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The LocketIt was a small thing, barely discernible from green of the grass that partially covered it, like gentle fingers cupping a precious gem. The only sign of its presence was the dull gleam it emitted, in response to the dappled sunlight filtering through the treetops. Other than that, the brown object could easily have been mistaken for another dead leaf, a victim of the coming autumn.
It felt cool and odd in her fingers, like a relic from some forgotten time. It was an oval shaped thing, and as Integra narrowed her eyes to study it, she found that there was something engraved on its back. Her fingers delicately stroked its surface, trying to rub away the tarnish of years past. The tips of her immaculate white gloves darkened until she could finally read the words cut into its surface. The bronze-hued metal shone through.
Diana Woodsworth1920
She frowned in concentration, wondering who the owner could possibly be. There was numerous staff and soldiers on Hellsing's grounds. They came and went freely within the gardens during the day, and it could be any one of them. It would be like trying to find a needle in the proverbial haystack.
She did not have the time for such trivial pursuits anyway. There was still much work to be done back in her office. Deciding to hand it to Walter to deal with later, she slipped the locket into her coat pocket and stalked off. Already her mind was somewhere else, going over the list of things she had to see to as Hellsing Director.
(Many hours later…)
Night fell, swift and silent as death itself. It cast its cloak over the sky, encasing the Earth in darkness. The only gaps in its velvet blackness seemed to be a silver of moon and a smattering of stars.
The office was dark, lit only by the glow of the computer screen. The light cast shadows on Integra's face, adding a depth of mystery to her features. However, there was nothing strange about her at all. She often worked late, struggling to clear the small mountain of paperwork that rebuilt itself every morning. There was so many administrative matters to attend to it made her head spin.
Her concentration waned, followed by a droop in her eyelids. Through the narrow field of her vision, she allowed her mind to detach itself form its framework of logic. It dwelt over seemingly random occurrences, such as the troops training, Walter serving her lunch, and her walk in the garden…
Her mind jolted awake as she remembered the little promise she had made earlier. She reached into her pocket and fished out the locket. It was supposed to be in Walter's hands by now. She fondled it with her gloved fingers, wondering why there was no chain attached to it. The metal felt cool through the fabric. She sat back in her chair and placed the locket on her table. Once again, she let her mind relax to a slight doze until it was in a strange place between wakefulness and sleep.
It was then that the first vision came.
It was a seemingly random flash of events, which together made no sense to her at all.
A grandfather clock tolling midnight.
The glow of a flame in a gas lamp
The view of a balcony outside open glass doors.
Her mind continued to wander, as if unleashed from its constraints. Integra's logic was vaguely amused at the turn of events. It seemed as if she were a spectator that looked on impassively, aware that it was a dream but yet allowing it to proceed at the same time.
The hem of a white lace gown, trailing beneath her feet.
The view of the balcony outside the window enlarging as she stepped towards it.
The cool rush of the night air as it brushed her skin.
She shifted in her chair, nodding slightly as her mind continued to linger just at the edge of consciousness. Most of her brain was waiting to shut off completely. However, some part of it stubbornly hung back, not willing to let go until this was all over. It was like a slideshow of sorts, one that assailed her other senses other than sight and hearing alone.
The firm and cool stone as her fingers gripped the railing.
The sudden feeling of another presence, making the hairs on her neck stand.
Integra's weakened rational mind gripped itself around that last snapshot, probing it and recognizing the sensation. She felt it several times a day.
The darkness that moved and swirled.
The red eyes.
Integra's rational mind came awake with a jolt of adrenalin in her system. She reflectively tensed as she opened her eyes and scanned the dark office. There was nothing lurking in its shadows.
It was a dream, yet it had been so vivid. No, she corrected herself. She had been conscious so it was nothing like that. It was more like a distant memory. One that was buried so deep it was a shock to remember it. Or perhaps a vision. Integra rubbed her temples as the details returned to her. She could recall every scene as if she had lived it a million times. She could still smell the scent of the burning gas from the lamp. So far Integra had never been able to recall what trespassed in her head as she slept. It was a blessing in a way. It would probably be full of death and blood.
