The first month of a new year has come and gone. I hope y'all have had a better end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 than I did, because... eh, I'll explain at the end of this chapter...

It's about time this story continues!

Now presenting, the beginning of the Gangrel Arc!


DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.

ITALICS=THOUGHTS AND SOUNDS

BOLD= DATES, PLACES, ECT.

BOLD ITALICS=WRITER

(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)


Where am I?

"Holy crap, he's waking up!"

Lissa? Is that…?

"Give him space, Lissa."

Chrom felt a dull headache as he steadily opened his eyes. He rubbed his eyes as his vision steadily focused. He slowly became aware of his surroundings—he was in his bedroom, lying down in his bed. Standing at his bedside, staring at him with concerned eyes, were his sisters: Lissa and Emmeryn.

"Lissa... Emmeryn…?" Chrom brought his hand up to his aching head as he slowly sat up. "Wh-what's going on? Ho-how did I get here?"

"You collapsed, you idiot!" Lissa pouted. "After you fought that Mustafa guy, you completely passed out from stamina deficiency!"

"Stamina deficiency?"

"Yes, stamina deficiency." Emmeryn replied for Lissa. "You exhausted so much of your energy that you collapsed. You had to be carried to the extraction point, where we were transported back to Ylisse." Chrom sighed as he ran his hand through his messy blue-locks.

"Okay, so how long was I out? A day? Two days?" The blue-haired prince felt dread fill his heart as the expression on his sisters faces told him that he had been out longer. "How long was I out?" Lissa breathed as she placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Nearly three weeks…"

Chrom felt suddenly felt incredibly lightheaded. had Lissa and Emmeryn not caught him, he'd would've fallen flat on his face. His siblings steadied him as he was carefully sat back down on his bed.

"Easy there, you're still pretty weak." Lissa berated. "Your muscles may not have atrophied that much, but your body still needs a bit more time to wake up."

"I- I can't afford to rest!" Chrom yelled. "Last I checked, we were in the middle of a war! We've got to take the fight to Plegia! We've got to kill Gangrel!" Chrom struggled against both of his sisters as they held him down.

"Chrom, stop!" Emmeryn, for the first time in a long time, raised her voice against her brother—taking both Lissa and Chrom off guard. "Even if you were fully recovered, I would not let you step foot on the battlefield. There are far too many risks…"

"What? What're you talking about? Chrom stopped struggling and just stared at his elder sister.

"Chrom…" Emmeryn sighed, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We aren't fighting a war—we're struggling for our survival."

Chrom felt all the wind leave his sails as he just sat at his bed. Struggling for survival? What did that mean? Chom dreaded to ask what state Ylisse was in, but he couldn't very well remain in the dark.

"Wha- what do you mean by that? What do you mean by "struggling to survive"?" It felt like Chrom had been waiting for hours before Emmeryn opened her mouth to respond.

"Since you rescued me from Plegia, Gangrel has amassed a massive army of undead." Emmeryn lowered her head in sadness. "We mobilized our military as soon as we could, and marched them to Plegia. We were hoping to end the war as quickly as possible, to minimize the damage. Unfortunately, the moment the military reached the border, they were met by an incredible attack force—comprised of standard Plegian military and the undead." Emmeryn closed her eyes, a pained expression saying all that needed to be said about the result of the battle.

"Since then, Gangrel's forces have been pushing past the borders at an astonishing rate. All we can do is set up a defense and pray that we can maintain a mile long "no man's land", because any attempts to push past Gangrel's forces have been futile."

The weight of the situation suddenly became clear to Chrom; they were losing badly.

"I- I need to be alone right now…" Chrom buried his face in his hands. "Give me some time to process this…"

"Are you sure you wanna be alone, Chro-" Lissa was stopped by Emmeryn, who just shot the prince a nod of understanding. The two left the prince shortly afterwards, leaving the prince alone with his thoughts.

Chrom felt sick to his stomach. He had been out for just around three weeks—three weeks during which the bulk of Ylisse's forces were roundly decimated. Three weeks, his country needed him and he couldn't answer the call. He was scared and frustrated. Scared because he didn't see a way out of the situation; frustrated because he felt completely helpless. It was like he was five years old again, watching as his father plunged the country into complete chaos—crusading across Plegia without any regard for his own country.

