Disclaimer: Check for it in chapter 1.

Castlevania: Sonnet of Legends

Chapter 13

The confrontation

outside the throne room

Rachael gazed at the long stairway. She was amazed that she was actually able to make it here three times in a row, a feat that hadn't been done before. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and proceeded to ascend the long stairway, the two Familiars following close by.

Throne room

Alucard was having an incredibly tough time battling against his father. Anytime he would try a long range attack, it would be deflected. And anytime he got within stabbing range, he was shot back by his father's newly found psychic power.

Dracula, now getting bored of his sons tireless antics, decided to put an end to this battle. After knocking Alucard against the wall, he raised his hand at the shattered remains of the wooden coffins. The pieces formed into one large stake, which was then shot partially through the wall.

Alucard tried to attack his father again, but Dracula dodged the attack, and held his son in place. Then, using his psychic power, led him towards the newly formed stake that was driven through the wall.

"Last chance, son." he said. "Join me."

"No!" Alucard exclaimed. "I will not succumb to my cursed bloodline!"

"Fine! Have it your way!"

Just as he was about to push him against it, Rachael busted in the room. The Familiars closed the doors behind her.

The Count turned around, surprised to see the same woman here again.

"Welcome." he said. "I see you're a little healthier looking than the last time you were here. Have you come to try your luck yet again?"

"Things are different now." Rachael calmly spoke, making sure that her emotions were in check. "Thanks to the little time-out you gave me, I now have the power to defeat you!"

Dracula chuckled upon hearing this. "Is that so?" He then started taking a few steps closer to her, taking amusement whenever she would take small steps backwards. "What makes you think that things are any different? If my own son cannot defeat me, what makes you think that you, of all people, can stand a chance?"

Rachael readied her whip, but the Count raised his hand, and she collapsed on her hands and knees.

"As you can see, this changes nothing, child. You are still the same easily susceptible human that failed at her last two encounters."

Rachael was silent. She did not want to speak about the matter, should his words weaken her again. She slowly got up again, but was pushed down again. He laughed again.

"Don't you have anything to say? Or are you perhaps afraid? Like it or not, you are going to become a vampire tomorrow. Trying to provoke me into killing you isn't going to change things. You should feel lucky, Belmont. Not every human gets this opportunity of a lifetime."

"Y-you're wrong." Rachael finally spoke as she was slowly getting up, despite the Counts powers that tried to keep her down. "Things 'are' different now!"

"So it is." Dracula said, noticing that her resistance was stronger than before. "It's quite amusing, actually." He then picked her up by the throat, and threw her against the wall.

Rachael quickly got up, and readied her whip again. Dracula grinned at this.

"It looks like you need another morale drop." He then raised both of this hands, and both Alucard and Rachael were suspended in the air. The Familiars tried to rush at him, but were pushed back by an invisible force. He turned back to Rachael. "So, how big of a drop do you need?" He rose them higher into the air. "This high?"

Suddenly, a sword pierced his back. He dropped both of them, in which the landed on their feet. He quickly turned around to discover that Alucard had thrown his own sword at him while he was taunting Rachael. He then pulled it out of his back, wincing in pain. Rachael used this opportunity to strike her whip.

A sharp and burning pain ran through the Counts spine as the whip managed to strike the same spot that the sword had made its mark in. This caused him to yell in pain, staggering as well. He turned back towards Rachael, his expression wearing that of both anger and shock.

"How can this be?! You were nothing but a weakling a few moments ago! How is it that the whip regained its power?!"

"Your methods of the darkness being the strongest were wrong, father." Alucard answered as he walked next to Rachael. "Her Belmont power has merely reached its full potential."

"Yes, it has." Rachael added. "When I started fighting for the right reasons, I felt a surge of power flow from within me. It was God telling that everything was alright, and that I was now ready to face you, Dracula." She thought it best not to mention Cecilia, lest he turn his anger towards her instead.

"Humans are not the weaklings you make them out to be." Alucard finished. "It is true that I cannot defeat you alone, but with the aid of a Belmont to help me as it did in the past, it can be done! Father, you must not be allowed to succeed any further!"

