Disclaimer: Check for it in chapter 1.

Castlevania: Sonnet of Legends

Chapter 12

Buildup

Castle Chapel

It didn't take the Familiars long before they found the Chapel, a place that they would expect Cecilia to be residing. She was in front of the altars cross on bended knee, praying. Her senses interrupted her, and warned her of the would-be intruders. She stood up, and slowly turned around. Much to her surprise, the intruders were two of Alucards Familiars, carrying an injured woman with them. They gently placed her on the cold floor, and sat down to catch their breath. They were in a hurry, and didn't have time to rest during the whole time they were carrying their master during his battle with Death. Cecilia slowly walked towards them, and knelt down. She had a quizzical look to her face.

"What happened?" she asked. "Where's Alucard?"

There was no response until the Familiars caught their breath. Still sitting, the fairy familiar was the first to speak.

"The master is fighting his father. He wanted us to bring this woman to you."

"Something about confidence building." The demon familiar finished. "And I suggest you hurry. It won't be long before she becomes one of you."

Cecilia looked at the Belmont. She was still conscious, but her facial expressions seemed as good as dead. Her eyes showed that of despair and fear. She then examined her neck, and found the bite marks of a vampire engraved in them. Fighting back her dark urges to feast on the slight trickle of blood that was coming from the wound, she continued to check for more vital signs. Rachael seemed to still be among the living.

"Listen." She told her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

However, Rachael gave no response, only slight breathing. This was quite perplexing to the tormented vampire. When she first went through her transition, she never experienced this amount of sorrow and hopelessness. She looked at the Familiars, hoping that they would have the answers she was looking for.

"I know that it was the Count that bit her, but she should still be in fighting shape. From the looks of things, I'd say that her confidence and self-worth were also drained. Tell me what happened."

The Familiars, not being there during that time, could only shake their heads in uncertainty.

"We don't know." The fairy said. "She was like that when we came there. We're assuming that it had to do with her powers not being strong enough to affect the Count."

Cecilia sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the event that lay before her. She was going to have to get the answers from Rachael herself, but wasn't sure on how to get through to her. Suddenly, she remembered the events that occurred when she was rescuing Alucard from his mental prison. Then the idea hit her. In order to save this woman from her own angst, she's going to have to do it mentally. Hopefully, whatever nightmares she was experiencing at the time won't be too tough to handle.

"Listen." She told the Familiars. "I am going to mentally enter her mind, much like I did with Alucard. However, she must not wake up while I'm still inside. If you should see her wake, I need you to inflict pain upon my body in order to force me back to this realm. Understand?"

The Familiars nodded in agreement, and each one took a side next to a human body. Cecilia then calmed her nerves, and then closed her eyes.

Empty void

Rachael just sat there on her hands and knees in complete fear as swarms of black figures danced around her. They were taunting her and mocking her. Sometimes they would inflict slight pain upon her with their claws, and then resume dancing around her. She was too scared to do anything about it, and Dracula's words kept racing through her mind, giving her less reason to fight back, and even less reason to keep on living.

Cecilia appeared a short distance away from the scene. She quickly noticed it, and rushed towards there. When the reached them, she jumped over the horde of demons, and right in front of Rachael. The demons surrounding the Belmont paid her no mind, and continued with their tormenting. She then tried to pull Rachael away from the demonic mob, but she was too heavy to lift. It was as if a gravitational force was keeping her on the ground.

"Fear is a powerful thing." One demon said as it was flying around.

"Only she can break free." Another said. "But why would she? Tis her own fault. She did this to herself."

"Rachael, listen to me!" Cecilia exclaimed while trying to pry her from the ground. "You have to fight this! You must help Alucard defeat his father! He can't do this on his own!"

"……No…" Rachael replied, finally speaking. "I'm……too weak. No good……"

"Get up! You're no use to humanity if you're dead!"

Almost in tears, Rachael replied. "Maybe, that's what I deserve."

Cecilia sighed in frustration as the demons continued to taunt and mock them.

Throne room

Meanwhile, Alucard was having a difficult time fighting his father, whose power seemed to have grown exponentially since their last encounter. Every time he would strike with his sword, Dracula would either block it with his cape, or turn into mist so that the attack would go right through him. Dracula, in turn, would attack by using a psychic wave to knock him against a wall, or shoot a mixture of lightning and fire all around him. Was he really this powerful in his youth?

