Chapter 39:

Seras awoke, pain swarmed her mind, and her eyes could not see. She gasped, and struggled to sit up, but only felt a burden on her arms and legs weighing her down so that she could not move as she wished.

Okay Seras…calm yourself…let your eyes adjust… Seras thought to herself, and then closed her eyes again, trying to breathe in slowly. After a minuet, she felt her tension release, and opened her eyes. She looked around, and saw a high arching sealing. To her right were stairs and a chair, and above the chair was a templar cross with blood red roses outlining it. In the middle of the cross was the letter D in fancy hand writing. Seras wiggled her arms, and then saw that she was shackled to this stone slab.

Seras's eyes widened in shock, and she thought…WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?! Seras felt her pulse increase, and then she looked around again. If I didn't know any better, I would say a cult of some kind, but why me? Aren't I a vampire, master of the dark?

"Vampire fledgling, yes, full vampire, no. Don't look so surprised." The dark and yet familiar voice came from the shadow behind Seras, and she could not tilt her head to see who it was.

"What is this? What are you trying to do?" Seras asked, her voice showing signs of panic and frustration.

"Heheh…This is what it looks like. We need the blood of one sired by the true prince of darkness, the Nosferatu king. You weren't worthy of it. So now we, the few vampires of Templar, are taking it from you…And just think, you'll be reunited with your father." The voice said, and then stood so that Seras could see who was speaking, and her eyes widened more out of desperation.

"Dad?!?! But, I thought...the letter, you; him?"

"A wolf in sheep's clothing. The body I inhabit was your fathers, but, hehe… he exists no more. Call me Lucien." Lucien crooned, wearing the face of her father made him smirk just a little more then he would have in true form.

Seras could not handle the thought; it was too much for her. Yet, she had a feeling that there was something not right about him, she just could not place it before.

In desperation and fear, Seras screamed the one word she thought of first; Master. Then she passed out from fear and exhaustion.

Lucien laughed and loomed over her. "Ah, she has some spirit, just no fight. I was hoping for so much more, but, no matter. She is still making good bait, and consuming her blood will still please me greatly."

Meanwhile, Alucard stopped and held onto the wall. He gasped as if in pain, and D looked at him somewhat bothered.

"If you can't make it, go back. I have no time for this." D growled coldly at him.

Alucard only laughed. "Hehe… I would say you were right, but it is not pain I feel. I heard her, Seras. She called to me. Something is not right here."

"Well, I could have told you that." D was surprised when he heard his Left hand speak again, and then looked at it as if seeing him for the first time, "What? Didn't you ever figure out from the last few times of castle storming that nothing is ever what it seems. Take those stone gargoyles for example; you know you're walking into a trap."

"Yes I know." D replied, and then proceeded with caution towards the wall hanging gargoyle to the right of him. He looked at it as if inspecting it, and then took out his sword, and looped its head of.

"You were saying?" D asked his hand, when he heard something behind him, and turned around just in the nick of time to see a different stone gargoyle come out of the wall. It attacked left, and right, but D already having his sword out just sliced him down the middle.

"I told you it was a trap you know." Left hand said, and Alucard found amusement in it. D glared at Alucard, but said nothing, and Alucard got up from the wall.

"Listen…there are more dark generators here…I can smell them. The magic is strong; it will make the most unlikely things possible. Hehe…I can't wait." Alucard smirked, his eyes showing that he wanted to enjoy this challenge.

D said nothing, but walked on. After what seemed like endless darkness, there was a split in the hall; left and right. They knew both lead somewhere, but where they did not know. D and Alucard looked at each other, as if deciding who would go first. Alucard shrugged, and walked to the right. D just watched as Alucard walked away, and went to the left.

D's path darkened, and swooped down. Doors surrounded him, but all were closed. The path went round and he entered through the only opened door at the end of the hall. The door opened up to a stone bridge, beneath it was something that looked like stained glass, but it rippled like an ocean. Red candles floated all around the room; some were lit, while others went out. The bridge started to shake under his weight, he knew if he wasn't careful, the whole thing could give away. The end seemed miles away. D withdrew his sword from its sheath.

