wail that woke all of the people of the neighboring village. The noise echoed and carried with the wind as clouds from miles away began swirling over the chamber leaving an opening around the moon.
In the chamber, the shadows began slowly creeping toward the chained skeleton, the moon light seeping in through the crack in the rocks became filled with small streams of wispy, white light the swirled around the edges of the room, the floor of the chamber started glowing a deep crimson, the chains started to rattle and crack until they shattered. The shadows, white wisps, and dark red light began to bind to the bones of the skeleton, engulfing them and the altar where they lay.
Within seconds, the surface of the altar became covered in a large, black and red mass of dark ooze that echoed with an eerie breathing sound. Suddenly, out of the middle of the blob, a body began to take shape and rose from the middle of the mass. When the figure had fully solidified itself, it reared its head back and let out an unearthly shriek that echoed as far as the wind would carry it.
Carter woke up; he had gotten tired back at the air port in Europe and slept until half-way through the flight. He grabbed his note book out of his bag and started looking over the information he'd gathered, he had to make sure all of what he'd written down was accurate, an intern didn't claw their way up the rungs of the archeological ladder without making sure that the facts they presented to their superiors was completely checked. He groaned, "The rest of the etchings depicting the legend of that ancient vampire were easy to decipher," He looked around the private plane Hellsing had left for him and the team in Europe, "ugh, at this rate I'll be stuck a worthless intern forever."
Carter looked at his notes and pulled out his laptop and powered it up, he began arranging the photos so he could view the entire etching, as he looked at them more, he heard a voice in his head, You'll never be anything if you don't put all of yourself into your work, boy.
"Huh?" Carter looked around the plane, he was the only one still awake, "is anyone there?" he asked.
The voice laughed, Interesting, so you can hear me. It said, Before you ask, no, you're not crazy. You seem to be in quite the predicament, mind if I enlighten you on a few things?
"Look if you're going to address me, at least let me see you." Carter grumbled under his breath.
The voice merely laughed again, As you wish, you're lucky that your strength and the smell of your blood shares the same qualities as that of my master's. "How's this?" It asked coming from the seat across from Carter.
Carter turned and jumped with a slight yelp. The voice came from a man around his thirties; he was wearing a red dress coat, a red wide-brimmed hat, orange lensed glasses, a black dress suit with a crimson neck tie, and white gloves with a pentagram on the top of each one. "Where did you come from?" He asked shivering with fear.
"Because," The man said, "due to recent events in my life, I now posses the ability to be everywhere, and nowhere all at the same time, but that is a story I don't wish to bore you with." He looked at the notebook next to Carter, "I see you've gathered quite a lot of information over the first type of vampire."
"Yes," Carter said, "I've looked over everything I gathered from the sight we were at, in Bucharest, there's no description of the vampire, no known weaknesses, aside from the obvious aversion to sun light."
The man smiled, he obviously had a connection to the country in question, Carter could tell this by the look in his eyes, "I haven't heard that name in so long," he said, "hearing it brings back so many memories."
Suddenly the captain came over the intercom, "Gentlemen, we will be touching down in London shortly, please remember to pack up your belongings and enjoy your stay in England."
"Looks like we'll be landing soon…" Carter looked up and the mysterious figure had vanished, "Terrific," he groaned, "now I'm getting delirious, either that or I'm schizophrenic." He began packing his research up and putting them into the designated folders and put the folders in his trunk. He looked at his reflection in the window near his seat, his eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep, his state of exhaustion would explain what he saw in the past five minutes, but not why he had taken part in a civilized conversation with whatever it was, "Maybe I wasn't dreaming," The thought of this being a possibility made him laugh at himself, "No, there's no way I could have been awake for that, it's not logical."
"What's not logical, my boy?" Professor Stoker asked as he entered into the cabin.
"That what's depicted on the etchings at the sight can possibly be real." Carter replied, "I mean, really? Vampires don't exist. They're part of a terrible allergic reaction to sunlight that caused people to be immolated if they stepped outside in open daylight."
"You'd be surprised," the Professor Stoker said, "I used to think the same thing, and then I met The Hellsing Family's late patriarch Sir Arthur Hellsing, Sir Integra's father, God rest him." He chuckled a bit, "Poor man, all of the knowledge of the occult and paranormal and his untimely sickness took him from the world. His daughter, Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, was left the entirety of the Hellsing Organization. Her uncle, Richard Hellsing, unfortunately didn't approve, so he threatened to end Sir Integra's life. Strangely, Richard turned up missing several days later, he was never found and all those who knew just put it in the back of their minds and Integra never spoke of it again." He smirked, "I couldn't have imagined a person like Richard taking over Hellsing, not with Integra and her punctuality. When she took over the Hellsing Organization, she began learning the purpose of the Organization."
"What purpose is that, Professor?" Carter asked, still trying to process all of this information and the findings from the expedition.
"You'll find out soon, my boy." The Professor smiled, "I promise you, you will find out soon."
The plane landed and the Professor and Carter packed into a car waiting at the air field for them, the Professor never expected such treatment from a member of a prestigious order as The Roundtable Conference. He turned to his second in command, "It appears I'll be meeting you at Hellsing Manor, can you manage without me, Doctor Gray?"
Doctor Charles Gray, formerly of the British Museum of Natural History's Anthropology Department, nodded, "No worries, Professor," he said, "I'll handle things here, you should be more concerned on meeting Sir Hellsing, I hear she detests being kept waiting."
"Thank you, my friend." He turned to Carter, "Come along, my boy, or I'll leave you here with the Dr. Aussie."
Dr. Gray simply laughed, "Clever, Professor," he wiped a tear from his eye, "haven't heard anything that funny from you since I left my home in Sydney."