The Familiars took this opportunity to quickly grab the sword from Dracula's grip, and fly over to their master, who quickly took it. They were then dismissed, and vanished.

"It ends tonight!" Rachael exclaimed, readying her whip and cross. "I will not become a vampire, and the world will once again be restored to the light! May God have mercy on your soul. If not, then may He condemn it for all eternity!"

Outraged, Dracula used his power to push them against the walls. Unfortunately, nothing happened. He tried it again, but to no avail.

"Your power no longer has affect on us, Dracula!" Rachael answered when she realized what he was trying to do. "This is a sign that we are in Gods favor, and he has handed this victory to us!"

"You fools!" the Count exclaimed, now angered at the fact that he was now facing a similar situation once again, back when his son helped Trevor Belmont defeat him. "Do you not realize that you are nothing but a pawn?! Must I destroy the both of you to prove that?!" He was now a little nervous. He knew that without the power of being in his original castle, he wouldn't be able to harness his maximum power, which he was going to need if the odds really 'were' against him.

Then he got an idea. "Listen." he started. "This battle is futile. You are still going to turn into a vampire tomorrow, Belmont, and you are still going to spend some time in Hell, son. The only thing that has changed is where the battle is going to take place."

"What are you talking about?" Rachael asked, not understanding him.

"The two of you have a choice. Either stay here and live, or follow me to my original castle and die."

"How about we destroy you right here and now."

"That is not one of your choices, child."

Suddenly, he raised his hand in the air, and a bright flash of light surrounded the room, blinding Alucard and Rachael. They kept their eyes shut until the light completely faded away. When it did, they looked around. Dracula was nowhere in sight. Rachael was confused.

"Where did he go?"

Alucard sighed. He knew exactly what his father was talking about.

"To his original castle on the Moon. Unfortunately, I do not know how to reach it. At least not before it's too late."

Hearing this worried Rachael. She knew she had to find 'some' way to reach that castle, but had no idea how to do it. She didn't want to become a vampire, and she didn't want her family to suffer any more than they already have.

While she was pondering the situation vigorously, she receive a message from the communicator she was wearing. She quickly answered it to hear Nate's voice on the other line.

"Hello? Rachael?"

"Yes, Nate?"

"Um, I didn't interrupt your battle, did I?"

"No. He got away. I'm still trying to figure out how to catch him."

"Well, while you're at it, come back here. There's something I think you should see."

"Huh? What is it?"

"It's hard to explain. Like some kind of portal. Hurry up and see!"

"Okay. I'll be right there."

After signing off, she told Alucard of the situation. Agreeing to come with her, they departed from the castle as quickly as they could.

Distance from Castle entrance

The two rushed over to see what was going on. To their surprise, a large blue portal was right in front of them. It suspended in mid air, just a few meters off the ground. It had an eerie whitish-blue wave to it.

"How did this happen?" Rachael asked.

"I have no idea." Nate answered. "It just suddenly appeared."

"You are to go through it." A female voice suddenly said.

Everyone quickly looked back in the direction of the voice. It was coming from a dark haired woman with pale skin.

"Cecilia?" Rachael asked.

Cecilia nodded.

"How do you know about this?"

"The Count was careless. He apparently used the one-dimensional travel device that one of his scientists created. The setting was too high, and it left some residue just outside the castle."

"Yeah, so it would seem." Nate said. "Still, isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?"

"Never undervalue the will of God." she answered sharply. She then felt her vampire urges come back when she looked at Nate, who seemed to look like a fresh supply of blood to her. Her fangs baring, she knelt to the ground, praying for the urge to subside.

Nate, now noticing that she was a vampire, took out his guns, but Alucard quickly destroyed them with his sword.

"She's not like the others!" he quickly told him. "No harm comes to her."

Nate looked at Rachael, who was also nodding.

"She saved me from a mental prison. She's a good person. I think we can cure her if we kill Dracula. Hopefully, there's still hope for her."

