Chapter 2
"He sent Jeremy?!" exclaimed Marguerite.
Delilah nodded. "Why did Father do it? Why..."
"That's obvious," said Gabriella. "He wants to bring down your defense. So he sends Jeremy, whom you care for a lot, so you'll be dragged back."
Marguerite giggled. "I don't think 'care for a lot' is the right wording. I think our little sister is in love."
"I've known that for hundreds of years!"
"Shut up! Both of you!" said Delilah.
Somewhere in Romania...
Alucard tried to block out the voices that plagued him during his eternal slumber. They were trying to wake him up.
Leave me in peace, he thought.
"Castlevania has risen again..."
"You're sisters' lives are in danger..."
Alucard's eyes opened. My sisters?
His half older sisters. Marguerite. Gabriella. Delilah. They were full vampires, but their beliefs were the same as his, and not their father's.
How are their lives in danger? He wondered.
"Dracula is going to force them to believe HIS beliefs..."
"They'll be the same as they were when you were a child..."
Alucard got to his feet in his small tomb. He had to stop his father again. And he had to save his sisters...
"My daughters don't want to see me?" asked Dracula.
"That's correct," said Jeremy. "They seem happy where they are living..."
"So I'm supposed to stand for this?! Not a chance!" Dracula shot to his feet. "If my daughters will not come to me, then I'll go to them!!"
Jeremy stared in shock at Dracula. "Sire, do you really wish to leave Castlevania?"
"Only for a few hours. I want to see my daughters face to face! And if I have to drag them here one by one, I will!"
"...You wish to change their attitudes?"
"Exactly. They were just fine before they started seeing things from my son's point of view. But everything will change for the better. I'll see to it!"
"Marguerite, didn't you say you ran into a human boy?" asked Gabriella.
"That's right," said Marguerite. "What about it?"
"Was he a familiar?"
"No. A hunter."
"Did you say 'hunter'?! Like a Belmont?!"
"I didn't smell the blood of a Belmont in him. He was just a naïve boy who doesn't know what kind of trouble he could get into."
"What was his name?" asked Delilah.
"He didn't say. But...I sort of probed into his thoughts and got his first name...Nicholas."
"YOU probed into someone's mind?!" said Gabriella. "YOU?! You, the vampire who forbade US to do that?!"
"I didn't do it on purpose...I just wanted to know his name."
"Ooh, it sounds like you're interested in a human!"
"No, I'm not. Besides, he's too young for me."
"EVERY GUY is too young for you!! Not many live to be over seven hundred years old!"
"...Let's just get off the subject. It's close to dawn."
Nicholas Stewart sharpened another stake, occasionally glaring out his window.
I should've just killed her!! He thought, testing the tip. Now she might be after me...Wait. Why didn't she kill me then?
The vampire woman he ran into wasn't anything like the vampires he had killed. For one, she was stunningly beautiful. The ones he saw were hideous and revolting. She also had gentle eyes.
It's just a trick, he told himself. She wants to gain your trust so she can kill you...and she probed into your head. God knows what she knows about you now.
He tested all his stakes. Tonight, he wasn't going to falter. He was going to kill her and whoever was with her.
That evening...
"This is too eerie," said Delilah. "There's no one here."
"You're right," said Marguerite. "It's very deserted here."
Gabriella snorted. "Well, I say we-"
"Hold it right there!!!" someone yelled. The girls turned to see a teenage boy standing in the moonlight.
Marguerite stepped forward. "You're Nicholas, right?"
The boy faltered. "Shit!! What else do you know?! No matter. You'll all die now."
"We die?" said Gabriella. "No. That's not-"
"SHHHHH!!!!!!!!" hissed Marguerite. "Do you feel that aura?! Someone else is nearby!!"
Nicholas looked around. "I don't see-"
"Be quiet, human!!" growled Gabriella. "What IS that?! It's so strong!!"
Delilah took several steps back. "It's...Father."
"WHAT?!" screamed Marguerite and Gabriella.
"No mistake. Father is-"
"Here," someone finished. The four looked up to see someone lower to the ground, shrouded in a cape. When the person landed, the cloak was thrust aside, revealing Dracula.
"My daughters," he said softly. "You all look so well."