"Damn it..." Chrom cursed under his breath. "If Walter was here, this war probably would've been won by now…"

But Walter wasn't there… he was gone…


Plegia ~ Plegia Castle Courtyard
September 5, Age 2609 (12:55 P.M)

"Chrom, Emmeryn, Lissa; heed my warning and run while you still can."

Chrom was absolutely flabbergasted at the request.

"Walter, we aren't going to abandon you to face Gangrel alone." He replied. "If we work together, we'll be able to-"

"No, Chrom." Walter interrupted him. "Even if everyone—Shepherds, Pegasus Knights, and our Feroxi allies—attacked all at once, it would prove futile. Not only is Gangrel stronger and faster than even I, but he won't be bested by the petty weapons we carry. Only the likes of blessed weapons would be able to put Gangrel down for good, and we don't exactly have those on standby."

He was about to retort, but he realized that Walter was right.

"Okay, if we're retreating, why do you still look like your going to fight?" Lissa asked.

"Because I'm not going with you." The expression on Walter's face was stoic.

"What? We can't leave you!" the blonde haired princess exclaimed. "Tell him Emm! Chrom! We aren't gonna leave him behind!"

"Yes, you must come with us." Emmeryn, for once, looked distressed. "You are important, and I cannot allow you stay and fight."

"Walter, listen to us!" Chrom shouted in desperation. "We'll retreat, but not without you! Be reasonable Walter!"

"I am being reasonable!" the butler silenced all three, earning a look of surprise from each of them. "The way I see it, as soon as we all attempt to retreat, Gangrel will send his soldiers after us! If I stay here and fight, I will be keeping the attention away from you! Besides…" Walter looked to the pile of rubble that Gangrel was likely lying under. "If there is even a slim chance I can defeat Gangrel, I must take it. If he is not stopped now, he will wage war on all of Ylisse and Ferox. It won't just be soldiers, it'll be ghouls and risen he sends after you; entire armies made up of the undead. I cannot allow that to happen."

"Frederick, Khans-Basilio and Flavia, and Captain Phila: get them out of here. Our entire reason for being here is to save Emmeryn, so get them out of here damn it!"

Frederick and Phila seemed taken aback by the request, but both Khans understood the weight of the situation. Basilio immediately hefted Chrom up like a child.

"Let me go, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Chrom flailed in his arms, but to no avail. "We can't leave him!'

"Sorry, Chrom, but he's right." Basilio said simply. "Damn that man, Walter. He's got guts."


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Royal Palace
September 26, Age 2609

"Yeah he had guts, but he was fool!" In a fit of rage, he began punching the wall. It pained him, oh did it pain him to do that. However, the pain in his knuckles was a far cry from the pain of leaving Walter to die.

Thunk thunk thunk!

Chrom bolted at the sound of his door being knocked on. Composing himself, the prince went to answer the door. Knowing that it was probably Emmeryn or Lissa again, he took a deep breath before opening his room up. To his surprise, it wasn't Emmeryn or Lissa.

It was Sumia.

"Captain…" Sumia fidgeted as she stood at Chrom's door. "I… I heard that you were finally awake. I'm sorry I- I disturbed you, captain. I- I just thought you could… um…" The hazel-haired Pegasus Knight turned beet red.

"Chrom."

"H-huh?" Sumia stared at the prince, dumbfounded.

"You don't need to call me captain, just please call me Chrom."

"Oh, of- of course, Cap- I mean Chrom!" Sumia quickly composed herself. Chrom felt a smile form as he watched the hazel-haired Pegasus Knight.

"What're you doing here, Sumia? I doubt you just came here to say hi."

"Er… I just thought that, well considering all that's been happening recently, you could use a bit of a pick me up." Sumia looked down as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Oh?" Chrom smirked, touched by her kind hearted gesture. "Maybe you're right—you wanna come in?"

"Well, I- I don't want to impose!" the Pegasus Knight smiled kindly. "Besides, this is your bedroom! It would be rude of me to enter a- a royal's room!"

"Yes, this is my bedroom, which means it's my decision who can and can't enter." Chrom shuffled the nervous woman into his room without so much as a second thought. "Besides, I really could use your company right now…" Sumia was surprised by what she had just heard Chrom say.

"I guess something about you just calms my nerves. Maybe it's because we're always paired-up in battle, but I feel comfortable with you around."

"Hah… I guess that's why Walter paired us together." Sumia smiled.

"Yeah… Walter was really methodical when it came to picking battle partners…" Chrom let out a deep sigh. Realizing what exactly was ailling the prince, Sumia sat down next to him.

