Chapter 9: Soma's Torment

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated, but I have learned a valuable lesson. College is a bitch!!! I finally finished all of my papers and decided to re-read all of my previous chapters. And then I was hit with a brain storm to write!! With that in mind, I present you with chapter 9. For all of you Joachim fangirls, you are in for a treat. Also, we start off with Soma and how he is doing in the Garden. And of course, our naïve, young monster killing pair gets to see just what the Theatre has in store for them. I STILL DON'T OWN ETERNAL NIGHT or Castlevania. Enjoy!

Soma jumped into the air and brought his broad sword down on the Gargoyle he was fighting, smashing the stone creature into many small pieces. Having cleared the room, Soma stopped to catch his breath. After he found that breakable wall into the Garden, Soma had not spared any creature he came into contact with. Since he couldn't fight Joachim yet, he would take out his frustrations on these pathetic abominations that Joachim had created. Suddenly, Soma felt a presence appear across from him at the opposite side of the room. Soma spun around, facing the man that he wanted to kill more than any other person he had ever met in his life…

"Joachim!!!" Soma raised his sword up, ready to slash the frail vampire in two. Joachim did not even react to this hostile gesture; he simply smiled a slightly pointed smile.

"Hello Soma. I must say that I'm kind of surprised to see you here. But no matter, how are you doing? My pets aren't causing you too much trouble, are they?"

"You bastard, give me back Mina!"

"Now Soma, is that any way to ask for what you want? You didn't even say 'please'."

"What do you want with her anyway? I thought that Andrew was the one you wanted. What do we have to do with your plan?"

Joachim's smile grew even wider. The red glow in his eyes grew more intense. "Everything. You don't know it yet, but fate has not finished its business with you Soma. In fact, I don't think it will end until you surrender…and become the dark lord.

"That's not gonna happen! It's my life and I'll choose how to live it. And I don't care if it is the will of fate, I WILL save Mina and I WILL kill you!!" Soma charged at Joachim, anger fueling his speed. As Soma brought down his sword however, two of Joachim's floating swords caught Soma's in a midair scissor lock. Joachim's third sword flew towards Soma's throat, stopping exactly one millimeter before touching the flesh.

Joachim chuckled lightly at Soma's helpless position. "While I do admire your bravery, I find it too bad that you are still too weak to challenge me. Besides, before your pointless attack, I was about to share a helpful bit of information with you."

"Oh yeah, and what is that?"

"The lord of darkness need not be Dracula's current soul. I have witnessed this fact first hand. There is a way to sever your tie with fate."

The expression on Soma's face was a mixture of pure shock and elation. "There is?! Now there's some news I would have liked a little earlier! Tell me how."

"I'm afraid…" said Joachim, a small smile of victory on his face, "…that you are not ready to receive that information yet. However, I will leave you with a parting gift." Joachim tossed a rolled up map to Soma. "That map is a magical piece of work. Rather than show you a shrunk down version of the castle, it will change depending on the area of the castle you are in to a far more accurate description. The map also contains hints as to the Guardians locations and stats. Use it well, young Soma. I will be checking in on you every now and again. Until next time…" Joachim vanished in a cloud of violet mist.

Soma stood, holding his new map of the castle, looking confused as to the events that had just taken place. And then, filled with a new determination to rescue Mina and end his role as the dark lord, Soma began to follow the course outlined on the map…

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Andrew and Elizabeth, meanwhile, were exploring the Ghostly Theatre. Elizabeth's map, while leading them in a general direction, was not very specific about the rooms and the course that they had to take. In terms of combat, the Theater proved to be similar to the House of Sacred Remains; the monsters initially ranged from weak skeletons to moderately strong Ghosts. The rooms, however, were greatly different from the House's. They were focused greatly on traps and puzzles, such as motion sensitive lasers that would only let a person pass if they moved in a certain direction and rooms of total darkness. Despite these new traps, Andrew and Elizabeth gradually moved through the Ghostly Theatre. Then Andrew and Elizabeth came to a roadblock in their quest…the room that the map described as "holding the music of sweet combat", which they needed to face the turned out to be empty.

