Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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Unnatural.
That was the only word left for the castle of Dracula. The clan was well past used to the stories of how grime, filth, and malevolence were part of the castle. It was ingrained in the history of the clans, the expectations of monsters and the stench of death. It was monsters rising from the ground, or dropping from the ceiling, rotting corpses or the rare item.
Now it was truly terrifying.
The castle had been cleaned from top to bottom, and looked the role of a normal castle, from rolled out carpets to banners and flags. Save perhaps the macabre artwork but that was a matter of taste, even if the servants were undead, it was almost possible to imagine them as Hollywood level make up and costumes. That it was the castle trying to lull Soma into staying in it by posing itself as a normal castle was unsettling. Reinforcing the idea that the castle was still alive and, at least partly, sentient.
Was it reflecting Soma's mind by looking this way? Was it the castle itself? Were they to start breaking the candlesticks would the familiar items drop down? Or would the castle take it as an attack and react accordingly? No spirit ancestors came out to reassure them that they were safe and still on the move. Though there 'were' group of spirits that were starting to appear, ghosts like the ancestors but... no one that seemed related. Ghosts that crossed all walks of life.
Long was the hallway they found themselves facing with towering windows on the left to reveal a vast garden. The garden had a hedge maze sectioned off to the side that they could see, a massive, beautiful, fountain in the center, four angels stood atop a large smooth pedestal. The stonework that gave them their gowns rose up neatly, as each was frozen to eternity with horns at their lips. Clear blue water spewed forth and down into the wide base of the fountain.
Stone pathways and grass with trees were planted about the place, almost perfect for a lovers' walk with rose bowers dotting the landscape. But also a place for a family to walk with a section of open grass perfect for a picnic. If this was Soma, it was an idyllic set up for a home, if it was the castle it seemed to have some grasp on how to attract someone.
All of it domed by a perfect sea of stars continuing their eternal vigilance over the land, pure white diamond glows. A comforting sign that the moon had returned to its natural white light, if not where it was 'supposed to be in the first place'. Natural order was once more reclaiming its place in the world making the garden even more natural in appearance.
Clearly the castle was learning the difference between vinegar and honey.
But there were unsettling stone steps that were broken into pieces, and while it was hard to be sure. There appeared to be unplanned gaps in the maze. The place was illuminated by hovering candles that glowed endlessly into the night. A sea of red stars that dance and flickered with the evening breeze outside. But candles could only provide so much light and she couldn't be sure what she was exactly looking at.
"Think something's down there?" Sam asked, his voice still retaining some rawness from earlier, as he joined Alexis by the window.
"The stones that I can see are all uniformed in style. But look, those two look like they've been stepped on with enough force to crack. There's enough space to move around for a large beast, like the Wargs I bet. Probably 'meant for the Wargs' but..."
Attracted by the conversation Max and Alex joined the pair at the window and began scanning the area as well.
"So this could be our first zone," Alex suggested as he levitated himself up into the air while tugging his sister to join him. Allowing the pair to float above the others and fixing their gazes further into the garden. "I do see a series of cages... normally for hunting dogs. But Soma wouldn't need such a thing..."
'Cages...'
"Brother?"
"Maybe the servants could be encouraged to tell us about the garden and then we should take a walk," Alex suggested as he guided the pair of them to the ground.
"Anything in the distance?" Sam asked as he watched ground, because Alex forgot 'again' that his sister wore dress skirts... sigh...
"We saw cages, and that might have people in them. So what say we go and see if any of the staff would like to, or can, give us some intel on the garden?" Alex explained as the pair finally descended from their observations.
"I wear biker shorts under these skirts now Sammy," Alexis noted leaning in to bump her shoulder into the blonds arm.
"Biker shorts, thongs. Same thing," Max teased the size of her grin proportional to the amount of degrees the pair turned to glare at her. In short it was a huge grin.
While the path to the garden wasn't as twisted or random as they might have expected. Continuing to reflect that the castle was trying to appear normal, allowing the quartet to focus on another issue. "Think we should head straight for the cages? And should we make noise?" Alexis asked, "after all, we can easily float over the maze to check them given that its late and if they 'are' sleeping..."