"Well, if you say so."

"Keep an eye on me just in case." Cecilia said after finally being able to successfully resist her urges.

"Oh, I plan to." Nate said as he sat down next to a weapons case. "You just keep fighting that urge."

Rachael looked at the portal. It was very eerie, yet there was something about it that almost called to her, as if it were some kind of alluring light.

"Well, I guess we should go in." She said, and then turned back to Nate. "I'll be back as quick as I can."

"You hurry back, then." he said. "There's no telling how long that portal will stay open."

So the two jumped into the portal without looking back.

Dracula's 'real' castle: main hall

When they exited the portal, the two looked around. It looked just like the other castle did, only it was darker and more ancient looking. The lamp stands that used to serve as electric lights were replaced by lit torches. Rachael looked at the windows, and through them, saw the stars and the blackness of space. Finally realizing that she was on a planet that wasn't supposed to have oxygen, she began to panic. Fortunately, Alucard firmly squeezed her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.

"This castle is enchanted. Do not doubt anything that might normally seem impossible."

Hearing this made the young woman feel more at ease. Her muscles relaxed, and she was now able to think more clearly.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

Alucard just nodded. He wanted to get this over with as soon as he could. He wanted his father's reign of terror to come to an end. As they were walking towards the main door, an uneasy feeling came upon him.

"There is danger beyond this door."

Hearing this, Rachael readied her whip as Alucard drew his sword. Carefully opening the main door, the two quickly rushed inside.

Clock Tower

Rachael looked around. Strangely, the mess that was caused from the battle against Death was no longer there. It was as if nothing had happened. Realizing that this wasn't the same castle, she shrugged off the thought, and proceeded to ascend the clock tower.

However, she was pulled back by Alucard. When she looked at the platform that she was about to step on, she noticed a sickle in its place. Looking up, they saw Death. He laughed, and then flew down towards the two.

"I thought you killed him." Rachael whispered.

"As long as father lives, he will always return."

"How right you are, Alucard." Death answered. He drew his scythe, and swung it around in a few circles before stopping. "The master suspected that something might've gone wrong with his transport, so he sent me to make sure things didn't turn in your favor."

"I defeated you before." Alucard said as he readied himself for battle. "Your reappearance makes no difference."

Death, of course, laughed at this. "You are once again correct, Alucard. However, now that I have permission to use my full force against the two of you, there won't be another chance. I will gladly take your souls into the deepest regions of Hell!"

"You're the one who's going to Hell!" Rachael shouted, tired of all of this, and wanted to end it quickly. "And we're the ones who are going to send you there!"

Death laughed again. "The master was right about you. You 'are' an amusing one." Then he flew out of reach. "I shall have fun killing you. Let the battle commence!"

Alucard wasted no further time, and took a huge leap at Death, holding onto his scythe when he tried to block with it. Suddenly, a barrage of sickles came in his direction. The Dhampire quickly leapt to the next platform as the sickles were following him. Rachael threw an exploding crystal at Death when he wasn't looking, causing him to crash against the wall. Alucard then comboed with a blast of fireballs, hitting him on impact.

Now angry, the reaper of souls sent another barrage of sickles at Rachael, and attacked Alucard with his scythe. The Dhampire carefully parried each thrust, taking caution not to get sliced into ribbons.

Rachael used this opportunity to jump onto some more platforms, dodging the sickles on the way. When she was close enough, she struck her whip at him. He saw this at the last second, and turned to block it. Unfortunately for him, Alucard also used this opportunity to pierce Death in the skull with his sword. Howling in pain, he reached to pull it out, but his face was struck with the Belmont whip.

The Grim reaper quickly flew out of reach again.

"You foolish creatures! You will all die a painful death!"

He then raised his hand as a large red ball of energy was forming in it. Recognizing this move from last time, the two quickly raced to as many platforms towards him as possible. They were fortunate enough to get away from the area of the blast, which took out the entire ground section of the clock tower with it. Seeing that he missed, he called his skull minions to aid him. Alucard distracted them while Rachael rushed towards her target.

