Notes

For the past three years, Soma has been battling the dark forces within and outside of himself through sheer will. However, it is clear that he can no longer fit into the human world, and the only guy who truly understands him, our Man in Black, has *cough* tainted him, and then shut him out. So I guess Soma really doesn't have much of a choice, does he?

As LadyArmster has phrased it so well: "Their connection to Dracula simultaneously unites and divides them."

Special Thanks

Reona Fox, LadyArmster, Selfish Vampire Mint, LateNiteSlacker for your encouragement and constructive criticism

I'm glad I found other supporters of AlucardxSoma: Black-Rose-Cat, Ikiwa, Vine66, Honeyberries, TehAngryTwinkie -Thanks!

Reviews would be greatly appreciated!

Update: I have written a short sequel to this story, titled 'Who Are You'.

Chapter 10: Dance of Illusions

Alucard awoke with a gasp. He lay still in his coffin for a few moments, waiting for life to flow back into his body. A sigh of exasperation escaped his lips as he wondered what had roused him this time. The sleep deprivation was wearing him down, but the escalating situation in Romania had forced him to stay vigilant for the past few weeks. The sudden appearance of the castle worried the dhampir. He had just been trying to catch some shuteye before departing for Transylvania the next morning, because he knew that once he reached the accursed land there would be no time for rest.

Something was not right. He slipped out of the coffin and checked his cell phone, squinting at the bright light emitting from its screen. Twelve missed calls and seven unread messages. A feeling of dread mounted in him as he read them one by one:

Where are you?

(13 Feb 2038 10.50 pm from Yoko Belnades)

Alucard you have to come over now! Over half our men are down!

(13 Feb 2038 10.04 pm from Yoko Belnades)

The monsters are coming out of the castle in swarms!

(13 Feb 2038 9.10 pm from Yoko Belnades)

We don't have enough trained vampire hunters over here. Please come as soon as you can.'

(13 Feb 2038 8.30 pm from Yoko Belnades)

Bad news. The barrier has been breached.

(13 Feb 2038 7.55 pm from Yoko Belnades)

Alucard we need your help. Lots more monsters appearing now…

(13 Feb 2038 7.28 pm from Yoko Belnades)

What's happening? It's noon over here and the sun is going down?

(13 Feb 2038 7.05 pm from Yoko Belnades)

Startled awake by the ringing of her phone, Mina turned and reached for it on her bedside table.

"Hey, Arikado," she answered sleepily.

"Do you know where Soma is?"

"I don't know, he should be at home I think?"

"He didn't pick up my call. Would you know where he has been today?"

"Oh, I had dinner with him this evening. I don't know where he went after that."

"This evening? Around what time?"

"Hmm... six, maybe? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. My apologies for disturbing you."

It took nearly half a day before the private jet entered the wilds of Transylvania and rolled to a stop at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, where the castle stood looming impossibly large. Alucard stepped out into the oppressive darkness in full battle garb, surveying his surroundings. Chaos had enveloped the entire area; the tense standoff between humans and monsters had developed into a full-blown war. Fires raged everywhere, and around him a few tanks and armored vehicles lay crushed on the icy ground.

A senior member of the International Preternatural Defense Force ran up to him, together with Yoko. The sorceress looked tired, and he could see shadows beneath her bloodshot eyes.

"You're finally here!" She cried.

"Yoko! Get on the plane now. I'll handle this," Alucard said urgently.

She shook her head. "No. I can't abandon this place."

Alucard turned to the man next to her. "Brief me on the situation," he instructed.

"We were caught off guard," the officer said. "For the past few days we only had a few undeads roaming around randomly, but after this place was suddenly plunged into darkness yesterday, there was a huge surge in the number of monsters and they started attacking us in waves. We had reinforcements from the Russian military, but hundreds of those crawling things swarmed us and disabled our tanks, and then the flying ones came and breathed fire on us."

"The monsters seem to get stronger with every wave. Some of them are impervious to our most advanced weaponry and my spells," Yoko added worriedly.

"It seems that someone is controlling them from inside the castle," the officer continued. "We tried bombing the castle but it didn't work. We are going to have to fire a nuclear missile at it."

"I already said you can't do that," Alucard snapped impatiently. "The castle doesn't belong in this world. You'll only end up harming innocent people!"

