Castlevania: Let the Symphony Last for Eternity

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta: Erin_Carde

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Trevor Belmont

Had the world gone mad? Or had he? How did he wind up here anyways? On a platform within the Outer Wall of the Castle itself? He didn't recall how he wound up where he did, so was he taken in his sleep? If so, then what of Sypha? He quickly stood up, looking about to ascertain his location and situation. A stone platform was what he was resting on, a slight dampness from an evening mist. There was no doubt that if The Castle stood that it would not be approaching dawn. He looked down upon himself, surprised to find that he was fully dressed and armed. Who and why would someone bring him within the den of his most powerful of enemies fully armed? Why not bring him directly to Dracula unarmed, an easy target?

He rolled his shoulders as he took in his location better, unable to locate a single monster or even the sound of one. The whole area seemed eerily silent, even the Castle itself seemed devoid of existence. When he first came to the Castle, the very stones themselves seemed to be possessed of an unholy resonance. Now... now it felt as though he could have been in the wrong castle, or perhaps this castle was merely sleeping. This defied all the logic Trevor had ever had about the Castle, even with the Castle defying a hefty amount of logic in and of itself.

He walked to the edge of the platform, and saw another further down that he could reach. He took a step back before leaping out into the void. He hit the mental mark that he had on the platform, before standing up and checking around him. Trevor felt a bit foolish to think that maybe something would change with moving from one location to a slightly different one. Only nothing changed, it was as though the Castle itself had truly died. He frowned and began descending even faster in concern, as he looked about.

It felt wrong in his Hunter's Blood as he moved along, as though the prey he was born to hunt had simply vanished. An unnatural void as any that made him start to become more determined to find a monster, something, anything. There was a flicker of something dancing on the edge of his senses that made him turn towards the wall, where an opening let the full moon's light spill into the Outer Wall. But it was what manifested itself as he looked that startled him.

A ghost, it could be nothing else with the way the light continued to pour through her form. But she was mostly lost to a smoky haze. Her bright blond hair was bound up from behind, while her bangs framed her face as her eyes gazed at him. She looked at him for a moment, something about her eyes said she was not happy to see him. Probably only politeness kept her from saying or doing anything to show her displeasure.

The discontentment he felt about the Castle only intensified with that, as the only other being he had run into already seemed displeased to see him. Monsters he could handle, but a non aggressive spirit? That was something completely different, one in which Vampire Killer didn't react to. He had never faced a ghost that was not a threat, even if they ignorantly danced through the air. A ghost was just another servant of Dracula. Weren't they? She suddenly moved forward, her expression serious as she emulated walking towards the next flight of stairs. He moved to the side out of instinct, just in case she tried anything, but all she did was go down to the floor below and point?

Curious he moved down after her and that's when he finally began to hear the occasional rattling of something. He turned to look at the ghost only to find she was gone, leaving him with a question of what to do next. Well maybe the source of the sound would be able to give Trevor a clue? The sound was irregular, making it more a chance that this was a living, or unliving, being. The discontentment that came from the silence that consumed the Castle made his desire to hunt down the sound only the stronger.

Below him he could make out a long vivid red coat and surprisingly white hair of a stranger reaching for something in a cage. The stranger was on his knees and, given the sound of the rattling, clearly the stranger had something of importance caught in the cage.

Juste Belmont

Juste woke with a start, his alarm beginning to grow as he realized he wasn't back in his home. He sat at a table with a large dark jar before him, windows around the room showed a night sky with clouds idly floating by. The lack of glass also allowing him the pleasure of feeling the evening chill which had begun to seep into his body. He pushed his white hair out of his face as stood up from the table and began investigating the room he was in.

There was a hole in the ceiling that showed another building above with a chain, and probably a mate to it, holding the room he was in up. Beyond that there wasn't much to the room he was in, at least until he turned around and saw the telescope. Curious, and hopeful that he would find a clue, he looked through it and saw nothing, but a large expansive lake. The lake's horizon was a deep dark forest, the pale moon light ghosted over the green leaves.

"Lovely."

Shaking his head he realized that there was no other way out of this room save the hole in the roof. He stepped onto the chair then the table before climbing onto the rim of the pot, getting out of the room only proved a single point though. There was only one place insane enough to have a room hanging from a pair of chains over a lake. Back in the Castle of Count Dracula, he could only hope that Lydia and Maxim were safe.

Calling up his powers he double jumped up his way out of the hanging room, only to find a very... well very empty Castle. Where were the monsters that were supposed to kill him? He could see as he moved about a series a platforms, so shouldn't there have been Bats or Medusa Heads waiting to knock him off from them? They couldn't just flood the area the moment he started could they? Now that he thought about it the Castle felt like it was sleeping. The magic that resonated with the rage that Dracula held seemed to be slumbering. Something that, as a Vampire Hunter, he found disconcerting. After all why would the Castle be back if not as a threat?

He moved along leaping up on to the first platform, there was no point in staying in one spot forever after all. He anticipated being attacked the moment his foot touched the ground, so his hand was already wrapped firmly around Vampire Killer. Only nothing happened, he didn't know if he should have felt proud that the monsters were avoiding him or disturbed. Maybe something worse had taken over the Castle.