This thought made the Dhampire worry. None of his attacks went through, and all of his father's attacks seemed slow enough to dodge. Realizing this, he noticed that his father was purposely doing this as a means to patronize him. At least, that's how Alucard perceived it.

"Your antics are getting old, son." He said. "Why don't we stop playing around long enough for you to come to your senses?" It was more of a suggestion than a question. "Come back home, and I shall bestow you power like this! You'll never have to worry about weakness or sorrow ever again. I shall correct Gods error of humanity, and they will become just like they were meant to be; slaves to the dark forces!"

Alucard frowned. He hated his father's view on humanity. "The only one who's a slave to darkness is you, father! By doing this, you only contribute to that cause by acting as such!"

Dracula chuckled at his sons' ignorance. "And what exactly do you think the so-called 'light' is doing? Like you, humans are nothing more than slaves to the light. Why not put them to better use in the hands of a more capable leader?"

"Because it's not what mother would've wanted! It was the taint of darkness that causes evil!"

Dracula gave his son a stern glare. "Your mother was a kind and gentle soul. No doubt that she would've tried to find the kindness within these humans. Even now, I miss her dearly." As if further contemplating his thoughts, he walked to his throne, and seated himself. "There isn't a day that goes by when I think about her, or Elisabetha."

Curious, Alucard lowered his guard. "Who?"

"Son, there's a part of my past that I've never told you about. If you're willing, please listen."

Alucard agreed, and shown it by sheathing his sword. He figured that this would give Cecilia enough time to bring Rachael back from her anguish. Dracula, however, saw this as one last opportunity to sway his sons' alignment. If this did not work, he would have to destroy him, something that he only wanted to do as a very last resort.

Empty void

After much failed persuasion, Cecilia was getting angry over Rachael's despair.

"I can't believe how much you're whining about this!" She shouted. "Don't you think 'I' was crushed when I first became a vampire, knowing that there was nothing I could do about it?! And here 'you' are, someone who can bring an end to both of our miseries, and all you have to show for it are mental anguishes!"

"You don't understand." Rachael said softly. "I-I failed to kill Dracula. I let him trick me into making a stupid decision which gave him back his full strength. I helped bring the world into darkness. If it were some other Belmont, they wouldn't have let their emotions cloud their better judgment."

"Yeah-yeah. You already told me about how he tricked you, and how your whip wasn't able to affect him. Ever hear of a little thing called hope? Or how about a big thing called faith? You had them once, you can have them again."

"No, it's too late. I failed."

"Then congratulate yourself for failing again. If you don't do something, Alucard will fall, and there will be no one to stop the Count."

"Let another Belmont do it. They'll beat him eventually."

Outraged at this human's despair, she knelt over, and slapped Rachael in the face using the back of her hand. Surprisingly, this caused her to finally budge. She was no longer on her hands and knees; just on her knees. She was sitting upright, her hand rubbing the part of her face that now bore a pink marking. There was a tint of irritation in her eyes. Cecilia smirked at this, and decided to use it to her advantage.

"This is what will happen if you fail again, Belmont. This strike is nothing compared to what you're going to feel during your eternity of torment." She then decided to twist the knife a little. "And think about your mother and brother. Think of the tortures the Count will bestow upon them for his own amusement." She took a few seconds to let the thought sink in before speaking.

It was working, as terrible thoughts were entering her mind like a rush of electricity. The main reason Dracula decided to turn her instead of kill her was to amuse himself at her expense. Him actually torturing her loved ones isn't something she'd doubt he'd do.

Cecilia decided to speak some more. "And what about that boyfriend of yours, hm? Think of the many tortures he would go through."

Rachael's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you know about Nate?"

"Of course. Nothing goes unheard of in 'this' castle."

The thought further drilled into her mind. Dracula was 'very' capable of doing that. She began to realize that her failure would result in not only 'her' damnation, but the damnation of those she cared about. Was she really so mentally saddened that she was so easily blinded by the truth? With new determination, she slowly got up, and stood on her own two legs.

The demons, not pleased at all with this new discovery, stopped flying around them, and grabbed the both of them. They began to utter words of self doubt in their ears. The sounds of their whispers were faint and gurgling.

"You won't defeat the master."

"The master will win."

"God has abandoned you."

"Darkness has risen."

"You are not strong enough."

"You failed before."