"Who the hell are you?!" said Nicholas.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him by his throat. "You will show your proper respects to the Count." The magician, Shaft, stepped forward, holding Nicholas high in the air.
Dracula looked over his daughters. "We have much to discuss. But first, you all must come with me."
"NO!!" screamed Gabriella. "We won't go anywhere with you!!"
"I see. You were right, Jeremy."
Jeremy stepped from the shadows, his face grim. Delilah shot him an agonizing look.
Marguerite stood in front of her sisters. "I don't know what you want, but we're staying right here. We left, and you haven't cared for three hundred years. Now you want us back? Why?"
"You'll find out soon enough. I guess I'll take one of you for now." Dracula shot out a finger.
Delilah was lifted into the air.
"What the hell is this?!" she screamed. "Let me down!"
"Shaft, take Delilah to Castlevania," said Dracula.
"NO!!!" the sisters screamed.
Shaft tossed aside Nicholas and flew into the air. He forcefully grabbed Delilah.
"Let me go!! Help me!!" She shot a frightened look to Jeremy, but Jeremy looked away.
Shaft laughed then vanished with Delilah.
"Delilah!!" screamed Marguerite. She frantically looked around. "What did you do to her?!"
"Right now, she is at Castlevania," said Dracula. "But don't worry. I'll be back for the rest of you. Bye for now. Oh, and, kill that human boy, Jeremy." Then he vanished.
Jeremy took off a glove and advanced on Nicholas. Nicholas readied a stake. "Take your best shot, freak!"
"Oh, I can't take this!!" said Gabriella. She stormed over to Jeremy and grabbed his cloak, stopping him. "I'm gonna ask you a question and you better answer honestly!!! Why in all the hells did you let Delilah be taken?!?! I thought you had feelings for her!!!"
Jeremy turned to her. He pulled his cape out of her grasp. "It's because I care for her so much that I let her go. You all are going to become the same as you were before you left the Count. That's all I will say." Then he vanished.
"The same?!" cried Marguerite.
"We were MONSTERS!!" said Gabriella. "I don't EVER want to be like that again!!"
Nicholas looked at the sisters. "Um, what is going on?"
"Shit, now HE'S involved," said Gabriella.
"Well, I'll tell you and I'll keep it brief," said Marguerite. "You see..."
Alucard his head spinning from his long slumber. He glanced around the empty space of land. The sun was starting to come out.
Where are they? He wondered. I can't sense them ANYWHERE in Romania...
Suddenly, he felt Delilah's presence. It was quite a distance away, somewhere near...
Castlevania. She's at the castle! Alucard realized. But why is she there?
Then it came to him. Dracula had forced her there and he was going to change her...
"It won't let him!" he said aloud. He couldn't feel Marguerite or Gabriella's presence, which was a good thing. That meant they were still far away from Castlevania.
He readied his equipment. He was once again going to enter the cursed castle. This time, he was there to save his sisters. Even if it meant destroying his own father again, Alucard would fight.
"...And that's about it," said Marguerite.
Nicholas put a hand to his head. "My God. You two are related to Dracula?!?!"
"Okay, you told him," scuffed Gabriella. "Can we go now?! We need to get to Romania as soon as possible!"
"How do you plan to get there?" interrupted Nicholas.
"By boat. What else?"
"If you do that, it'll take days for you to get there! Why not by plane?"
"The sun might strike us," said Marguerite. "But...why are you so concerned?"
"I'm not. I'm going with you."
"Like hell you are!!" snapped Gabriella. "We don't need your interference!!"
"I'm a hunter!! It's my duty!!"
"It's your duty to get a life!! Get lost!!"
"How are you getting there?! Either by boat or plane, you'll get caught!! Things are a bit different than they were hundreds of years ago!!"
"Okay, genius. What do you think we should do?"
"A friend of mine owns a cargo plane. If I ask him, he'll take you to Romania. But I'll ask only if you take me along."
"Son of a bitch," muttered Gabriella.
"Fine," said Marguerite. "But don't get in our way. Why do you want to go, anyway?"
"Slaying vampires like you is nothing. But to slay Dracula himself...man, I want to do that."
"You're a damn idiot," said Gabriella.
"Get in contact with your friend," said Marguerite. "We need to leave right away!!"
Okay, it seems I'm rushing things. I don't mean to be, and I'll go much slower in Chapter 3.
