CHAPTER 2

A black fog had fallen over the World Tree forest during the early morn of that same day; yet it went completely unnoticed, as if it didn't exist at all. The fear it contained still drove all who entered the forest to run, however. The atmosphere within felt of death and despair and the air tasted of rotten flesh and curdled blood. To all with any magical aptitude, it would not sound far-fetched to hear that the Reaper himself now hid within. Even the wildlife had fled.

So…The young princess seems to have regained her composure. Good…I would hate to see such talent go to waste…

A figure darted eloquently between trees, lightly following the path that his quarries were taking as he kept a close watch on them. There was and occasional red glare that caught Asuna's attention once or twice, causing her to look over into the forest; but she couldn't see anything. "Yo. What are you looking at, Asuna-san?" Asuna was quiet for a second, her eyes scanning the trees and finding nothing. "It's nothing. I thought I saw something, that's all." She had lied. It was more than just that. She knew that she saw something, and she could feel it watching her even now. It was a dreadful feeling. Not like a crush sneaking loving glances at you, but more like a sniper about execute you. There was a dark intent behind it, and this whole thing made her feel uncomfortable. She wondered to herself where Negi had vanished to. Of all the times for him to vanish, he had to disappear when they needed him most.

So, she tries to assist a fellow classmate. One weak enough to succumb to my presence. A wicked grin spread wide across the figures lips. Mayhap I will play around with her friends first. Let her see the ease with which I can pull the strings of one's heart. A blood-curdling laughter sounded and the figure faded away into the mist, a laugh neither Asuna nor Kazumi missed. The girls whirled around, hands moving instinctively to their pactio cards. "Asuna-san…What the hell was that?" Asuna slowly pulled the card from the pocket inside her school jacket, getting ready to summon her weapon should the need arise. "I don't know, but it sent a chill down my spine." She pulled the card from her jacket and placed it to her forehead, trying to contact Negi. Instead of his voice, she received a sharp magical shock from her card and a different voice. As she flinched from the shock, the card slipped from her hand.

Now, now, princess…We cannot have you calling your young wizard friend, can we? It is not yet time for such. A bead of sweat rolled down Asuna's cheek when the man spoke to her. She knew that voice. It was one that she was not likely to forget any time soon.

Kazumi bent down and picked up Asuna's card for her, looking at it curiously. "Asuna…What's going on? Is it him? That man you mentioned earlier?" Asuna nodded curtly, not once taking her eyes from the forest. "Asakura-san. Run. We have to get to the library; or any building for that matter. We should be safer if we get inside." She grabbed her card from Kazumi and took off in the direction of the library with the reporter hot on her heels. The two pushed the other pedestrians out of their way, apologizing on the fly. The feeling of being watched never left Asuna, leaving her with the impression that he was following.

"Asakura-san, he's following us. The next time the road her forks, you go left and I'll go right. He can't follow both of us. In case he decides to follow you instead of me: do not stop running, even to look back. We'll meet at the library." Kazumi nodded and pulled off into the alley that had just come up on her left.

So you believe that I may be so easily evaded. I daresay that you aught think more thoroughly.

Asuna felt a powerful presence behind her and found herself stopping against her will. Her feet had brought her to a stop before one of the many on-campus churches. The sound of screeching came from the roof, bringing her to look towards the roof. The man stood perfectly poised upon the belfry with the cross that had been built atop bent out of shape and away from him, seemingly forced that way because his evil aura overpowered its holiness. "Greetings, young Kagurazaka. Or should I say, young Entheofushia? I have long awaited the day which we would meet." He was clearly not speaking Japanese, but Asuna found that she could understand him nonetheless. With the utterance of a single word, Asuna's card disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced with her sword: the Ensis exorcizans. "Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?" His laugh glued her in place with fear as a scantily-clad woman melded from the darkness next to him, leapt from the roof, and landed gracefully before her. "I represent Count Vlad Ţepeş. How we came to know of you is of no consequence. Seal your weapon, girl. The Master has no intention of fighting this day." Ţepeş…Why did that name sound so damned familiar?

