Edit: Had to reupload this chapter because of weird coding again. Sorry guys!
A strong yet fruity smell filled the kitchen as Alucard sat at the kitchen table. It was rather large, considering that it was the kitchen of a former duke who had many servants, but now it was converted into a cooking and eating kitchen with a table that could serve six and chairs to match, all made of pine, which suits the room made from stone and wood. Three windows lined the back wall looking out into the courtyard and the outdoor deck, all simple made but crafted with the finest glass of the era.
After a few moments of silence, a copper mug was placed in front of Alucard with a small hand towel off to the side of it. The mug wasn't special, just a simple brown colored cup with a thin but sturdy handle and two rivets about a fingernail length away from both the bottom and the top. Inside was an opaque, golden colored liquid that gave off both heat and steam, with the strong fruity smell that Alucard sensed earlier filling his nose and bringing a small smile to his face.
"I've never seen tea like this. What is this blend?" he asked as he looked at the drink.
"This is called Oolong tea, got it through trade from someone who went to China. This particular blend has a few of my own additions to it, such as sun dried apples and ground cinnamon. The towel is there in case your cup gets too hot for your hands, as I have experienced before. Might wanna let it cool down a little" Crina explained as she set her own cup down.
"Cinnamon? That's a spice that originated in China as well, correct?" Alucard asked, recalling something his mother told him.
"Well, not exactly. True Cinnamon originated in Sri Lanka, a country that's south of China. But this kind that I have here, I got it through trade from someone that has been to China," Crina said. She then took a seat opposite that of Alucard, not at the ends of the table, but right across from the young man. She leaned forward a little and rested her elbows on the table, bringing her hands to her face a little as she gazed at Alucard. She then took a deep breath and sighed, "Now then, I do believe I owe you an explanation" she said. Crina's face then turned serious, almost stone cold, looking Alucard hard in the eye, "However, before I tell you what I know, I want you to promise me that no matter what you hear tonight, you will not have it leave this room, this house, this property and not tell it to anyone, and I mean no one, other than who I know is ok to tell. Not even Trevor and Sypha. Because, the moment that word of what I'm about to tell you gets out, especially to those of the church, many lives would be in danger. Not a mere 50, not 100, not even 1000, close to 12,000 lives, and growing, could be taken all 'in the name of god'. So what I'm about to tell you is meant to stay silent between us unless I know it's safe to talk. Can I trust you to keep this promise?" she asked him, eyes never leaving his, voice laced with protection, caution and duty.
Alucard was surprised by this, not expecting such an act from Crina. The whole situation did send a chill down his spine as he felt even the atmosphere surrounding him grow cold with something that he recalled from the time he fought his father, the blood chilling aura of killer intent. Where once was this kind warm-hearted woman who welcomed him into her family, now sat before him, eyes cold and focused, almost like a pair of silver tipped arrows were about to be aimed right at his very soul. However, unlike with Taka and Sumi who had broken his trust when they attempted to kill him, Alucard trusted Crina and believed that this was all a form of protecting those that mattered to her. He then processed the information that she just gave him and understood the weight of those words, understanding how much was at stake and reminding him of the vow he made in taking down his father. With that, taking a deep breath himself, he returned Crina's look and nodded his head.
"Of course. You have my word" he said, being nothing but honest with her.
Crina searched his eyes for any form of hesitation from him, but when he saw nothing of the sort, she relaxes and sighs. "Good. I apologize for going on guard, it's just that the oath is very strict about explaining information and who to tell, so I do trust you, but I wanted to make sure that you understood the risks. For it could mean death if word reaches the religious inquisition, let alone their corrupted lackeys" she said. She then took a sip of her now cooled tea and sighed a bit before continuing. "Now then, if you can remember, do you recall when I said that you weren't the first dhampir that I have met? And that I know how dhampirs react to Blood Moons when they first encounter them? And do you recall how hesitant I was in telling you more about all that?" Crina asked him, recalling the times she held back.
Alucard thought back on times before and nodded for each time she mentioned, "Yes, I do" he said. He then took a sip from his own cup of tea, letting the flavors of apple and cinnamon dance upon his tongue as he listened to Crina.