"There's no difference now."

"Thing's haven't changed."

Rachael tried to cover her ears, but their voices were loud enough to penetrate her defenses. Cecilia, now tired of hearing their lies and trickery, shouted a war cry, and began shredding the shadowy figures with her bare hands. Each figure that was slashed dissipated into a black puff of smoke.

The demons, now on the offensive, dropped Rachael, and all of them flew over to the treacherous vampire. Although she was greatly outnumbered, she put up a great struggle, taking out as many as she possibly could. When they finally subdued her, she shook violently, trying to shake herself loose. It took more demons to hold her down, but they were finally able to stop her.

Suddenly, she vanished into nothingness. Confused, the demons spread around the room in great worry, wondering if she'll appear in another area. Rachael used this opportunity to start praying for faith and courage. The demons became aware of this, and swarmed around her again. This time, they all made sure she couldn't move by holding her down.

Chapel

Cecilia woke up, jolting herself up from the floor. She quickly looked around, and found herself in the real world. She felt a twinge of pain on her arm, and saw a piercing of some sort on her. There was still some blood, but her vampire healing was closing the wound. She looked at the demon familiar. He was holding a spear. As expected, it had some blood on the tip.

"My sincerest apologies for waking you so soon." He said. "You were shaking violently, and I thought you were in trouble."

She shook her head, and recollected her thoughts, making sure that she was still awake. "No, you did the right thing. I just hope Rachael is well enough to wake up on her own now."

Empty void

The demons once again tried to fill her mind with hopelessness. They tried every lie and trick they could think of, all the while poking her and prodding her whenever she struggled to get free. Wanting to be free of this nightmare, she starting kicking some of them away, and twisting her body so much that the demons lost their grip on her, and accidentally dropped her. When they tried to pick her back up, she threw holy water around her. This caused a lot of the demons to instantly vanish in puffs of smoke.

When she landed, she spoke to the other demons, who were now keeping her distance, her voice well raised so all of them could hear her.

"Listen up! With my newfound strength, and my stern faith in God, I will destroy your master for everything he's done!" Then she shook her head. "No, I will destroy him for the good of all humanity! There will no longer be others like Kim or Cecilia! I will make sure that no one ever has to go through the suffering they had to go through! There will be a day when humanity will no longer have to fear the darkness! I might not be around to see that day, but I will ensure that as long as I draw breath, that evil is obliterated during the time of my friends and family! And should your master ever return, my descendants will be well aware of his presence, and will destroy him, just as my descendents before me have! Now go, and never show your pathetic faces ever again!"

Hearing this speech drove the demons into a wild rage. They lunged after her, but she took out her cross, and created a shield of holy light around her. The demons immediately stopped. However, some of them weren't able to stop in time, and vanished upon touching the barrier.

Looking at the barrier, and then at the glowing cross, she now realized what it was that gave the Belmonts their power. Sure, these enchanted weapons were a great help, but without the proper faith and determination that made them work, they were no greater than an ordinary weapon. When the barrier vanished, she took out her whip. She felt a new power radiating from within it. It made her hands tremble, but she soon got used to its power, and glared at the demons, readying her whip. The demons, realizing that they were too weak to stop her, retreated from that place, flying away as fast as they could.

Satisfied with the results, Rachael awoke from her nightmare.

Chapel

Rachael quickly sat up, a sudden rush of life forming within her. She stood up, but then staggered at the slight pain that was on her neck. Remembering what it was, she turned towards the Familiars and Cecilia.

"How long was I out?"

"Long enough." Cecilia answered. "I suggest you hurry if you want to cure yourself." She turned to the familiars. "Take her to the Count. I'll be waiting for you guys outside the castle."

Rachael turned to her with a look of worry. "Are you sure? If I destroy Dracula, the sun will rise again, and you'll die."

Cecilia shook her head reassuringly. "Not if the faith I have is strong. Your victory will ensure the end of my torment. I will be just as you are; a human able to once again walk in the light."

Rachael nodded. "Okay."

"Just don't lose faith. Otherwise, you're going to fail."

"I won't." then she turned to the Familiars. "Lead the way!"

And so the three rushed towards the area where the throne room resided.

Throne room

Dracula had just finished telling Alucard of his past, his time as a human, and how he became the vampire he is now.

"And that is all that I've experienced."