She shook herself mentally and calmly looked at the clock. It was late. She slipped the locket back into her pocket, shut off her computer, and then left for bed.
That night, her mind remained empty as she slept.
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The second vision came, quite unexpectedly, as she was in the midst of writing her report. It was a lazy afternoon, with the sound of gunshots breaking the silence. The sunlight slid between the gaps in the blinds, tracing patterns of light on the wooden desk, lending it a hue of molten gold. Dust motes danced within the beams, as if it the light itself could create life out of empty air.
Integra stifled a yawn as she stood up to close the window, muffling the sound. It was so sickening sometimes to live so near the training center. Her hand remained on the latch as she peered through the glass and was reminded of the glass doors she saw in her vision two nights before. She felt dazed and decided to just relax while looking out the window. Her mind unknowingly slipped back to that strange twilight place between dreams and reality.
As if it was a signal, her subconscious broke free from its chains and flooded her brain with images once more. The same scenes replayed themselves, except that it went on further.
The red eyes.
A figure stepping out of the darkness.
Arms wrapped around her possessively. Strong, yet gentle.
A cold kiss on her lips. The kisser's face in shadow.
"I want to do it. I have no regrets. Anything to be with you." A woman's voice, higher pitched than her own.
The silence as she waited for an answer.
A knock at the door.
Reality rushed up like the ground to meet her after a jump. She tore her eyes from the window. Walter had entered, in his usual quiet manner, balancing a tray with her afternoon tea. He set it down, was about to press her to rest, when he noticed her pale face.
"Integra-sama, are you alright? You don't seem well."
Integra managed to smile slightly. She was very confused. Why was she having these strange visions? It was as if she was living someone else's memories that were not her own. She tried to keep the puzzlement out of her voice as she replied briskly.
"I'm fine, Walter. Thank you. I'll be having my tea now."
Walter's look of concern vanished, replaced by his calm demeanour. He left, closing the door lightly behind him.
The office was quieter, the sounds of gunshots distant with the closed windows. Integra did not move but thought for a moment. Then, she reached out for a notepad and lifted up her pen. In point form, she began to jot down the details of her visions. It was unnerving to do it, as if writing it down made it seem more real. However, she sensed that the events had occurred before, though she wondered how the happenings had come to surface in her mind. Was she clairvoyant? She remembered the red eyes in the darkness. It was as plain as day who the owner of those orbs were.
Alucard.
And what of the mystery woman? She had to find out.
More visions came in time, but she failed to comprehend their meaning.
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She walked through the gardens, her leather shoes squelching into the grass that was damp with dew. The air was cool already even though the sun had set only an hour ago. It was as if all warmth was stolen from the world with sunset, leaving its inhabitants at the mercy of the dark and the cold.
It did not bother her one bit though, as her feet traced the familiar path to the stone bench near where she had found the locket. All the trouble had begun when she had first picked it up, she was certain. Nobody that Walter asked had admitted to being its owner. Integra had guessed as much, though she had decided to give it a try to prove she wasn't going crazy.
Integra stopped when she came to the clearing where she had seen Alucard's shadow a few minutes ago. He liked to wander the grounds at night, sometimes scaring the hell out of the guards on night duty. They never got used to his presence, even if they knew that he was unable to harm them. Alucard loved to suddenly appear out of the ground or from behind a tree. Integra had had to tell him off once before. Even then, he still persisted, intent on amusing himself with his human playthings.
The clearing was empty, but she knew that she was far from alone. The nearby lamp cast its light on the grassy patch and the stone bench, painting it silver. She had ordered the lamps installed so that the guards could see as they patrolled the grounds. However, it was unnecessary with Alucard around. His cat-like eyes could easily pierce through the darkness, spotting its prey and striking before he or she knew what had happened. Many a trespasser with ill intent in the past had died a gruesome death at his hands, a look of shock frozen on their features.