"Walter's sacrifice hit you hard..." She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Not just that, but everything in general. " Chrom sat at the edge of his bed, stress evident. "I'm told that I've out for three weeks, and that Gangrel's forces have been running circles around ours."

"Yeah… I guess that was a pretty big bomb to dropped on you…" Sumia sat down beside the prince.

"Understatement of the year…" Chrom sighed. "Walter's sacrifice was just the cherry on top…" As Chrom buried his face in his hands, Sumia placed a comforting hand on the blue-haired prince's shoulder.

"He did kind of bond with everyone in some way shape or form." Sumia gently stroked Chrom's shoulder. "I guess that he was kind of endearing in that regard."

"Yeah…"

"Not to mention all those times he'd just suddenly pull off some crazy maneuver that turned the tide of battle. I guess everyone was convinced that he'd never be beaten…"

"It's not that, Sumia…" Chrom lifted his face from his hands. "It's the fact that fool had to go and sacrifice himself."
"What?" Sumia's eyes widened. "That's what's bothering you?"

"Not for the reason you're probably thinking of…"


South Regna Ferox ~ The North Road
August 18, Age 2609 (12:10 P.M.)

Chrom gripped Walter's shoulders and looked the butler in the eyes. Concern was written all over the prince's face, something that even the most clueless person could see. "Then why the hell are you keeping the damn seal up!?" Chrom's teeth clenched. "If that thing is killing you then what's the point in keeping it up!?"

Walter scowled and replied, "No, you haven't any idea what releasing the seal would unleash. As it stands, I'd rather I die as I am- a human- rather than live as a monster."

"I am ordering you to release that seal, Walter!" Chrom looked desperate.

"I refuse to carry out that order, sir." Walter spoke in a monotone voice. The butler released himself from Chrom's grip. "I am merely your butler, sir. Why do you even care?

The Ylissean prince was taken aback by the question. It took him a moment to think of how to word his response. When he did, he stared right into Walter's gunmetal grey eyes. "I'll do anything to protect those around me. You're not just my butler, Walter, nor are you just a subordinate. You're my friend, and I like to think that I'm your friend too." Chrom tightened his grip on Walter's shoulders. "Friends help each other, Walter. I'm asking you, as a friend, release that seal."

Walter saw a fire in the young lord's eyes, one that he had also seen when he served Integra. The idea of protecting everyone was far from feasible, no matter what a leader will lose someone under their command, but it was refreshing for the butler to see a young leader with the determination of a king many times his age.

Walter sighed, "I'm sorry Chrom, I will not release the seal." he said simply. "Even as a friend, that is a request I cannot grant. I'd rather it be you that buries me in the end, not me that buries you."

The fire in Chrom's eyes faded slightly, but the Ylissean prince was still determined. "In that case, you'll have to make sure to fulfill the other promise you made, to always come back from battle alive. If the prospect of dying by the seal's effects doesn't bother you, then make sure that that's what you die by. I won't let you die any other way."

Walter smiled, "Of course sir."


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Royal Palace
September 26, Age 2609

(Play Song ~ Id (Serenity) [Fire Emblem Awakening OST])

"That fool promised that he'd always come back alive." Chrom grit his teeth. "How could he so easily something so stupid? How could he just give his life like that?"

"Well…" Sumia held her hands over her chest. "I can't say that I wouldn't do the same thing he did, cap- I mean, Chrom." Chrom turned to face her, a look of incredulity on his face as he did.

"What?"

"I mean… I'm pretty sure anyone in the Shepherds would give their life for you in a heartbeat, me especially." Sumia continued. "I don't know why Walter stayed behind to fight Gangrel on his own, but I can tell you that it was probably because of how much he cared and valued—not just you—but everyone."

"But that's not fair!" Chrom cried out, sounding like a petulant child in the process. "I'm the leader, so it should be me that makes the sacrifices! What kind of leader am I that I let my own subordinates—my friends—give themselves up for my sake!?"

"Enough, Chrom!" Without warning, Sumia delivered a hard slap to Chrom's cheek. It stung, but it snapped Chrom out of his rant.

"Yes, you are our leader, and yes—you should be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of others." Sumia stood up, and jabbed Chrom's chest with her finger. "However, you can't expect others not to do the same for you. The fact that you'd be willing to give your life for everyone below you is one of the reasons your so beloved. No one wants the world to be robbed of such a great man; that's why everyone is so loyal to you—that's why we value you over ourselves." When Sumia was finished with her tirade, she promptly sat back down. She raised a hand to the cheek that she had struck earlier, which was now bright red.