"Great," exclaimed Elizabeth, pacing about the empty room, "Now what are we supposed to do? We followed the map explicitly; we even climbed two different sets of stairs, so this should be the right room!

"Indeed it is," Walter said into Andrew's mind, "But then why isn't there anything in here? Oh, whatever shall you do?"

You know, you could be helping us out, Andrew thought, his anger at Walter's game of playing dumb and keeping him in the dark was getting worse.

"Well think about it," said Walter, "Why would a room be empty? There are only two answers. One is that there was nothing in the room to begin with. And the other reason is…"

"…The room has already been visited," said Andrew aloud, finishing Walter's thought.

"Huh, what was that?" Elizabeth looked at Andrew weirdly. After all, to her it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"Sorry, just…thinking out loud. Say Elizabeth, remember that bell that Julius gave to us earlier?"

"Yeah, so what? It doesn't seem to be good for anything."

"Exactly," said Andrew, taking the bell out of his pocket. "That it has almost no use elsewhere must mean that it was intended for a specific purpose. And since Julius found it here in the Theatre, it must be meant to be used here."

"Hey, wait a minute…" Elizabeth closed her eyes in thought, as if trying to remember some obscure fact that she had long forgotten. "…I remember reading something in a note that Leon Belmont brought back from this castle. 'When the bell tolls thrice under the stage the curtain will rise.' You don't think it could be…"

Andrew took a closer look at the bell. On the handle were carved four words, 'Let the play begin'. "…You have got to be kidding me. You mean that I fell down in the dark 15 freaking times and we had the key to the boss all along?!"

"Ah yes, that part was rather funny"

"Hey Elizabeth, you wouldn't happen to have a Q-tip on you, would you?" This statement caused Walter to shudder in fear, and in effect almost giving Andrew a seizure.

"Um…ok…what for?"

"Alright, Alright! I promise to not make fun of either of you anymore! Now please, let's just get on with this mission!"

"Never mind, I just thought I had something in my ear. It went away, though." As they left the room, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that he had a look on his face that seemed to say 'I win, so there!'

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In getting back to the boss room, Elizabeth and Andrew faced several problems. First of all, one of the Spirits they came across happened to have a taste for parchment and ate Elizabeth's map in one gulp. Andrew looked on confusedly as Elizabeth beat the poor Spirit to death with a particularly heavy volume, shouting "900+ years old, you goddamned floating ball of…" and such profanities until there was nothing left to curse at. Since they had no map to guide them, they were forced to wander aimlessly from room to room. However, Walter got annoyed at the pair's non-existent sense of direction and began pointing Andrew in the general direction. After several potentially dangerous traps, including a field of laser beams suspended above a pit of hungry zombies, a meteor generator that almost crushed poor Elizabeth flat, and rather nasty room with a spiked ceiling that liked to crash down on the unsuspecting occupants, the directionless duo finally managed to arrive at the room before the boss fight. By now they were exhausted and very much in need of rest. However, they couldn't find one of the save spots that stopped time and allowed them to get some sleep nearby. As they were about to backtrack to a save room, they heard a loud scraping noise behind them. They turned around and saw that an enemy had emerged from the boss room. It was a thin, sickly looking male figure. He had an empty, longing look in his eyes, as if he were only an empty shell of his former self, dedicated to a lost cause. He carried a sword that was larger than his body.

"The Mistress…," said the thing, lurching forward slowly. "You two…will not…hurt…my Mistress." He brought up his huge sword, ready for a fight. Elizabeth and Andrew backed away from the thing in apprehension and prepared for a fight…

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Well, that's another chapter for you guy's to enjoy. I hope to make another one soon. By the looks of things, both our protagonist duo and Soma have tough battles ahead of them, as Soma draws closer to the Garden Guardian. By the way, I hope you loved the Joachim cameo, and I intend to make him more involved in the furure.