"That's a lie. Why else would you confront me?" Asuna's eyes narrowed as she gave the man on the roof the once-over. He looked as if he had jumped from the pages of a history book. His clothes were Victorian-era at the very latest. Hers was of similar fashion but much more revealing. Where he wore a black cape with red lining, she had black bat-like wings that were red between the limbs. Clearly she was a being of demonic blood. "Why, you ask? It is simple. He desires your power, and I come now bearing only a message. Join us, and he shall grant you life everlasting. Lend your power to us now for this single task, and you can continue about your heroism for the rest of eternity." Asuna pointed her blade at the woman's throat. "Why the hell would I help you? I may not be the smartest, but even I can tell that you intentions are far from noble."

"Hmph. Very well, then. Allow me to recite to you his other terms, then, should they please you better. You will aid him, or he will wipe this academy from the map." She started at Asuna with those inhumanly red eyes as she gently placed a hand atop Asuna's sword and forcibly shoved it into the ground. "Starting with your beloved Ayaka, and your professor, and your close friend Konoka. Humans are nothing but bugs, and killing them all would be nothing to us. If you say no, I'll kill your friend Kazumi right now." This caused Asuna to go wide-eyed. "W-What? How? How could you if you're here in front of me, and she's nowhere near here?" The woman laughed. "It would be as simple as breathing, princess. You cannot even begin to fathom the power that the master…" She was cut short as ropes of shadows wrapped around her, binding her to herself and preventing her from talking. The man who had been on the roof just moments before walked past Asuna to face his servant, completely submersing Asuna in an aura that reeked of darkness as she could only tremble at what now seemed to be sheer speed.

"That is quite enough out of you. Return now, lest I return your corpse." His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Asuna watched the fear dawn in the winged woman's eyes as she faded from sight, and her own heart skipped several beats as he turned his abyssal red eyes to her. There wasn't even the slightest trace of compassion in those eyes. "Listen to me close, girl. I shall grant you no more than two hours to make your decision. This school shall cease to exist afterwards. I shall be watching, when you are ready to give me your answer." He then vanished in a column of black light, his overwhelming aura with him.

Asuna dropped her sword and collapsed to her knees, gasping for air. "Th-This is bad. Very bad. What the hell am I going to do? How in the world can we fight somebody like that?" Vlad Ţepeş…That name was hauntingly familiar. She sealed her card again and raced off to the library. With any luck, Kazumi was there safely and Nodoka might know where Asuna has heard of this new enemy. Please, God… She thought to herself, Let them be safe.

xXxXx

Asuna kicked the doors for the library in and rushed through with her Ensis exorcizans at the ready. She looked around for any sign of the cloaked man she'd met, but saw only bewildered students staring at her and her massive blade. One of the librarian girls screamed. "Is that a sword! What the Hell!" Asuna stood there at a loss for words as she tried to come up with an excuse. "Asuna-san…" She would recognize that soft voice anywhere. Nodoka came around the corner of a bookshelf with a fairly tall stack of books piled in her arms. "How many times do I have to ask you to not bring your props in here? I understand that you need to rehearse, but this really isn't the place." At least someone could think on the fly. Asuna feigned embarrassment as she sputtered nonsense. "Oh, yeah…Right. Sorry about that. I just keep forgetting. Sorry I keep causing so much trouble, Miyazaki-chan." Someone leaned up against her.

"Damn, Asuna-san. You just keep getting into trouble today, don't you?" Naturally; it was Kazumi who was leaning against her, twirling a pen in her hand. "You're alright?" Asuna lowered her voice so that only Kazumi could hear her. "Nothing permanent. That feeling of being strangled vanished almost as soon as we split up. He followed you, then?"