When she reached him, she got cut by a few stray sickles, causing her to stagger. She quickly used her cross' energy as a shield in order to protect herself from the remaining sickles. Quickly getting up, the Belmont threw some holy water at Death, causing him to squirm in pain. Just then, Alucard came back, and pierced the unholy creature with his sword. Rachael then struck her whip at the creature several times until he fell into the bottom of the tower.

Seconds later, however, he came flying back up. This time, however, his form was different. His cloak was replaced by golden armor. His scythe was now dual bladed. and her bore ugly grey wings on his back, like that of a fallen angel.

"I shall now use the power of the castle to completely destroy you!"

And with that, he swung his dual bladed scythe in circles, and launched it. Not at his enemies, but at the platforms that they were standing on. Alucard and Rachael jumped from platform to platform, ascending the clock tower that their enemy was trying to destroy from under them. When they finally reached the top, Death flew right in front of them.

"You no longer have any place to run or hide! You will now fight me face to face!"

And with that, he struck at them. Alucard blocked one part of the scythe with his sword, while Rachael dodged the other. Every time she would try to get within a distance to use the whip, he would close in on her, still blocking each and every blow that his Dhampire nemesis would try to strike at him.

Seeing that this battle was leading nowhere, she rushed to the door, opened it, and rushed outside. Alucard leapt over Death, and followed suit, slamming the door shut behind him.

Stairway to throne room

Rachael was stunned to see that starry skies of space above and below her. It was so beautiful, and yet, so scary. She had to repeatedly tell herself that this castle was enchanted, and that she had nothing to worry about.

"So why did we run here?" Alucard asked.

"He had too much of an advantage there." she answered. "Besides, I have an idea. Just follow my lead."

Seconds after she said that, Death stormed through the door. Looking around him, he laughed.

"You stupid fools. Do you realize that you have just given me the advantage?" He then flew to the stairway that led to his master's throne room. "The only way to the master is through me! And the only way to do that is to fight me on this narrow path!"

So the two quickly rushed at him. He used his sickles to try to knock them off, but they were dodged and blocked. Rachael struck her whip, but it was blocked by Death's scythe. Alucard leapt over him, and tried to stab him, but the dual bladed scythe was able to protects its master.

"Grab him!" Rachael shouted.

Alucard wasn't sure what was going on, but he complied anyways. He quickly wrapped his arms around the armored skeleton, who was now having trouble swinging his weapon. Wasting no further time, Rachael rushed at her enemy, and stabbed the cross into his forehead. She uttered a quick prayer, and backed away.

"Let go, now!"

Alucard quickly let go and jumped away. Death was now feeling intense heat within his body. He tried to remove the cross, but it was too hot, as well as embedded too deep.

"What's happing?!" he shouted. "What's going on?!"

"A Belmont's power can destroy all related to the vampire. Though your power is divine, you are no exception!" Somehow, she felt the need to say that.

As he was fading away, Death spoke to them.

"I might've failed at my task, but I have successfully wasted enough of your time and energy! Do you feel the effects of the vampire's curse? It'll now grow stronger as you grow weaker! My master should have no trouble slaying the both of you now. You will all fail!" Laughing once more, he faded away completely.

Unfortunately, the cross faded away with him, leaving Rachael with only the whip and holy water as weapons. Looking at the path the lies ahead of them, they proceeded to the throne room.

Throne room

When they entered, they found Dracula comfortably sitting on his throne. His eyes were shut. As they closed the door, his eyelids slowly rose open. He looked at the two intruders in a most displeased manner.

"You two were fools to come here." he said. "I give you one last chance at survival, and you foolishly threw it away." He then turned his attention towards Alucard, who now looked ready for battle. "I was hoping that you would've come to your senses. It pains me to think of how God is using my own son as a tool against me." Then he turned towards Rachael, who also looked ready for battle. "And here is His greatest tool of all. You disappoint me, child. You are within moments of becoming a vampire, and yet you choose to throw your life away."

