Serenity had no time to think. She grasped the first thing her hand brushed over, and flung it with all her might at the Time Reaper. She thought her hand let it go, but she was still grasping what she had found when he reeled back in a mixture of pain and anger. Looking down Serenity saw what she held was a whip, Richter's whip, the Vampire Killer. He must have dropped it while fighting Adrian, and even as the probability of the situation crossed her mind she felt a sharp pain in her hand and the sensation of burning flesh. As it left her hand she saw a deep burn where the weapon had been.
"Damn you," the Time Reaper growled as he held his scythe before him.
Serenity stood to face him. Steeling herself she picked up the Vampire Killer again and lashed out at him. The pain the weapon caused her was to be expected, but how she could wield it at all she could only guess. Legend said that only the Belmont clan or one that was given possession of it by a Belmont was able to use the whip. Serenity was on the offensive until she dropped the whip in pain.
"Now," she began and started a different incantation, "this time won't be so easy for you."
The Time Reaper was staggering before her, but was far from finished. He smiled at her and attacked with his scythe. She moved just in time before being impaled, but the scythe cut open her right shoulder in a long thin line.
"Seal!" she shouted with all her might.
This time the spell hit the ground in front of the reaper and formed four long chains around his body. Serenity was quick with her next incantation, but the Time Reaper was quicker still. He broke free of the chains like they were made of paper and sent Serenity flying once more.
He laughed as she struggled to her feet, "You can't hope to defeat me so easily. My power rivals that of Death himself, how would a child like you be able to seal me?"
Spitting blood to one side Serenity looked up at him. Her body screamed in pain, and her hand was far worse. She could feel her head begin to cloud over with the threat of unconsciousness, but she breathed deep and steadied herself. Her eyes drifted to the whip lying on the ground in front of her. Narrowing her eyes she dove for it, only to get knocked to the side.
"You are a fool, Serenity Graves," the Time Reaper scoffed, "You are beaten, yet you continue to fight. A true mark of a hunter, so as a hunter you will die!"
"Not today," she stammered and lunged for the whip again.
This time she managed to grab it before being knocked away. Rolling to the center of the room she rose to her feet and glared at the whip in her smoldering hand.
"I know I'm not your master," she said as the reaper closed in on her, "but I ask you for your help. Vampire Killer!"
Suddenly the whip glowed in her hand and an enormous pillar of light engulfed both her and the reaper. Her eyes widened as the reaper was ravaged with pain. She knew what this power was, but she just could not believe the whip was doing it for her.
"Now, seal!" she shouted.
Once more the spell she called upon surrounded the reaper with chains, but unlike the last time they held in place as he drifted motionlessly in the air.
"Once more, seal!" she shouted again and drew a sealing circle in the air.
With her seal successful Serenity wrapped the Vampire Killer in her shirt and bolted for the door. She would only have roughly five minutes before the reaper broke free of the seal and came after her and the others. With luck they would be out of the castle and ready to go by the time she reached them, if not they would all die.
Outside the castle Nathan and the others were just crossing the bridge when they felt and large concentration of energy from the castle.
"What is that?" Hugh asked as they paused and looked behind them.
"It feels like the Vampire Killer," Simon replied in wonder, "but that's impossible, the Vampire Killer is right here at my side."
Urging the group forward Nathan stated, "Remember Simon, you're from a different time, so I'm sure there are more then one hunter whip. If we would have been aloud to bring our weapons you would see that I have one as well."
Nathan remained silent as he and the others continued off into the distance carrying Richter. He did not tell them that he felt the power coming from the whip itself, and that there was no one in the throne room that should have been able to use it. Even with the Vampire Killer in his possession in his own time, after he became a vampire the whip had become useless to him.
"Nathan, up ahead," Hugh said pointing, "that's where we wait for Serenity."
"Yes," he replied, "any further and she won't make it to us in time."
They put Richter down and turned back towards the castle. They could all feel the seal being put in place. Now it was a matter of Serenity getting out of the castle and to them before the Time Reaper broke free.
"That girl," Alucard started, "she's a special case isn't she?"
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked carefully.
Alucard turned to him, "She's a vampire, yet she can use the Vampire Killer to its full capability. Is she a Belmont?"
"No," he replied, "she's a…" then stopped.
"I see," he said simply.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. At least Alucard would not force information out of him when he knew it might change the present. He did not want him to know their family name for fear that when they met in the years to come he would react differently, which in turn might cause his father to act suspicious.
In the distance they could see Serenity emerge from the castle. Her speed was well matched, as the reaper had not yet been able to break free of the seal.
"Saint Germain!" Nathan called, "We are ready!"
Silence, and then Saint Germain called back, "Not yet. If you bring Richter through time like that he will most likely turn against us. You need to wake him up and inform him of the situation, only then can I open the portal safely."
"Great," he grimaced as he watched his sister near.
"Richter, Richter!" Hugh shouted as he shook him by the shoulders, "You need to wake up! We need you're help!"
"Hugh, that's not going to work," Nathan said bending down.
Nathan lightly slapped Richter's cheeks, but he did not so much as stir. He shook him hard once, and then slapped him again a little harder, but still nothing happened.
"What's wrong?" Serenity gasped as she came to a stop next to them.
"He won't get up," Nathan replied, "Saint Germain said he can't open the portal and bring us back without Richter being fully alert and aware of our situation.
Serenity joined her brother and Hugh on the ground, "I thought as much, he's afraid of what Richter might do, and the fact that the very passage of time while he is unconscious could very well drive him mad."
Thinking hard Serenity slapped Richter's face with such force the others thought she had snapped his neck. The sharpness of the slap stirred him, and soon his blue eyes were looking up at Serenity and the others.
