If there was any truth or life in his eye, it was planted elsewhere for Alexander Helmsmith as he would have called out, shouted, screamed even, to keep on living in the world and everything, but now... he was gone... gone from the world that he called home and planted elsewhere.

Call it a stupid wish, a foolish gesture of desire, to keep living in a world where the horrors of the past, where monsters and creatures of both the dark and light surge and tide back into the mists of history, when one word told all of what was to come, the word of Castlevania. He puffed with a breath before he focused on the now, not the then, they could take care of themselves, after all, he had trained, taught, and aided how many humans and companions to help keep the balance?

He paused in looking up as a structure of stone erupted from the ground, from the center of the town itself before he questioned through the mental link he had with Death, the only link still active to him at that moment. 'Where in the world did you pull me into?'

'Another world, that is a start.' Alexander glanced to the side as a skeletal creature emerged from the shadows of the torn city. 'I am pleased that you have come, as I wished, and I would not have done so, if there was not a risk.' For some odd reason... Death's mouth didn't move from its gaping features, Alexander turning to the form as he questioned.

'Are you okay?'

'My wellbeing is not the matter here, I simply needed to took on a less... powerful form until I can deem it clear enough to return.' Alexander folded his arms with a raised brow as Death answered. 'What has just emerged is known as the Temen-Ni-Gru, a tower created by devil worshippers, which was sealed in the name of the greatest knight among the demon blood, Sparda.'

'Sparda...' Alexander ran the name through his mind, but was coming up as blank as there were no such demons, even among the roster that he himself had built and compiled in his journey through Belmont history, through the rise of Dracula. This stood to reason as being that Death had pulled himself into another world, an alternate dimension where this 'Sparda' would be the center piece or driving force to the world's issues or its hope. 'But why here, Death, does this... tower have some sort of problem to it that needs to be addressed?'

'It serves as the entry point between the Human World and the Demon World, naturally this should stay the same, but lately Saint and I have been beating back Demons from this world, and this concerns us, so I had drawn myself to involve you, if closing the Temen is needed, then it should be done.'

'And home...?' Alexander asked on seeing if Death would ferry him back home or if he was stuck in this world now. Death went silent and Alexander huffed under his breath at the quiet as he glanced back to the tower that was still growing in size, the earth shaking and trembling at the great structure. 'Well, if nothing else, this will be an interesting time.' Thoughts of heading home would have to wait, especially since he noticed a similar creature, to what Death appeared as, surging as a wraith up the Tower of Babel mock-up, the difference being that it had glowing teal for one of its eyes, Death had both eyes that glowed violet.

He started his trek toward the tower, the roar of a motorcycle and the clashing of steel with the resounding gunfire told him enough as Death phased back into the shadows and his presence vanished from his senses...

He continued his path before pausing, robed ghouls wielding sickles appeared around him from the sound of shattering glass, while beings with multiple eyes turned the weird eyes shaped like crossbows at him with glowing energy as he huffed. "Wasn't expecting a welcoming, but what can you do..." Alexander focused with narrow brow as his hands, donned in fingerless gloves, started adjusting them while his attire consisted of a suit vest, a button shirt, azure slacks, and steel-toe boots before he lashed out his hand and a torrent of flames erupted from it as he palmed the forming weapon.

"Then I suppose I should do something about that, correct?" The eye creatures fired and Alexander swung, his Firebrand shattering the bolts as the sickles jumped for him, but he went into the flow, evading their attacks and putting them down before hurling his blade into one, it glancing up to the sword fragmenting before exploding as Alexander breathed with turning, his arms shifting into clear blue as the fingers extended into claws. "Don't think I forgot, Eyes." He thrusted out his palm and the limb extended in a gush of water before snatching the first one before he yanked, the second glancing with a grunt before it got totaled and Alexander retracted the creature to a round house and flicked as he smiled. "Looked like Rusalka is still with me, lucky day..." He lowered himself with a smile as the claws widened for the attack

"Now then... let's give a good show, shall we?" It didn't matter if they showed fear or otherwise, the demons before him knew within the moment that he was a dire threat as he slid into their rank and diced them with watery claws, many dissolving into sand as they couldn't keep up with the attacks before Alexander breathed in clearing them out and his claws reverting back to regular hands before he processed what he had just killed. "So... these demons which were, in essence jailors over those of respective crime, are called Hells, there are seven types which embody the seven deadly sins, with Pride, Lust, and Sloth being what just attempted to dice me to pieces while the Enigmas were statues brought to life via dark magicks." He rubbed his jaw in thought as a shade of him took outstanding notes about the demons just faced before phasing back in with the parchment. "One thing is for sure, these demons are far more aggressive than my sort, they barely even have any mind beyond destruction and massacre."