As she shrugged Max nodded thoughtfully, "yeah, its big enough to be used as an arena, and the cults got no problem with killing hostages."
"And those gaps 'are' both large and in rows so it probably made its way into the maze at one point." Alex added as they walked along the hallway, looking for a door that would lead them into the garden itself.
"What would we be looking for though? I've never been in a castle, so how..." Sam asked shrugging before waving his hand about to include the castle they were in.
"Maybe it depends on how 'many' gardens are in the castle, one could be a mere vegetable garden after all," Alexis theorized as her eyes drifted along. Seeking out potential souls that might be able to give them insight. Even the fact that she suggested a vegetable garden in a castle ruled by a blood drinking 'vampire' was taken as a possibility.
"We are charting the newest of territory," Max noted aloud as though reading Alexis' thoughts. Or even everyone's thoughts with the soft sounds of agreement that came from her traveling companions. "But at least I seriously doubt a veggie garden is big enough for a cultist battle," she noted before smirking. "Taking down monsters with tomatoes sounds fun though."
"Tomato bombs sound like something that Soma might actually have created were he in any state to create them," Sam noted. "Or just as likely the tomatoes are full of blood because again..."
"Vampire."
Past the side tables and vases filled with slumbering roses they reached a door that lead further into the castle true. But there 'was' a visible door they could see from the window if they hung a left past said doors. Possibly if the castle was playing nice, so they made their way down the hallway, with no zombies, bats, enchanted monsters or Dark Children ambling after their lives.
Only a stray soul that floated through the wall crossed their path, wearing a white nightgown, and her hair down. A young woman by appearance, her hair was in a soft wave but she was faded enough that they couldn't figure out the color. While the soft angles of her face gave her a youthful appearance while the gown had long ago run out of fashion. But being dead she could have died in her sleep, that said, Alex politely cleared his throat before calling out.
"Excuse me? Miss?"
The ghost glanced over out of reflex, though she kept moving until she realized she was being looked at and addressed. Not only did she stop, but she began to look around to confirm that they were looking directly at 'her'. Confused and clearly unsettled she gave a quiet, "yes, is there something you need young man?"
It was a little strange to have someone who looked to be roughly the same age as Alex call him 'young' but... "my friends and I were wondering if this is the right way to the garden over there?" he gestured with his left arm towards the door they had seen and began tracing in the air the path they 'thought' might lead there.
The ghost seemed to think about it for a moment. "Yes, but I would recommend against going there... The castle has been most peculiar and there is a dreadful monster in the area. A human that turned into quite the unnatural of beasts, and that's comparing it to what has been existing 'here'. But... you're hunters I know of your type. Have you come to free the living in the garden?"
Unified blinking among the quartet earned a mildly amused expression on the ghosts' face before she turned to face them fully. She righted herself with her shoulders back and her hands folded before her, poised in a way that brought to Alex's mind the image of old Victorian ladies or other older times.
"If its not too rude, how long have you been here?" Alex asked politely as the other three tried to see the cages from the window.
"I died on February 16, 1784. I was murdered by accident," she was so calm as she stated that, but she had been dead for a long time...
"Accidentally killed, how?" Max asked as she turned to look at the ghost, her eyebrow elevated even as Alex chided her.
"My murderer wanted me to sleep deeply so they could rob my home, but they added a bit too much," she explained. Her tone shifting into a reluctant one as everyone stared at her for a moment, nodded as they pondered and went back to what they were doing.
"So you just chose to hang out here in a vampires castle?" Sam asked feeling a touch confused, surely...
"Well you don't get much of a choice when you've been murdered. The castle serves as a type of wait stop before the final rest. Murder victims such as myself have to wait until the next carriage comes to take us to the proper afterlife..."
"You've been waiting since 1784?!" Alexis tried not to stare in open shock but it was a trial.
Thankfully the woman shook her head and gestured around, "No, I chose to stay. We serve as keepers to the candles that you hunters seem wont to destroy. We also coax the castle to produce the foods and medicinal supplies that you can find from time to time."