"You bet your ass he did, and he's definitely not human. His eyes, there seemed to be no life in them at all. The way he talked, moved…I can't see any way in which he is human." She heard Kazumi hum thoughtfully as they walked to a back corner, Asuna still playing the part of a sword-wielding actress and her prop. "I do think I got his name, though. One of his servants said his name was 'Vlad Ţepeş.' It sounds so familiar, but I can put my finger on it. Ring any bells to you"

"Nah. Not one. We're in the right place if you wanna look 'im up, tho'." She flipped the pen upwards, caught it, and slipped it back into the binding of her notebook in one fluid movement. "I'll bet that between Miyazaki-san and me, we'll find everything you wanna know." A short squeal later: Nodoka joined them, still balancing her pile of books. "Asuna-san! Why are you barging in here with your sword?" She was trying to keep her voice down while she expressed several mixed feelings at once. "I'll explain everything later, Nodoka-chan. Right now, I have a question for you. Do you know the name Vlad Ţepeş?" Nodoka's eyes drifted upwards thoughtfully. "Do you mean Vlad Ţepeş, as in Vlad the Impaler? Yeah, I know about him. Born in 1062 as Mathias Cronqvist, he became well-known as an alchemist. Legend says that he was distraught over the death of his wife in 1094 and struck a deal to become a vampire himself in order to take revenge on God. This coincides with the time that he changed his name. He later became known as a cruel tyrant who would impale anybody who tried to cross him, leave their corpses on the pike and place it in front of his castle. He would also impale anybody who came to him complaining of the smell, then place their corpse higher than the others so they could bask in the stench for eternity. Legends also say that his castle disappeared with his death at the hands of his former friend, Leon; and has both appeared and disappeared throughout history, leading many to believe in his frequent resurrection."

Kazumi was the first to speak. "Wow, Miyazaki-san! That's amazing! How do you remember all that?" Nodoka blushed just slightly and responded politely. "It's nothing, really. I do work in the library after all…Oh?" Asuna had fallen into what appeared to be a trance. "Um…Asuna-san? Are you alright? Asuna-san?" Nodoka gently waved a hand in front of Asuna's face, to no avail.

1062? Can this really be the same man? Maybe it's only somebody using the name… How? How could he be alive? Eva herself said that it was impossible to raise the dead…So does that mean that he really is a vampire? This is bad… The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. No mere human could have an aura of such evil. He had to be the real thing… "Hey…Nodoka-chan…" Nodoka jumped at the sudden change in Asuna's silence. "Yes, Asuna-san?" Asuna looked at her seriously. "Do you believe the legends surrounding him?"

"Do I…Well, I don't think that even magic can raise the dead; but if I'd be lying if I said that it I didn't think that he was a vampire, so he might still be alive. You really think it's him?" Asuna nodded. "It has to be. There are just too many coincidences. But what would bring him here? God damn, why is everything happening now?" Asuna dropped her sword and cradled her head. "Asuna-san, what's wrong?" Nodoka placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder while still trying to balance the stack of books. She couldn't handle the stack with only one hand and the pile fell, causing her to huff in mild frustration. "Don't worry about her, Miyazaki-san. Ayaka made a confession of love. Add that on top of being mortally wounded only yesterday and everything happening today, she's just having difficulties handling the pressure. Just like how Negi-sensei had a breakdown when you confessed. Hey, while I'm here…" Kazumi turned her head to the left in hesitation.

"Do you need help with something, Asakura-san?" Nodoka squatted down as she tried to gather up her fallen books. "Well…It's not so much that I need much help with something as it is I have a question." Nodoka stopped picking up her books momentarily. "Sure. What is it?"

"Well…I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me tonight. Alone, y'know?" Nodoka's face turned bright red immediately and she dropped what few books she had gathered. "I-I…No, wait…What? Asakura-san, I-I couldn't possibly…I mean, you just said it yourself that I'm…" A sudden look came over her face as if she had been struck by lightning and her eyes momentarily glazed over. Her face gradually returned to its normal pale color as she quickly calmed down. "What I mean to say is: I'd be delighted, Asakura-san." She gave Kazumi a room-lighting smile. Kazumi's eyes lit up at this, but also found something amiss. Asuna noticed this as well. "Hey, Asuna-san…Is it just me, or was that odd?" This was said so that Nodoka couldn't hear.

"No, you're right. That was definitely strange. It's almost as if something kicked in and made her change her answer. Do you remember anything like that happening to you?" Kazumi thought for a second. "Uhh…No. I really don't remember any sudden change like that. For me, it was just more of me realizing that she's pretty. I don't know if what just happened here happened to me as well." Asuna cursed her luck. "Great. Just great." She glanced at the clock on the wall. Only an hour left until that man Ţepeş made his move. "Alright, look. You two, leave campus. Grab anyone else you pass and leave the campus. Whoever this man is, he's going to destroy this place in an hour if I don't agree to help him. Of course, I'm not going to."