"Oh jeez… I hope I didn't slap you too hard…" The hazel-haired woman whispered softly. As she caressed his cheek, a smile formed on Chrom's face, which eventually evolved into a chuckle.

"Hah, no, I'm pretty sure I deserved that. I was acting like a little kid…" Chrom sighed. "Honestly, can't say that's the first time I've heard that one. Walter told me something similar."


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ The Shepherd's Garrison
August 19, Age 2609 (2:45 P.M)

"It seems like we hardly ever catch a break, Walter." Chrom slumped down at a table and rested his head on it's surface.

"Well these are difficult times we live in, sir. Just one month serving you lot and I see more action then I ever did in a single year under my last master's service." Walter sat beside the Ylissean prince. "Perhaps that's simply because I had retired from my active duty in order to focus more on my domestic duties. Either way, this has been quite the experience thus far." Chrom let out a half-hearted laugh.

"An exhausting experience if I had to describe it. With the threat of war on the horizon, not to mention the Risen attacks, Ylisse's forces find themselves stretched thin." He locked his fingers together and rested his chin atop them. "I'm glad you joined when you did. Without your aid it's likely the Shepherds would've fallen in the recent month." A comforting smile formed on the butler's face.

"I can't take all the credit, sir. Don't forget, at the end of the day, I am only your butler. I'm not the one in charge, all I do is make suggestions, sir. It is you the others look to for guidance."

"It's you who I look to for guidance." Chrom retorted. "Sometimes I can't help but feel I'm unfit to lead the Shepherds. I've made mistakes that have nearly cost us lives. Think about when we confronted Raimi; you took a devastating blow meant for me. If I had been more wary, that might not have happened." A sigh came out of Walter's mouth as he listened to Chrom.

"You cannot blame yourself for that, I took the blow knowing that I could take it. I shielded you of my own accord, Chrom."

"But what if it was someone else that took the blow for me?" Chrom slammed his fist into the table. "What if it was Lissa? Sumia? Frederick? Any one of them would've probably been killed by that attack!" The butler was silent for a few seconds before he stood up and looked down at the blue-haired prince.

"Look at me, Chrom..." the butler waited for Chrom to face him. "Every great leader in history had to have started somewhere. Sometimes the greatest of humankind are born as a result of struggle and loss. The worst of humankind can also be born as a result of struggle and loss. What makes a person great is not the strength of their body or a lack of mistakes, but rather their ability to cope with their mistakes. The ability to not give into the negativity and to move forward instead of backwards. When you make a mistake, or suffer a loss of some kind, you take the pain you feel and promise yourself that you will never again make the mistake. That's what makes a leader, Chrom. You never give up, no matter how lost you may feel, and you never abandon your principles." Walter placed his hands on Chrom's shoulders. "What are your principles, what is it that you fight for?" Chrom took a moment to think before responding.

"I fight for my loved ones; I fight to become strong enough to not only protect them but the whole of Ylisse as well."

"An admirable response, and one that you need to keep fighting for." Walter continued, "Stick to that and I assure you that you'll achieve it one day."

The leader of the Shepherds dwelled on the advice for awhile before taking it to heart. "Thank you, Walter. I needed some wisdom."

"Anytime, milord. I am here to serve you in just about anyway I can."


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Royal Palace
September 26, Age 2609

"You know, he's right." Sumia spoke up after hearing about what Walter had told Chrom. "You can't just let everything you perceive as a mistake weigh you down." Pegasus Knight smiled as she continued.

"Yes, Walter sacrificed himself for you—and it hurts knowing that you couldn't do anything to stop it. His sacrifice, however, has given you a chance to grow as a leader. If anything, that's probably another reason why he so readily gave his life for you. So, are you gonna take the opportunity that he gave you, or are you just gonna sit around and sulk about it?"

Sumia's words hitting a chord in him, Chrom could only stare at the ground in silence as he thought about what she had just said. How was he going to move forward?

Eyeing the corner of his room, he saw the Falchion sitting there—sheathed. The weapon called to him, telling him that he had to take up arms and fight. Smiling, he stood up and buckled the weapon to his hip. Turning back to Sumia, he suddenly pulled her into an affectionate hug.

"Wha- Chrom, what're you?" Sumia blushed furiously as she felt his head rest on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Sumia." He whispered into her ear. "You told me exactly what I needed to hear..."

