A/N: Almost caught up, now.
I stood on the doorstep of the Dallon's house. Carol looked at me, her eyes unreadable.
Her voice was quiet. "I owe you an apology."
I blinked.
She must have seen my confusion. "The last few weeks have been...stressful, to put it mildly. I was angry with you, but not because of you. You reminded me too much of Marquis, and we'd clashed too often years ago." She clenched and unclenched her hands. "I don't like lacking control, especially with things in my life. It's not good, or right, but..."
I winced. "I think I can get it." I shuffled my feet a bit on her front porch. "Kinda in the same boat."
Carol nodded. She opened the door all the way and let me in. "Amy and Vicky are upstairs. Packing up her things. I don't like what we're doing, here, but if the sun's as dangerous to Amy as you claim...I don't want to risk losing her again."
I stepped inside, looking at Carol closely. "This really, really bothers you, doesn't it?"
She made a wry smile. "Yeah. But it's time I stepped back. Your butler helped show me I was letting the past rule me."
I smiled slightly, nodded, and went up the stairs. I could hear Vicky laughing at something. I stepped up to the door of Amy's room and leaned on the doorframe.
There the sisters were, sitting together on the bed, playfully wrestling back and forth as they fought over a picture. I say 'playfully' because with Vicky's strength, there's no way she could lose if she really wanted to win. I cleared my throat, and they looked up, embarrassment on their faces.
I grinned. "I can leave you two to mess around if you want. I can always call up someone else to move your stuff to Castlevania."
Vicky pouted. "That's not fair and you know it. Nobody else can right now."
I shrugged. "Details, details." I gave Amy a smile. "Just about set?"
Amy nodded, looking at the seven or so boxes filled with her things. Vicky took the picture and set it in a box, giving Amy a gentle hug on the shoulders. I managed to take a glimpse of the picture.
One little blond girl, one brunette, dressed up in red outfits and wearing Santa hats, grinning at the camera. Amy blushed a little, her voice filled with embarrassment. "First Christmas here. I don't remember too much about it, but..." She leaned over and gently smacked Vicky's arm. "It was the first time I felt loved, here."
I smiled, nodding. "I can see why it's important." Carefully, I closed the lid of the box over the picture. "Just about ready?"
Amy nodded. She took one last look around, the room nearly bare, and sighed. "Yeah."
I opened a Shadow Portal near the closet, picked up a box, and helped with the move. She wouldn't have to live in my castle for too long.
Though, of course, she was welcome to.
I closed my eyes, listening to the whispering wind. Funny, Brockton Bay even smelled different.
I'd only been away from it about a week. It felt like a lifetime. In a way, maybe it had been. The mental image of Dracul in the void, burning, laughing, but also in eternal agony as the chunks of his Earth floated about, forming a ring around the sun...
An image of my world's future, if I couldn't find and stop the last Abomination.
I rose from my throne. My face pale as I spoke to Death. "I need...goddamnit, I don't know what I need. There's two things out there we have to kill, fast!"
Death looked at me, his voice cutting through my barely-controlled panic. "One."
I blinked.
Patience filled his voice as he spoke. "The enemy Dracul managed to distract died. It was crippled by the mortals, yet lingered on for years. However, their efforts managed to kill it, eventually. I brought her soul to where it belongs in nineteen-eighty-five. The other, however, is alive. Active. It has an avatar, but I am unsure what it is. It has managed some effort to...hide, from even I." He turned his head slightly. "The soul of the second Abomination was rather reticent. She did not and will not speak to me about what she knows. Still, the third lives, somewhere. It has enormous power, and if it is not slain, it will likely kill your world as its cousin killed Dracul's."
"Why did you hide this from me?" I demanded.
He looked at me with sadness. "What could I say? It is your task to help save billions? Uncounted more in the dimensions connected to your version of Earth? When we first met, you were still frail, still recovering from your rebirth. Even now, you aren't ready for this responsibility. No being is. Thankfully, you are not alone in this task, but no being, however powerful, should be singled out to be responsible for a world."
I sighed, slumping back onto the throne. A tiny part of my mind noted the thing was absurdly comfortable. "I thought you were everywhere." I muttered.
He nodded. "I am. But I only gain information when someone dies. I arrive and take them in that instant, and outside of Castlevania, I have little awareness of things beyond that. There are limitations upon even me. I do not know everything. The most I know is of you, because I gained my freedom from the power of the Lord of Darkness and there is still a link. This last Abomination has not killed anyone who knows what it is. On other worlds...yes. They know. But they are all different, so very different from each other. Their strategies vary so much I can't tell you what this one is doing with any certainty."
I opened my eyes, seeing the city before me. From here, at the top of a building downtown, everything looked small. I wondered if that's how everything looked to those things.
My phone buzzed. I pulled it from my coat and answered. "Scarlet Dragon."
Dragon's voice was amused. "You know that's going to get confusing."
I shrugged to myself. "Yeah, well, I did turn into one in public. And it feels right."
"Given what we know now, that's not all that reassuring. Still, I'm working on some things that might help...though considering what you and Death have said..."
I sighed. "Yeah. Even with our powers, we're ants trying to figure out how to kill Godzilla."
Dragon's voice was serious. "Maybe. But I've got a few ideas. We've got to identify where to look, first. There's a few possibilities...Sleeper's at the top of the list. I don't like any of them. There's other concerns on a personal level, though. Someone in Wallterton, Ohio, tried to break into your PRT files."
I blinked. "Tried?"