"Running is no use…"

Asuna and Kazumi turned to Nodoka, who spoke as if she knew what was going on. The iris of her eyes had turned white while the whites had faded to black. "She's possessed!" Kazumi exclaimed.

"Possessed? Do you truly think that I would stoop to such levels as to inhabit the body of a human, girl? She is nothing more than my puppet, dancing on my strings…Even if you run; I will hunt you all down. Every last one of you. Of course, you will all die; regardless of whether or not the princess helps me. I'll just kill you all last, let you watch as the world you try to protect burns. Let you feel what it is to not be able to protect that which you fought so hard for, what it feels like for all of your efforts to be meaningless."

"You're a monster, Cronqvist!" Asuna knelt on the ground, clutching her sword once more. Fury burned in her eyes. "Cronqvist? Well, now…There's a name I haven't heard in years; but it means nothing to me, now. It is nothing more than a reminder of my worthless once-mortality. You have an hour left to decide, princess, or should I just eliminate this school now? I do believe that you said that you were not going to aid me." With that, Nodoka's eyes returned to their normal colors. "Uwahh…What just happened? I remember Kazumi asking me to dinner, my rejection followed by a change of heart, then…nothing…" Asuna resealed her sword and straightened up. "Damn it…He's leaving us no choice but to fight him. Do either of you know where Negi is? There's no way in Hell that we can do anything without him."

"Last I heard," quipped Kazumi, "There was an assembly for a few of the teachers early this morning. I suppose that it'd be for the magicians and about this. Where he is now, though, I couldn't say. Didn't he tell you this morning?"

"No. He left before I got back from my paper route. His stuff was there, though, so it's not like he up and vanished completely." Kazumi stood there and thought for a minute, scratching her head. "Huh…Sorry. I can't tell you. Maybe Sayo-chan could find him, if I asked."

"Well, why don't you?"

"It's not like we're joined at the hip, Asuna-san. I'd have to find her first, and I don't think we have the time right now." Dammit. She was right. "Hey, why doesn't one of us just use our pactio card to get a hold of him?" Asuna took a few seconds to explain that didn't work when she tried, during which the lights inside flickered unevenly. Nobody paid any attention to this. That is, until the power shut off completely following a loud crack of thunder and Nodoka's squeal. "Scratch that, Kazumi. We have no time." Asuna slowly began to feel her way around the bookshelves as she ordered Kazumi and Nodoka to take cover. Not five steps out did Asuna trip over one of the many books that Nodoka had dropped the second time around. She violently hit her head on the bookshelf as she fell, which lead her to a vigorous stream of swears.

"God damn mother-fucking son-of-a-bitch WHORE!" She cradled her head tightly while tears of pain welled up in her eyes. As she was on her knees, the floor noticeably shook. "Well, well, well…Our little princess has quite the mouth on 'er. Dunno why the boss-man wants ya so badly, but I gotta do my job." The voice was far too deep and raspy to be human. Clearly an ogre. The quick burst of light as Asuna summoned her Ensis exorcizans yet again showed Asuna exactly where the Raven stood. She swung her sword with all her might; but for the first time since she could remember, a simple ogre caught her blade. "Now, now, girlie…This is far too dangerous for you to be playin' wit'. Ya might hurt yerself." It pulled Asuna towards itself with a quick yank on the sword; where it knocked her unconscious and discarded the blade.

"Huh…Guess the boss-man wasn't lyin' when 'e said it'd give me strength. No way in Hell that gal shoulda gone down so easy…" The floorboards underneath it creaked as it shifted it weight to accommodate Asuna being slung over his shoulder. He turned towards Nodoka and Kazumi, who had hidden on either side of a table not five feet away. "Hey, you two…Ya best be gettin' outta here. Shit's gonna be goin' down. I got no quarrel wit' ya, so I won' stop ya iff'n ya wanna." The beast walked off, it's footsteps shaking dust and dirt from the ceiling as they faded away.

xXxXx

"Here's the girl, boss-man. Jes' like I promised. I can keep this gem, right?" The Raven reached into the folds of one of its tattered garments and produced a small, black, onyx-like gemstone that glimmered, even in the dim room. "Of course. Keep it as a reward for your services. I'm sure that you will find another use for the power it grants the one who holds it. Now, begone." Count Ţepeş waved his hand, granting the ogre leave. "My minions shall handle the rest." The room suddenly light up (as it had periodically been doing) as magic and dark forces clashed outside. "Wake, girl." With another wave of his hand, the fluid swipe a hypnotist would make, Asuna stirred as commanded.

