(A/N: As the chapter title suggests, yes this is when Van Helsing discovers his past. This is just my theory on how Van Helsing has seen ancient battles and has a connection with Dracula. Enjoy.)
Disclaimer: Not mine
Chapter 9: A Lost Past
Van Helsing didn't wait until midnight. As soon as the sun had set he and Carl headed for the cemetery, while during the day he had searched all through Castle Frankenstein in hopes of finding the other door, but no luck. He decided to go along with Orlok's game. He was going unarmed, but not alone. Carl was following him, making sure to stay out of sight.
The cemetery was a very big place. After being overshadowed by Dracula and his brides, not to mention all those he turned, for 400 years, this graveyard was filled with more bodies than Van Helsing had ever seen. It was no wonder the grave digger had gone mad with work. So much death, so much destruction. And for what? Just a way to bring more death.
Van Helsing made his way through the graveyard, searching for 2 specific graves. Finally he found them. Boris Valerious and Velkan Valerious. They were originally intended to be buried next to the other Valerious family members, but due to the number of deaths in Transylvania, they were unable to be buried as close as they wanted.
Van Helsing stood by the 2 graves for some time. He felt sorry for the Valeriouss. They had spent their whole lives fighting Dracula, only to die by him and his minions.
"I'm sorry for all of this." said Van Helsing. "But I promise I'll get Anna back."
A laugh came from behind him. Van Helsing turned around to find someone watching him. They were holding a lantern to see in the darkness of night. A white mask covered their face. So this was the mysterious masked man that worked for Orlok.
The man continued laughing. "You'll only get the Valerious back if you do what the master says."
Van Helsing glared at him. "I'm here, aren't I?"
The masked man nodded. "Yes you are. You're early in fact. No matter. Come, I shall take you to the master."
Van Helsing followed the masked man, keeping a tight hold on the Necronomicon.
"By the way, my name is Erik." the man said. "And I must say, it is an honor to meet you."
"Really?" Van Helsing snorted. "So, how did you get mixed up with Orlok. What false promises did he make you?"
"Orlok is a great man." Erik growled. "I was once known as the Phantom of the Opera. Everyone feared me. Even the woman of my dreams feared me. But Orlok didn't. He promised to get me whatever I wanted. All I have to do is help him get what he wants."
"And what dies he want?"
Erik grinned behind his mask. "You can ask him that when you see him."
They continued walking in silence. Van Helsing could sense Carl nearby. He hoped the friar wouldn't do something stupid. Too much was at stake.
The sound of flapping wings was heard. Orlok had arrived. Still as hideous as ever. He looked like as starved demonic bat with a wing span of over 10 feet. Orlok landed on the ground and turned back into his human form. Van Helsing made a face. Even in his human form, Orlok was monstrous.
"Hello Gabriel." Orlok hissed. Van Helsing couldn't help but notice how much he sounded like Dracula. "I believe you have something that belongs to me." He pointed to the Necronomicon.
Van Helsing didn't move. "Not until I get Anna. Where is she?" he demanded.
Orlok grinned. "You'll get her, once you give me the book. She means nothing to me. By all means, take her. But not until you give me the book."
"No." Van Helsing replied. "How do I know if I can trust you?"
Orlok laughed. "I told you, the girl means nothing to me. And you've already proven that I can't trust you. I told you to come alone. Yet, I can hear your friar friend's heart beat. He's very afraid right now. You might as well come out. I know where you are."
Carl groaned and came out from his hiding place. Not a very good one, Van Helsing observed.
"Sorry." Carl mumbled, giving Van Helsing an apologetic smile.
Orlok laughed. "Your fear amuses me. But I didn't come here for amusement. Still, it seems that you're still having a little trouble accepting our deal. So I'll give you something else." He grinned evilly. "I know about your past. All of it."
Van Helsing's eyes widened. Could Orlok be telling the truth. Did he really know his past. True, the thing he was concerned about the most right now was Anna... but here Orlok was offering him the truth to his past. Dracula had made the same offer. Van Helsing had passed up the offer the first time, but he couldn't do it again.
"Who am I?" he asked.
Orlok licked his lips, running his tongue along his rotten pointy teeth. "You and I have as much history as you and Dracula. And the Necronomicon is what binds us all together.
"Back in 73 A.D. you where a warlord. Perhaps one of the greatest ones to ever live. You remember fighting the Romans, do you not?" Van Helsing nodded. Orlok laughed. "Of course you do. It's a memory no one can forget. It was the first time you died."