Alucard now felt remorse for his father. Until now, he did not understand how he could be so cruel towards humanity. However, it did not sway him from his opinion.

"I understand, father."

"Then join me. Help me bring this world into a new era."

"………No."

Shocked, he quickly rose from his throne. "What?!"

"I understand how you must've felt, and I can understand why you chose your method of action. However, it was wrong to do so. It was not the human's fault that you hated God so much, and it was not God's fault for your loss. Things happen, that's all. And while it was the human's fault for what they did to my mother, I do not hold a grudge against them. It was an act of ignorance and deception. Another ploy of the darkness. Mother saw that, and did not hate them, even as they were burning her at the stake. Not all humans are like you say, father. There are good ones. Ones that make things worth fighting for. Mother was one of those good ones, and so were the Belmonts. Not all human's can be blamed for the ignorance of some." Then he unsheathed his sword. "Vampires, however, are associated with the darkness. During my long life, it has brought me nothing but torment. If you look carefully, father, you'll notice that it has brought you nothing but torment and sorrow as well."

Dracula took a moment to contemplate what his son had said. He made sense. Maybe Lisa had a point. After all, she saw the good within him, and even grew to love him. However, the image of the death of the two women in his life, and the betrayal of his own son flashed in his mind. Then he envisioned the humans and all their stupidity, taking away all that he ever cared about. Finally, he pictured God sitting there, doing nothing to ease the pain.

"You have a point, my son. However, you fail to realize the real picture here. There are good humans around the world. However, there are not enough of them to bother searching for. Eventually, the wicked humans will silence the good ones, and the world will remain in its ignorant state. In my new rule, vampires will dominate the world! True, they serve the darkness, but they do not go around judging others for the things they did! With darkness, there is certainty. The vampire race knows very well the law of survival. The human race does not. They try to save things, but at the same time, kill what they do not understand. The Earth itself has gone through more destruction under the rule of humans than it has ever gone through in the times of vampires. So if destroying and enslaving the humans is the key to order, then so be it! And as for God, let him watch his precious humans suffer in the hands of the darkness! His day will come, and when it does, we shall be forever victorious!"

"You have learned nothing, father! While some of what you said is true, you have become delusional on others! Give up this mad mans quest now!" He was hoping his father would listen to reason. He would feel even more remorse if it came to having to kill him yet again.

Dracula, however, had different thoughts. He saw that his son wasn't listening to a word that he had said. If he were to save him from himself, he would have to destroy him.

"Son, I thought that after this long story, and listening to your conversation, that you would finally understand, and come to the realization that your place is by my side. But if sending you to Hell for a few years will make you understand the futility of your ways, then so be it. As much as it pains me to do so, it's the only way."

"You will do no such thing, father! You will be destroyed, and darkness will return to Hell, where it belongs!"

"You have now angered me! Once you've seen the error of your ways, you might feel different! But for now, suffer!"

With one swift motion, Dracula rushed towards Alucard. He knocked away his defenses, and toppled him with a flurry of punches. Alucard used his mist form to get away, and reappeared behind Dracula. Just as he was about to pierce him with his sword, his father transformed into many bats, and swarmed the Dhampire. He then reverted back into normal, and twisted his son's arm, causing him to drop to his knees. Alucard head-butted his father, causing him to stagger and lose his grip. He then pierced his sword into his chest. Unfortunately, he missed his heart.

The Count winced in pain, and then used a psychic blast to knock his son against the wall. He pulled the sword out, and threw it across the room. Within a few seconds, the wound healed itself. Alucard again rushed at his father, but was shot back by another blast. Dracula laughed at this.

"I am now gladder than ever that I decided to use Joachim's soul to steal. His telekinesis was remarkable!"

He then used it to hoist Alucard into the air. While holding the struggling Dhampire in place, he shot a barrage of fireballs at him.

Clock tower remains

Meanwhile, Rachael finally reached the clock tower. She looked around for a way to climb to the top. Unfortunately, the battle with Death had destroyed any possible means of going up there. Fortunately, the Familiars each took her by a shoulder, and flew to the top, carrying her. She felt the wind beneath her feet as she experienced flying once again. This time, though, it felt as though she had wings, unlike the last time, when it felt like something was carrying her. As relaxing as this feeling was, her mind was too preoccupied at the task at hand. Hopefully, she can now stand up to Dracula with the utmost confidence in herself.

End of chapter 12