Let the Symphony Last for Eternity

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: …. The title was not meant to be serious, yet well this is when the time change happened.

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A white coat... Who wore a white coat? Brauner adjusted the monocle he wore as he watched the two hunters fight. Dracula reborn and in the Castle? This would require much investigation, not even when the Castle was whole had it been 'this' passive before. Now he had a reason to investigate the Castle more thoroughly, a passive Dracula on the loose held such promise. Dracula's rage having been neutralized could open the possibility of a true take over.

One that wouldn't even require going through the Belmont before him.

Who would have known that Shaft's efforts would work against him? Having the Belmont protecting Dracula 'had' been an effective deterrent for a while. Keeping them at bay, even as the Castle itself stepped in to protect Its Master. But now as he stood there, he could see the clever plan had betrayed Shaft. Richter had left the Master Chambers to examine the goings on of the Castle and had stumbled upon one of his ancestors.

Brauner had never really concerned himself with the vampire hunters of the world, as none entered Dracula's castle save that one. But after talking to Orlox he had come to learn about this particular clan of hunters and their almost obsessive drive to hunt Dracula down. Hence why he hid in his painting and watched as these two hunters tore into each other with careless abandon. The red head was pure might, brawn and aggressiveness, while the other was methodical and blended magic with his might, a trifecta of brains, brawn, and magic.

He had always assumed that Dracula had been overpowered by just run of the mill hunters, those portrayed by books and myths. Petty crosses and nice holy words spoken by the pious, as all myths made the past sound like it was a world of savages. While he was elevated by an age where the ignorance that bore superstition gave way to a higher learning. The three he had faced never seemed as awe inspiring as the legends went. Their powers, singularly, were acknowledged as worth of some note, while joined and they were respectable. But what was happening before him now with these, as Orlox referred to them, pure blooded hunters?

Even in the protection of his painting he could feel the raw power of these hunters reverberate through the wood, metal, and oils. This was the power of those myths made real? One hunter with such raw physical power, one hunter with might born from spell and flesh, strong enough to bring down the Dark Lord each time he appeared? Perhaps there 'was' something to be said for this particular clan of hunters and why Dracula never had won.

They each carried a whip as a main weapon, and while the red head carried a sword alongside him, the other carried the more traditional tools of a vampire hunter. The ground was splashed with blood from both combatants neither bothering to realize how they were being played. True he could leave the painting and tell the red head what had happened. But if he did how would that effect things? Dracula wanted all humans dead, and Brauer's precious daughters were born human.

Which would serve him better? Saving this human hunter from his only bloodline, meaning that Dracula would never win his war? Or would letting the human die and letting Dracula's war carry on with wild abandon be the better of the plans? It took the deaths of his dearest children to awaken his vampire nature, but would he live long enough? Or would he be killed alongside them? What if his wife or any of his own blood line necessary to continue would died before Brauner and his family?

Seal either one of these hunters inside a painting and it would be like they never left the Castle. History would rewrite itself accordingly, but that change could write him out of history as well. Such an idea would mean that Orlox would have no clue what he had done, and thus would leave a random chance that the Nosferatu may not release the Belmont from the painting. Then again would it be even easy to do so when one was considered the prey of the other?

Shafts' puppet had stopped using the holy water now that he'd realized that it really had no affect on the other. With a plan already forming in his mind Brauner finally did a quick sketch of the red head hunter bound in a painting with Brauner himself holding a clock displaying the 13th hour on its face. Writing it out meant nothing to the others in his group, only because of the Castle could they speak at all, languages had changed too significantly. But visual aids would be sufficient, as the private art gallery was accessible to Orlox since the other member of their group was much too large.

He let his painting float away from being directly in view of the battle before he materialized out of the portrait of himself. Two very skilled hunters so focused on each other neither could afford to be distracted due to the abilities of the opponent before them, so much skill that neither gave the slightest note of the empty enchanted painting floating closer. So Braunder sent it gliding along the walls, no point in trying to disguise it when it was passing the books.

Indeed neither hunter paid it any mind as it moved towards them effortlessly. Despite the more barbaric appearance of the red head, he 'did' surprise the vampire by moving away from the portrait. For all red head's uncultured black furs and leather garb, he put the puppet and the empty portrait before him with a flick of his whip. But now able to properly see the hunter's face showed that this member of the family was not completely lost to the blood lust. This hunter wasn't just mindlessly throwing himself against Shaft's puppet, rather his eyes showed he 'was' thinking.