She sounded smug. "Before we left for your castle, I set up an adaptive firewall program. Not sentient in itself, but very sophisticated. Stopped the probes cold. Someone's interested, though."
I hummed a little in thought. "Well, you and I are celebrities, now. Well, you're more of one, but still. Second I got back there were a bunch of messages asking for interviews."
Dragon chuckled. "You'll learn to deal. Or hide from the paparazzi. What's next on your to-do list?"
I huffed. "Right now...not sure. The messes of the Bay are pretty minor in comparison, but..."
"It's home."
I chuckled. "Yeah. What have you got going?" Idly, I lifted my left hand, calling on one of Dracul's memories. Electricity sparked between my fingers, making a little arc that bridged between them. Zappy zappy.
Dragon's voice was full of thoughtfulness. "Right now, seeing how these new powers of mine work. Paladin's with me."
I smiled a little. "Can probably help with that. If yours work anything like mine, I should be able to get things going on your end."
"I'll meet you at the Rig tomorrow, then?"
"Sounds good. Catch you then, Dragon."
"Wait!" Her voice caught me just as I was about to hang up. "Your idea. It's going to make a lot of people upset."
I chuckled. "I know. But it's the best way I can set up as many resources as possible. We need every chance." I grinned to myself. "Besides, I don't exactly need a permit for this."
Dragon laughed. "I'm pretty sure you would, if they knew it was possible. I'm in your corner."
"Thanks, Dragon." I hung up, putting the phone away. I got to my feet, shifting into my demonic form, with only the slightest bit of discomfort as my body changed, my wings sprouting from my back. My clothes shifted into my armor. I stepped to the edge of the roof, spread my arms, tucked in my wings, and plummeted.
The street rushed toward me as I fell. I could feel my instincts pushing me to take the shape of my bat swarm. I resisted, called upon the memories Dracul gave me, and let my power flow. The street neared.
Keeping my wings tucked in, I swooped from a fall to a horizontal glide, and then rising upward, feeling my powers flow through me. It was effortless. Simple. I hadn't considered trying to fly like this because it just hadn't occurred to me I could. Gravity had only as much hold on me as I let it. And I was done obeying the laws of physics! Well, this law, anyway!
I whooped with excitement as I weaved my way through the buildings of downtown before I flew straight upwards, flying higher and higher. I could feel some resistance ahead of me, straining as I pushed to fly faster.
The resistance gave way. I tucked my wings in further, helping to streamline my shape as I cut through the air at supersonic speeds. It was uncomfortable, difficult at first, but my senses adjusted, and then it became natural. I was rushing over the water of the Atlantic, the air cold, whipping, but somehow welcoming. I flew higher into the atmosphere, feeling my tears begin to freeze in the air as the temperature plummeted and air thinned. Due to my nature, however, the thinness of the air was no problem to me. My eyes continued to work, despite the fact they should have frozen in the cold. Exhilaration filled me.
I finally stopped, hovering in the air effortlessly. I looked up, seeing the nighttime clouds blocking my view of the stars. The clouds were close. I knew I could fly higher, perhaps even to the edge of space itself if I were so inclined.
I am the Lady of Darkness, and the world is my patron. The shadows are my home. The void is my strength. And my will is the storm.
I lifted a hand. Concentrated. My will parted the clouds, allowing the moon and stars to shine through. From up here, the light of the city was nonexistent. I could see so many stars up above. The glory of the universe revealed to me.
I looked down. Brockton Bay was a small light on the horizon, barely visible even with my sharp eyes and vampiric senses. The air was clear, and I could see the sliver of the moon reflecting off the waves of the ocean below.
Since I'd awakened, people had been telling me I had the power of a god. Death, the servants of Castlevania, the impression of Dracul, my own subconscious.
It was here, now, for the first time, that I felt like a god. And yet, I was still so very small. Above the mortals, powerful, capable. But still below the cosmos.
I looked up to the stars once more. How many of you have those things circling around you? Harvesting worlds from their places? Murdering trillions?
How many Draculs are there, watching their worlds die?
I felt my body humming as I drew upon my determination.
This is one world that will not die, until Death himself comes for her soul.
I flipped myself around in midair, flying east. Over the ocean, where nothing was around. Hundreds of miles out, well into international waters. I'd done a little research. If I simply did as I wished on U.S soil, the government, and especially the Protectorate, would have a good case for attempting to seize everything I could bring by force.
But I would not be bowed by them.
I flew lower, until I was maybe about a hundred feet over the water. Everything seemed so peaceful out here.
Well, it was about to get exciting.
I closed my eyes, concentrating as my voice came out, barely above a whisper. I knew my words would be heard. "I am the dark shadow within the hearts of humanity. I am the righteous rage that will not suffer at the behest of monsters. I am what demons swear to follow, as I give them purpose beyond mayhem and murder. The heavens themselves will give me leave, lest they be rent asunder by beings far worse than I. Even the murderers of entire worlds will learn to fear me."
I opened my eyes as I built my power to a crescendo. "I am the Scarlet Dragon. And I call thee into being."
My power flowed outward from me. Darkness spread, blanking out the moon, the stars. Space itself ripped and tore at my will. A storm formed above my head. A flash of lightning finally lit up the air, and I smiled.
Before me, floating in the air, resting on a landmass of its own, was Castlevania. I flew upward, seeing my home from above, and took in just how truly massive it was.
My castle was here, in reality. I grinned.
Now let's just see how many hornets come looking at my nice, juicy trap.
A/N: Phew. This one did not want to get done. And may need some more rewriting.
Powers unlocked:
Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description?
Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications.
Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.