He shook his head with pocketing his hands and heading for the tower, intending to get some answers for once, not realizing that his aura, the culmination of thirteen cycles of aiding the agenda of hunting the night of Castlevania, was pulsing like wildfire...

Dante beamed a bit in seeing Vergil again after a year's time, the invitation was QUITE convincing and the trek not bad as he entered through the open space to a frozen wall, he raising a brow to it as the ground shook and the ice fell away, revealing a three-headed canine, bolted chains tethering it down while ice encrusted its body before it took stable stomps toward Dante, straining against the chains before letting loose a powerful roar, launching ice everywhere , a chunk heading for Dante as he cleaved it in half with his sword Rebellion as the titan hound growled at him. "Leave now, mortal! The likes of you are forbidden in this land! You who are powerless are not worthy to set foot here!" Yet, even with the straining chains and threat at him, Dante simply mocked the guard beast.

"Wow, I've never seen a talking mutt before. You know in a dog show, you'd definitely take first place." But this just aggravated the creature as it growled at him again.

"You, a mere human, make a mockery of me?!" It inhaled before unleashed a ray of cold, freezing over the entrance, but Dante had jumped rather high, higher than any human could manage, as he landed back with glancing to the ice and back to the beast.

"Easy, Fido!" He continued to mock as he spoke with a few steps. "How about I take you out for a walk?" he then started beckoning it like it was a faithful or eager dog to him. "Come on puppy, let's go!"

"You'll regret this, you worm!"

Dante was undaunted as he mused in straightening up. "It's showtime!" He bounced in place with throwing a few punches and slid into stance as he motioned the guard dog to come and get it. "Come on!" The ice served as decent protection against Dante's attacks, whether it was just the Rebellion slashing or unleashing fire from his dual pistols Ebony and Ivory and a sawed-off shotgun he... picked up from a bar, the creature rotating its heads while raining down ice spikes form the ceiling, charging to get pulled back, or even swiping at him as Dante destroyed one of the heads and needed to wait out the berserker rage before going back in, taking out the other and launching the beast into the doorway, it holding steady as the creature commented on the unnatural prowess of the human before it.

"You are not human, are you?"

"Who knows? I'm not even sure myself." Regardless, Dante had proven himself worthy of entering the tower fully as the beast answered.

"Regardless, you have proven your strength. I acknowledge your ability. Take my soul and go forth! You have my blessing!" The beast geared for another roar before raising its remaining head high, shattering into fragments with only a glowing orb of light its last sign of existence before it slowly descend down to Dante before it formed into a tripartite nunchaku in Dante's hands before he played around with the new weapon in swinging the weapon about and even spinning it by the ring before he finished with the weapon spread out as he remarked.

"Too easy!" He retracted his new weapon, Cerberus, and started for the doorway behind the ice wall before the entrance erupted in a shower of ice, Dante turning to a red motorcycle barreling right for him before he flipped out of the way, getting a sight of a short black-haired woman as the rider before he landed behind with the motorcycle also stopping as Dante questioned. "Are you going to the party? What's the hurry, didn't ya get an invitation?"

Her reply was in her touting rocket launcher as she unslung it in aiming it behind her and firing, Dante not only dodging the rocket fired, but decided to have fun in riding on the soaring projectile with cheering and hoots before jumping back off for it to blast a gaping hole in the ceiling as he hooted one more time before turning to the rider, she glancing his way... with monochromatic eyes, causing him to pause as he had seen those eyes before, from the guy that was on Vergil's payroll.

Any chat was neglected as she revved the motorcycle to life in spinning it before driving right at him before leaping with the motorcycle, through the hole, brief inches from Dante's face as he turned with a huff as he spoke.

