Let the Symphony last for Eternity

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: Worked on this chapter, managed to flesh out some more things for Juste.

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She stormed down the hallways of the Castle with an expression carefully schooled into apathy. But anyone with a bit of sense scuttled out of her way as quickly as they could as she approached, no one could miss that aura of anger that radiated off her in waves. Her long heavily decorated rose pink dress even seemed to fear her anger. The bottom of the dress curled itself in whatever direction it needed to be in to avoid making her trip.

The Castle felt off, split asunder into two parts, yet it still felt off in a way that had worked its way under her skin. Even if the Castle was split into two parts, there should have been a hint of chaos within the flow of its essence. The remaining aspect of darkness should have been violent, not this soft gentle trash that did not suit the Lord of the Castle at all. But it was the Castle of Dracula, and despite how she may have felt about it she wasn't one to force her will over it. Not when there was a chance of enraging Count Dracula himself, which was why she was here.

It was an affront to her, not just the lack of chaos in the Castle, or even the feeling that Dracula was not within its walls. No, it was the affront of having Vampires having turned traitor! Vampires in the Castle seeking to undermine the authority of Count Dracula and instate themselves as the new rulers of the Children of the Night. It was absurd! An affront if ever she had heard one, even their arguments!

The only reason Dracula had lost his wars through out the ages was simply because Vampires were just too cowardly. Just the over sexed Succubus were willing to join his cause, while the weak and useless monsters rallied to him. It was a disgrace if there ever was one, and that there were vampires willing to betray Dracula rather than aid him was all the more bothersome to her. There were humans in the Castle as well, one only a human in name, his body having died off leaving him just a spirit now. But he had done the remarkable, breaking the spirit of a Belmont and twisting the hunter to the cause of serving Dracula! That and a Devil Forgemaster promised a strong aid for Dracula against these traitors.

But even so, the fact that she had to entrust the aid of 'humans' annoyed her terribly. Even if that human captured a Belmont and broke him, that a human did what they could not? That Belmont serving as a decoy and protector calling 'himself' the Lord of the Castle, 'was' a begrudgingly good plan. And who knew what went on in the mind of the mad forgemaster. Still, it was a frustrating situation to be caught within, as she was being asked to betray her fellow vampires and side with the humans or simply slaughter the humans.

She finally paused in her agitated stride, and fought to gain some level of self control once more. She would need to find some way to gain some control over the situation, she couldn't trust the other Vampires, as they had turned traitor. Nor could she trust the humans, since she wasn't going to consider cattle as allies. Greed was a natural foundation in the human soul, so they were clearly unfit to have any right to the castle. Eventually they would be no better then the traitorous vampires. She needed to secure a power base of her own within the Castle, which meant finding something to use. The Vampires were looking for Dracula so they could restrict him to one room some how. The humans had their Belmont staking out the Master Chambers, which left her with what?

When she opened the door and stepped through it she found herself at the Outer Wall, which shouldn't have been where she ended up. As she paused, once again, to think on it, she realized that the whole layout of the castle seemed a little... off.

Vampires had a near animalistic sense of direction, they always knew which direction was which. Provided they weren't in a state of frenzy, which was why she was standing there trying to regain her composure. Because her sense of direction had suddenly been yanked into a totally different direction. From facing west to completely facing east? No, there was something decidedly wrong with the castle and she needed to figure out what it was.

Across from her was a wall, along with the fresh clean air of the night outside the castle. The outer wall of the castle extended over the lake that the Castle had returned to. But there was the scent of a living human somewhere, another human seeking to protect Dracula? Or perhaps some human so dark? Normally she would linger, savor the fact that there was a human in the castle that she could hunt. But not tonight, she needed to find out who this person was.

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In the distance, he could occasionally hear the lone calls of an owl, or the flapping of wings from various bats as they woke up to go hunting. There were times when the wind would blow hard enough to allow him to hear the creaking of a heavy weight up above him. Upon investigation, he discovered a rotting corpse hanging from a ragged whip outside the outer wall. Clad in leather reminiscent of his ancestors armor, he could only assume it to be a sick twisted joke.

That aside, he returned to his vigil at the gated elevator regretting his carelessness that put him in this position. Though he was trained in the arcane arts, he needed more materials than say, his ancestor Sophia. Materials he wasn't in the process of carrying when he was suddenly brought to this castle. A castle that shouldn't have been standing, considering Juste recalled defeating Dracula, therefore should not have been standing. He had awoken in a draft and drab room hanging precariously over the lake yet it seemed he had gone nowhere. Still so close to where he began, and trapped waiting for the chance to flex his fingers properly again.

But what if the switch to activate this gate was somewhere else in the area? That fit the normality of the structure to a degree. If this 'was' the castle, not that he was even sure. The castle lacked the malevolent feeling that he had gotten during his trip through before. Tonights' strangeness accumulating in the presence of his ancestor, Trevor. He wanted to say that it was an apparition, a monster of some sort, yet the sense he got. That little mystical bit of sensory that he inherited from Sophia told him that this was a living man. He also recognized the feeling as one he felt in the presence of his grandfather. A feeling that only came from one who had hunted Dracula, one that marked a Belmont who had wielded Vampire Killer.

As he sat there lost to his thoughts a new sound in this place far in the distance, tickled his ears. With a rolling tide of dark energy that cascaded down the numerous stairs like an oily water. It told him to be prepared, a vampire was on the loose. But there was still the probability that it would be a vampire like all the other monsters in the castle. Disinterested in his presence, ignoring him like all the other had, if he was lucky. No earthly sound came from above where the power radiated from, the air still of any shoes or jingle of weapons.