Van Helsing felt his blood run cold. "The first time I..."
"Died." Orlok repeated. "Yes, you didn't survive the battle at Masada. You were killed." He laughed evilly. Van Helsing felt his hatred for this creature increase.
"So how did I come back?" he asked.
Orlok pointed to the Necronomicon. "I told you. The Necronomicon connects us all. Over 400 years ago, there was another warlord. One just as great, perhaps even greater, than you. Only this man was just as evil as he was powerful. No one seemed to be able to defeat him. His name was Count Vladislaus Dragulia." He saw the look one Van Helsing's face and smiled. "Yes, he was the man who became the so called king of vampires, Count Dracula.
"This is where you come in. In an attempt to rid the world of Dracula, a warrior fighting in the war against Dracula used the Necronomicon to bring to life the only one strong enough to kill Dracula. That someone was you! Gabriel Van Helsing. The very spell you used to resurrect the Valerious was used to give you life once again. You confronted Dracula, and the battle began."
"And I killed him." said Van Helsing, remembering that Dracula had told him that he was murdered by him.
"You killed each other." Orlok corrected him. "You may have delivered the death blow to Dracula, but did not survive the battle. I watched in amusement as you both died. Your deaths meant nothing to me, but your life made me curious. At least what gave your life did. I wanted to learn more about the powers of the Necronomicon. Unfortunately, after the one that resurrected learned that you killed Dracula, they hid the book. I tried to find it, but then Dracula came back, as the world's most powerful vampire. That title should belong to me!" He shouted the last sentence angrily. He forced himself to calm down before he continued. "After he banished me and stole my home, it put a dent in my plans in finding the Necronomicon. But that didn't stop me from finding out about it. And what I came across was greeting than I could have ever imagined. Now the only problem was getting the book.
"The only one who could stand a chance against me was Dracula." He spat the name in disgust. "However, after 400 years of searching, I finally found where the Necronomicon was. Now all I had to do was get rid of Dracula. And who better to do that than the one who killed him in his past life. You!
"I came before the owner of the Necronomicon. A foolish woman. We made a deal. In exchange for the Necronomicon, I would provide a way for Dracula to be destroyed. That way was you. But not simply by giving you life again, but by having you be reincarnated. I knew you would be no match for Dracula. You need to be stronger. And so it was done. You were reborn, with only small memories from past life.
"Unfortunately, the foolish mortal discovered my true plans for the Necronomicon and hid it away in the Black Swamp. And with Dracula ruling over Transylvania, it made it hard for me to search for the book. But I still had you. It had been several years since you had been reincarnated. It was time. I went to your home. I took you. Your family tried to fight me off, and they paid with their lives. Then I wiped your memory and dropped you off in Rome. I knew the Knights of the Holy Order were there. They made you the great monster hunter you are today. And then you fulfilled your destiny and killed Dracula, just as I planned. Everything went according to plan. Now here we stand. It's time to finish this."
Van Helsing was speechless. Was this the past he had spent his whole life trying to find? His hatred for Orlok grew to its peak. "So I was just a pawn?" he asked. "Nothing but someone to do your dirty work? You brought me back to life just to do what you could not? How dare you mess with my life like that!"
Orlok smirked. "Don't be so quick to judge. After all, you brought the Valerious girl back."
"That is different! She never had a chance to live. Her life was spent trying to save her family. And then she was killed. Murdered! I was giving her back her life so she could actually live."
"It matters not." Orlok laughed, enjoying Van Helsing's misery. "What matter now is the here and now. So are you going to give me the Necronomicon, or are you going to let the Valerious die?"
Slowly and reluctantly, Van Helsing approached Orlok. He handed out the Necronomicon. Orlok carefully took it.
"Yes." he hissed. "At last. The Necronomicon is mine!"
Van Helsing glared at him. "You have what you want. Now where's Anna?"
Orlok smirked. "All in good time. Come Erik. We must prepare for the ceremony."
Erik went over to his master as Orlok changed into his bat for. He grabbed hold of Erik and took flight.
"Where's Anna?" Van Helsing shouted.
"She's here." Erik yelled down to the monster hunter. "Buried in the Earth with all the other dead."
Van Helsing felt like a stake had been driven through his heart. "She's dead?"
"Not yet." said Erik. "She has about an hour of air left. There are a lot of graves here, so I suggest you start looking."
And with that, master and servant flew off, leaving an enraged Van Helsing and terrified Carl behind.