This Hunter's eyes kept scanning the room, so he must have figured out that there was some type of spell controlling his opponent. Save the puppet was not giving him time to figure out what 'was' controlling him. Unfortunately he didn't know what Shaft was using to control the puppet either, leaving them both at a bit of a disadvantage. A shame really, more so that he didn't know it himself so he didn't know if and how to take over that spell.

"I don't know who you are Vampire. But I don't appreciate your interruption of my fun with this zombie," the puppet's words were tossed at Brauner.

The most the red head offered was a raised eyebrow at the 'zombie' jab, not even offering a retort or a sign that he had acknowledged the insult. Then again if he was aware that something was manipulating this hunter he may have felt it was beneath him. "Of course, I would never doubt your ability to slay, runs in the blood I believe. However, I have a use for this hunter," Brauner replied blithely as tendrils of shot out of the canvas and ensnared the red head. For as strong as that hunter was, he wasn't on the same level in terms of speed as the puppet or the enchanted canvas.

"You think a member of the house of Belmont would serve a minion of evil?" The red head scoffed as he tried to break one tendrils' grip on his wrist. "Even Dracula's curse was not enough to subdue me!"

This was certainly a prideful Belmont, but the look in this hunters' eyes seemed built on the confidence that he 'had' resisted the power of Dracula. While the puppet actually winced at the boast, which meant that some part of him was still aware of what he was doing. Which was interesting, proof that this hunter was able to continue existing without being utterly destroyed by the dark spells that Shaft had crafted.

Yes, the red head would be important to their cause. Removed from time would destroy the puppet and all his clan allowing for Dracula to rule. As Garamoth had told him, anyone who was born after a person would disappear as history rewrote itself. So Brauner would disappear, possibly never to become a vampire and perhaps live out his peaceful life with his daughters. But the change of history would not completely affect a longer lived vampire.

The Castle had already rebelled quite intensely against the three of them, bringing Camilla, the mad devil forgemaster, and all these hunters, to aid Shaft and Death in protecting Dracula. One clan of hunters with such might as to resist Dracula's power was a great danger. With a Dracula from the future also roaming the Castle at the moment? If this clan was removed from the field the most the Castle could bring in was weaker human hunters who couldn't possibly be as much a threat against them.

Camilla would never work along side hunters or humans, rather she would make them her play things and cause a split in the Castle's effort. Death would aid the humans in as far as it meant protecting Dracula. Sacrificing himself, even for a little while would give Orlox and Galamoth the time they needed to weed out anyone else the Castle brought to guard it. It was in that moment he saw everything clearly. Even as he intensified the power of the Canvas to draw in the resisting redhead for his soon to be portrait.

Allow himself to be removed from the field, along with this red head, and all the hunters after him would disappear. All that would be left would be the lesser hunters, history would rewrite itself from the red head's disappearance bringing in more of Dracula's faithful servants, Orlox merely had to play as one himself. A Castle full of hunters from all points in time, would bring their forces against either Dracula.

Because Dracula could revive his followers at later dates, allowing whatever weaker hunters into the Castle deal with them would be a great aid. In doing so, they would cull away whatever guards set in place for Dracula. Once Orlox and Garamoth released the Hunter, all these hunters would be restored into time with nothing between them an Dracula. By instinct they would seek out Dracula to destroy and once done the Castle would be masterless once more and Brauner and his group could usurp the Castle for themselves.

The tendrils finally caught the red heads' wrists, and began sucking the ever resistant hunter in, while Brauner sent out his blood strokes to stop the puppet from attacking his ancestor. Soon the three of them among others would disappear from the Castle. Who knew how things would play out once things got set into motion?

The canvas was already sweeping along towards Garamoth's chamber even as the Hunter's hands were pulled into it. Pinning the hunter to the canvas while the painter and the puppet began to fade out of existence. The redhead was glaring such violence at the painter, but Brauner strengthened the pull of his canvas. Turning his head to resettle his gaze on the puppet, wondering how the puppet would react to this.

Said puppet stood there with such a lost expression, which made sense, without a history whatever broke him under Shafts control was removed as well. So perhaps the hunter was recollecting himself? He stood there with that dangerous whip uncoiled on the floor around him with the handle still in his hand.

Brauner looked down at his free hand and could see the polished wood of the floor beneath his feet. He gave an unfazed 'humph' as he let time sweep him from the playground of Chaos giving one final thump of the ground with his cane.

She honestly didn't know what she was going to do given the situation, the Castle feeling the need to bring all these hunters had been alarming. Indeed they were all baffled by the Castle's odd behavior, but finding out there was a traitor among Lord Dracula's followers in the Castle? Not only a traitor, but one they had yet to uncover? Purely unacceptable! But on top of that, if things couldn't get more confusing, a future incarnation of her Lord?