"Wh…Where am I? What happened?" She felt a strong resistance as she attempted to move. Her arms were over her head and she couldn't feel the ground. Was she being suspended from something? "Your efforts shall avail you nothing, Princess. You are bound in the air by my magic, and I modified an amulet that an old acquaintance of mine crafted. Instead of amplifying your powers, it absorbs your powers. You remember this trinket, yes?" Of course she did. That perverted demon who called himself 'Graf Herrman' tried to use an amulet like that to force her into canceling all magic. "Why do you want my powers so badly, Cronqvist? What could you possibly stand to gain?" His heartless laughter made her blood run cold. "You ask why, my dear? It is simple. I need your powers to become truly immortal. You doubtlessly looked into me after hearing my name, so you must know what I am. While I may never age, I can be killed. I can use your powers to make myself truly immortal and then I can burn this world to ash."

"So you really are a vampire? Huh…Guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You're not the first one I've met." Asuna spat on the floor in front of him. "I'm not impressed. Your kind…" her words were shoved back down her throat as the back of his fist made sharp contact with the side of her mouth. "How dare you, human. You dare look down at me?" Asuna felt blood gently drip from her open mouth. "Tell me…What do you hope to gain from this…? Will this bring back your wife? Do you truly think that killing everybody will bring her back?" She felt him grab the collar of her shirt as he lifted her further into the air. The hold that bound her hands above her shifted so that her hands were now bound behind her back. "A lowly human such as you could never understand. You are correct in that Elisabetha is why I am what I am today, but are mistaken in why you all must die. She was stricken with illness while I was away. You humans are nothing more that secrets, hatred, and lies. I do this because your kind crucified the mother of my son for no more reason than the assumption of witchcraft. You all robbed me of any chance I might reclaim happiness, so I shall rob all of you of yours." He tossed her to the side like a ragdoll, where the binds once again lifted her up. He then drew his sword, a European longsword, which glistened beautifully in what light poured in from outside. "Now, princess…I believe your usefulness has about come to its end."

What happened next seemed like a blur. As Ţepeş lunged toward her for the kill, a flurry of knives flew past Asuna's head and forced him to the side. This is where Setsuna forced him to block her blade. "Are you alright, Asuna? Has he hurt you?" Asuna told her that she was fine, but was unable to move. Asuna could barely follow the sword duel taking place in the room because of the constant changes in the lighting, but she could tell that Setsuna was now on the defensive. Damn it. I wish I could do something! Anything! She was helpless to watch as her friend was impaled on the deadly-sharp blade held by the monster before her. "Foolish girl. Did you really believe that you could beat me? You tailed the ogre I got to bring this girl here and I allowed you to stay and listen. Now you have the audacity to lash out at me?" He smoothly flipped his sword from a forehand position to a backhand and held it over Setsuna's throat. "You brazen attitude shall get you naught but death, young Raven."

"Stop! She has nothing to do with this!" Asuna fought against her invisible restraints as she tried to intervene, all to no avail. He rested the tip of his sword against Setsuna's throat and glared coldly at her. "Do you have any last words, girl?" Setsuna was beyond words at the moment and could only throw him a hostile glare and mouth a curse to him. "None, then? Just as well, I suppose. Your duty to protect your beloved Konoe ends here. Fret not. You will soon be rejoined." Setsuna's eyes burned with rage, yet she was unable to do anything other than clutch her gaping wound. "Damn…you. If you…touch her…I'll…"