D walked cautiously, and then, he stopped. He heard a rumble, and then a high pitched screech from something high above him. He looked up, but felt something on his leg and tripped over as it pulled harder. He looked down and saw that the colors of the stained glass like waters were attached to his leg. The bridge itself started to take on the color of the watery stained glass. D used his sword to cut off the attachment to his leg, but as soon as he did, another one replaced it. He glared at it all around him, and then felt the used to be bridge consume his torso.

"This doesn't look good D." Left hand commented, but he ignored him.

D wiggled his arms and legs, but they became consumed. The stuff stain like glass material moved and shook like a tidal wave, opening up to a gabbing mouth and blackened eyes. Hands formed around D, and the creature tossed him around as if he was a basket ball. He could tell it was laughing at him, but he couldn't stop it. It grabbed onto his leg, and smashed him against the wall. Blood squirted from his face and hands as he tried to protect himself, but could not from the onslaught. The creature with one of his giant hands forced him into the wall again, and formed spikes with his other. The creature threw these spikes like he was target practice, making fresh wholes each time. D screamed in pain, and fell limp as the spikes kept him to the wall when the creature removed his hand. The creatures' hands clapped as if enjoying the show, but D was not done yet.

As the creature cheered, D grabbed the hilt of his sword harder, and rammed it into the stone. He held onto the end of the spikes, and pulled himself along them, off of them. On the edge of the spikes, he reached back for his sword, and found the blade of it. With some effort, he yanked himself off the spikes and dangled from the edge of his blade. As the creature laughed at D's struggle, D looked up, a darkness wavered. The creature below had no sound, but the screech he heard before came from above.

D watched, and waited. His hand's grip started to loosen; he knew he did not have that long left. The candles glowed brighter. Then he saw it, the shadow ran along the wall. D hardened his grip, which made his hand bleed as he was on the blade part, and he started to swing his legs. Being a Dunpeal had its advantages, it only took him two swings to have enough force so that when he let go and flung himself up. He soared through the air, and kicked off the side, taking the air creature with surprise. He wrapped his arm around its invisible neck, and it screeched violently. The invisible creature flapped around and ran itself into the wall, which allowed D to grab his sword. In a craze, the creature dive bombed the stain glass creature taking D along for the ride.

D poised his sword but knew that would not be enough. The stain glass creature opened his mouth and consumed both D and the invisible flying creature. The creature of stain glass smiled, but D was still alive. Inside the creature, D heard the flapping of the invisible one as it tried to claw its way out. D felt the creature's inside twist around him, and started to attach itself to him again. D thought of nothing, and then, an image of the reason he was there popped into his head.

D's eyes glowed white, and surges ran through him. His teeth sharpened and elongated, electricity arose and everything was surrounded by a bluish white light. He screamed. The creatures' screeches were drowned out by a white void of light. The creatures were demolished, D found himself falling. He had just destroyed the floor and wall creature, there was nothing left. He felt himself conscious but in a dream like state.

"D…" Left hand said, and there was no answer, "Damn it D. Snap out of it. I guess it's my turn to save your hide once again. Though, I wonder why I do so when all you want to do is lop me off. Sigh, why couldn't I have latched myself onto a more expressive character?" Despite Left hands complaining, he knew if he let D die then he would be gone as well.

Left hand opened his mouth and sucked on the air beneath him, slowing D's descent down. "D, wake up D. We don't have that much time; I can see something up ahead." D still did not move, and Left hand continued his efforts to slow them down before they splatter on the ground.

"D!!!! COME ON!" Left hand was frantic; he hit D in the chest, but still no reaction from him. The ground was coming closer; 50 feet, 40, 30, 20, 10. Left hand was out of options, this was it. He knew it was time.

A few seconds before impact, D's eyes glowed again, and his cape flapped open. His hand that grasped his sword extended, and its edge dug into the ground. D used the impact of the sword to balance, and push himself back into the air. D extended his cape and used it like a parachute for his descent. He landed on both his feet with little trouble. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and slid it back into his sheath.

"D…do you always have to do everything last minuet? I can't deal with this suspense. If I had a heart, you would have stopped it a thousand and two times tonight alone!" Left hand complained, and D mused.

