Author's Notes: This is a oneshot about Asamad, and Ophelia as well. I did intend on writing a fic like this towards the end of this year, but since I just can't seem to get these two out of my brain now, it's being written earlier than originally planned.
Vincent and Daphne are included in this one as well, although they may not be the main focus here, and this fic takes place around late August 2021.
Another thing: Castle Van Ghoul having a family cemetery behind it is yet another head canon of mine.
Another long night had passed by, and the morning sun was just barely rising as Asamad Van Ghoul looked out the window of his room. Everything was so quiet, as the rest of Castle Van Ghoul's inhabitants were still asleep. The only thing he could really hear right now was the sound of the floor beneath him slightly creaking as he stood there.
Castle Van Ghoul was always a place that meant a lot to him, even though he had spent most of his afterlife so far away from it. It was his first home after all, and there were still so many valuable memories attached to it. Memories of his days as the world's most powerful warlock, friends that he hasn't seen in forever, raising his only son…
Memories of his wife.
There have been so many things on his mind within the last few years, between finding Vincent again, and agreeing to help the gang recapture the other 12 ghosts. Yet, he could never seem to truly get Ophelia off of his mind at times.
Especially during this time of year, late summer, when they first met, and only just a few years after that, took her hand in marriage.
Asamad was confused by this. He hadn't seen her since he was alive, and they haven't spoken to each other since either. So why is it that he is unable to stop thinking about her even after all this time? Was he still in love with her, perhaps? Or was there something else that came to be causing this?
Whatever it was, it surely wasn't going away anytime soon.
He stood there, still looking out the window for a few more minutes until a simple thought suddenly crossed his mind.
'Maybe I should visit her grave.'
It wasn't something he had originally planned for today, yet, he felt that it would be important to do so.
He opened the windows and quickly flew out of them, before landing in front of the gates of the Van Ghoul family cemetery behind the castle.
He looked around, making sure no one noticed him, and once it seemed that the coast was clear, he unlocked the gates and entered the cemetery.
Passing by many graves, he noticed that most of them bore the names of his descendants that Vincent taught him about over the past few months, while some of them were those that he still knew so little about.
It didn't take long before he made it all the way to the back of the cemetery, where he finally found Ophelia's grave, briefly realizing that it was right next to their son's.
He stood in front of the tombstone, staring at the words that were carved into it.
"Ophelia Eve Van Ghoul
Beloved Witch, Wife, Mother, and Friend
Rest In Everlasting Peace"
"So she has both her maiden name and my surname that she had taken when she married me on here," he whispered to himself.
Asamad then sighed as he brushed his hand against the gravestone.
"Ophelia, it's me, your husband. Forgive me for not visiting earlier, it's just that… a lot has happened here on Earth in the past few years," he admitted.
His hand fell away from the tombstone.
"First and foremost, I have been staying in Castle Van Ghoul again for quite some time now," he said. "Being there now is so much different than it was back then, yet, it is still pleasant."
His eyes observed the other graves in the cemetery once more.
"I should tell you, there are not many descendants of ours inhabiting it, since most of them are gone, unfortunately. However, there's one descendant of ours still alive at over 2,000 years old, and he lives here. His name is Vincent, and he is currently the most powerful warlock in the world. So far, it's been great getting to know him and his friends that he let move in with him. He is a good man, honestly. I think you would've been fond of him if the two of you ever met each other."
The ghost then looked down and paused for a moment.
"However, I didn't come here to just talk about that. I came here because, well, you've crossed my mind a number of times in these last few years," he continued. "I cannot seem to fully get you off my mind, Ophelia. Of course, it's late summer right now, which is the time of our anniversary, and that's when I think about you the most. It's been millennia since our last moment together, and I do not know if I could possibly still be in love with you after all this time, could I? Well, whether I am or not, there must be a reason why there's still so many memories of you that come to the forefront of my mind sometimes."
He smiled and gently brushed his hand against the tombstone once again.
"I am somewhat curious about whether or not you think of me too at times. If you are still in love with me or have you eventually fallen out of love over time? Yet, you don't have to answer that. All that really matters is that you may have crossed over to the afterlife."
Meanwhile, Vincent had just awakened now, and got out of bed as he looked outside his window, seeing that the gates to the cemetery were open.
"Who opened those gates?" he asked.
Before he could leave his room to see what was going on, he heard a knock at the door.
"You may come in," he nodded.
The door opened as Daphne walked in.
"Good morning," she smiled.
"Good morning, Daphne," he smiled back. "Someone appears to have opened the gates of my family's cemetery. Do you have any idea of who that might be?"
"Oh yes, I was just about to tell you, I saw Asamad there after I woke up," she informed him.
Vincent raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.
"Asamad went in there?" he repeated. "Well, he is dead. However, I have never seen him go in there…"
"Maybe he's visiting someone else's grave. He couldn't be looking for his own since he knows that he never got a proper burial," Daphne pointed out.
"I suppose so, although I cannot imagine whose grave he might be visiting. Do you think I should go see for myself?"
"If you really want to, then sure, I guess."
"Very well then, I will be back in just a moment," he told her.
Vincent then left his room before changing into his normal mage's robe, and headed off to the cemetery.
He eventually made his way all the way to the back, finding Asamad there, still speaking to the grave.
"Asamad?" he called out.
The red ghost stopped and turned around to face him.
"Vincent, I thought you were still asleep," he said.
"You know that I am always up at this hour," Vincent reminded him.
"Of course," Asamad nodded, realizing that he should've known that he would be up by now.
"I noticed that the gates to our family's cemetery had been opened as I awakened, and Daphne informed me that you were the one who opened them. If you don't mind telling me, whose grave are you visiting here?"
Asamad grew silent, looking back at Ophelia's grave and then at Vincent again.
"It's my wife's…"
Vincent froze, as a feeling of awkwardness rushed through his whole body.
"Oh.." he managed to say after a moment. "Please, forgive me for interrupting you. I didn't know-"
"No, it's fine, you weren't interrupting me at all," Asamad assured him. "I don't mind, really. I wasn't planning on visiting her today anyways, however, I just couldn't get her off my mind, so I came here."
"Well, I must admit, that is very kind of you. I am sure that somewhere in the afterlife, she appreciates it," Vincent smiled, the feeling of awkwardness in his body finally disappearing.
Asamad smiled back and nodded in response.
"I hope you're right."
"Since she's been on your mind lately, have you brought anything to put by her grave?" the warlock wondered. "Something that reminds you of her?"
"No, but that is a good idea," he acknowledged. "Thank you for the suggestion."
"You're very welcome. I will not ask any more questions since I must return to the castle now. You can continue talking to her for as long as you need."
"I'll see you later," the red ghost replied.
Vincent then departed from the cemetery as Asamad turned back to his wife's grave.
"That was Vincent, he was just wondering why I came here. Anyways, I suppose there is something that I should give to you," he continued.
He then conjured up a bouquet of black roses in his hands, setting them down by the tombstone.
"May these flowers delight you," he wished. "As they are your favorite."
He stood there in silence for a moment, wondering why Vincent's mood suddenly changed when he told him whose grave he was visiting. Did he believe that Asamad was still in love with Ophelia?
And most importantly, was he right about that?
"Maybe there is something between our souls after all, Ophelia," Asamad said.