One, if her lord had a new incarnation running around in the Castle as well it meant eventually one of those nasty hunters had won. Someone had slain their Lord Dracula and that was unthinkable! Two, what was this Lord even 'like'? Why not present himself at the Master Chambers instead of just running around the Castle?

This simply would not do, a traitor was in the Castle and there was some random passive Lord roaming it as well? Her duty was the protection of her Lord and Master, which meant finding said strange version of him and reporting to him. Well, first discern whether or not he 'was' the Lord, then inform him of the threat to his existence, while at the same time gain an audience with her Master.

She smoothed out her robes before walking through the Long Library, it was slower, but she felt she needed the time to think. A ghost of the Lords' wife was traveling in the Castle, the servants were acknowledging her no less, and all in the Castle knew of the Lords' great love for her. When he selected his current bride, it wasn't out of love, rather a need for companionship. After all, a lady's touch was so much more appreciative than say, Deaths' rather cold presence.

Even now, they spoke more as distant friends than deeply in love, lovers. Well when she had seen the Lord speak to Lady Annette, that's what she saw. Though Lady Annette was clearly infatuated with her Lord Husband.

But why wouldn't she? After the last great Vampire Hunter, Simon Belmont, disappeared with the Vampire Killer not another hunter from that clan had been able to rise up. Stripped of their main weapon, with Dracula taking that moment of weakness and routing out the clan to near extinction. Sure there were rumors that the clan still held some faint line open. But the few safe houses they could hold open never lasted long.

Yet a single traitor caused the Castle to summon all these Hunters? While her Lord would point out that the Castle was a creature of Chaos, and she understood that Chaos had no logic. Bringing in 'hunters' who were trained in hunting vampires seemed counterproductive in fighting a traitor. Was the Castle trying to entertain the Lord by providing him with sport to hunt besides this traitor?

It was thought that Lord Dracula held a soft spot in his heart for his half blood son, and if the Young Master had taken to training Vampire Hunters... Well, it was amusing to see their level of proficiency in hunting. That their Lord would show such gracious tolerance of such treason from his only child, a half blood at that, just showed how kind he was. Allowing the half blood to stay a half blood without turning him fully into a vampire was also touching. Respecting his child's wish to remain of both worlds and not towing the errant child home.

Such a wonderful father the Lord was, even allowing a new town to be built around his sons' mausoleum so the boy wouldn't be alone. A thoughtful father, still mindful of his half blood child despite being able to have as many children as he wanted. There was no shortage of women, both Dark Child and human, who wouldn't want a chance at having the child of Count Dracula. Even being a concubine would be acceptable as it provided a protection from some of the more wild Children.

But that was neither here nor there. Her task was to find this white coat version of Lord Dracula. If this stranger 'was' her Lord and Master from a future time then there was no question that she needed to protect him from this traitor. Protect him and guide him to his past self... though she found it strange that the Castle didn't just bring him to the Master Chamber on its own.

Perhaps she was putting too much thought into it, already she made the Castle sound like a sentient being. Though on the other hand it was called a 'creature' of Chaos which implied it was a being of its own. Thus it should have been capable of thought on its own and realize what it should be doing. But maybe 'creature' was intended to only describe its ability to grow and change, like how people grew and changed over time.

She floated herself down to the next floor in the library without though, walking through out the Castle seeing no more of the maids. In fact she couldn't recall a time when there 'were' maids in the Castle before. Which made her pause in mid step as she pondered that, the maids were a sudden new addition to the Castle, but why?

Had the Castle ever looked so clean? Floors swept, rugs beaten and replaced, dusted and tidied up? The Castle wasn't like this when she bowed before her Lord and Master, nor had she 'ever' seen the original Lady of the Castle. Was 'this' the effect of the future Lord? Was his mere presence enough to affect the Castle 'this' much? Perhaps that was why they couldn't be in the same chamber at the same time? The Master Chamber was where the Lord normally stayed and issued his commands, two Lords, one who was clearly more domesticated could be problematic.

But what had happened to cause 'another' version of her Lord to appear in the Castle and with such a toned down personality? Was it because he was in charge for so long and his victories so complete that he was able to focus more on the Castle? Was his presence the reason why the Lady of the Castle could manifest into the visible world? If so what would happen to Lady Annette when the Lord saw his Wife's Ghost? After all, ghosts weren't uncommon in the Castle, and if She was now visible...

She shook her head and brushed those thoughts aside, she would find the future Lord and if she ran into her Necromancer Sister in arms. Well, she would tell her to keep an eye out.