"You'll what? Kill me? You have neither the skill nor the power, and you will soon be dead. You can't stop me." He thrust his sword downward just as it was blasted from his hand. He turned and barely raised his hand in time to block a burst of lightning, which shattered into several fragments and destroyed the wall behind him. The dust filled the room quickly, causing both Asuna and Setsuna to cough uncontrollably. Asuna felt an arm wrap around her waist as she was forcibly yanked towards the now-open wall. She also felt the restraints hold her back momentarily before what felt like breaking. Once they were well clear of what she now saw was a back room of the library, Asuna's vision started adjusting to the low light outside. Looking up, the sky had given way to a solid wall of dark, ominous clouds that blocked out almost all of the sunlight. She turned her head, but was unable to see the face of her rescuer. She really didn't need to, though. She knew who it was. She didn't even need to look off to her left, where Kotarô was running with Setsuna across his shoulders.

"Damn, Negi. It took you long enough. Where the Hell have you been?" Her arms hung limply as she, herself, was draped over his shoulder, no longer bound by whatever magic sealed them. "Sorry, Asuna-san. We ran into some trouble on the way." Odd. There weren't any signs of fighting going on around here anymore…What trouble could he mean? "You seem to be lost in thought, girl." Asuna felt her hair being pulled violently as she was pulled one direction while Negi was pushed another, his staff skidding across the courtyard and well out of reach. Kotarô whipped around and laid Setsuna on the ground before looking up. "That was terribly rude of you boys…" In one fluid motion, Ţepeş flipped Asuna into the air and caught her around her waist. "My business had not yet ended with this girl." He drew his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at them. "Do you wish to fight me? We have all the space needed to meet your request." Of course. He deliberately led them here. "Do the two of you truly believe that children such as you could defeat me? Do you know who I am?" The hot-headed Kotarô lunged forward first, only to be smacked off to the side and through the wall of the nearest building. Ţepeş dropped Asuna and assumed a real fighting stance. "Come, then. Let us see what you can do, young sorcerer." Negi pulled his own arms in to assume his own fighting stance.

Ţepeş vanished into a column of black light, which vanished itself and reappeared behind Negi. Ţepeş threw open his cloak and several fireballs were hurled from beneath its folds. Negi leapt over the flames only to be met in the air and thrown to the ground. He rolled out of the way as Ţepeş' sword ripped the stone from the earth. "You are quite nimble for such a young child, but you are far lacking in power." Kotarô appeared in the air behind Ţepeş and thrust his sharpened fist into the man. He hesitated when he failed to break the skin. Ţepeş wheeled around brought his sword across Kotarô's chest, cutting deep and drawing a nauseating amount of blood. Asuna struggled to stand and reach for her pactio card, stopping when she realized she didn't have it and not knowing how the ogre had discarded it back in the library. She swore.

"Come, now, children. You two showed much promise before. What happened?" Negi crawled to his feet and began incanting a double spell. He crushed the end result into his fists, finishing the dual complexio. The resulting surge in power shredded any bit of clothing on his upper torso. "Oh, so you do have more to demonstrate. Very well, boy. Hold nothing back, or you shall die here." Negi's first strike was sidestepped, and Ţepeş retreated well out of striking range for the second. "I see this grants you much speed and power, child; but…" Negi vanished and Ţepeş lunged forward as he intercepted Negi, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him into the ground. "You are still far too slow to be any threat to me." Negi clawed at the hand of his captor as he struggled to breathe. "Give up hope, boy. You cannot win against one such as I. Your friend is as good as dead, do you truly think that you could fare better?" A single bolt of ice struck him in the shoulder, knocking him off of Negi. He quickly regained his balance and stood upright.

"Really. Is picking on children not below you? I don't take kindly to anybody who would try and kill my pupil." Ţepeş raised his sword and skillfully parried Eva's magic blade. "Ah, my dear Evangeline. How long has it been? A century at least." Eva pushed him back. "I wish it could've been longer. How many times must you die before you stay dead?" Her glare chilled Asuna to the bone, even if she couldn't see it in full. "Eva, is that any way to talk to your uncle?" Eva laughed. "My uncle? How laughable. Just because you married my aunt does not mean I have to accept you as my uncle." She raised the blade that surged from her hand, preparing to fight. "This time, Dracula, I'll make sure you stay dead." This did not escape Asuna's ears.