"You're wrong!" Rachael exclaimed. "I'm not throwing my life away! I'm saving others with it! If my life is the price for the safety of those I care about, then so be it! I'm not letting you live tonight!"

"I see. Spoken like a true Belmont." Then he turned to Alucard. "And what is your reason for wanting to slay your own father?"

"To cease the existence of my own cursed bloodline." he answered. "And although it pains me to fight you, it is necessary to ensure that no more of our kind walks the Earth."

Dracula slowly stood up, and drew his sword.

Just as they were about to charge, Rachael falls to her knees, clutching her stomach in pain. Dracula pointed his sword in her direction.

"The vampire's curse is starting to take effect. I'm actually quite surprised it took this long. Soon after, the blood craving will start to take effect. By morning, you'll fully turn."

Looking at her hands, Rachael noticed that she was paler than usual. "(Oh no)!" she thought. "(I'm running out of time)!"

"You might as well just accept it. You won't have time to kill me before morning. I'll make sure of that. But if it is death that you wish to seek, I can arrange that for you. If you live long enough to turn, then I will have my amusing toy. If not, then I will have eradicated the only two threats to my existence."

"That won't happen!" Alucard exclaimed. "You will die before then!"

"You were always so foolish, son." he replied as he turned in his direction. "I have given you more than your fair share of chances, and have lost a few good servants in the process. Their lives will by compensated by taking yours."

Rachael slowly got up, and took a battle stance.

"You will do no such thing! I won't turn, nor will we die! Now stop talking!"

Dracula laughed. He was going to miss being amused at her false hope, but if she wanted to die so badly, why deny her that?

"Very well, Belmont." he said as he raised his sword. "Let's begin."

Alucard was the first to strike, but Dracula teleported away from him, and right behind Rachael. He grabbed her, and drank some of her blood. While screaming in pain, she doused his face with holy water, causing him to let go. She quickly struck her whip at him several times. When he finally back far away enough, he teleported back to his throne. He then shot several fireballs and lightning balls at them. They were dodging successfully until he raised his cape, which was pulling them towards him.

Alucard let himself be pulled in. When he got close enough, he used his sword to pierce his father in the heart. Dracula used his sword to pierce his son as well.

Quickly backing away, Dracula pulled the sword from his chest. Alucard did the same. Both of them were heavily panting, clutching their wound with one hand, and their sword in the other. Both of them had nearly escaped death. If it wasn't for their strength, it probably would've been the end for both of them.

Rachael clutched the bite mark on her neck in pain. It was the same spot in which he had bit her earlier. She was feeling weaker, and felt like going to sleep as her vision became blurry.

Suddenly, the Fairy Familiar appeared. She sensed that her master needed her aid, and summoned herself. She then tended to her master's wound.

"Hold on, master." she said.

"I'll be fine." he answered. "Go and help Rachael. Father has bitten her again!"

So she rushed to Rachael's aid. Rachael mentally thanked God for the sudden miracle. If it wasn't for the fairy's miraculous healing, she might've died, and woken up a vampire.

Dracula was quietly allowing this to go on in order to give his wound time to heal itself. It was pretty deep, so it wouldn't heal in just mere seconds. He sat on his throne until his body healed him. When it healed, he stood up again. Unfortunately for him, Alucard was also healed, and ready for another round of battle. Rachael, although still feeling the effects of the curse slowly building up, was healed as well.

The Count laughed at their determination. "You are all fools! Do you really think that this is the full extent of my power? It will now be revealed to you, and with it, your very deaths!" He meant it this time, seeing as how he almost got killed by underestimating his son, which was something he should've known better than to do. Still, he learned his lesson, and will now kill both of them. "Behold, my true power!"

The room then shook violently as if an earthquake had hit it. Never having experienced this before, this frightened Rachael. Alucard, however, knew what his father was doing. Rachael stared in horror as she saw Count Dracula suddenly changing in shape, form, and size, his laughs becoming more and more demonic.

End of chapter 13.

Well, I hoped you liked this chapter. Sorry for the long wait in the update. Just to let you know, chapter 14 will be the final chapter.