She stood by the bench and waited. A minute passed, and a slight breeze ruffled her pale blond hair. As expected, the darkness of the underbrush came to life with a hundred red eyes. They stared at her, blinked lazily, then stretched and swirled around a center. Out of that nauseating pattern of red and black, a figure rose like a something out of the depths of a nightmare. It was strange to see a human-like figure step out, dressed in a red coat, sans hat or shades. Alucard moved towards her with feline grace, seeming to slide rather than step forward.
Integra gave a slight smile.
Show off.
He stopped in front of her, a respectful distance away. It was an unspoken rule between the both of them that he could never be too near her. In her office, she always made sure that there was a desk between them. If she was ordering troops on the field, it would be a gap of at least half a metre. Only Integra was allowed to close the gap if necessary. It was a mark of his servitude, and she never let Alucard forget that.
He bowed his head slightly, his eyes glittering like embers in the darkness.
"Yes, Master?"
She said nothing, but simply stepped forward and held out the locket in her gloved hand. The metal shone faintly in the lamplight.
"I believe this belongs to you."
Alucard reached out and picked up the locket delicately with his large hands. She could feel the light brush of his fingers on her palm and hastily withdrew it. She remembered his touches from the visions she had. Her mind brushed away the images from her mind as she fought to keep from shuddering.
"How did you know?" His tone was curious.
She ignored his question, instead asking one of her own.
"Who is Diana?"
Alucard looked at her for a moment, as if pondering what to say next. Her eyes narrowed slightly with impatience, wondering what a vampire like him who killed wantonly would have to hide. She was about to give a sharp remark when he spoke.
"An old acquaintance of mine. We met at the Opera. It was one of the few things that your grandfather allowed me to enjoy."
"I'm sure she was far more than a friend, Alucard. She was your lover, was she not?"
Alucard paused, then smiled. It was a mixture of amusement, delight as well as something much darker. Alucard's smile was never innocent. It was always enigmatic and predatory. One which chilled the hearts of lesser mortals when their eyes fell upon it.
"Yes. You seem to know a lot. I can't help but wonder why?"
Integra did not even flinch as he moved closer. She was not worried at all. Her calm blue gaze met his red ones without a trace of fear. After ten years of working with him, the monster was just another operative, though one that she had to constantly guards against. On rare occasions, she treated him as his equal, although most of the time he obeyed orders without question.
"I had visions, Alucard, when I held this cursed locket of yours. It was as if I lived through the eyes of this Diana Woodsworth. I have no idea what is going on and I do not care. I have a feeling that once I return you this the visions will cease."
He said nothing, and was about to turn around and leave when she called out to him.
"Alucard."
"Anything else, Master?" His voice was calm and patient as usual.
"What happened to her?"
Alucard stopped. He turned back and stood facing her. However, his gaze shifted fromher face to the sky above her head. It was on a night like this that fate had dealt a harsh blow. It seemed ironic that an all-powerful immortal like him could still be a victim of the circumstances.
"She died."
Integra was relentless. She knew that she had no right to probe further but curiosity seized her. She knew what she had seen and felt in her visions were real. However, something drove her to confirm it. She felt as if the next bit of information was crucial to her. But what and why? She had to hear it from his own lips to find out. She was just about to ask another blunt question when Alucard's deep base voice cut through her thoughts and her attention snapped back to him.
"She died by my hand. I had turned her, and kept her secret from your grandfather. However, he found out."
Integra knew that what she said was unnecessary and cruel. But once again, her mind seemed to be under the influence by forces beyond her control and comprehension. She felt she had to participate in the telling of the story, whatever the end result might be.
"And he forced you to kill her."
Alucard paused.
"She turned to dust in my arms."
For a brief moment, a look of intense bitterness and hatred crossed his features. The transformation from calm to intense fury stunned Integra. She had never seen Alucard this angry before. Most of the time, he killed with a sadistic smile on his face, but never this. The anger passed quickly though, and his features relaxed once more. It was as if he had managed to school his expression, much like herself. She wondered if what he usually showed was really amusement, or nothing more than a flimsy mask to hide his resentment towards the Hellsings.
The silence stretched between them. In it, she could make out the rustle of leaves in the wind and the sound of crickets chirping. Everything was quiet and calm.