D remained silent, and looked around where he was. There were bon fires all around, contained, but lighting the way. He followed them, and they extended to a large circular room. No bridges this time, but there was someone there. He wore all white, and had silver hair. He was standing in front of an alter, on which sat a pendulum and a locked box. A picture hung on the wall above the alter, and D recognized it instantly.

"Hmm… We meet again." The deep voice said and the man turned around. D didn't recognize him, but the voice was familiar, "Ah. I should have told you. I tried to kill you in the forest, hehe. I watched you, and you amuse me. I will not underestimate you again."

D stood silent for a moment, and then glared at him. "What have you done with Seras?"

The man laughed, "Not what you wanted to do."

D snarled and ran up to him, lifting him off the ground by his white collar.

"Where is she?" He glared at him, but the man laughed.

"She is not here. My lord Lucien has her. He will make her the new pet..hehe…Hmm…I can see you are not amused by the truth, or is it that you wanted to do the same?"

D said nothing.

"Dunpeals…so easy to intimidate." The man laughed, and D threw him to the ground.

Just as D unsheathed his sword and lunged at him, the man spread into three and seemed to have disappeared only to reappear behind him.

"Did you think it was that easy?" The man mused leaning over D's shoulder, and D retaliated with a sword strike, but he had already backed up to the alter again.

The man in white extended his hand, and black lightening echoed forth resonating and scorching the area around D. However, it did not seem to be D he was targeting. Just after, more black lightening sprouted, but not from the man, from the very ground and sides of the room. D jumped aside quickly, but winged his left arm in the process, and he held it in pain.

"Hehe…You see, you can not win against me. As I'm sure Alucard might have explained, the generator makes magic stronger based on electrical fields. Mine is black, so you will be burnt to a crisp and thrown into the fires of hell. Doesn't it sound lovely? MWH HA HA." The man laughed psychotically, and threw some more black magic that ricocheted off the walls and room.

D had a feeling this would take awhile…

Meanwhile, Alucard started to wonder if the path he had taken would ever go anywhere. It just seemed to continue, and despite what he thought, he knew he could feel Seras somewhere around the vicinity.

Alucard then thought of what Left hand had said earlier, that everything was an illusion. So, Alucard looked around. Everything seemed the same, but, was it? He knocked on the walls next to him, solid, and did the same on the other, still solid. The floor was definitely solid, but, he did not know about the ceiling. Alucard scanned the ceiling, it seemed to be whole, but, there was something that looked a little strange. All the stone was aligned in a certain arrangement; three across, five down, and then a new section. However, there was one that was three across, and four down on the left hand side of the ceiling. Alucard noticed it fairly quickly. He walked under it, and saw that besides for the off count, it looked just like everything else did; the same material used, the same candle lighting it. Alucard floated up, and pushed against it, solid, but, there was something weird about it, like it was less solid. He rolled his gloved finger tips over the edge of the incorrectly numbered stone, then, he looked in amazement. He could put his fingers under it, not only his fingers, but his whole hand. It was a whole the size of a man, but, no one would have noticed as how it is made, it looks exactly like everything else. He laughed to himself, and went in head first.

Alucard hauled himself up, and found himself in a room with chains hanging, very dungeon like in appearance. There was a small fire to the side, and Alucard swore he saw an eyeball in there, just staring at him, until it was gone. He shook his head back and fourth to see if he was seeing things, but, he wasn't. Chains seemed to pull towards him as he walked; things seemed to listen just a little closer, reach just a little further. Then, an iron maiden (human shaped box with spikes inside its flaps) flew doors opened into Alucard, trying to capture him inside. He kicked it with his long legs, and then felt rope, a tight rope from the Rack (a torture device that is meant to outstretch the enemy) tie around his arms, holding him back. Alucard struggled against it, and then he saw what he had thought he saw before, an eyeball in the flame. This time, however, the eye ball duplicated and they became two. Alucard's first thought was of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, and he half expected to see an evil grin appear right after, but it did not.