Juste continued jumping up from level to level looking about, noting the silence and unguarded doors. But for now he was just going to explore where he was, before he went inside the Castle itself. There was a hole in the ceiling that looked to extend to another level of the area which he took to checking out. He began to wish he had someone there to talk to, something to take away the gnawing silence that was eating away at him.

There was something wrong about this whole set up, the Whip should not have been so silent it could have been sleeping. The Castle was 'here' and he knew right down to his blood that the Whip had not been swapped, so why wasn't anything feeling right? The auras were docile, the conflict that helped awaken Vampire Killer into action was all but gone. He began fingering his tomes trying to find what would be useful in action against the Castle if it suddenly woke back up. He passed another door before coming to something rather interesting. A... Cage? The doorless corridor gilded in darkened metal that rose up a small shaft to someplace above? Oh and what was that thing that was glowing?

Curious and privately grateful for something other then a cold sterile castle to look at, when it wasn't 'supposed' to be a cold sterile castle, Juste opted to investigate. Jumping from platform to platform he reached the top of the shaft. It was an open door with hovering orb of light, one that sent a wolf's howl into his mystical senses. He walked forward wondering what purpose it could have in being here when the metal floor he had been standing on gave way. Alarmed he jerked back, but not before the tip of Vampire Killer was snatched by the metal.

Cursing, he reached for the weapon, but despite the supernatural strength his family was known for... Well Juste was more magic user then warrior, he could only swear at the humiliating situation.

Present Time

The Whip laid coiled inside a cage of darkened metal and the cage door that barred the white haired young man mocked the annoyed hunter. What else could he be within these walls, but another hunter after all? A hunter that was tensing up as he approached, with a book and... was that a cross in his other hand?

"Identify yourself!" The young man twisted to his feet, the cage to his back and it 'was' a book and a cross in his hands.

"Trevor Belmont of the Belmont Clan." He replied looking at the stranger who looked back at him like he had lost his mind.

"What? Trevor died over a hundred years ago!" Juste replied his distrust growing in his tone, and not sure of what to think when the stranger began checking his own pulse.

"No, I'm still alive, and what do you mean by 'over a hundred years ago'? It's 1480." The stranger looked alarmed and began looking around at the Castle as though some clue as to what was going on would manifest itself. Personally Trevor wished it would, this ordeal had just gotten far more strange than what the Castle could produce.

"No, it's 1749..." then as though unsure of himself he added, "isn't it?"

That... was a vast leap in terms of time... No wonder the Hunter was baffled and confused. Mentally shrugging it off Trevor walked down a few more steps his hands open to show no ill intent. "To what may I address you as?"

"Juste." The name came out short terse, still distracted and confused, the hunter suddenly added with a proud lift of his head, "Belmont of the Belmont Clan."

It was awkward yet unique and rather special at the same time. If what the other said was true, then Trevor was indeed facing one of his descendants. While on the other side of the same coin, Juste was trying to wrap his brain around the idea. That he was standing before the First of his clan to face and defeat Dracula. Yet he could only feel ashamed that he had mishandled and lost Vampire Killer.

"So what happened?" Trevor asked walking the rest of the way down, why would Juste be in the Castle if he didn't wield the Whip?

"The sphere above us, I found it and was trying to reach it when this mechanical beast shook to life. The Whip got caught and ripped out of my hand." Ripped had been the nice word, as it had dislocated the wrist and been painfully reset by Juste while on the run down the steps. Even now holding the cross hurt something fierce.

"Are you ok?" After all this was one of his great grandchildren right? Regardless of the whip's condition Trevor was more concerned about the yet to be born member of his family. Juste tucked one hand behind his back, supposedly to tuck the cross back where it belonged. But Trevor could see the tell tale signs that there had been an injury.

He considered pointing out the obvious injury, but pride was also injured with the loss of the Whip. Juste was trying to hide it as he stowed away his cross, but until it was mended and the Whip recovered... Then again something 'did' strike him as a bit curious.

"You mentioned an orb before. Where is it? I have seen nothing that stood out of this Castle since I awoke. Save one ethereal form," he replied gesturing up towards where he had awoken far above them.

"Did you not see it? It is right there... At the top of this shaft." Trevor didn't react like he saw anything, but Juste was positive he did. "A magical item?"

"Oh... well in that case probably not, Sypha is much better at that then I am." Trevor replied with a shrug, a truth that Sypha often lamented about. "We should go through, there must be something going on with the Castle that must be resolved."

Juste looked down and away, probably back towards the Whip before shaking his head. "I... Will stay here, I dare not risk someone coming along and taking the Whip."

Trevor nodded, he needed to find a potion, something to heal Juste's injuries, then they could go about retrieving the Whip and exploring the Castle. "Very well then, I'll go, but I'll be back once I find something to help open that gate."

"Thank you, Trevor," Juste replied looking back at the Whip where it laid coiled on the ground.

"See you soon." With that Juste was left alone in the Outer Wall.