(Song end here)


Ylisstol, Ylisse ~ Shepherds' Garrison
September 26, Age 2609

"Ugh… when are we gonna be deployed for combat, Frederick?"

"We cannot march until we receive confirmation from Exalt Emmeryn of our deployment."

Sully groaned in frustration as she sat down beside Stahl, Virion, and Vaike.

"Any luck?" Stahl asked, hopeful.

"Do you think I'd look this pissed if he said yes, Stahl?"

"Well…" Stahl hesitated for a moment. "No…" Sully huffed as she put her feet up and leaned back in her chair.

"You're damn right he said no!" Sully glared at the ceiling. "Just like he said no yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that!"

For the past three weeks, the Shepherds had been inactive. They all waited eagerly for the order to come down from the Exalt to take up arms and fight, but no order has come down as of that moment. It had made since in the first two weeks since the Exalt Rescue mission, as many Shepherds were injured in the battle at the Midmire, but they were all now up and ready for battle.

"This is ridiculous, Ol' Teach's itchin' for a fight! How come no one is lettin' me at 'em?!" Vaike slammed his fist into the table, breaking it in two—Sully abruptly fell backwards, as a result.

"Crap, why the hell'd you do something like that, shit-for-brains!" Sully rubbed her behind as she scowled at Vaike.

"Be honest, if Ol' Teach didn't do that, you'd have done it yourself!" Vaike glared back, with equal intensity.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kick your ass right here!"

"Oy!" The two abruptly stopped to see Gregor walk into the room with Lon'qu following behind. "Gregor hear Sullykins arguing with big burly Vaike from other room. Is sound like very bad fight between two grizzly bears; fight to death is not good for allies. Ask young Lon'qu—he attempt many fight to death with Gregor, but all end with face on floor with Gregor standing victorious."

"You won that fight through trickery! None of that fight was your own skill!" Lon'qu growled as his hand hovered dangerously close to his sword.

"Oy, is speed not trickery—Gregor already explained, no?"

"Would the two of you shut up!" Sully turned her ire upon the swordsman and sellsword. "Unless you want me to beat your ass too!"

"Eh?" Gregor crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow. "How can one make with the kicking of ass if Sullykins has never beaten Gregor? Is very silly, Gregor thinks…"

"Oh, now you're asking for it!" Sully unsheathed a sword and began walking straight towards the mercenary. She was midswing when Virion stopped her.

"This is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves…" Virion was dead serious, one the few times anyone had ever heard him as such. "If an enemy were to walk in here right now, could we repel them—or would you all be too busy squabbling like children for that to be viable?"

The room went silent for a bit as the weight of Virion's words hit everyone like a tank.

"If you man spawn continue to squabble among yourselves, I doubt you would." Panne suddenly entered the room with Nowi bouncing around behind her, followed by Gaius and Cordelia.

"Look at you guys…" Gaius rolled his eyes as he plopped a lemon drop into his mouth. "You spend three weeks without a bit of leadership, and you guys completely fall to pieces."

"Indeed, what would captain Chrom would say if he saw you all right now?" Cordelia added.

"Yeah, what would I say?"

(Play Song ~ "Here we are! The Shepherds' Garrison" [Fire Emblem Awakening OST])

Everyone in the room froze instantly. Slowly, all heads turned towards the entrance to the garrison. Standing there, Frederick and Sumia standing right beside him, was Chrom—Falchion attached to his hip.

"Captain!" the entire garrison erupted in cheers as they crowded the prince.

"Enough!" Chrom silenced them all, clear authority in his voice. "I'm disappointed in you all, that's what I am right now. I've been in a coma for three weeks, and I come back to see you all in chaos?" Chrom crossed his arms, a small scowl on his face.

"Are we the Shepherds, defenders of the Ylissean people, or are we common bandits that squabble amongst each other like children?" Chrom walk to the center of the room, everyone giving him the space to stand. "You worry about what I would say, but would Walter say if he were here, because I have no doubt that he'd be even more livid than I am at the moment." The prince pointed to the toppled barrels and weapons lying on the ground.

"This place looks nearly as bad as it did when Walter first walked through those doors. Are you saying that when neither he and I are present that you all descend into chaos?" The captain of the Shepherds let out a sigh. "Walter isn't here anymore, so now more than ever, we need to remain steadfast together. He sacrificed himself for not just mine and Emmeryn's sake, but all of us. Are we really gonna dishonor his sacrifice by tearing each other apart?"