"He sent Jeremy?!" exclaimed Marguerite.
Delilah nodded. "Why did Father do it? Why..."
"That's obvious," said Gabriella. "He wants to bring down your defense. So he sends Jeremy, whom you care for a lot, so you'll be dragged back."
Marguerite giggled. "I don't think 'care for a lot' is the right wording. I think our little sister is in love."
"I've known that for hundreds of years!"
"Shut up! Both of you!" said Delilah.
Somewhere in Romania...
Alucard tried to block out the voices that plagued him during his eternal slumber. They were trying to wake him up.
Leave me in peace, he thought.
"Castlevania has risen again..."
"You're sisters' lives are in danger..."
Alucard's eyes opened. My sisters?
His half older sisters. Marguerite. Gabriella. Delilah. They were full vampires, but their beliefs were the same as his, and not their father's.
How are their lives in danger? He wondered.
"Dracula is going to force them to believe HIS beliefs..."
"They'll be the same as they were when you were a child..."
Alucard got to his feet in his small tomb. He had to stop his father again. And he had to save his sisters...
"My daughters don't want to see me?" asked Dracula.
"That's correct," said Jeremy. "They seem happy where they are living..."
"So I'm supposed to stand for this?! Not a chance!" Dracula shot to his feet. "If my daughters will not come to me, then I'll go to them!!"
Jeremy stared in shock at Dracula. "Sire, do you really wish to leave Castlevania?"
"Only for a few hours. I want to see my daughters face to face! And if I have to drag them here one by one, I will!"
"...You wish to change their attitudes?"
"Exactly. They were just fine before they started seeing things from my son's point of view. But everything will change for the better. I'll see to it!"
"Marguerite, didn't you say you ran into a human boy?" asked Gabriella.
"That's right," said Marguerite. "What about it?"
"Was he a familiar?"
"No. A hunter."
"Did you say 'hunter'?! Like a Belmont?!"
"I didn't smell the blood of a Belmont in him. He was just a naïve boy who doesn't know what kind of trouble he could get into."
"What was his name?" asked Delilah.
"He didn't say. But...I sort of probed into his thoughts and got his first name...Nicholas."
"YOU probed into someone's mind?!" said Gabriella. "YOU?! You, the vampire who forbade US to do that?!"
"I didn't do it on purpose...I just wanted to know his name."
"Ooh, it sounds like you're interested in a human!"
"No, I'm not. Besides, he's too young for me."
"EVERY GUY is too young for you!! Not many live to be over seven hundred years old!"
"...Let's just get off the subject. It's close to dawn."
Nicholas Stewart sharpened another stake, occasionally glaring out his window.
I should've just killed her!! He thought, testing the tip. Now she might be after me...Wait. Why didn't she kill me then?
The vampire woman he ran into wasn't anything like the vampires he had killed. For one, she was stunningly beautiful. The ones he saw were hideous and revolting. She also had gentle eyes.
It's just a trick, he told himself. She wants to gain your trust so she can kill you...and she probed into your head. God knows what she knows about you now.
He tested all his stakes. Tonight, he wasn't going to falter. He was going to kill her and whoever was with her.
That evening...
"This is too eerie," said Delilah. "There's no one here."
"You're right," said Marguerite. "It's very deserted here."
Gabriella snorted. "Well, I say we-"
"Hold it right there!!!" someone yelled. The girls turned to see a teenage boy standing in the moonlight.
Marguerite stepped forward. "You're Nicholas, right?"
The boy faltered. "Shit!! What else do you know?! No matter. You'll all die now."
"We die?" said Gabriella. "No. That's not-"
"SHHHHH!!!!!!!!" hissed Marguerite. "Do you feel that aura?! Someone else is nearby!!"
Nicholas looked around. "I don't see-"
"Be quiet, human!!" growled Gabriella. "What IS that?! It's so strong!!"
Delilah took several steps back. "It's...Father."
"WHAT?!" screamed Marguerite and Gabriella.
"No mistake. Father is-"
"Here," someone finished. The four looked up to see someone lower to the ground, shrouded in a cape. When the person landed, the cloak was thrust aside, revealing Dracula.
"My daughters," he said softly. "You all look so well."