The eye balls duplicated, and now there were four. The eyes twisted around him, and turned into balls of flames, which set him a blaze. Alucard laughed, and felt the flame sire his flesh. Alucard burned until all that was left was blackness, and his ashes.

The iron maiden came from the wall, the lid sealed to the body, and its eyes turned white and held a pupil. The figure transformed from that of stone to one shapelier of a woman with gray skin and a golden headdress. She bent down to the ashes and inspected them with a grin.

"Ha. What a foolish way to die by such a simple trick." She mocked the ashes and threw them back on the ground.

The gray woman turned to leave, but something did not feel right. The chains rattled, and the area around her felt more dense then it should have. The small fire flickered, and then went out leaving a haze amongst the ground and walls. She felt her heart race, but knew there was nothing there. So she turned around despite herself, and her eyes widened when she did. There was nothing there, and she sighed with relief. Then, she began to notice, the chains hooking onto each other, as if commanded to do so. Little by little, links formed chains formed an image, a body. Hooks formed claws and sharp rows of teeth. Some links caught fire, which made the appearance of a wolf type monster with flaming eyes. Alucard's ashes darkened and swirled around the links, giving it a fuller shape and darker being.

The gray woman shrieked, and took a few paces back. She knew there was one exit, and the creature blocked it. She gritted her teeth and placed out her arms, which split in two the long way and revealed sets of spikes. She laughed and launched those at the creature. The creature stood there, the spikes hit it dead on, but they did not affect it. In fact, the spikes entered and became a part of it. Fear ran in the woman's eyes, but she would not give up; she dodged left and right constantly firing more. The creature stood there, and then, it extended the darkness that made up its arms, and grabbed a hold of the woman. Chains that came out of its darkness pierced and hung her above the pit that Alucard had originally come from.

The creature laughed, and then, something seemed to change in it. The woman started to recognize the laugh as none other then Alucards.

"But…How?" The woman panted feeling her life drain.

Alucard mused as the links and darkness formed a shapeless black mass with red eyes and sharp fangs in a wide insane smile.

"Hehe…I'm immortal, and you're about to lick the devils ass. Enjoy." The shape grew smaller and was that of a man's. Alucard looked at her, and then turned and walked off.

There was an opening at the end of the room, and Alucard slid through easily enough, but when he did, he was greeted by a white light. Alucard felt cold around his feet and realized there was a fog, and the area was grassy. He walked further in and there were small trees and head stones.

"Outside?..hehe…does he think he can pull the same trick twice?" Alucard mused as he continued to walk cautiously.

Something loomed in the distance, and when Alucard got closer he realized it was a church. However, it was not just any church. It was a black church with a templar cross on the top and dead angel stain glass in the front of it. A picture of the unholy saints…how amusing…Alucard thought as he studied the picture and grinned with malice. He went up to touch it, and felt that it was like water, but sideways. He put his hand through, and felt that there was nothing on the other side. Seeing no other options, he walked through and was now inside the church.

Alucard was not that surprised when he saw the rows of chairs and stalls, but when he got closer to the end he saw a man in a hood and a stone slab with someone on it.

"Seras?!?!" Alucard hollered, and the sound resonated with the walls.

"Yes…that is her…or…what was her. I still have some things to perform, but, I can not let you interfere as you are already apart of it." The voice of the hooded man also resonated around the building.

"Ah. Remove your cloak. Show yourself you bound demon. You use the cross as a symbol of being…how pathetic?!?!" Alucard said insanely, his hat and glasses disappearing.

"Certainly." Lucien replied and took of his clock, and Alucard mused when he did.

"Lucien?!?!" Said Alucard, his eyes widened in amusement and insanity.

Enough insanity for one chapter? I don't think so…LOL And it only gets better as the next chapter will most likely be the last (oh sigh). If so, I'm definitely going to miss this story, having been actively writing it for over a year and still having fans to follow (THANK YOU ALL Especially the early one ones that wrote to me to tell me to keep writing, like Miss B.) . I would also like to dedicate this one to my sis Tigerrain who I met because of this story. And who says good things don't come to ones with hobbies? Lol. Well, next chapter; the revelation and last battles. Bum bum bummmmmm. Laters.