Alucard looked around. The stench of death and stale blood clung to the air, but there were no corpses around. He knew that the bodies of those who had come into close contact with the creatures of the night had to be staked and burnt to prevent them from being turned. A number of heavily armored soldiers wandered around the base of the mountain with guns, looking unsure of what to do. It seemed that nobody was leading them.

"Where is Julius?" he asked.

The officer spoke quietly, with great restraint. "Sir Belmont … is dead."

"What?"

"We found him outside the castle, drained of blood," Yoko said, moist-eyed.

"Damn it! I'm going up now. This is my responsibility. All of you, get out of this place at once!" Alucard ordered.

"Be careful, Alucard. We will pray for you."

Moving like the wind, the dhampir raced up the flights of stone steps, black cape billowing behind him, long golden hair flying out of his face. Formerly unaffected by the cold, he now felt acutely the sting of the icy gale on his cheeks. As he reached the top he saw that the battlements were partly ruined, but the castle itself stood whole, untouched and defiant. The bright bluish ring encircling it, the barrier meant to keep its inhabitants from coming out, had faded away to almost nothing. Shrouded by a dense, malevolent fog, the fortress of chaos throbbed and pulsated with a sinister energy. Alucard knew it had been brought to life by its master, and was churning out nightmarish creatures from its belly by the minute.

He stormed into the castle, sword and shield in hand. As he blazed through those familiar hallways and chambers, destroying every foe that stood in his way, regret tore at him - if only he had arrived earlier, if only he had been more vigilant the day before, if only he had not let Soma out of his sight. The final flight of steps seemed to last for eternity as he went higher and higher. Soon he found himself outside the throne room, but he hesitated for a moment before entering. He had confronted his father four times, but this time, he was truly afraid of what he would find inside the room.

Grasping his sword tightly with one black-gloved hand, he pushed open the stone door and stepped in.

At the far end of the lavish, red-carpeted throne room, a white-cloaked figure sat casually on the throne underneath an ornate red-gold canopy, legs crossed, head propped up on one hand. He had a look of decadence on his face, eyes closed, soft eyelashes resting on his cheeks like curtains. Dangling between his slender fingers, was a wine glass half-full of something that looked like red wine. Except that it didn't smell like red wine to Alucard.

The enthroned figure opened his eyes, and their inhuman crimson gleam sent a chill running through Alucard.

"Hello, Adrian," he spoke as though the man was not an intruder, but a visiting friend. He ran his gaze longingly over the flaxen-haired, regally dressed half-breed prince. "So this is your true appearance."

"Who are you?" The dhampir demanded.

"I'm Soma Cruz."

"No! You're not!" Alucard snarled, pointing out his sword menacingly.

The youth tilted his head and smiled. "Don't you like me this way?" The voice was slightly deeper than usual, with a raw, carnal quality to it.

Alucard burst out, golden eyes ablaze. "You fiend… go back to whence you came! You asked Mother for forgiveness, yet you betrayed her again. And now, you dare to take… Soma…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he shrugged. "I am Soma."

A thick silence fell upon the chamber, and was broken by a single word. "Why?"

The enthroned figure shifted in his seat and turned to face Alucard directly, his movements smooth, almost effeminate. "Shall we rule this castle together? You and I, for all eternity?" He offered, raising his wine glass as if in a toast. "We will make mankind our slaves. Those humans are so weak and pathetic."

"Why have you chosen this path?"

"Because of you, Adrian." He sounded perfectly calm and reasonable. "You didn't tell me you were leaving Japan for good. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, so I came here first. I knew you would come and join me," he smiled, showing a hint of fangs.

He opened his mouth to say something, but his vocal chords would not respond. "This is why you became like… this?" He whispered in a shaky voice, his already pale visage drained of any remaining color.

A shadow fell over the young vampire's face, changing it into something mournful. "Yes. It was all your fault. You never cared about how I felt. I wanted so badly to be happy with you, yet you hurt me again and again. And you know what I found out? You released me not because you trusted me, but because you wanted to come back to Romania."

"I did all that to protect you," Alucard stared into the crimson eyes almost pleadingly.

"Liar! Stop acting noble!" Soma burst out and spitefully flung his wine glass on the floor. The sound of shattering crystal sent a knifelike jab through the dhampir.

Twisting his lips into a smile that looked more like a grimace, Soma rose from the throne, glowing with a malignant reddish aura. "You are a monster, just like me. We are the same," he sneered. A winged demon familiar materialized beside him, poised ready for battle, its leathery, heavily muscled body contrasting strongly with the slender figure standing next to it.