The Professor and Carter arrived at Hellsing Manor, after a half-hour ride, they were escorted out of the car and into the main room of the mansion by one of the members of Sir Integra's security force, they were met by Sir Integra and two others, one was a young woman around the age of nineteen with blonde hair, red eyes, and a red police girl uniform. The other figure made Carter's eyes widen in shock, he wore the same clothes as the mysterious figure he'd seen on the plane, when he spoke an ice-cold chill raced up Carter's spine, "Well, we meet again, Carter Alexander, did you enjoy your flight?" Carter had nearly fainted from the shock. He just stood there, gawking at the figure in red. "Are you listening to me? I asked you if you enjoyed your flight after our little chat." His tone became mildly threatening as his eyes narrowed, "Answer me."
"Yes, it was interesting, sir." Carter managed to say. As best he could tell, the man in red's face lightened in tone, from a cold and stern look that thickened the air with fear, to a much gentler grin with the his canine teeth looking most prominent even in the dimly lit foyer. "By the way," Carter swallowed before continuing, "Might I ask, what your name is, sir?"
Integra gave a small grin, "Please excuse me, for not introducing my two attendants earlier," she motioned toward the young police girl, "This young looking girl is my head of security and one of my most trusted guardians, Seras Victoria."
Seras smiled and playfully saluted at the boy, "it's a pleasure to meet you, mister…"
"Carter, marm," The boy shyly said, "Carter Alexander."
Seras closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. "I look forward to getting to know you."
"S-same to you, marm," Carter grinned nervously.
Integra cleared her throat, "Moving on," she directed to Carter's attention to the man in red, "this man you've all ready met, Mr. Alexander," She paused as the man seemed to sigh in an almost primal fashion with his grin widening slightly his eyes widening behind his glasses, "This my protector, the greatest achievement of the Hellsing Organization's Paranormal Research Department and crown glory of the Hellsing family. Known by many as the Nosferatu, I give you… the vampire Alucard."
Alucard removed his glasses and hat and bowed to the two men, "It's a pleasure to meet both of you." He said in a solemn tone, "Welcome to Hellsing."
In Bucharest, the village that had been the main supply depot for Carter's expedition looked more like the aftermath of a war zone, broken boards and shattered glass littered the streets, the buildings were empty, and only the bones of the citizens remained. Only a few scared children and a young woman were left, "Ce facem? Aceste lucruri sunt peste tot. (What do we do? Those things are everywhere.)" A boy named Erik asked.
"Nu știu, Erik. Doresc acest lucru a fost doar un vis. (I don't know, Erik. I wish this was all a dream.)" The young woman, Julia said, "Oricare ar fi cauza a acestui fapt este, eu nu l-ar dori pe chiar mai rau dusman al meu. (Whatever the cause of this is, I wouldn't wish it on even my worst enemy.)"
A sudden flash of movement and insect-like growling from a nearby alleyway startled them. A small boy named Viktor clutched Julia's arm. "Vreau ca mama mea, Julia. (I want my mother, Julia.)" He whimpered.
"Știu, Viktor, știu. (I know, Viktor, I know.)" Julia comforted him. The growling and chattering of inhuman voices came from around the corner. Julia motioned for the three children, Viktor, Erik, and Anastasia, to be silent until the creatures passed. Julia peaked her head around the corner, she saw one of the creatures, all it looked like was a human silhouette with blood red eyes and no mouth; that she could see. She turned her head back to the wall opposite her and motioned for more silence. She looked back again, and the creature tilted its head back and a long jaw emitting a crimson glow opened below its eyes and let out a shrill, piercing howl that made the group's blood run cold.
Julia felt a tear slowly flow down her cheek. Once more, she slowly turned her head to the wall opposite her and wiped the tear from her cheek. She fought hard and silenced the urge to either cry or scream. If it was just her, she would have screamed in fear and alerted the specter to her presence. But, she kept quiet; she couldn't put her fear in front of the lives of three small children. She had no choice, but to fight through her terror and make sure that they lived. A voice from around the corner caught her attention, "Is there anyone left, my minion?" The creature shook its head, "Shame," said the voice, "I still hunger for more, but no matter." He continued walking, "Come, the sun will be rising soon, and I have yet to siphon enough life to ward off the accursed sun."
Julia got a good look at the voice's source, a tall young man with pale skin, black hair, and black red-rimmed eyes. He was dressed in rags with thick rusted shackles on his wrists, and broken two-inch thick chains. The lighting that night had been poor, but Julia could see the man wasn't healthy looking. He looked malnourished, sleep deprived, and starved almost to death. Julia knew in her mind that this thing, regardless of its appearance, was pure evil. It had scars; stab wounds, lacerations, and its left hand looked like it had been broken. She'd heard her mother talk about the horrible vampire, the Nosferatu, and how in his mortal life he'd impaled thousands of victims, and in his immortal afterlife he'd drained twice as many to satisfy his thirst. This monster Julia saw through the corner of her eye made the Nosferatu seem like a child's dream. She felt the evil radiating off of the mystery man like heat from an open flame. "Trebuie doarsăstea departe devedere, nupotlăsaacești copiicadpradăacestormonștri, te rog, Doamneda-miputere (I just need to stay out of sight, I can't let these children fall prey to those monsters. Please, God give me strength)."
The creature sniffed the air, he looked around and caught a glimpse of Julia, but he didn't chace after her. Instead he smiled and walked the road west, "No, I won't chase you, child," he said to himself, "after all, someone has to tell the world that it's darkest nightmare has returned." He laughed as he walk into the morning mists, sheilding him from the Sun's rays. At this time, it was apparent, evil had returned to the world, and it was ready to unleash an unrefined breed of hell in its wake.