"We want to fight for our country, captain!" Sully yelled out.

"Yes, I understand that, but being reckless will get us nowhere. Our recklessness nearly got all of us killed during the battle at the Midmire." Chrom placed his hands behind his back, much like Walter did when he was addressing the militia. "Walter was usually the one keeping us all in check, but now we've all got to watch each others backs. We don't have a tactician to take care of us anymore, so we've got to prepare."

"But we haven't even received a call to action yet…" Stahl spoke up.

"Than we use this time to train! To get stronger!" Chrom unsheathed the Falchion and stabbed it into the ground. "That way, when we do get deployed, we're ready for battle! Who's with me?!"

There was an uproar of overwhelming support, bringing a smile to Chrom's face.

You're sacrifice won't be in vain, Walter. We'll win this war, no matter what it takes. No matter how many times we'll have to pick each other up, we won't give up!


Writer's Notes

You lot are probably wondering why it took so long for me to get such a short chapter out... well, as you know, I attempted to write all the chapters of the Gangrel Arc at once. Unfortunately, I heavily underestimated the workload, and I ended up burning myself out for a bit. So I took a much needed break in between writing chapters that quickly spiraled into an unofficial vacation from writing. When I did finally get back into writing, I was swiftly pulled away from this project to work on another—non-fanfiction—story. Unfortunately, but fortunately for you all, progress for that project eventually stagnated; this giving me the much needed time to sit down and work and this...

...and then I fell on my head and ended up with a concussion. I'm not lying when I say that I had been bedridden; unable to do anything because my head felt like it was goung to explode for about two weeks. Even after recovery, I couldn't formulate a sentence without massive errors.

So yeah, the delay was a result of a whole bunch of crap that forced me to put this at the bottom of my bucket list. Had I known that I'd be forced to delay this story for so long, I'd never have taken that break... any way, enough about me; this ain't some social media outlet where I can knowingly subject all y'all to the mundanity of every day life.

So begins the Gangrel Arc! So begins the third act of the first third of the story! There's not much that can be said about this chapter, other than the fact that it was mostly written as an opener to the arc and not much more. There are a couple "behind the keyboard" things to cover, if you're interested.

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Not part of the plan
Okay, so when Chrom passed out last chapter, it wasn't at all planned. In fact, I added that bit on a limb because... I was too lazy to write anymore. Problem is, that meant I had to dedicate some time to writing Chrom waking up and finding out everything went to hell. In the end, it kind of worked in my favor, because it meant I could develop Chrom's relationship with someone other than Walter.


Reviews

Neema Amiry
Just wait, we're just getting started.

The Hand of Section XIII
I needed someone that could be a threat—a villain that could act as Walter's foil. I didn't want to create a whole new character for the sake of being an antagonist, so I decided that Gangrel had to be turned into an actual dangerous villain. What's the easiest way to ensure someone is established as a threat? Have them completely over power the hero!

Touhoufanatic
Staying true to what Hellsing is about is a struggle, and I honestly don't think I've done a good job. In the end, even if I don't stay true to the original source material, my main goal is to just tell a good story. If I so happen to stay accurate to the series, it's probably incidental.

The main theme of this arc as a whole really goes hand-and-hand with how Walter is going to have to deal with Gangrel. I'm not going to tell you what the theme is, but just know that it has to do with how Walter and Gangrel view vampirism and what it means to be a monster.

Greer123
No, thank you for reviewing. You and everyone else's replies are the reason I'm so dedicated to this story.

demonic hellfire
When Alucard? (cookie to anyone who gets the reference) Alucard will appear when Alucard wants to.

xbox432
Preview and update, that sort of thing. I just hope I meet those expectations.

Aergaia
Thanks, it took me awhile to draw that. Walter will de-age as much as the plot requires it.


I apoligize for the wait, but I'm back in buisness. In fact, if you check the Table of Contents you'll be able to see the titles of the next eight chapters. Speculate as you please, I will neither confirm or deny any claims you make (even if you theorise that Walter summons a fiery demon of hell that he proceeds to absorb for the sake of creating an almighty Spirit Bomb that he uses to become the jinchūriki of the fifteen tailed One for All)

Worry not, this story won't die. It'll be a long journey, but I'm determined to see this through to the end!


Next time on Walter Dornez of the Emblem!

Tales of a Distant Future