The demon lunged at Alucard, and he struck out, but his sword hit nothing. The chamber was empty.

All was still.

The white-cloaked figure appeared behind Alucard, hovering in the air like a specter, his devilish servant floating beside him. Alucard's body reacted faster than his mind, and his sword clanged against a massive axe twice the length of his own body - a shockingly huge weapon for one so delicate in appearance. The figure and his servant both disappeared into thin air.

"Come out! Stop hiding!" The dhampir shouted.

A mocking laughter rang out from nowhere. He reappeared above Alucard, baleful red eyes glaring down at him. "You toyed with my feelings. Now it is my turn to toy with you," he snarled as he brought down the great axe.

Alucard deflected the attack. His opponent was gone again, and all he heard was a maniacal cackle echoing throughout the chamber.

The dhampir tensed in anticipation, clutching his sword tightly.

He was behind. Alucard swung out instantly, and then winced as the familiar's claw swiped his arm, leaving a deep red gash.

The apparition that was Soma inhaled, smelling him. "Ah, I remember… the taste of your blood… ten times sweeter and more exquisite than any human's," he said wistfully as he faded away in a shadow.

"You killed Julius, didn't you?" Alucard growled, sweeping his gaze across the empty chamber.

He appeared at the far corner of the room, lips curled into an ironic smirk. "Julius was an old man stricken with disease. I merely helped put him to rest."

The dhampir rushed at him with the rapidity of lightning, and he heard the tearing of flesh as his blade passed smoothly through the youth's shoulder. The sight of his sword lodged in Soma's body sent a sudden streak of panic through Alucard, and he yanked the sword out, sending blood spurting out in a crimson shower.

Soma staggered backwards, his face twisted with pain as he glanced down at the gaping wound in his own shoulder. A look of disbelief and anger crept over him. "So… you really want to kill me," he rasped.

"Master, let us not waste time on this traitor!"The devil familiar urged.

Alucard went very still, his face cold and impenetrable as steel. "Cease this madness now, Soma. Or I will show you no mercy," he warned, raising his sword threateningly.

"I DO NOT NEED YOUR MERCY!" Soma roared in a voice that was not his, as his face contorted with rage. The roar of fury went on and turned into one of agony. His body began to swell as if his skin could no longer contain him, expanding and transforming before Alucard's eyes. In a few seconds, he had turned into a huge dragon-like monstrosity, towering over Alucard so much so that the dhampir barely reached its knee. The beast's eyes were black, glittering orbs, without a single shred of humanity left in them, horns curved out of its temples, and its mouth was filled with teeth as sharp and long as spears. Its gargantuan torso bulged and pulsated, and Alucard could hear the horrific screams of thousands of tormented souls trapped within.

The monster opened its gaping jaws wide, spewing forth a swarm of locusts, hellish creatures created by the Devil himself. Alucard leaped high up in the air as the demonic insects flew frenziedly around the chamber, eager to devour their prey. The dhampir's hands glowed and ignited and he unleashed three orbs of fire, burning the locusts to crisps and sending them back to where they came from. The flames seared the dragon-like beast, but it merely flinched and glared disdainfully down at Alucard with its soulless eyes. It was in no way deterred.

The beast took to the air, its cumbersome figure propelled by a pair of scaly wings that sprouted from its back. The dhampir glided backwards with unearthly speed to the far end of the chamber and evaded the next onslaught of locusts. He looked up and saw that a harpy familiar had appeared, hovering next to the beast. The creature had the face of a human – he wasn't sure whether male or female – and the feathery wings and claws of a bird. The harpy screamed, the sound almost tearing Alucard's eardrums. He fought to regain his concentration.

Come back to me, Soma.

The great beast distended its mouth again, and this time a mass of maggots flew out in neat, orderly lines, as though someone had trained them to do so. Alucard instinctively dodged as the putrid worms weaved towards him. In one swift movement, he rose up in the air, cape billowing, and clung to the ceiling like a bat. The hungry little larvae scuttled eagerly up the walls and along the ceiling, persistently chasing their target.

The beast was beneath him now, raising a taloned paw towards him. Alucard let himself fall from the ceiling, slicing its hideous face with all his might. It jerked backwards with a grunt of pain as Alucard descended on the ground gracefully. The maggots wriggled their slimy little bodies into the cracks in the ceilings and disappeared.