He turned his attention back to the gate that kept him separated from his whip, testing the metal and wondering if his fire spells were safe to cast. Or would they warp the metal, damaging it and making it harder if not impossible to reach his whip. Juste tucked the summoning tome in the crook of his arm and held the holy water in hand. So far it was the only combo he could think of that had little chance of harming the metal of the cage. Yet at the same time was able to harm whoever came down there, if they were a threat.

The vampire's arrival was without visible fanfare, nothing but the sensation of her own dark powers told him to look up. Visually she wore layers upon layers of pinks, her hair had a red hue, the pinks softened the appearance. The dress bore heavily from the design of nature's rose, soft petaled and delicate. Her face was clear of blemishes and the color of fresh milk, at least that was what a non vampire hunter might have seen.

Yet for someone who had the blood of Vampire Hunters bound with the blood of witches, that appearance wasn't the only thing Juste saw. He saw the beauty like a porcelain mask while the elegant rose motif dress was rotted to his eyes. The petals hung in tatters, the flesh of the arms were pock marked with maggots and the scent of blood was clear on the air around her.

"And what have we here? Another Vampire Hunter? As though the other one wasn't enough?" She mulled over aloud, acid in her voice as she stared down at him. Chocolate brown eyes holding a hint of red in their depths while she studied him. White hair was abnormal for humans of the youthfulness he showed in face and flesh. She could tell there was magic in this one, not just in his hunting attire either.

He didn't reply at first, instead opting to merely observe her. Then broke his silence with a, "You're the first being here that's even acknowledged my presence." He readied to flick the top off the container of holy water, hoping he could get the book activated in time while doing so.

"And the first Vampire Hunter that is free of thought and available for my needs that I have found," she mused as though he hadn't spoke. Watching him start slightly in response to that before his own cold eyes narrowed. "Though that there are two of you accursed Belmonts here."

Juste stayed silent, watching her every movement in case she tried something. The Belmonts, as a rule, didn't advertise Alucard's assistance when the Dhampire aided his ancestor. When asked, they simply said a vampire turned traitor in an effort to protect Alucard from enemies. So was this vampire talking about Alucard's link to the Belmont Clan? Then again she 'was' implying more then one vampire...

"But if you're thinking of battling the lord of this castle in an attempt to gain fame, I'll warn you now. It will not do you any good, as that accursed Belmont is presiding as lord," she scoffed as she glided closer.

She recognized that he was a Belmont given what she said, but what did she mean by a Belmont being lord of the castle? He wanted to say that it was a lie, slay the vampire and be done with it, rather then listen to her attempt to slander his family name. It couldn't have been Trevor, despite the shock of the meeting, Juste had sensed no malicious intent in the man. Yet the castle seemed passive, the evil that he had come to know was either gone or sedated. If a hunter or a Belmont had somehow managed to gain control of the castle, well that would explain the strange behavior.

Something was happening inside the castle, this vampire spoke disdainfully of a Belmont in control. So perhaps the Belmont was actually sealing the castle, she could be offended that it had been taken over by a vampire hunter. Yet if the castle was under the control of a Vampire Hunter why would she come here? Did she think herself strong enough to defeat a Belmont in combat? But what would have had to happen to give the Clan the type of power to overpower the Castle of Dracula? Even with the witches' blood in their veins from Sophia, there was no way he could think of that would allow them.

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It was a strange juxtaposition found in the Castle, with both Vampire and Vampire Hunter in the Castle of Dracula. True vampires in a castle ruled by a vampire made sense, but she spoke of a vampire Hunter ruling the castle. Which was a contrast from the norm, along with the Castle being in a passive state of darkness imbued power rather than its mixture of chaos and darkness. Normally the Castle had its standards, Dracula in charge, Hunters pursuing him to stop his tyranny, and well now?

Now Vampire and Vampire Hunter stood staring at each other trying to gauge the situation they found themselves in. Camilla knew that the Belmont currently controlling the Castle was nothing more than a feeble puppet. She now knew of only two Vampire Hunters in the Castle, the one 'ruling' and the one here. Juste knew that, for whatever reason, his ancestor Trevor was walking among the hallway of the Castle as well. And in counting himself there was only two Hunters as well, however he was unaware of the one ruling the Castle.

Juste stood with the confidence born of his bloodline, even if he lacked the whip, he only needed it to deal with Dracula. His own spells would be enough to keep the Vampire before him back and given the holy nature of those spells. She wouldn't stick around to be burned repeatedly, she lacked all the ear marks of a Vampire in a need for food. She would only throw herself at him if she was desperate and she clearly wasn't.

Perhaps she, too, could gain the assistance of the pretty, magical Belmont before her. Make him into a champion for her needs if one would? He over burdened one hand with spell book and holy water, something no skilled hunter would do. Unless he was injured and trying to keep all that he needed at hand when facing a threat. Which meant he was well prepared to deal with a Vampire despite not having the Whip in hand, which was a visible display of his skill if not power.

But he was wounded, sure he could fling the holy water out, and perhaps only needed the book in hand to cast a spell to make the water worse for her. But not if she pinned down that hand first, and while Belmonts were not 'faster' than a vampire, their ability to anticipate and react. Well that was something to be respected and noted when in battle.

But the humans had proven that even the lofty Belmonts could be broken in, made useful. How could this Belmont know that his oh-so-mighty clan could, in fact, be broken? Not even by a Vampire, but by humans steeped with the knowledge of the Darkest of Arts? That the Castle was in the command of his own grandson? Not that Camilla knew or cared for the answer, all she cared for was making this Belmont her own champion. So that when the spill over fighting between the humans and the traitors was done she would be safe. Indeed perhaps the two Belmonts could fight along side each other against these traitors?

If she felt moved to aid those lowly humans.