"As I have said before, the church has grown so corrupted that they are willing to hire just about anyone to find information about this place, known to them as the 'Holy Grail of Sin'. The reason why they call it that is because this is a place that is filled with nothing but freedom. The freedom to make their own choice, the freedom to live how they wish to live, the freedom to explore, to question, to experiment, all things that the church would view as a sin against order and submission. Basically, in terms of relation, if your mother found this place, she would've been welcomed with open arms instead of scrutiny, as science is a big part of the community. Of course, it's not absolute freedom as we do have laws in preventing crimes, but the rules help us regulate connections as well, especially since different cultures and species are within this place" Crina explained, pausing to take a drink.
Alucard was interested now since there was a place that allowed the sciences as a part of daily lives. Despite the few details he was given, his mind began to race at the possibility of being able to communicate the sciences with others. However, his hopes went down a little as he figured that these people wouldn't be too fond of coming across a dhampir, but he kept on listening to Crina.
"This place I speak of has two different names, a code name and a true name. The code name is what it is, code for those who wish to try and find sanctuary from those who lust for power and control. For this place, it's code name is 'The Gateway' while its true name, not spoken out in public, ever, is known as the 'Temple of Miracles'. With the code name, it's easier to fool the church as they think the Gateway means-"
"The Gateway to Heaven" Alucard interrupted, unintentionally but still.
Crina smiled a little, "Yes, and the church will just pass it off. And because of them passing it off, the people of the Gateway are in safer hands. Especially those who are half human" she said.
Alucard raised an eyebrow, "Half-human? As in…people like me?" he asked, feeling curious.
Crina gave an amused huff and nodded, "Indeed. In fact, half human half vampire conceptions are not that uncommon, surprisingly. Of the 12,000 population, while the largest majority, roughly 7500 of the citizens, is that of humans, the second largest majority, roughly…3,500 citizens or so, actually is of those who are half vampire. There is also a small population of vampires as well, mostly those who didn't follow traditional vampiric ways, or those who just had nowhere else to go. The rest of the population consists of creatures, demons, monsters and more around the world who were either bought out of slavery or simply rescued in different situations. It's various and cultured, all with a few simple rules. Mostly consisting of a creed of five simple rules" she paused, taking a sip of her drink and letting Alucard take in the information.
Alucard waited patiently, leaning forward a little in his chair, wanting to know more. For the first time in a long time, he had something that intrigued him to no end, wanting to know more, when normally he would need a purpose for such a need. The thought of being in a population consisting of dhampirs like him actually brought him a sense of comfort and a bit of curiosity, but he kept his composure, although the contained excitement was evident in his eyes. He held his cup as he continued to listen, waiting for Crina to continue.
Crina then held up a fist and then stuck up her pointer finger, "First rule, and the most important one, is that blood is never, EVER, taken without consent. Blood can be a form of trade payment, especially for those who have vampiric genetics, but if one cannot provide blood due to loss or does not want to do so, then money or other forms of trade are given. If one does not give consent to give blood, the recipient must accept the terms, no exceptions allowed" she said.
She then put up a second finger, "Second, no one forces their own opinion on others. Just like how the church forces its intent on others because of desire for power, no one can repeat the same process on anyone at all. The Gateway is a place where people escape from that whole governmental concept, so such action is not allowed at any time nor with any situation. If there is a thought that must be given, such as preparing for war to protect the home or to bring in a concept of life that would be beneficial to all, then that is something that can be voted upon by everyone after telling reasons of yes and no, as is the way of the Gateway's government, that of a constitutional monarchy, with heavy emphasis on constitutional" she paused.
A third finger goes up, "Third, those who wish to travel outside the Gateway must take an oath of secrecy, only explaining such information about the Gateway to either fellow members or those who may benefit from the chance of a new life. This one is tricky to explain, but let's use your mother as an example. Let's say that, in this situation, your mother has yet to meet your father. If she encountered one of the many traders or observers of the Gateway and said person saw your mother's work as beneficial to others, then he or she would first question your mother's religious beliefs in case she sided with the religious inquisition. If she said no, or no but still believed there was a god, then she would be told about the Gateway and he/she would've questioned your mother's motives. If they lined up with what follows in the creed, then she would've been invited to see about the Gateway. Of course, she had the right to refuse, as the second rule says, no one forces intent upon others. But if she said yes, then proper guidelines would follow, which I will get to another time" she said.