There was no time to catch his breath. The beast was already in the air, coming down furiously upon him. Alucard glided swiftly across the floor underneath it, and the ground shook as the beast landed next to him with a thunderous thump.

I really wanted to protect you.

Alucard spun around, took aim at its left knee and made three rapid, successive slashes. This only served to infuriate the dragon. It swiped him with a claw like a man swatting a fly, and the force of the blow sent the dhampir flying backwards and smashing against the wall of the chamber. He landed and steadied himself for a moment, his face rigid with pain.

The beast would not give him a chance to recover. Alucard glanced up and saw its colossal form descending upon him again, and he quickly rolled away as it hit the ground heavily, the impact of its landing sending plaster and tiles falling from the walls.

Frustrated that the dhampir had managed to dodge its attack, the beast bellowed with anger. Alucard seized the opportunity and slashed at its ankle, one of its vulnerable points. The monster thrashed about in distress, and raised a clawed foot to kick him. The dhampir reacted instantly by transforming into a cloud of mist, rising up and then reforming and striking at the confused beast.

Come back. I promise I won't hurt you anymore.

And so the two souls danced in the grand throne room, the agile dhampir with the massive, stomping dragon relentlessly vomiting out its repulsive insects, all this amidst the shrieks of the harpy and the tortured cries of the thousands of souls within the beast's belly. Alucard's sanity was wearing thin, and he struggled to maintain focused. He knew that all his attacks so far only served to slow down the monster, and there was only one way to destroy it. He had to find the right moment.

Letting loose a determined roar, the monster leaped at him again with renewed vigor. Alucard retreated to the far corner of the chamber. He gathered himself together, summoned all the power he had and cast another round of hellfire at it. The flames drew a grimace from the beast, whose jaws twisted into something that looked like a smirk. As if mocking his fireball attacks, the beast lurched forward, opened its horrific jaws, and belched out a long tongue of flame. The entire chamber had become an incinerator, and the wave of red-orange fire rolled towards him, sucking the breath from his lungs.

The dhampir instantly soared into the air, his body taking the form of a bat. Black smoke from the fire beneath billowed up and filled the room. Seizing the confusion, Alucard flew along the ceiling until he was certain the beast was right below him, and then he transformed back to human, clinging on to the ceiling.

It was now or never.

Let Soma go, you foul demon. Mother will never forgive you!

He dropped down onto the beast, bring his weapon to bear. Thrashing down with his arms, he plunged the sword straight into its chest. It was a precise hit – exactly where the heart should be. Sword tore through flesh and sinew, and the beast's final, anguished howl reverberated through the chamber.

Alucard knelt beside the broken body of the youth, cradling his head, brushing away the snowy strands that fell over his pale face. Blood pooled beneath him, hardly distinguishable from the color of the carpet, but the youth's countenance held a look of peace. The eyes were back to their original pools of clear blue, as pure as the skies, and the dhampir gazed into them through a blur of tears. Memories flooded his mind, images and words he had cherished lovingly and protectively within him, emotions buried so deep that nobody could see them. Say it, say why you made such a big fuss over me... Adrian... Don't you feel anything towards me? … I don't want to be some dark lord, I just want to be with you… Innocent azure eyes gazing into his, like mirrors reflecting his own loneliness. All the actions held back, words left unsaid. If only... and what if.

"You will be fine, just like the last time," Alucard comforted him, gently pressing his lips against his forehead. "You will be your old self once more." His voice wavered ever so slightly.

The youth drew in a long, labored breath, wincing from the exertion. A weariness fell over his face. "It's okay," his lips moved to mouth the words. "Soon… I will be free."

Alucard shook his head adamantly, his long flaxen locks brushing Soma's hand. "No. You will be fine. I will bring you back, and when you have recovered we will play Liebestraum together again," he whispered fiercely. He gathered the youth in his arms and made a movement as if to stand up, but stopped when Soma clutched his sleeve.

"I just want to know, Adrian… have you ever loved me?" Soma asked in a scarcely audible voice. His eyes still held that beautiful shimmer within them.

"I love you," the dhampir said hoarsely, as blood-tinged tears fell in droplets and mingled with the scarlet on the ground. The light in the youth's eyes was gradually fading, slipping away. "Come back, Soma. Don't leave me alone here. Please, come back to me."

The youth managed a contented smile, just barely. "I will. Remember me, always."

End