"Wait, I'm sorry, you manage the candles?" Sam asked his brows furrowed as he stepped forward in quiet thought. When she nodded, he continued, "have you noticed anything about the castle being sealed? Or have access to the parts of the castle that have been sealed?"
The ghost blinked her head tilting slowly to the side in no small amount of concern. "Sealed?"
"Ye..."
"Yeah, the castle has areas that have been sealed off, you haven't noticed it?" Max nodded before holding her hands out to encompass the whole of the castle.
The ghost looked rather taken aback and began looking around the hallway, waiting for an explanation to manifest against the walls in words or something.
"We've had spirits with us who have seemingly become sealed in parts of the castle, and we know that its happened once before... our ancestors... Actually you might have 'seen' them," Sam noted as threads started to come together.
"Ahh wait, you mean the paintings... the time of the paintings," she replied her voice slowly resonating with a memory.
Her confirmation came with a nod encouraging Sam and quieting the others since he was clearly on a path of discovering something.
"Do you know how the seals work?"
"I know not of these 'seals' but I recall those who traveled the castle having to use these paintings to pass through to other parts of the castle. If I were to say exactly 'what' was blocking them, I would say it is the nature of the curse that binds those of your type here. Hunters come and go, but there is a particular bloodline that glows with a unique light." She explained, "not all, but those who have it may have trouble..."
"A particular bloodline..." Max repeated thoughtfully, picking up the conversation as the ghost let her voice drift into silence.
"Clearly the Belmonts blood..." Alex reasoned.
"And curse brother," Alexis pointed out, "as we have spirits who are only Belmonts by marriage and also sealed. So this is a thing that rejects both the blood and..."
"And allies, because even Alucard and Dracula can be sealed..."
"Ok then, we have an idea whats going on. Anyone directly or indirectly related to the Belmonts can't get through," Sam finally said with emboldened by the discovery. "Uh excuse me ma'am?"
The Ghost Lady blinked, now curious about this group of hunters, both in that they could see her and their inquisitive natures. She watched as the young man's mouth opened then shut again, his eyes lowered in worry and mounting concern.
"No, if the seal blocks those who would help us out we can't ask for anything from you... Thank you, uh you have a nice... uh afterlife?" Sam scratched the back of his head as the ghost slowly nodded as his words did make sense.
"Very well, I bid you all a good night," with that she gave a slight bow of the head before floating out of the hallway through the wall away from the garden.
"Didn't think about that actually," Alex admitted as he stood there, "we can't ask for anything from any of the spirits without risking that seal..."
"But we know how to get to the garden and what we might expect, so lets go," Max started walking down the hallway. "Its strange though, so people can actively choose to stay and help out hunters of their own will once they die. You'd think Death would be a little put out by that. I mean, its duty is to take people to the other side right? Just... you go about trying to do that and suddenly they're right back here 'manning the candles'."
"'What am I? A joke to you?'" Alexis quipped with a slight grin on her own face.
"Exactly," Max agreed with a shake of her blond head. "But its a shame that we can't find out what type of monster we're walking in on."
Resigned to their situation the group moved on through the door and hung the required left towards the garden. This hallway was the same as the one they left, with only the archway of the door leading to the garden sticking out against the wall. Beyond that there were no other spirits, be it from the castle nor helpful ancestors.
"So what do we do? The cults aren't using paintings so how do we break these new seals?" Max asked at large.
"Maybe we'll be lucky and all it takes is beating these changed cultists. After all the situation has changed drastically," Alex theorized. "But that's just speculation at this point. So who wants what duty?"
"Lets find out what type of monster this one was turned into first, play it by ear then. Just move fast in case someone decides they want to kill the hostages," Alexis spoke up as she walked to the door and opened it.
Evening chill flowed into the hallway, carrying the scent of roses and other flowers in slumber. The faintest touch of moisture that would become the morning dew caressed their bare skin. While the soft light from the floating candles illuminated the area in golden starlight, echoing the silver light of the stars above.
With the door open they could hear the soft splash of the water fountain, the soft roll of the wind as it rustled through the branches of the bushes and the trees. So normal, no zombies, or skeletons around, if there were birds they were probably sleeping. Yet somewhere out there, was a cultist, and hostages that needed to be rescued.