Now all but her thumb is pointed up, "Fourth, religious freedom is allowed as long as it doesn't involve live sacrifice, human sacrifice or anything involving sacrifice of lives or harm to lives in general, and as long as it doesn't disturb the peace. If there are holidays that involve some sort of celebration, we have a calendar that helps keep track of things and of course, the people are updated of all possible celebrations long ahead of time" she explained.
Finally, all her fingers are up, "Fifth and final rule. Anyone who goes against this creed or cause anything along the lines of murder will be brought to a trial that is fair and judged by the Chief as well as members of the government. If one is indeed guilty of such acts, then the Chief uses their power to change the guilty ones memories. She can erase the memories of the Gateway and rearrange the leftover memories and fill in the gaps with new ones, making it seem like the person had a completely different past than before. It is what happens to all who break the creed" she said, finishing her story of the rules.
"Any questions?" Crina asked, unsure if she was making sense.
Alucard took in the information, thinking about the rules, but they all made sense to him. However, there was one thing that was bothering him, so he looked at her after taking a sip of his tea. "My only question is how a large population is able to hide itself from the church and religious inquisition? Is it protected by magic of some sort or is there something else?" he asked.
"Good question, and I guess I did forget to mention this. The Gateway isn't like a normal village. Rather, it's an underground castle town. The only sources of light are from street lanterns and from crystalized sunlight" Crina explained.
Alucard raised an eyebrow, "Crystalized what?" he asked.
However, just as he asked this, a strange sound caught his ears, making him turn toward the fireplace with caution.
Crina hear this too and stood up, moving slowly and grabbing a knife from the nearby counter and watching the fireplace carefully. The sound of something scuffling down the fireplace started to get louder and louder until finally a voice gave a yelp and fell the rest of the way down, creating a large ash storm from falling on top of the wood.
"Ow…glad that… it wasn't…wasn't lit this time…" said a voice inside the dust cloud as he coughed a little.
Crina immediately relaxed and put the knife down. Sighing, she spoke, "It's alright Alucard, I know who this is" she said, speaking a little annoyed, as she looked at her guest and friend.
Just as the dust cleared, a young man stood before the pair. He was roughly Crina's height, if not a little taller, but yet he was shorter than Alucard. Lithe in body but yet toned, skin white as the full moon, just like Alucard, with silver hair that was long and thin, all pulled back into a half pony with thin lose strands shaping his oval shaped face. He dusted himself off to show a pair of light brown pants, dark brown calf high boots with platinum accents, a white long sleeved dress shirt with a black colored cravat and a vest of royal purple with thin gold trimmings. Once fully dusted off, the young man turned and looked at both Alucard and Crina with honey brown eyes that were full of curiosity, adventure and a hint twinkle of mischief all while baring a wide grin.
Alucard looked at the young man before him with a bit of confusion before he took notice of something very prominent about this guy, more specifically the pair of fangs in his mouth, making his eyes widen a bit as a sense of a threat fills his mind. But he stayed cool, only asking a question to see if his thoughts proved true.
"You….You're a….a vampire?" Alucard asked, unsure if he was seeing things correctly.
The young man before Alucard looked at the blonde haired man with a bit of confusion before giving him a smile and shaking his head.
"Vampire? No. Dhampir? Yes. And a handsome one at that. Of course, your rather good looking yourself, my good man" the young man, now dhampir said to Alucard.
Alucard's eyes widened as much as possible when he heard that, shock filling his body at the sight of one like himself. "D-Dhampir?!" he asked with hesitation and surprise.
"Why are you here? I thought you were going home" Crina said to the young man, a bit disturbed by the unexpected guest.
"I did go. But I forgot to bring that payment I owe you from a few months ago, so I wanted to come back and give it to you before I forgot again" the young man said. He then pulled out a small brown bag, one that was about the size of a canning jar.
Crina took the bag and opened it, looking at the contents and smiled, "This will do nicely. Very nicely indeed. This should make a nice component for one of my side projects" she said.