"Eva, did you say 'Dracula?' As in, the infamous Vampire Lord Dracula?" Of course she was. It all fit together now. Everything made sense! His inhumanly evil aura, his soulless glare, even how he could shatter her indomitable will by simple eye contact! "Wait…He's your uncle!" No wonder Eva was as rotten as she used to be. The big question right now was why she hated him so much. "As much as I hate to admit it, yes…I am related to the fiend Dracula. He married my aunt Lisa and is the one who turned me into a vampire."

"Did you not think it important to tell us this? That he might come here someday?" Negi was crawling to his feet, still hacking; as he spoke. "Does it really matter now, Asuna-san? He's here." Koatrô had also managed to crawl to his feet and staggered over to join the other two. "Just sit back, Anesan. We'll take care of this." He spat out a lot of blood, with even more gushing down his torso. A devious grin parted his lips. "Been a while since we've had a good fight on our hands; eh, Negi? Think we should pull all the plugs?" Dracula politely stood there as they rattled on and on. "Have you all finished, yet?" He sighed. "Young Evangeline…Why side yourself with these mortals? How could you have turned against us?"

"I turn against no one, Dracula. You are the one who have turned your back. You seek to eradicate humans, but I was born a human. I may not be a hero, but I damn well can't let you destroy my birthright; let alone my ticket out of this hellhole!" She indicated to Negi. "His damned father trapped me here, and he's my only way out of here permanently."

"Then what if I were to spare that child alone? Would you then return to us?" Eva rushed him and knocked his sword from his hand. "Not even I would give myself completely to the darkness. You have lost yourself, uncle." Dracula's fist met hard with Evangeline's stomach as he knocked her on her back. She was on her feet in no time. "As have you, niece. It would seem that your choice is made. If you wish to stand with the humans, then you shall die with them." He vanished again in a pillar of light, grabbing Eva while hurling fire at Negi and Kotarô. Negi dodged left while Kotarô leapt over them, both rushing Dracula. He brought his foot into Negi's crest and threw Eva into Kotarô. He leapt back and grabbed his sword before dashing towards Negi, forcing him to summon his magic blade and fight hand-to-hand alone while Eva and Kotarô burned precious seconds untangling themselves.

Asuna could only watch and wish she had her weapon as she saw her friends being mercilessly beaten by one man. "Why…Once again, I'm forced to watch helplessly. I need to help them!" She felt a tugging on her skirt. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. The Mistress had me get you this." Chachazero let out a small grunt as she tried to lift the hilt of Asuna's Ensis exocizans high enough for Asuna to reach it. "Chachazero…How did you know that I didn't have my sword?"

"C'mon! Mistress Eva told me that it was in the library. She's been watching you ever since you broke down in class today." Asuna took her blade gratefully from the puppet, glad to have the familiar weight back in her hands. "Thanks, Chachazero. Now, If you'll excuse me." Asuna moved faster than she could remember ever having moved before, felt lighter than ever. However, she still wasn't fast enough. Dracula knocked Negi off balance and caught Asuna's blade. He sighed. "I had hoped to avoid killing you just yet" He viciously punched her, knocking her through the air. Asuna flipped acrobatically and landed on her feet, lunging once again at the Vampire Lord. Whoa…It's like I'm floating through the air! This was no time to be questioning whatever was happening. He parried her strike with difficulty. Her heavy swings caused the grinding metal to spark after each hit.

"Tch. Learn your place, girl!" He parried her strike once again and grabbed her wrist, thrusting his elbow into her face. "And you yours, Dracula!" Eva and Negi stood shoulder to shoulder, incanting similar spells: Negi's "Storm of the South Seas" and Evangeline's "Blizzard of Darkness."

"Jovis tempestas!"

"Nivis tempestas obscurans!"

The spells roared forth from the magicians and tore up the flagstone beneath as they quickly closed the gap between them and Dracula. He laughed as the walls of magic hit him head on. "Fantastic, my niece! To think you've come so far in your power!" The spells vanished in a swirl of magic as Dracula split them with a swing of his sword. "It's hard to believe that I failed to see the similarities before now. Your fighting styles, your power, the way you cast your spell. Now that I look closer, I can even see some resemblance. Dear Evangeline, why did you never tell me that you had a son?"