"Well, I am sorry for your loss. However, it was his duty. You know you can't go around proliferating more vampires than we can handle. You broke a very old rule."
Alucard looked at her, completely amused to what sounded like an apology on behalf of her grandfather. He had something on his mind, and he voiced it now.
"Why did you not order me to kill Police Girl? Did I not turn her? Was it not against the rules?"
Integra froze, caught off guard by his question. However, whenever she did things, she always had a good reason. The answer came easily.
"I asked her and she told me everything. Alucard, you gave her no choice. It was either she chose to go with you, or face a painful and slow death. It was a far cry from what Diana did. She chose to join you willingly, without bodily harm."
Alucard's head tilted sideways, much like a cat considering whether or not to kill its prey or toy with it a little first. His smile got even wider and his eyes glowed with intensity. Integra noticed his strange expression, but put it down to his lack of understanding of human nature. However, she wasn't prepared for what she heard next.
"Hmm… It seems to me that you are different from your grandfather. You are not as cold as you seem, Master. You know your duty is to slay all of Our Kind, and yet you spare some death by a silver bullet. I've always wondered why?"
Integra moved towards him now, a signal that she did not feel in the least threatened. Body language was important when dealing with Alucard. You had to be firm with the vampire. Flinching meant death.
"I kill only those that threaten my country and my Queen. That is all."
Alucard gazed down at the stern woman. She knew he could easily break her neck, but yet she was completely at ease. Once again, he marvelled at her confidence and iron control. She was a force to be reckoned with.
"Do you believe in the eternal soul, Master?"
"Yes. We all go to Heaven or Hell when we die. Nothing more or less."
"Well, have you wondered if we stayed there? What if these places were nothing more than mere places of transit? What if you only spent some time there to be rewarded or punished accordingly, then returned to live again. An endless cycle."
"Are you mocking my beliefs, vampire. Reincarnation is not a subject we place our faith in. Anyway what do you know of a soul. You obviously lack one."
He closed his eyes in mock pain, and then cracked them slyly open again. He liked where this conversation was heading and he had every reason to continue it.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, Master. I have a soul, though in a way you mortals can never understand. All true vampires do. As for the issue of your visions, my long life has opened my eyes to many possibilities. What else would explain theimages you have been seeing? Do they not seem like a distant and lost memory? Like waking from a long, long sleep…"
Integra bristled. She knew what the vampire was implying and she was well prepared to meet his bogus insinuations with hellfire of her own. It came out in the icy tone that coloured her voice.
"Do not play with me, vampire. I have no reason to believe you. My concern is only the present, the here and now. Unlike you, I do not care for such excess baggage. I am leaving. Good night."
With that, she turned and strode purposefully away. Her stride was forceful and angry, but Alucard could not help calling out to her retreating back.
"All of us have a past, Master. One that we can never escape from. Whether or not we embrace it is up to us."
She paused, and then looked over her shoulder to glare at him. He was staring at her, a serious expression on his face. She bit back a retort and forced herself to focus on the path ahead. It was a rough dirt track which would bring her to the back of the house. The very present was all she cared for. The past to her was useless. It only brought back memories of loneliness and sadness. She didn't need such thoughts to bog her mind down day by day.
Alucard waited for a long, long time, completely lost in thought. He was motionless, as eternal as time itself. It seemed as if he had always belonged in that part of the garden, a permanent fixture among the surrounding greenery. Some guards who noticed him at the last minute scooted far around him. He paid them no heed, staring at a third floor window.
The white curtains were translucent, and in the light from the lamps, he could make out a shadow. It paused for a minute, and then faded away as its owner moved from the window. His eyes stayed rooted at the same spot. The shadow passed a few more times, and then finally disappeared from view once again. A few more minutes passed, then the lights went out. The room within was plunged into impenetrable darkness.
He turned away finally, moving without a sound. The locket was light in his hands, and his finger rubbed away at a spot above the name and date that Integra had missed. It glinted for one last time, the lamplight catching the hidden words even as his form rippled and he began to melt into the shadows.
May our love hold eternal in this lifetime, and perhaps many more.
THE END