The young man smiled, "Glad it can help. Not sure why you would need it, but hopefully it will bring you closer" he said.
Crina then placed the bag on to the table and turned back to Alister, "And why didn't you come through the door?" she asked.
"I was waiting by your bedroom window and I kept tapping, but you wouldn't come, so I figured you were somewhere else. I flew around til I saw the kitchen lights and was about to go to the door, but your dogs were outside" he said, a look of fear on his face at the mention of Max and Anna.
Crina looked at Alister and nodded, "That's right, you're scared of dogs. If forgot about that. I'll let it slide this time, but going forward, please don't use the chimney. You'd make me think that you were Krumpus…" she said with a shiver.
"Oh god no" Alister said with a shiver up his spine too.
Crina then looked at Alucard, "Well, since the two of you are now in the same room, I might as well introduce you both" she said. She then gave a motion to the young man in the room, "Alucard, this is Alister. He's a step-cousin of mine and a dhampir from the Gateway that I have been telling you about" she said. She then moved her hand from Alister to Alucard, "Alister, this is Alucard. The man that I have been searching for this past year on behalf of my Grandfather" she said, introducing the two men in the room.
Alister looked at Alucard and moved forward, extending a hand to the blonde man, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Alucard" he said with a smile.
Alucard was a bit hesitant in shaking his hand, but he did so out of manners, "You as well, Alister" he said. He still was a bit bewildered after all that occurred tonight, being told about this place of people that were just like him and now meeting one of the many that could be in this place.
Alister noticed the nervousness in Alucard's movements and voice and his face turned to slight worry, "Something wrong? You look like you've seen something strange…" he said, unsure of what to make of Alucard's behavior.
Alucard blinked, "N-No, it's not that, it's just…well…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Crina sensed the hesitation and stepped in, "Alister, believe it or not, you're actually the first dhampir that Alucard has encountered in his life" she said.
Alister looked from Alucard to Crina and then back to Alucard, "Really? Well, sorry if I overwhelmed you…" he apologized.
"Then perhaps you should visit him another day, my lord"
Alucard was about to speak when a voice was heard and a hand mysteriously appeared on Alister's shoulder, making Alucard pull back from the silver dhampir in shock. Surrounding Alister was a mist that slowly started to take shape behind the young man. When the mist disappeared, what replaced it was another dhampir, one who appeared older than Alister with darker skin, almost light beige, and short dark brown hair paired with piercing dark brown eyes and a serious scowl on his face, giving an intimidating presence, but not completely threatening. His attire was that of a typical butler, dress shirt, black vest, black tailcoat, black pants and black shoes.
"I was beginning to wonder how far away you were, Simon" Crina said as she looked at the man behind Alister.
"I tried my best to keep him home, but he, just like you, can be rather impulsive once he gets an idea in his head" the new dhampir, now known as Simon, said as he turned to Crina, "Forgive me if he interrupted anything of importance, my lady" he said as he bowed his head in apology.
Crina waved her hand, "It's fine, don't feel that way. I was just explaining to Alucard here about the Gateway and about our dhampir population and sure enough, a dhampir appears. However, I do believe you're right. Maybe we should let these two talk another day when Alucard isn't overwhelmed" she said.
"Then on that note, we shall take our leave. Come now, master" Simon said as he started to become mist, with Alister looking on in a bit of shock. The mist then cleared out and disappeared from the kitchen completely, leaving both Crina and one very confused Alucard in the kitchen alone.
"Who was that?" Alucard asked, unsure of what just happened.
"That was Simon, Alister's butler. When Alister is the chaos, Simon is the order and is the one to bring him back to reality" Crina explained. "Anyway, I think that's enough for one night to explain things. I probably overwhelmed you with information. And of course Alister's unexpected timing is really something to gaze in wonder, more as in wondering why he is shirking his duties to slack off…" she added, sounding a bit annoyed. She then turned to Alucard and bowed her head, "I'm sorry for all this" she said.
Alucard turned to her and raised his hand, "No, please, I'm glad that you told me about the Gateway, this explains your behavior. And yes, Alister did have strange timing, but, I am glad that I got to meet one of many who live in the Gateway, let alone two. This was indeed a night I won't forget" he said with a small smile.