"This just keeps getting better and better." He made for the door before something froze him in place, he didn't know what the heck it was, but it was powerful, it was great, and for the first time in his life...

He felt FEAR...

Mary rode his cycle, through the ways on her bike, searching for that scum and finally putting him down for what he had done before a shudder surged through her and she stopped the bike quick in catching her breathing and raising her hands that were all the sudden trembling, but it was not anger at that man that was suddenly flooding her nerves with a sense of edge and panic. She rubbed her shoulders as she moaned for an answer to the sudden feeling.

"What the hell...?" For the first time in her life, she felt something far greater than hatred, she felt... FEAR...

Vergil and his 'ally' of Arkham looked from the top of the Temen-Ni-Gru, the human cultist flipping through his book while Vergil sensed everyone in the tower before he opened his eyes to a new arrival, an unwelcome one. "Looks like we have an uninvited guest."

"Is that so?" The man answered as Vergil continued.

"A human... A woman." Arkham closed his book as he replied.

"I'm afraid I should ask the uninvited one to leave." He stood up as he continued. "That is what you want." He extended out his senses to find the guest and replied just the same. "actually, I happened to be acquainted with that woman." He walked off with Vergil's eye subtly watching as he voiced under his breath. "A storm is approaching." Vergil watched Arkham's back as he leaves before making to face the sprawling city again.

Both froze, one in stoic grasp of feeling a lesser fear back home in Red Grave, when his family was shattered with a father gone, a mother missing, and a brother lost, re-found without memory, but still lost in not pursuing the real reason that all could have survived and the other knew right away that whatever this power was, it was a direly dangerous one and one that would destroy everything he sought to gain from it, he needed to find this invader and destroy them fast, before they can even dare stop the mission.

It was FEAR that welled into their bodies and where it had stayed, refusing to remove its grasp on their hearts, both corrupt and pure...

Alexander smiled as he took in the sealed passage into the tower, frozen over with ice and making Alexander think that having that sort of power would be a benefit for his journey through this new world before he puffed and looked up, crouching and leaping, his feet latching onto the texture of the tower before he sprinted up, dodging and weaving through the Hells that attempted to stop him, with renewed force before he made it to a opened chamber and slides under a raving behemoth tapeworm that was flying, likely from that titan flying whale that even now floated about the tower, like it was at home there. "Talk about pests, I don't want to know what creature you're suppose to be infesting." The creature roared at him as he shrugged as it came back for a fight.

"Never said otherwise, demon, just picking out the obvious here." He dashed with jumping from the ground and onto the the demon's back as electricity surged through the floor from the monster, he turning with a swish of his hand gripping another sword of his and he thrusted the jousting lance into the carapace, piercing it with the demon's screech of pain before he breathed with a cold fume and twisted, the ice surging from the lance now encasing the demon before it slowly faded off as Alexander jumped off as it went into one of the wall holes that adorned the place.

He rubbed his jaw as he spoke. "Odd... that was a solid hit, it should have killed the demon, it would have worked with the others no problem... maybe a different approach." He dismissed the lance and donned blazing fists before he leapt onto the monster again with purple orbs soaring for him and missing. "Four arms are better than two!" His shadow emerged from his back before forming golden scales and feral claws as his closest aid in battle, Blackmorre, roared and both struck with each of Alexander's punches followed with a raking from Blackmorre's claws, the monster screeching even more before both clasped their hands overhead and smashed, driving the creature right into the ground with a sharp spike, the parts flying everywhere as Alexander stood up and dusted himself off, Blackmorre smoothing over some more parts and pieces from Alexander's new clothes as he spoke.

"That wasn't too bothersome, I thought it would be a bit tougher to crack." Alexander huffed with sensing the tower and feeling something trying to get to him, but also hounding some great power below, but it was quiet, contained and left Alexander the impression that whoever it was, they had either sealed their own power away or they just forgot what made him different in the first place before Alexander turned to the parts and turned back to the night. "Blackmorre, let's keep scaling."

"Milord." Blackmorre growled in reply as Alexander dashed and jumped back out, Blackmorre latching out onto the outer shell and pulled the both of them up before Alexander got his bearing and worked his way up, sensing out and seeking the next powerful 'guardian' of the tower, past a open walkway and back into the tower, to get a bit more answers...