"Who the hell are you?!" said Nicholas.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him by his throat. "You will show your proper respects to the Count." The magician, Shaft, stepped forward, holding Nicholas high in the air.
Dracula looked over his daughters. "We have much to discuss. But first, you all must come with me."
"NO!!" screamed Gabriella. "We won't go anywhere with you!!"
"I see. You were right, Jeremy."
Jeremy stepped from the shadows, his face grim. Delilah shot him an agonizing look.
Marguerite stood in front of her sisters. "I don't know what you want, but we're staying right here. We left, and you haven't cared for three hundred years. Now you want us back? Why?"
"You'll find out soon enough. I guess I'll take one of you for now." Dracula shot out a finger.
Delilah was lifted into the air.
"What the hell is this?!" she screamed. "Let me down!"
"Shaft, take Delilah to Castlevania," said Dracula.
"NO!!!" the sisters screamed.
Shaft tossed aside Nicholas and flew into the air. He forcefully grabbed Delilah.
"Let me go!! Help me!!" She shot a frightened look to Jeremy, but Jeremy looked away.
Shaft laughed then vanished with Delilah.
"Delilah!!" screamed Marguerite. She frantically looked around. "What did you do to her?!"
"Right now, she is at Castlevania," said Dracula. "But don't worry. I'll be back for the rest of you. Bye for now. Oh, and, kill that human boy, Jeremy." Then he vanished.
Jeremy took off a glove and advanced on Nicholas. Nicholas readied a stake. "Take your best shot, freak!"
"Oh, I can't take this!!" said Gabriella. She stormed over to Jeremy and grabbed his cloak, stopping him. "I'm gonna ask you a question and you better answer honestly!!! Why in all the hells did you let Delilah be taken?!?! I thought you had feelings for her!!!"
Jeremy turned to her. He pulled his cape out of her grasp. "It's because I care for her so much that I let her go. You all are going to become the same as you were before you left the Count. That's all I will say." Then he vanished.
"The same?!" cried Marguerite.
"We were MONSTERS!!" said Gabriella. "I don't EVER want to be like that again!!"
Nicholas looked at the sisters. "Um, what is going on?"
"Shit, now HE'S involved," said Gabriella.
"Well, I'll tell you and I'll keep it brief," said Marguerite. "You see..."
Alucard his head spinning from his long slumber. He glanced around the empty space of land. The sun was starting to come out.
Where are they? He wondered. I can't sense them ANYWHERE in Romania...
Suddenly, he felt Delilah's presence. It was quite a distance away, somewhere near...
Castlevania. She's at the castle! Alucard realized. But why is she there?
Then it came to him. Dracula had forced her there and he was going to change her...
"It won't let him!" he said aloud. He couldn't feel Marguerite or Gabriella's presence, which was a good thing. That meant they were still far away from Castlevania.
He readied his equipment. He was once again going to enter the cursed castle. This time, he was there to save his sisters. Even if it meant destroying his own father again, Alucard would fight.
"...And that's about it," said Marguerite.
Nicholas put a hand to his head. "My God. You two are related to Dracula?!?!"
"Okay, you told him," scuffed Gabriella. "Can we go now?! We need to get to Romania as soon as possible!"
"How do you plan to get there?" interrupted Nicholas.
"By boat. What else?"
"If you do that, it'll take days for you to get there! Why not by plane?"
"The sun might strike us," said Marguerite. "But...why are you so concerned?"
"I'm not. I'm going with you."
"Like hell you are!!" snapped Gabriella. "We don't need your interference!!"
"I'm a hunter!! It's my duty!!"
"It's your duty to get a life!! Get lost!!"
"How are you getting there?! Either by boat or plane, you'll get caught!! Things are a bit different than they were hundreds of years ago!!"
"Okay, genius. What do you think we should do?"
"A friend of mine owns a cargo plane. If I ask him, he'll take you to Romania. But I'll ask only if you take me along."
"Son of a bitch," muttered Gabriella.
"Fine," said Marguerite. "But don't get in our way. Why do you want to go, anyway?"
"Slaying vampires like you is nothing. But to slay Dracula himself...man, I want to do that."
"You're a damn idiot," said Gabriella.
"Get in contact with your friend," said Marguerite. "We need to leave right away!!"
Okay, it seems I'm rushing things. I don't mean to be, and I'll go much slower in Chapter 3.