Crina lifted her head to look at Alucard and saw his smile, which for some reason, made her blush lightly. There was just something about that smile that often made a warm feeling grow through her body. She wasn't sure what this was, but she started to realize a little about this feeling. However, her thoughts were interrupted as the sound of choir bells was heard down the halls.
"What's that?" Alucard asked.
"Oh, that's the clock down the hall. I didn't even realize how late it is…maybe we should head to bed" Crina said as she gathered up the cups from earlier, going to the sink to wash them. Once that was done, she placed the cups on the drying rack nearby and turned around, "I'll show you to your room" she said, grabbing a candelabra from the kitchen table and walking along the halls toward the stairs that lead up.
Alucard, who's mind was still racing after all this information, walked slowly behind Crina as she lead him to his quarters for the night, his mind never once pausing in his thoughts. He was certainly looking forward to learning more about the Gateway and meeting Alister again. However, his thoughts also traveled to Crina and how kind she was to him in doing all of this. He wasn't too sure if this was going to help him trust others again, but he was slowly starting to feel that he could trust at least those that he currently knew. He never has been a social person, but he did miss the companionship that Trevor and Sypha brought. But now that Crina had come into his life, that she reunited him with someone pleasant from his past, and that she introduced him to another dhampir like himself, though overwhelming, he was beginning to feel that this was a new start for him. It was in that moment that he also recalled Taka and Sumi and their corpses still being held outside the castle. He made a mental note to take those down once he got back to the castle, or at least what was left of them. His thoughts were pushed aside as Crina stopped in front of one of the many doors in the hallway and turned to him.
"Here we are. This is Gabriel's room. The washroom is two doors down on the right if you need it" she said, "I hope you sleep well, Alucard" she added, bowing her head with a smile.
Alucard returned the head bow and smiled back, "Thank you Crina, and you as well" he said. He then opened the door and went inside. He also made a mental note that she stopped calling him 'Sir Alucard', but he figured that since they were friends now, they could drop the formalities. In fact, he very much preferred it now. As he shut the door, he sighed and made his way to get himself prepared for bed, feeling the need for sleep starting to come upon him.
A/N:
And another chapter up! Struggled with this one a bit only because I wanted to make sure that things made sense. Hopefully this does make sense, but please comment if I missed something. We also finally meet Alister and his butler Simon. I know what you're thinking, there's already a Simon in Castlevania, you can't use that name again. Well, truth be told in our world, there is more than one person with the same name, so this person could also be called Simon as it does make it seem real. Wouldn't you say? Anyway, enjoy this chapter, give comments if you see something missing or if there are questions, but please stay with me as there is more to this story. Can't say what the next chapter will bring, but all I can say is to expect the unexpected.
Now for some fun facts:
-Cinnamon originated in Sri Lanka before Christ, but when China found out about it, they had their own version made and sold it to traders and the works. Figured it make sense, and besides, who doesn't like the combination of apples and cinnamon? I do!
-Small Assassins Creed reference in regards to fighting for freedom and having a creed, but back during the 15th century there would've been some people who opposed the church, so I decided to capitalize on that and turn it into a hidden community. After all, scientists broke the rules of the church to make discoveries, so it made sense to me that there would be a community that believe in science. However, just like in Assassin's Creed 3, with Father Timothy, he wished to 'provide god for those who seek salvation', and I figured, 'hey, there are people who would still believe in god, but would probably not wish to worship him' and that's when I found the term agnostic, which is actually what I myself am as well. If it works, put it in the story, lol.
-The term 'temple of miracles' is a bit of a reference to the 'court of miracles' in the Hunchback of Notre Dame, one of my favorite disney movies. Since it was full of gypsies, people who Frollo despised, thought it would fit for a community despised by the church. But are there gypsies there? Wait and see.
-Since Alucard had never met another dhampir, I figured he'd be a bit shy and uneasy about meeting another of his own kind. We'll have to see how he improves, if he does.
And I think that's it for now. Please let me know if I missed out on anything. Thanks again for stopping by and reading and look forward to the next chapter soon. Bye for now!
